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Text: On Fridays, Our House is a Zoo

Most people get Fridays off so they are special for almost everyone. But at our house, they’re not just special—they are wild. Every Friday, our big family gathers, and it’s chaos.

Mom wakes up early to prepare couscous. The smell of spices and the heat of the steam fill the kitchen. Dad sweeps the patio. All the cousins love to run around and play there. Grandma, who lives with us, makes some Halwet Ettabaa. Everyone loves those cakes. My siblings and I get ready for the mess that’s about to happen. Manel, my older sister, hides all the valuables and all the breakables. “Can’t trust those kids!” She says every single time.

Around noon, the first knock comes. It’s Uncle Karim and his family. Aunt Leila is carrying trays of sweets, and their twins rush past her to grab the best seats in the living room. “Don’t break anything!” Aunt Leila shouts, but the kids are already jumping on the couch. More cars pull up. Aunt Sarah’s car is very full. She has five children. The house fills up quickly.

The uncles go to the nearby mosque for the Friday prayer. They eat when they come back. The aunts gather in the kitchen, laughing and telling stories as they help Mom with the food. The cousins play noisy games, and someone always ends up crying.

When lunch is served, it’s pure madness. Plates are passed around, kids argue over who gets the most meat, and the youngest ones spill juice everywhere. But somehow, we all fit, squished together on chairs, couches, and even the floor, we are all full and we are all happy.

After lunch, the noise doesn’t stop. The kids race outside, chasing each other and yelling. The adults relax with coffee and pastries, still talking, still laughing.

By the evening, the house looks like a battlefield—crumbs on the floor, cushions out of place, and tired faces everywhere. But as the last car drives away, I can’t help but smile.

Every Friday, our place is a zoo. And I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

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Text: We Make a Good Team
"Soraia and Fatma worked in the same advertising company. They were great teammates. One day, their boss called them into his office. He said it was urgent.

“Brace yourself, this is gonna be bad.” said Fatma to Soraia

“We have a big project,” he said. “Bimo wants a new ad campaign. We need something fun and exciting to show why people love their biscuits! Oh, also, they want it by Sunday!”

Soraia clapped her hands. “That sounds amazing!”

Fatma nodded. “But also a little scary. We don’t have much time.”

Soraia smiled. “Don’t be a wet blanket! This is a great opportunity to showcase our talent. Let’s be positive!”

They got to work right away. Soraia sketched ideas for posters and videos. She was the artistic one. She drew smiling kids dunking Bimo biscuits into their cups of milk. Fatma wrote catchy slogans like “Bimo: The Taste of Childhood,the Taste Happiness!”

By the end of the day, they had lots of great ideas. “This is going to be amazing!” Soraia said.

The next morning, disaster struck. Soraia opened her laptop and gasped. “Oh no! The designs are gone!”

Fatma rushed over. “What happened?”

“I don’t know! Maybe my computer crashed.”

Fatma took a deep breath. “Good thing I prepared for the worst. I saved everything on my USB drive. I knew something bad would happen.”

Soraia sighed in relief. “Fatma, you’re a lifesaver! I guess it pays to be a little bit pessimistic ha.”

They quickly got back to work. They made bright posters and a fun video showing a multi-generational family sharing Bimo biscuits during afternoon coffee. Even the famous mug with Noah’s Arch was there.”

On Sunday, they presented their ad campaign to their boss. He watched the video and smiled. “This is perfect! Bimo will love it!”

Soraia and Fatma hugged each other. “We did it!”

Fatma grinned. “And we learned an important lesson—always have a backup plan.”

Soraia laughed. “Yes! I’m the glass half full, you’re the glass half empty and together we make an excellent, realistic, safe, wonderful glass haha. We make a good team.”

A week later, Bimo’s new ads were everywhere—on TV, on billboards, and on social media. Soraia and Fatma felt proud of their work.

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My Way or the Highway

One day, Lina and Fedwa, who have been best friends since kindergarten, went to the beach and were shocked by what they saw. There were plastic bottles, candy wrappers, cigarette butts and plastic bags everywhere. There were even some dirty diapers half buried in the sand. It was disgusting. This beach used to be pristine. It’s where they used to swim and play as children.

“This beach is a mess!” Lina said. “What happened?”

“Savages! That’s what happened.” Said Fedwa.

“This is too much. I was here a few days ago and it was more or less clean. I’m not sure people are capable of making it this dirty in this short a time. I think that the current brought all this trash from somewhere else.” Lina said. “We should organize a cleanup.”

Fedwa nodded. “I hate to have to clean up after idiots, but I hate seeing the beach like this even more. Let’s get to work.”

