alcfezbook.com • facebook.com/ALC.Fes.ALIF Volume VI, Issue VII • May/June/July 2015

STUDENT V ICETHE AMERICAN LANGUAGE CENTER • FES

Yasmine LakhalBeginning 6

Sefrou is my hometown. It’s a beauti-ful city. It’s a fairly small city, but it’s not too small. It’s very quiet and relaxing. It’s pretty safe, and it has lots of big parks. Sefrou is older than Fez, as Moulay Id-riss II said, “I am leaving from the town of Sefrou to the village of Fez.” Sefrou is one of the most interesting and beautiful cities in Morocco. It has also maintained the beauty of nature. It’s surrounded by forests of tower-ing trees and fields where cherries spread, without forgetting its perfect waterfall, and the valley, which divides the city into two halves. Yearly, in June, Sefrou organizes an in-ternational Cherry Festival, and it has been celebrating it since 1919. All the tourists, when they come to Se-frou, are really interested in visiting all the important places, such as the Old Medina, the waterfall, and the weekly market. Every Friday evening in Derb El Meter, sellers sell everything you need for the week, so you can find everything there. In fact, you can visit Sefrou any time. The weather is nice almost all year. Trust me, you will enjoy this city. Just come, and enjoy your time.

The Beauty of Sefrou

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I was weaving my way through the narrow streets of the Medina on a dim, wet afternoon. The sky was gray, and a few drops of rain softened the atmosphere. The first time I was in the Medina was with a friend. We were in a long alley in which we got lost forty minutes later. The pungent spices of kinds I could not distinguish rushed to my nose. It was an old remnant of a once triumphing na-tion. The huge wooden support planks be-tween the two walls above where we were trapped gave me an unsettling sensation of security; but the surroundings, filled with merchants’ cries, kids roaming around, and fascinated tourists, blinded our concern for security with excitement. The smell of fresh leather bags, the exotic miniature African statues, and the local handicrafts were amazing. It was en-chanting, as if we were inside Harry Potter’s world, I said to my friend, appalled by the forgotten beauty, only a shred of what it once was. But this time was different. I had al-ready crossed a long distance before pick-ing up the tail of a long, steep walk of an unbearable street maze. Though I had mu-sic in my ears almost all day long—which sometimes sufficed at putting a barrier between my dreadful reality and myself— what was clear to my eyes was different

from what I had once experienced. My frowning intensified every second as I hastened through the dark alleys. The wet streets beneath my feet had already smeared the tips of my jeans. Sometimes it was ponds of filthy water that sprang across the darkened bricks. My eyes fixed ahead, I wasn’t paying attention to anything other than my desti-nation. It was probably because I was walk-ing so hastily and uncaringly that I seemed to drop my cognitive knowledge of myself. I even forgot the headache that had started with me that day. My nose was repeatedly clogged with the mucky smells I tracked. The stinky mule that was driven in de-spair looked less than happy. It was slen-der and pale, heavily loaded, and moving slowly despite the consistent shouts of his master to speed up. It looked dead to me. Sometimes I would take a long moment to ponder the rightly conditions a mule could have in these parts of the city. Being a mule in the countryside is another thing. I was set not to look around, but the moment I turned only made my frown more intense. The butcher who opened his shop for business had already dragged his grill outside to show how the meat was cooked. I wondered whether the people who stopped and enjoyed their food in such conditions cared. The cat lady was sitting miserably un-

Abdellah RhaziFaculté des Lettres et des Sciences Humaines

LOST continued on page 2

Lost in the Medina

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interview & writing Send your writings to alcstudentvoice@gmail.com. Include your name and level at the ALC.

2 • May/June/July 2015 alcfezbook.com • facebook.com/ALC.Fes.ALIF

An Interview with: Mitch VirchickSoukaina Loudghiri Intermediate 6

Student Voice: Where are you from?Mitch Virchick: The United States. Car-rboro, North Carolina is my official resi-dence in the U.S.SV: How long have you lived in Morocco?MV: For about two and a half years.SV: Why did you first come to Morocco?MV: I first came here in 2010 to study Arabic. I first laid eyes on Morocco in 1973, from a ship. I always wanted to visit the country.SV: Tell us about your life as a stu-dent. Where did you study? What did you study?MV: I studied Radio, Televi-sion, and Film at the University of North Carolina, and received my B.A. there in 1977. I studied Electrical Engineering, and received a Bachelor of Science degree from North Carolina State University in 1987. I’ve taken other classes since then, in lan-guages, business, and teaching.SV: Have you lived anywhere else?MV: I was born in Newark, New Jersey, and grew up in Woodbridge, New Jersey and Matawan, New Jersey. I moved to North Carolina to study in Chapel Hill, at the University of North Carolina. I’ve also lived in San Francisco, California, and Los Angeles, California. In Morocco, I’ve al-ways lived in the Fez Medina.SV: How long have you been a teacher at the ALC?MV: Since June 2012.SV: How long have you been a teacher in life?MV: I started teaching in 2011, after re-ceiving my certification.SV: When did you decide to become a teacher? Why did you choose teaching?MV: I’ve had other careers, most notably engineering. About half of my family has been involved in education, mostly in teach-ing, but I never thought I’d teach. I’d writ-

