Student Spotlight #29: Lycee Ouzoud (Morocco)

Leila

Hi! My name is Leila ElQably. I am 16 years old. I speak Arabic, French, English and Tamazight.

I live in Azilal with my family. My family is big and generous! I am the baby of the family, I have 1 brother and 4 sisters. My mom stays at home and my father is home too because he is retired. 

Three words to describe me would be friendly, stubborn, and competive. 

In my free time I like to listen to music, especially classical music. I like to dance with my friends. I cook with my mom, watch TV, play sports (especially handball) and read a lot of books.  I love Moroccan food like meat and vegetable tajine. 

One very sad thing happened this year. My friend was ill. I spent a lot of time with her and visited her a lot. In Morocco we spend a lot of time together as friends, especially when someone is sick. 

I am happy American people want to learn about Moroccan language, food and culture! 

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. 

Student Spotlight #22: Lycee Ouzoud (Morocco)

Salah Eddine

Hello, my name is Salah Eddine Ait Chitache. I'm 16 years old and I speak Arabic, English, French, Amazigh and a little Spanish. I live with my family here in Azilal. I have 2 brothers, 3 sisters, my father and my mother. I love them so much. They are friendly, kind, and sociable like me. I' m serious, hard-working, friendly, sociable and ambitious. 

My favorite sports are football, basketball, and tennis. I have also practiced karate since 2009 and now I have a brown belt. For hobbies, I usually play chess in the evening with my friends. It has helped me a lot and I have a much better memory now for all the different moves and strategies. I love math and physics, especially space. I have a love of science. I always entertain myself reading science information and thinking and searching for solutions of mathmatic problems and theories. I love space especially and my favorite astronauts are the brothers Kelly- Scott Kelly and Mark Kelly. My dream is to work one day for NASA, inshallah. 

My favorite song is called Sugar and one of my favorite artists is Chris Brown. I also like theater and films. My favorite films are Dirty Harry with Clint Eastwood and Dances With Wolves with Kevin Costner. As for food, I hate fast food and I like everything that is symbolic of Moroccan culture like couscous and tagine. 

Student Spotlight #20: Lycee Ouzoud (Morocco)

Bouchra

Hello! My name is Bouchra Taghjanout. I'm a 16 year old Moroccan girl and I live in a small and beautiful town named Azilal. I live with my family: my father Said, my mother Rabha, my two brothers Driss and Hicham, and my sister Merriem. 

I study in a technical high school. I speak Arabic, French, Amazight and English too. About my character: I am a hard working student, helpful, and sociable too. In addition I have many hobbies. I love to read English short stories and novels. I also like watching Indian and English movies. I love Harry Potter the best, and action and horror movies.

Now my friends I would like to tell you about a strange celebration in Morocco that is called the Imchil Marriage Festival.

The Imchil Marriage Ceremony takes place in the Atlas mountains near Azilal every year. Two main Amazigh (the native people of Morocco) tribes participate in the festival, Ait Hdiddou and Ait Wazza. Hundreds of young men and women meet and marry at the three-day event. Because the villages are snowbound for most of the year the festival offers an occasion for trade, amusement and matrimony.

Henna, a reddish-brown organic dye, is applied to the bride's hands and feet before the wedding to ward off the evil eye. A tray is made for the bride with a brick of sugar, two raw eggs, and some perfume. On the second day, the dried henna is washed off leaving beautiful patterns that last on the skin for two weeks!

moroccan henna

Hospitality is very important to Moroccans. A host traditionally welcomes guests by offering them milk and dates. During the wedding ceremony the bride and groom share a bowl of milk and feed each other dates, thus symbolically becoming both guest and host to each other.

On the third day of the festivities all the newly married couples must go to the lakes Tslit and Isli for a traditional visit. It is believed that long ago a young man married a young woman whose parents did not approve. The couple ran away and cried all night. Their tears created the two lakes. 

I hope you can visit the wedding festival one day! 

a traditional Imchil bride

Student Spotlight #19: Lycee Ouzoud (Morocco)

Nourdine

My name is Nourdine El Hamany. I am 16 years old. I speak Arabic, Amazight, English, and French.

I live with my parents and two brothers, Younes and Zakaria. 

I am honest, optimistic, and (a little bit) hardworking. 

My favorite sports are swimming (in the Azilal pool and the rivers near my house) and soccer. I like to listen to hip hop and reggae music. 

A great memory from this year is a holiday we spent in Bin El Ouidane. I built a campsite with my schoolmates Adam and Amine. We went swimming, and we caught fish that we cooked for dinner. We spent two days there during the summer. 

Something I want Americans to learn about Morocco is that Moroccans live all the way from Tangiers in the north down to La Guera in the Sahara. Also, a nice tourist from China once told me that Moroccans speak all the world's languages just like natives! 

