Who’s Ghali?

I am a 22-year-old guy from Fes, an old and culturally sophisticated Moroccan city. I grew up and lived there until I was 18 and completed high school, after which I went to Rabat, the capital of the kingdom, to study Digital Management at a reputable business school.

I lived in a totally different environment. For me, Fes is the kind of city that holds its prestige through its history. After all, the city’s main foundations were established more than 12 centuries ago! In Fes, people are very proud of the history of their city; traditions and customs seem to be much more deeply integrated and widespread in daily life. Rabat, though also a city with great historical and cultural richness, felt to me like a blend of tradition and modernity, where the two coexist much more naturally.

My year in Rabat was a great experience, full of challenges. I discovered a big part of myself throughout that year. It was the first year I experienced fully an independent life away from home. I learned many things I wish I had known before. I feel like that year was a transition period and just after, I went to Lisbon, where I today pursue my journey. Today, I feel much more confident about many aspects, and I believe this is the result of the challenges I have set for myself: travelling, wandering around, searching, reading, making new acquaintances, and asking questions.

Since I was young, I have always loved dreaming. For me, one of the biggest gifts we have is the ability to dream. This world is often boring, and without imagination, planning, and imagining different possibilities, we would be stuck, or at least I would feel stuck. One of my biggest wishes is to maintain this capacity and extend it as far as possible. Just think for a moment about how amazing it is to be able to create a world in your head exactly as you wish and explore it from within! What’s even better is trying to make the real world as similar as possible to the one you dream about. This is one of the core ideas that has guided many of my choices. I was never satisfied with living a stagnant life where there is too little room for excitement, but I was never attracted to living a wild or crazy one either. What I have always been attracted to is living a life where I can innovate, create, learn, and evolve. For me, being able to constantly evolve is also very meaningful.

Today, I am studying veterinary medicine, and I am already in my fourth year. Tomorrow, what will I be? I don’t know. Life has taught me that anything can happen. Besides veterinary medicine, I am enthusiastic about so many things, which I like to classify into four categories.

Hobbies that keep me fit: running, CrossFit, calisthenics, horseback riding, and so many other sports.

Hobbies that keep me calm and relaxed: hiking, walking, and writing.

Hobbies that teach me things: reading, learning languages, and studying

Creative and community-oriented hobbies: freelancing, volunteering and writing.

These hobbies enable me, I feel, to remain balanced and composed. I have my main hobbies and passions, along with other side interests. Overall, I consider myself a polyvalent person with clear projects and objectives, mainly focused around my studies and related topics, while still enjoying the opportunity to step outside my comfort zone from time to time.