SV: What qualities do good students have?MV: Curiosity, and a desire to learn, but that’s really the same thing.SV: What’s your favorite word in the English language?MV: Effervescent.SV: What’s your least favorite word in the English language?MV: Phlegm.SV: What word do you overuse?MV: Effervescent phlegm. Actually, it’s probably actually. Or probably.SV: What is your motto?MV: Te amo!

heeded next to a small meat shop, using the ground as carpet. She was surrounded by three cats, which enjoyed the comfy embrace of a desperate woman. It’s amaz-ing how much a homeless person can tell you about her society. You could not have a conversation without being accused of beng suspicious. The general unifying outfit of these be-ings, no matter what season it was, was black and shades of gray. They didn’t seem to know about the different types of colors that existed. I was once told, when I was a child, and easily convinced, that the reason was not to draw attention, and then you’ll live happily. They call it hasad, or envy. To be-lieve that a look can change your fortune is an idea I refuted. But the general preoccupation was of a negative association with happiness. I tried to raise the volume of music. It was not sufficient to shade the ghastly scene I was running through. To look at all these complexities of a dull reality made me wonder: are these the heirs of desert nomads who once roamed the vast places of northwest Africa? The ones who brought light to dark places? It always seemed unreal to me, and I was forced to see the utter contradiction of it. I would go back home, full of dis-comfort, and another day closer to death.

LOST continued from page 1

Want to interview a teacher? Email alcstudentvoice@gmail.com.

ten a couple of newspaper articles, mostly essays on the subject of local history, and I’d developed programs for our local historical society. When I came to study Arabic in Fez in 2010, and found out that they also taught English here [at the ALC], it made sense to think about teaching. So, when I went back to the U.S., I got my CELTA to teach English, and began teaching as a vol-unteer with the Durham Literacy Council,

which assists various immigrant groups in learning to speak and read English.SV: How is teaching at the ALC different from teaching at other schools?It’s a very profes-sional atmosphere, but at the same time, it’s very congenial. And it’s my first real

school, so don’t ask me for a comparison.SV: What is the role of a teacher in the class-room?MV: Part facilitator, part illuminator, part motivator. Give students the space to learn. Give them perspective to help them under-stand. Help them develop the desire to keep on learning.SV: Describe your teaching style in three words.MV: Stories. Singing. Silliness. That’s three.SV: If you weren’t teaching English, what would you be doing?MV: Selling homemade melaoui back in North Carolina, or working with wood, which is my artisanal vocation. Or singing with the community chorus.SV: What qualities do good teachers have?MV: You have to enjoy people, you have to love learning, and it helps to feel pas-sionate about something, something you like so much that you just have to share it with your students. The teacher that I first taught with told me, “show the students that you love them.” That was the best ad-vice for a new teacher, and everything else follows from that.

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FIND YOUR VOICE . Like Student Voice at facebook.com/alcstudentvoice.

alcfezbook.com • facebook.com/ALC.Fes.ALIF May/June/July 2015 • 3

opinion & writing

Ikrame YahyaouiIntermediate 5

Adam KhlifiALC Graduate

Paris and London are two of the biggest and most visited capitals in Europe. Each of the two metropolises offers a great deal of landmarks and a multitude of reasons that make them worth visiting as a tourist, or living in as a city dweller. Comparing them might be work for savvy people, so why don’t we give it a try? The Ei-ffel Tower or Big Ben in Westminster? The Tate or the Louvre? The two cit-ies are akin in both their cultural and urban char-acteristics. Speaking about the width of each, London ditches Paris, since London is 15 times bigger. Nevertheless, some of you would say that it’s not a feature that will help us. If you ask Paris dwellers, they would say that their quaint and classic ar-chitecture is nowhere to be found in Lon-

don. On the other hand, if you inquire in London, you’ll find that the London buildings are really authentic. The French cuisine is, decidedly the better among the two culinary arts, how-ever London’s dishes holds special taste in their portions. In springtime, stroll-

ing Paris boulevards is a thing, but in wintertime, when venturing out in London, you may find yourself falling in love with the winding streets. As I mentioned before, London and Paris are rich in historical, economic, and social domains. Al-though they share the same features, one slightly overtakes the other in some of them. According to the Mercer Quality of Living survey, Paris is bet-ter than London, yet Lon-don has lower crime rates.