Student Spotlight #18: Elkins Pointe Middle School (USA)

Lauren

Hi. My name is Lauren Michaels. I am 12 years old and I was born in Boston, Massachusetts. I speak English, and I am learning how to speak Spanish. I have a brother, two sisters, and my parents are from NYC (New York City).

I like to dance, read, sing, and do gymnastics. I also like play softball and watch American football. I like listening to pop music, and my favorite book series is Harry Potter.

One of my favorite memories from 2015 was when I went to summer camp for a week with my friends. We went swimming in the lake and had a lot of fun.

These are a few other things I would like to tell you about myself. My my favorite movies is The Hunger Games. I like competing in sports. I sing in the chorus at school. I can play the violin. My favorite colors are purple and light blue. My favorite holidays are Christmas and Thanksgiving. I have a dog. I love to go to the beach and theme parks in the summer. My best subjects in school are Spanish and Social Studies.

Something Moroccans should know America is that we are very modern and have advanced technology. There are fifty states in the USA, and I like in Georgia which was one of the original thirteen colonies.

I would like to know what your school is like, if your country is modern, what your culture is like, and what are your favorite foods.

Student Spotlight #17: Elkins Pointe Middle School (USA)

Daniel

Hello. My name is Daniel Acosta. I am 13 years old and I was born in Budapest, Hungary in Europe. I speak Spanish, Hungarian, and English.

My family lives in many places around the world like Hungary, Colombia, Spain, Poland, Ukraine, Canada, Australia, United States, and Indonesia.

My favorite sports are soccer (football), and martial arts.I would say that three words that describe me would be smart, brave, and athletic. My favorite things to eat are steak, kebab, and hamburgers. I like to listen to all kinds of music. I have traveled a lot in my life and I love doing it.

One of my favorite memories from this year was Summer break and holidays like Thanksgiving, and Halloween.

Something Moroccans should know about America is that there are people from all over the world here in the United States. I am interested in knowing what traditions, food, sports, and hobbies Moroccans have.

Student Spotlight #16 : Lycee Ouzoud (Morocco)

Khawla

Hi guys, my name is Khawla. I'm happy to talk with you! I am 15 years old and I speak a lot of languages like Arabic, French, English and Berber (Tamazight). 

I live in a small town with a friendly family, including my parents and my two sisters. They are my role models in my life and I take some of my qualities from them. I'm funny like my father's sense of humor, and sometimes I am serious like my mother. I am optimistic like my sister. 

I have a lot of hobbies! For example I like to go cycling on Sundays. There is a beautiful forest near my house where I can go with my bicycle. I like cycling because it is fun and healthy! I also like to watch movies on Friday nights. I recently watched the Hunger Games and Mission Impossible. 

I love it when my mother makes cupcakes for holidays for our family. Cupcakes are not common in Morocco and my mother makes delicious ones! I like Moroccan music, especially Mohammed Rouicha. I also really like acting. It is fun to act in the shows our Access program puts on for Azilal. My favorite actor in Morocco is named Mohammed El Jam.  I like to listen to and play the drums but there are no drums in Azilal! 

I want to say to American students that you are welcome any time in Azilal! We are friendly people and we are excited to meet you. 

Student Spotlight #15: Lycee Ouzoud (Morocco)

Mohammed

My name is Mohammed Lamani. I am 15 years old and I was born in Azilal, Morocco. I speak Arabic, Berber (Tamazight) and English.

Three words that describe me are happy, generous, and smiley! 

In Azilal I have two older sisters and one younger brother. My mother is a housewife and my father is a merchant. He owns a hanut where he sells food and snacks. 

In my free time I like surfing the web on sites like Facebook and blogs. I also like soccer and playing soccer computer games. My favorite singer is Mohambi and my favorite food is couscous and pizza. The Quran is my favorite book. 

The best thing that happened this year is when I played soccer with my class team and we won the school cup! I was so happy to be a champion. 

I think Americans should know that the Moroccan people are gentle, generous and kind, especially here in Azilal. Also we have magical views like our Ouzoud waterfall and beautiful Bin El Ouidane lake! 

Student Spotlight #14: Lycee Ouzoud (Morocco)

Chaima

Hello! My name is Chaima and I am 15 years old. 

I speak Arabic, French, English and a Berber language called Tamazight. 

In my family I am the baby. I have two sisters and one brother who are all older than me. One of my brothers is a soldier for the Moroccan army. 

Some words that describe me are shy, beautiful and frank. 

My hobby is travel! The three countries I would most like to visit are the USA, Italy and Great Britain. I hope I can go one day!

My favorite sport is basketball. The book I like the most is called Ki Fahi and it is a historical book about Adolf Hitler. 

