Based on an interview by Marloes Keizer, with Ahmed Marcouch, Libelle Magazine, December, 2008.
If I could live my life all over again, I would insist, absolutely insist, on going to school. I would even scream and kick for that! I was born in a small village in Morocco and it wasn't quite normal for children to go to school. Education determines your future.
I am loyal to my friends. They will always get my help and support, and they don't have to be afraid of me telling on them.
The last time I cried, my father was at the hospital, in the ER. Doctors told me it would be pointless to do CPR on him, if push came to shove. I demanded that he would be transferred to another hospital. I cried on the way over. My father is still alive.
My children and my family are most precious to me.
I was very happy when my daughter got her swimming diploma. She was determined to learn how to swim, despite of her fear of water. That moved me to the core.
I wish I wouldn't have had to go through my mother dying. She passed away when I was three years old. I don't remember her, only the sadness I felt of growing up without a mother.
My conscience bothered me during my divorce, five years ago. It was a deeply emotional experience, for my children as well as for me.
The moment which changed my life forever was in 1979, when my father decided to bring his children over to The Netherlands. Literally, I got off the donkey, into the plane. That was a turning point in my life. The Netherlands is a country of opportunities. If you are prepared to work hard, you will accomplish everything you want.