Lina took out a notebook. “First, we need a plan. We should call the mayor’s office and ask for trash bags and gloves.”

Fedwa shook her head. “Are you serious? That will take way too long. That is, if they even answer. We should just grab some friends and start right away!”

Lina frowned. “We need permission first.”

Fedwa crossed her arms. “That’s a waste of time. We need action now!”

Lina sighed. “Fedwa, we have to do this the right way.”

Fedwa threw her hands in the air. “With you it’s always “My way or the highway!”. You’re so stubborn. I can’t deal with you sometimes.”

Lina frowned. “Fine! If you don’t want to plan, I’ll do it alone.”

Fedwa stomped off. “And I’ll clean up my way!”

For the next two days, Fedwa and her friends picked up trash without asking for help. But soon, they ran out of bags, and the city workers told them they needed permission.

Meanwhile, Lina got approval from the mayor’s office. The city gave her gloves, bags, and even t-shirts.

On Saturday, the cleanup started. Lina’s volunteer kept busy taking pictures. They barely lifted a finger. Fadwa and her friend worked quickly and efficiently.

When Lina saw Fedwa’s team working hard, she sighed. “Looks like I bit off more than I could chew.”

Fedwa smiled. “Looks like you’re being used for a photo op.”

Lina looked down and then laughed. “I think you’re right. But hey, the job is getting done.”

They worked side by side until the beach was spotless.

When they finished, Fedwa said, “I was too stubborn. I should have met you halfway.”

Lina laughed. “Next time, let’s remember that we are on the same team.”

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"Like every morning, Hadj. Ali took his plastic chair outside his house, placed it in front of the metal door, and sat down. He spent the whole day sitting there, watching the world go by. He’s always there, rain or shine. His house was painted blue, which was a bold choice in this neighborhood, most houses were not even covered in cement. There were red bricks as far as the eye can see. He painted it himself.

Hadj. Ali was the eyes of the neighborhood. He saw children running to school, their backpacks bouncing. He waved to the mailman, who always smiled back. He watched birds fly from tree to tree, chirping their little songs. He noticed when young love started to blossom and when fights erupted behind closed doors.

He was the eyes of the neighborhood but above all, Hadj. Ali was the friend of the cats, all the cats and kittens from around the neighborhood. He pet them. He played with the. He fed them. He loved the.

One day, a boy named Sami stopped in front of Hadj. Ali’s house. “Good morning, Uncle!” Sami said.

“Good morning, young man,” Hadj. Ali replied. “Where are you going?”

“I’m coming to see you actually,” Sami said. “I have something to show you.”

Hadj. Ali was curious. “What’s that?” He said.

Sami giggled and got his phone out of his pocket to show him a video. On the video, one could see Hadj. Ali surrounded by a dozens cats. The cats seemed excited to see him. They were rubbing his legs and jumping around excitedly.

“I put this video on the internet, and it had more than one millions views! I received many messages of people who want to send you cat food so you can feed all your cats.”

Hadj. Ali was shocked. He wasn’t sure he understood everything, but he was very happy that the cats were going to get food.

Later, a cat came and sat near Hadj. Ali’s feet. It was a skinny, orange cat with big green eyes. “You are a star now, did you know that?” Hadj. Ali said, laughing.

Hadj ali was the heart of the neighborhood."

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Hang On a Second

• Hang on a second. So, you're telling me that you can make Crepponi at home? My mind is blown right now haha. I never thought that that was an option. I thought Crepponi just magically filled those old ice cream machines and only the chosen few could pull the lever for that delicious freezing swirly goodness haha. I have to try it. What do I need?

- I know right? Well, you need lemons of course. When life gives you lemons, you make...crepponi. and you also need sugar and eggs.

-Are you for real? Eggs? Is this ice cream or is it Mouskoutchou?

- I will send you the recipe. But just FYI, it takes some time and you might not get it right the first time. You need to hang in there and keep trying and maybe the next time we hang out we'll be eating your very own homemade Crepponi.

- I am excited. Crepponi was such a big part of my childhood. One of my core memories was running to 3ammi Zouzou's shop with my cousins with our 5 dinars in hand. He would always give me more, or at least that's what it felt like. I loved him for that. Sabrina would eat so slowly, it would melt on her hands and she'd always cry about it. That was the routine. Haha (Ding) Oh I just got your text. Thanks.

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Text: A Flood

I was standing on the edge of the pasture near Oued Djedi, watching the gray clouds gather over El Djelfa. The air was thick with the smell of rain, and the wind blew through the trees. Farmers nearby were hurriedly moving their sheep to higher ground. They were shouting and waving their hands. Every once and again, their yells mixed with the sound of thunder. Suddenly, the rain began, light at first, then heavy and relentless. The once-dry river bed began to fill up rapidly. Within minutes, the water was overflowing its banks. I was scared.