I want to share with you that Morocco is a beautiful country and it is full of beautiful nature. It is a good place for tourists because it is calm and the people are good and gentle. 

Student Spotlight #13: Elkins Pointe Middle School (United States)

Isabella

My name is Isabella Drake. I am 13 years old and was born in Roswell, GA, USA. I speak English, Italian, and a little Spanish. My mom was born and raised in Italy and my dad was raised in a small town in Indiana. My mom and dad met when they worked in London, England. My mom learned English and moved the USA after they had two daughters.

Some of my favorite hobbies are swimming in my pool or jumping on a trampoline. I do gymnastics 6 hours a week and enjoy watching American football. My favorite type of music is pop. The foods I really like are Italian, Japanese, and American. My favorite American food is bacon cheeseburgers, or a New York strip steak.Three words that describe me are intelligent, athletic, and confident.

One of my favorite memories from this year is when I went to Italy and I got to see my friends that I had not seen in years.

Something Moroccans should know about America is that you may think we have a lot of freedom, but we don't. Our parents are always scared that something will happen to us if we go out alone. Therefore adults are everywhere.

Do you have a lot of freedom in Morocco? What are the schools like? Do you live in a city or in the country? Are there a lot of big cities in Morocco?

Other things I would like to tell you are that the schools here might be different than in Morocco. Here, we have 8 different classes. When each class is over a bell rings and we have 4 minutes to get to the next class. Two of those classes are called "connections", which are classes like art, music, drama, physical education, health and more. Our connections classes change every nine weeks, During the four minutes between classes we can go to our lockers, the bathrooms, or to get water. Also, one of the periods a study and lunch period. My schedule is: band first, then physical education, then social studies, then science, then Spanish, then lunch, then math, and lastly language arts. When the school day is over some people walk home, some get picked up in a car by their parents, but most students ride the bus home.

Student Spotlight #12: Elkins Pointe Middle School (USA)

Daniel

My name is Daniel Acosta. I am 13 years old and was born in Budapest, Hungary in Europe.

Some languages I speak are Spanish, Hungarian, and English. I have family members in many places around the world like Hungary, Colombia, Spain, Poland, Ukraine, Canada, Australia, United States, and Indonesia. I love travelling and have traveled a lot in my life.

My favorite sports are soccer and martial arts. My favorites things to eat are steak, kebab, and hamburgers. I like to listen to all kinds of music. Three words that describe me are: smart, brave, and athletic.

Some of my favorite memories from this year were Summer break, and holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Something Moroccans should know about America is that it is a very diverse country and there are are people from all over the world here. I am interested in knowing what traditions, foods, sports, and hobbies Moroccans have.

Student Spotlight #11: Lycee Ouzoud (Morocco)

ElHabib

My name is ElHabib Bibih. I am 16 years old and I speak English, berber (Tashelhight) and Arabic.

I've got 3 brothers and 1 sister and of course my parents.

I think I am funny, pleasant, and happy. In my free time I like playing soccer and swimming. I also like to listen to pop music like Rihanna and eat couscous. My favorite couscous is made with beef.

My favorite thing about this year is that I get the chance to play with the soccer team at my school. I play all positions.

I think Americans should know that Moroccan people are very gentle and kind. If you want to have a fun vacation you must come to Morocco!

Student Spotlight #10: Lycee Ouzoud (Morocco)

Khadija

My name is Khadija Assou and I am 15 years old. 

I speak Arabic, Tamazight and English. In my family I have two older brothers, Youness and Mouhamed. They live in Azilal with me. I also have my parents Malika and Brahim.

Three words I would use to describe me are happy, crazy and generous. 

In my free time I like to read books and play video games. My favorite video games are driving games that I play on my computer. I also like to listen to a lot of music, like classical music and jazz. Some of my favorite musicians are Chris Brown and Eminem. 

My favorite book is Treasure Island. I like to eat pizza. In Morocco we put fish on our pizza sometimes. I also like chicken pizza, and of course couscous. 

My favorite thing about this year is my English classes and my chance to improve my English.

I think Americans should try to learn our language and about our culture. They will see that in Morocco people are generous and kind and fun to visit. In Morocco we have a magical nature. 

Student Spotlight #9: Elkins Pointe Middle School (USA)

Jacob

My name is Jacob Montes-Sabino and I am thirteen years old. I was born in Roswell, Georgia, United States and I speak English and Japanese.

Something I would like to tell you about my family is that we are very athletic. We like to exercise a lot and play sports.

Some of my favorite hobbies are playing sports and video games. My favorite sports are soccer and football. My favorite music is a song called "Hotline Bling" by Drake. My favorite books are Maze Runner. My favorite foods are baked ziti and fried rice.

One of my favorite memories from this year was early release day at school because we went on a field trip and I got to ride on the school bus with all my friends.