NB 1: The author wanted to be called Panda instead of by her real name.
Hi! I'm 15 years old and I live in Marrakech, Morocco.
I am a teenager. And I am an Arab. I should be considering myself as a muslim, but , I don't know, I'm too busy with my basic bitch problems so I dont really care about it so much.
Every day I see poverty in every corner, around every street. I see young people who find themselves as failures. They crave Europe as if it was some kind of a dream land. Those are just lost souls holding on tight on their hope. Their situations suck, their families suck, their lovers suck ; no education, no opportunities, no savior. Between me and them, there are just very thin curtains. I can't really realize their existence, I just hear a shy desperate crying. On the other hand, things are going pretty well for me. I have a perfect, normal life. Sure, religion and traditions make things a little different. Even though Morocco is an "Islamic country", nobody seems to take it seriously. Everyone gets drunk or high, make love, party, wear "occidental" outfits. As a homage to our origins, we still worship local meals, friday's prayers, traditional clothing... And yeah, religious people are still quite powerful here, so we can do whatever we want as long as we don't tend to begin a revolution. Islam is like a strict parent. He'll tell you to be a good girl. Don't drink, don't do drugs, don't let boys touch you inappropriately, don't wear slutty clothes, don't lie, work hard, love yourself, be responsible, just don't sin, okay? You just have to say that you agree with him. If you're a stupid teen like I am, you'll just go do what you want behind his back. Maybe I wanna feel free while doing -not so- inappropriate stuff. I don't really care. I'm okay with gay people, transgenders, every religion on the earth, sex before marriage and some other things. It pisses me off when people from other countries think I'm living in some sexist-racist-crazy third world land and that I'm forced to wear hijab, obsess over God and obey older men. I mean, that's not the truth. At all. Everybody have their freedom, just don't bother anyone with your "restricted rights". That's bullshit and nobody cares. We aren't the best, but definitely not the worst. The sun and delicious food are cool. So are big families, and all the love, hospitality, kindness. There are bad people and good people. Everywhere on the Earth.
Damn you media, I'm a Starbucks lover in Africa, what are you gonna do about it?
''Panda'', 15yrs, Morocco