The sheep were stuck in the middle of the river bed, huddled together. Their loud bleats were drowned out by the sound of rushing water. An old shepherd, holding a long stick, stepped into the water. He shouted and tried to guide the sheep to higher ground. Other shepherds joined him, using ropes to pull some of the animals to safety. I wanted to help, but my legs felt rooted to the ground, overwhelmed by what I was seeing.

The water carried many things with it—branches, trash, and even a bright yellow bucket I had seen earlier. People from the village came to help. Everyone was wet and muddy, but they kept going.

Just as quickly as it began, the rain stopped, and the water’s advance slowed. The shepherds, soaked and exhausted, managed to save most of their sheep, though a few were still stranded on small patches of higher ground. I was very impressed by their quick actions, their resilience, and their bravery. I was embarrassed that I didn’t help and a little shocked at how frozen I had been. As the sun broke through the clouds, casting a golden light over the muddy scene, I felt a strange mixture of awe and sadness. The river that was nothing more than dry rocks that kids play on had reminded us all of its power.

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Text: Watch Out

"We are in a bit of a disagreement with my husband. I’ll tell you what happened and you tell me what you think. So, I got a bank draft the other day and found that 250 000da was missing from our account. I was shocked. I thought that someone had hacked into our account so I immediately called Zakaria. He said that it wasn’t a mistake and that he used the money to buy a watch. A watch! 250 000da for a watch! I lost it. I couldn’t believe that one, he would splurge on such a frivolous item and that two, he wouldn’t ask for my opinion prior to making such a big… he calls it “an investment”, I call it throwing money out of the window for something that your phone can do, that your oven can do, that a stupid microwave can do; to tell the time. We merged our finances when we got married and now we have a joint account so we generally discuss bigger purchases. I felt blindsided. I hung up on him and spent the day watching the clock, waiting for him to come home. I called my sister first and she said that I should stay calm and try to see things from his point of view.

When he got home I asked him. I asked him to tell me his side of the story. He said that it was a very high-end piece and it was actually a bargain. A watch of that caliber usually goes for 750 000da or more. He said that it was beautifully crafted and that it could be passed down to our son and maybe even his son after that, like a true family heirloom. He said that just because I don’t care that others don’t notice. According to him, a nice watch is an indicator of success. It puts you immediately in a higher social status and his clients would definitely notice. It was overall a great investment. By this point I was agreeing with him. I could understand where he was coming from, plus he’s been doing so well at work, I thought that he had the right to treat himself. And the he added the part that I didn’t like. He said that he didn’t have to justify himself, that I was a control freak and that I wasted more than 250 000da this year alone buying low-end bags. I was furious again. "

Text: "Yesterday morning, I walked into my bathroom and immediately felt my socks get wet. What a bummer! I was already late. “I don’t need this.” I thought. I looked down and saw a puddle of water on the floor. At first, I thought I had spilled some water the night before, but then I noticed it was still dripping from the side of the bathtub. “Oh no,” I said to myself. “The tub is leaking!”

I grabbed a towel and tried to soak up the water, but it just kept coming. I didn’t know what to do, so I called my dad. “Dad, the bathtub is leaking!” I said. “There’s water everywhere. What should I do?”

He told me not to worry. “I’ll call Karim,” he said. “He’ll fix it.”

Karim is a plumber who lives nearby. We call him every time we need help. He answered right away. Dad explained the situation.

“Hi, Karim, how are you? How’s the family?” Dad said. “Look man, our bathtub is leaking, and I can’t stop the water. Can you come to help me?”

He asked where the water was coming from. I looked closer and saw it was dripping from underneath the tub. “It’s coming from below,” I told him.

“Okay,” he said. “I’ll bring my tools and be there in an hour.”

When he arrived, he brought a big toolbox and got right to work. He checked under the tub and said, “There’s a loose pipe. I’ll tighten it and seal it so it won’t leak anymore.”

We watched as he worked, using wrenches, tape, and some special glue. After a little while, he stood up and smiled. “All done!” he said. “The leak is fixed.”

We were so relieved. “Thank you, Karim! I truly appreciate you coming so fast.” I said.

“You’re welcome,” he replied. “Keep an eye out for leaks in the future. It’s good to catch them early.”

After he left, I cleaned up the bathroom and put everything back in place. In the commotion, I forgot that I was already late. Now, I am super late. That should be my superhero name. Super Late."

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