What's happening in Azilal?

Azilal is in the Atlas Mountains, where the mid-Atlas meet the high-Atlas. The high Atlas mountains contain the highest mountain top in North Africa! So even though it gets very hot in the summertime (sometimes over 110*!) in the winter it gets very cold.  Now we even have snow:

Did you know that it snows in Africa? Just like Mr. Leventhal tells you, Africa is a big continent made up of all different climates and landscapes. Morocco has the humid seaside, the soaring mountains, and the dry desert. 

The students in Azilal braved the cold to come out and participate in a competition held by Peace Corps volunteers all over the world called "Write On!" They were given choices of prompts to write about and then wrote for one hour in English about their choice. Here are the students in action:

Have you ever written a story in a language other than English? It can be hard to be creative when you are writing in a second language. For some of the Lycee Ouzoud students English is a 3rd or 4th language! Maybe you can try to sit down and write a story in another language this week and see how you can express yourself differently when you are not using your mother tongue .

The competition is judged on creativity and the students have an option to win prizes for the Azilal region, all of Morocco, and internationally! Good luck Lycee Ouzoud!!

Student Spotlight #28 : Lycee Ouzoud (Morocco)

Hassna

My name is Hassna Waali. I am 15 years old. 

I have one sister and one brother who live with me and my mother in Azilal. I am the oldest. My father works in a nearby city as a waiter. 

I am a student in Abmsira High School. I speak Tamazigh, Arabic, French, and English.

Three words that describe me would be brave, beautiful and confident. 

I love to cook! My favorite things to cook are pizza and couscous. My mother taught me how to make these. I also love to play basketball. I play on the basketball team at my high school. 

Azilal is a beautiful city, it is small and clean. In my opinion we have a lot of places that tourists want to enjoy such as Ouzoud waterfalls and Bin El Ouidane lake. 

Student Spotlight #27 : Lycee Ouzoud (Morocco)

Maryam

My name is Maryam and I am 15 years old. 

In my family there is my father, his name is Mohammed, and my mother, whose name is Naima. I also have 2 sisters and 1 brother. I am the oldest in my family. 

Three words that would describe be would be beautiful, excited, and nervous (because I get nervous about my studies!).

In my life, I love my English teachers and my family.

I think that for Americans to learn more about Morocco they should eat Moroccan food like couscous and tajine, and try to wear some Moroccan clothes like djellaba!

Student Spotlight #26: Elkins Pointe Middle School (USA)

Daniel B.

My name is Daniel Burge. I am 12 years old and I was born in New York. I speak English and I am learning Japanese.

I have two sisters, Hanna and Emma, and one brother named Alec. My mom is Japanese and my dad is American, so I am half Japanese and Half American.

I like to go outside and play basketball or soccer with my friends. I also like to play video games. My favorite movie is Star Wars, and I want to be a doctor when I grow up because my parents said so. One day I would like to travel to Asia.

One of my favorite memories from this year is today because it is snowing! It usually does not snow a lot in the area where I live.

Some things I would like to tell you about America is that is doesn't snow a lot in the south. We eat a lot of fast food. We spend 1/3 of our governments money on the military, and a lot of people are always complaining about something.

I am interested in learning about what Moroccans do as a hobby, and what their lifestyle is like.

Student Spotlight #25: Elkins Pointe Middle School (USA)

A'sharia

Hi, my name is A'sharia James and I am 12 years old. I was born in a city called Akron, Ohio. I speak English, Swahili, and Spanish. My mom is a hair stylist and my dad is a barber. I want to be a hair stylist when I grow up because I love doing hair.

I like to eat almost any kind of candy, and like all things that are sweet. I like to hang out with my friends and watch movie. Three words that describe me are fun, smart, and creative. On the weekends I usually study and watch television with my friends. I really like using my phone, and hanging out with my friends and family. My favorite songs are "Brand new me", "titanium", "listen" and "amnesia". My favorite movies are Madea movies, Rio, Hotel Transylvania 2, and the Faults in our Stars. I enjoy playing the guitar, as well as the keyboard. However, my musical talent would be singing. One of my favorite memories from this year is when I helped my friend with her art project.

Some places I would like to travel to are Brazil, Peru, Dominican Republic, and Morocco. I would like to know what types of candy they have in Morocco.

Student Spotlight # 24: Lycee Ouzoud (Morocco)

Nawal

Hi everybody! I'm Nawal Ait SiM'hand. I'm Moroccan and I live here in Azilal City. I'm a student in the Access Program for studying English. I'm a hard-working person and I am friendly and kind. But sometimes I become shy when I talk with people I don't know which is what I like least about my personality. 

My favorite sport is volleyball. It is exciting and fantastic. When I am sad, I usually play it with my neighbors. My favorite film is the love story Titanic. I watch it once or twice a month. 

Now I am going to tell you about our culture. It is rich! Moroccan people have a lot of activities like applying henna and eye khol:

In Morocco people wear all different clothes, especially the women. For example.

*In the Sahara, women wear Malhfa

*In the north of our country, in places like Tangier and Titwan, they wear Haik

*In the middle of the country, like where Azilal is, they wear varied types of traditional clothes like djellaba and caftan

Here in Morocco, in a place called Ait Magoun, people celebrate the blooming of the flowers every year in March because there are a lot of different beautiful flowers there. 

Moroccan people are also very kind. They give even if they don't have. They are the most generous people in the world.  All Moroccan people have a sense of cooperation. Despite the different languages and the mix of Berbers and Arabs there is no conflict between these two. Arabic and Tamazigh are our primary languages. Our religion is Islam, the religion of mercy and forgiveness. 

So guys, I hope I have succeeded in showing you some fun information about my country, Morocco. I hope you like our culture as much as we like always reading about your culture because our countries are like brothers. 

And finally I hope you can tell me all about your culture too! 

Student Spotlight #23 : Lycee Ouzoud (Morocco)

Abdelghani

My name is Addelghani Ait Elcadi. I am 16 years old. I speak Arabic, English and French. 

My mother's name is Saida and my father's name is Abdellah. I am the youngest and I have 3 brothers and 1 sister. 

I would describe myself as tall, slim, ambitious and hard-working. My hobbies are reading and swimming. My favorite sport is volleyball and my favorite song is Story of my Life by One Direction. 

I want to share with you that Moroccans are friendly, creative, confident and hard-working people.