It turns out that nobody can assume which one is the best. Thus, the rivalry will be lasting for the centuries ahead and the fight will never take term. Taking into consideration all these as-pects, which would you choose to spend your next holiday in, and which would you select as a better place for living?

Paris vs. London

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So, lately, I’ve been wondering why Canada is my favorite country, or even my dream country. Even though public votes have favored Canada as one of the best places to be, I won’t write boring pieces of information which most of you won’t care for. Here are some of the things only Can-ada has or does:1. Lakes. Canada has more lakes than any other country. There are about three mil-lion lakes, which makes it very beautiful.2. Movies. A lot of movies have been made there, such as The Incredible Hulk in Toronto, Twilight in Vancouver, British Columbia, and Titanic, much of which was filmed off the coast of Halifax.3. Clean air. In a recent national air qual-ity study by the World Health Organiza-tion, Canada placed third for the cleanest air on the planet.4. Funny. Canadians are hilarious. They really have a good sense of humor. There is a comedy show that most people know, and it’s Canadian. It’s called Just for Laughs. 5. Chocolate bars. Just a few of the world’s biggest corporations pump out most of the world’s mass-market candy bars, and Kit-Kat, which is a very famous chocolate bar, is made in Canada.6. Stars. There are a bunch of famous peo-ple that are Canadian, such as Justin Bieber. Singer Avril Lavigne, comedian Jim Carrey, and well-known Vampire Diaries actress Nina Dobrev are also from Canada.

ACROSSDOWN

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writing & puzzle “We are all travelers in the wilderness of this world, and the best we can find in our travels is an honest friend.”

Robert Louis Stevenson, Scottish writer

The American Language Center-Fes • 2, Rue Ahmed Hiba, B.P. 2136, Fes • phone: 05. 35. 62. 48. 50Student Voice editors: Taoufik El-Ayachi, Jennifer Wendel, and Liz Yaslik • alcfezbook.com • facebook.com/ALC.Fes.ALIF

4 • May/June/July 2015 alcfezbook.com • facebook.com/ALC.Fes.ALIF

ACROSS2 When you ______ all the bases, you make sure all the details are correct.3 You only have one more chance when you have two ______ against you.6 You can remain in contact with someone, or you ______ base with him.9 A ______ number is a reasonable estimate of a figure.12 When you’re really wrong, you’re way off ______.14 When someone is strange, unusual,or just mistaken, he’s out in left ______.15 When you act strongly to get what you want, you play ______ball.17 When you take responsibilty for a situation, you step up to the ______.

ANSWERS on page 3.

DOWN1 When you do something unexpected, you throw someone a ______.2 You can decline an invitation by offering to take a rain ______, meaning that you would like to accept another invitation in the future.4 When you’re doing extremely well, you’re batting a ______.5 When you’re on ______, you need to get ready because you’re next.7 When you defend someone, you go to ______ for her.8 When something happens unexpectedly, we say it came out of ______ field.10 When someone or something is too good for you, she’s out of your ______.11 When something happens immediately, it occurs ______ off the bat.13 If you do something very well, you knock it out of the ball______.16 When you’re quick to act and respond to problems, you’re on the ______..

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A Dream TripOumayma AyacheJuniors 8 Advanced

Dear child, I’d like to tell you a story about my adolescence. Well, it was the best and the worst time in my lfie. I was the happiest girl ever. I was getting the best grades. I was a great pianist. My parents used to give me pocket money every week, a lot of it, actually. All of my best friends loved me. I was so joyful!

But, then, one day, I fought with my parents and they made me so sad! My life turned into a big mess and was full of sor-row. So, I decided to get away from every-thing, and run away to another planet. This reminded me of Peter Pan, so I went to meet him. I flew, using my shin-ing white wings to sail over the sky, and I arrived at a magic land. The scenery was so beautiful. I felt like I was living in a fairy

tale story! I also made some new friends—weird ones, actually. They were witches, ghosts, and monsters, but they were so nice and helpful. Oh, and Peter Pan was so charm-ing and handsome. Well, we fell in love with each other, got married, had children and lived happily ever after. But, then I woke up, and realized it was just a dream.

Put me in, Coach... How fluent are you in America’s national pastime? Complete these baseball idioms, and solve the puzzle.

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“Centerfield” by John Fogerty