International Tangier. Zaid Bousdar 1ºBac B

I have no words to describe how interesting was our visit to Tangier some weeks ago. During our trip to Tangier I learned a lot of new things about the city. I have to admit that I never knew that Tangier was the destiny of famous writers like Paul Bowles and the Beat generation.

Our trip started like any other, the boring journey to Tangier and then we finally arrived. The first thing I liked was the Hotel Minzah. It was big and famous. I was excited to enter the American Legation but it took to us some time. I thought that the American Legation was a huge building in the Medina, not in the walled medina. When we entered I felt like I was in a palace of a rich family. I am still annoyed because we couldn’t take any photo. I have to say that the explanation was a little bit boring but the man who was talking was fluent in English and that impressed me. The other thing I liked in the American Legation were the paintings, some of them were masterpieces for me. There were a lot but I liked the portrait of that women. I remember that there was a room full with pictures of a lot of things, that room was really hot. I didn’t like the dinner room, it was big but the table wasn’t so. Also there were a lot of pictures and I don’t like walls filled with pictures and those decorations.

 I was disappointed because the ceiling was cracked. Since it is an old building it is normal to find cracks in the walls, the roof and the floor but I think that they could fix it up. I was scared because the building could fall down in any time. The backyard was cool, also I saw that there were other rooms that we didn’t visited.The other thing that impressed me was that there was a room dedicated to Paul Bowles and in that room we saw a lot of his pictures and his works and his books. The explanation about Paul Bowles was boring too and I didn’t remember anything about it. I think it was because we were tired of standing the whole time and things like that. In the Paul Bowles room we could take photos and I liked that. I liked an old typewriter because I always wanted to have one.

 After our visit to the American Legation we went and had a walk in the Medina, I liked to see those backstreets and looking at children playing, people doing the shopping, old vehicles…

After a long way we reached the Hotel Continental. The views were spectacular, we could see the sea and a part of the city. The problem was the sun, it was so hot that I felt like I was fried. I entered with some of my friends to the covered area. Inside, it was cooler. I drank an orange juice and I felt good. After our visit to the impressive Hotel Continental we visited the perfume shop Madini. It smelled good inside that shop. After that we walked a lot to return to our starting point. I was so tired that I started sitting to recover some energy. 

And finally we reached the restaurant La Gelateria, the thing I didn’t like is that a lot of pizzas took too long to be served, like mine but I enjoyed it. The thing I liked more was the chocolate ice cream. It tasted so good that I wanted another one but I couldn’t buy anything more because I was running out of money. After that we visited a Christian church. We saw the graveyard and the graves of Christian people who died in Tangier and were buried there. I took some photos but I deleted them because I had a bad feeling. I wanted to photograph a spirit but there wasn’t anyone in the pictures. I liked some of the tombs, but the other ones were a little bit simple. I don’t know what happened but we couldn’t enter the church I still don’t know why but I don’t want to know.  

Finally we went to the place of the meeting with the bus. We waited a long time and we spent it talking about the marks of the second term. The bus finally arrived and we returned to Tetuan.

I liked this incredible trip and I learned a lot of things about Tangier, Paul Bowles and the Beat Generation. I loved and hated the American Legation and I was tired during the whole trip. During this trip I discovered another face of Tangier. In this trip I learned that I still have to discover the hidden places of this beautiful country and its people.

When I got back home I felt like I learned new things about Tangier. I hate Tangier but this trip made me to love it forever. That’s all I’ve got to say about that incredible trip and the day we passed in Tangier.

The Zodiac Sign: Cancer Zaid Bousdar

People who are born between the 22 of June and the 22 of July are Cancer, like me. People who are born in these dates are very sensitive and sometimes introverted, they are also cheerful, intelligent and funny but sometimes they are lazy and irritable. People who are Cancer like safety a lot. Sometimes they are sociable and sometimes they just want to stay alone.

I agree with the destription in some facts such as Cancer are cheerful and intelligent and lazy but I disagree with the fact that we are irritable and lonely.

Movie Review: Cry Freedom Zaid Bousdar

Directed and produced by Richard Attenborough, and released in 1987 this inhuman and violent story about the Apartheid tells how black people suffered from this wild and irrational politic and economic system.

The story is about a journalist and an editor called Donald Woods who is against the Apartheid and his black friend Steve Biko who was an anti-Apartheid activist. Both people tried to stop the Apartheid.

