Three Student Stories

I have taught English at a local language institute and at the university. One assignment I give is to write a short true story about themselves or their family.

Below are three of those stories, which are written in the 'first person' by the student. Enjoy and gain more understanding of people and culture.


School problems

Last Saturday, I had problems in school. Because I was absent 15 days, I had a lot of problems with the head master. He demanded the presence of my father or mother. But, my father was absent (he lives and works in France) and my mother was very sick (and cannot go out). I didn’t find any solution. I decided to take my friend, Malika* because she is 25 years old and she looks like my sister. She went with me to the headmaster as a responsible person and she solved this problem with me.
– Omar*

My Comments:
Many families have fathers and male relatives working in France. So imagine growing up without your father, except during Summer vacation.
Getting a friend or another relative to help solve a problem is frequently done. In this case, Malika was not Omar's sister, but they pretended she was.


Travel with my dog

Last summer, I wanted to travel to Ifrane* (12 hours by bus) with my best friend, my dog, “Stranger”. But, when I was in the bus station, the driver who was going to Ifrane stopped me because it is forbidden to take a dog with you on the bus. So, I went back to my house with Stranger to solve this problem. How was I going to travel with my dog?

After 5 hours, I found a solution. I built a big box and I put Stranger in it. Then I positioned him in the bus next to me without any problem. After 10 minutes, the bus left and I was happy.
When the bus arrived in Khenifra* (3/4 of the way), the dog started to sing like a singer who has a good voice. But, the other people didn’t know this sound and were frightened. They called the driver and he looked in the box and found Stranger. So, the driver called the police. Well, I solved the problem with the police because the chief of police liked dogs. We moved on and traveled for 1 and ½ hours.

But, when we reached a forest, the driver stopped again and threw me and Stranger out of the bus. I felt defeated. At this moment I beat Stranger because he was the real cause of this. We waited for 6 hours in the forest until I saw a woman driving a good car. I waved my hand and she stopped. I explained my situation and what happened. This good woman helped me because she loved the dog, also. Finally, I arrived in Ifrane with my best friend, my dog, but only after a lot of suffering.

So, you can see that my happiness is my relationship with my family and my dog.
– Reduane*

My comments:
Dogs are not traditionally kept as pets in the city, so Reduane's close relationship with his dog is more unusual. However, over the past few years, more people are getting watch dogs for their homes. In villages, dogs are kept as sheep dogs and watch dogs.


A Short Story of My Family

First of all, humans are products of their environment. So, I will tell you a short story about my family.

My grandfather was named Omar*. Early in 1875, a baby boy was born in [the Sahara]. This baby grew up to be one of the 20th century. He was the only son in the family. He hated school and often refused to go. His father’s great love was the desert and so he was a sheep-herder. Omar went with him to work and watched him shepherd. Always he was allowed to help his father.
Omar married twice. He had five children: three boys, (*Hussein, Khalid, Ahmed*) and two girls, (*Fatima, Saida*). They lived in [Sahara]. The last child, Ahmed was born in 1937. When he was 80 years old, Omar died of heart failure in 1955.

My father, Ahmed, was born in 1937 ... and grew up there with his family. He was a sheepherder, with camels and goats in the Saharoui custom because economically, the Saharoui people in the past were sheep-herders in desert valleys and mountains far from the city. They slept near their cattle, resting at about five in the afternoon and at midnight, surviving on cups of tea, on flowers, and drinking sweet beach valley water. They would stand behind the cattle, camels and goats, moving as nomads between places of food and grass. Ahmed married three times. His last wife was my mother. He had six children: four boys (*Salim, Hassan, Hamid, Muhamed*) and two girls (*Selma, Karima*). Hamid and Salim died early on.

When my little brother was born in 1989, my mother died. I was very sorry about the death of my mother because the value of losing a parent brings big problems. But, as people say, “There is no person who loves you so intimately as your parents, especially your mother, except only God, and this doesn’t mean the world. But we should be patient.

After that, I studied in high school. In March 2002, my father died. This also was a black day in my life. But, everyone will pass through the same path, and although separation is unbearable, we are all equal before [and after] death.

So, my family grew up and now lives in [5 towns in Sahara]. They have since left the popular (traditional) customs of nomadic Saharoui life.
-- Muhamed*

My comments:
Traditionally families have been large. Marrying more than once or divorce is not uncommon. However, nowadays, young couples are having fewer children because of economic reasons.

Muhamed's comments on the death of his mother and father reveal a kind of fatalism or resignment to suffering and death. There is a belief in the next life; heaven and hell, which has a strong influence of thinking and behavior.

[ *= all names have been changed for confidentiality]