This movie is based on true events. When Biko first appears in the film, he has already been "banned" by the South African government. "Banning" meant he was not allowed to be in the same room with more than one other person outside his immediate family, and not allowed to write anything for either public or private consumption. Additionally, he was not allowed to leave his defined banning area. We can see how cruel and racist white people were. This only with Biko. While with other people they used to kill them.In the begining Woods critisized Biko's actions in his newspaper  but later when he met him he knew he was wrong. Biko invites Woods to visit a black town to see the bad and terrible conditions and to witness the effect of theApartheid system. Then Woods understands the situation and tries to help Biko to make South Africa a country where blacks and whites have the same rights and the same opportunities. Biko dies. Then Woods tries to tell the police about the murder of Biko. He meets with Jimmy Kruger, the South African Minister of Justice, but his efforts to expose the truth lead to his own banning. His family are targeted by the police and they try to finish them using some dirty tricks. Woods tries to go to England. After a long trip he escapes to Lesotho and from there he flies to Bostwana where he is helped by an Australian politician.

In the end of the movie they show the names of the anti-Apartheid activist. Most of them commited suicide and some of them are said to have fallen down stairs.

In my opinion this movie represent how corrupted and selfish is the mind of a lot of people. Blacks are humans too. The colour doesn`t matter, but people judge only the appearance of the others not the heart. I think even now black people are looked as inferior and useless but. How many famous black people are there now compared to 60 years ago? The difference is huge and all this was possible because of the effort of black oppositors to stop Apartheid. A lot of people died, yes. But their sacrifice wasn`t in vain. They  saved South Africa from a black future.

Black people must have the same rights as white people and white people must respect them more and stop thinking they are superior.

But the most shocking thing I saw in ths movie is the mentality of white people. They only imprison and execute the in case they fight in defense of their rights. Other things I saw is how South Africa was litterally separated in two different races, black and white. This kind of things shouldnt exist. Why this didn't happend to oriental person? Is it because of the colour? Probably. No. Sure, it is because of the colour. In some cultures people see black as somthing which gives you bad luck and it is bad and useless. Just think in the popular black cat. ''If the black cat walks besides you it will give you bad luck for the rest of the day''. It is something stupid. But back in time people believed in this kind of racist things. Why do they don't say that white cat gives bad luck? I think it's because of the religion more than anything. In some religions black people are treated as monsters and demons.

This movie was creepy in my opinion. I can't imagine this kind of things happening now in my country. But well. The good thing in all this is that now black people and white people are equal.

Tokyo - Zaid Bousdar

Tokyo - Zaid Bousdar 1º Bac B from Zaidable

Tokyo is well known of its incredible culture and food but in this presentation I will only talk about its most visited place. In a near future if I have the chance I will talk more about its culture.

Writing

Last month I went on a school trip to Tokyo with my classmates. I was impressed because I had always wanted to go there. We arrived at night and we checked in the hotel.

The next day we visited the Imperial Palace and the Ueno Park. During the evening we had dinner on a restaurant on th Omotesando Hills District and then we returned to the hotel.

I never imagined that the next day was going to be the worst of all. Qfter having breakfast, we decided to visit Mount Fuji. We took the train to Subashiri. When we arrived, our Tour Guide, Hideyoshi told us about the past of the mountain. Then we entered the forest. We split up. Our group decided to go back to the the station but we never reached it. Then we realized that we were lost.

We stayed on the forst during the rest of the day. We also slept there. I woke up in the morning. We were hhungry. We decided to try it again. We failed again. That day we couldn't sleep. We felt that something was stalking us so we decided to move to another place. In our way I hurt my arm because I had slipped.

The next day the police found us on the Wood and rescued us. I was taken to the hospital. Later, we returned to the hotel. As Hideyoshi told us, wer were lucky to return to the city again because a lot of tourists who had been lost commited suicide.

The trip ended happily. We returned to Tetuan and our lives started its routine again but I will never forget Hideyoshi's words.

Shougatsu (New Year)

Shougatsu (New Year) is the most important celebration in the japanese culture. Shougatsu is celebrated during the fourth first January days.
Shougatsu was a national celebration since a lot of time. At first it coincided with the chinese calendar but since 1873 the date of the celebration was adjusted to the gregorian calendar. During the days before the celebration, people do a thorough cleaning of the house to purify it and prepare it for the upcoming year. People usually prepare typical food. It is also typical to decorate the house with traditional furniture.
For years japanese people celebrate this important celebration. It is the costum to have dinner with the family. Shougatsu is for japanese as important as Christmas is for christians.

Typical food

People celebrating Shougatsu in front a temple

Tokyo: Photos

Shinjuku

Tourists visiting the Sensoji Temple 

Traditional weeding in the Meiji Jingu

To Aru Majutsu no Index poster in Tokyo Anime Center 

A spectacular view of Mount Fuji

A beautiful fountain in Yoyogi Park

Video