Salam, and hello everyone!
My name is Omar El Aazzaoui. I’m 26 years old and I come from Morocco. I was born in Fez, one of the oldest cities in the country. Fez was founded at the end of the 8th century by the Idrisid dynasty and was Morocco’s capital for several periods of its history. It’s home to Al-Qarawiyyin, founded in 859 by a woman, Fatima al-Fihri. It’s often described as the oldest university in the world still operating today. The old medina, Fes el-Bali, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the largest car-free urban areas in the world. You can easily get lost in its thousands of narrow streets, between craftsmen’s workshops, ancient mosques and the famous Chouara tannery, where leather has been dyed the same way for centuries.
My home town today is El Hajeb, a small town in the Middle Atlas between Meknes and Ifrane, surrounded by farmland, olive groves and cedar-covered hills. In both places, hospitality is sacred. Any guest who walks through the door is welcomed with a glass of sweet mint tea, poured from high above to make it foam, and a plate of Moroccan sweets like kaab el ghazal (“gazelle’s ankle”), crescent-shaped pastries filled with almond paste.
By training, I’m an electrical engineer. I studied Electronics and Computer Science in Meknes, then did a Master’s in Automatic Control and Renewable Energy at Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University in Fez. I’m now doing my PhD there on renewable energy systems and the stability of power grids. Over the years, I’ve learned that technology alone won’t solve the climate crisis. Communities have to understand it, own it and act together. That’s what brought me to volunteering.
So when I discovered Good Energies Alliance Ireland and its work in rural Leitrim, it felt like the natural next chapter. I’m looking forward to helping with the Sustainable Living programme, Climate Action workshops, and research on how local communities can become more resilient.
My journey began in Rabat, the capital of Morocco, where we took a direct flight to Dublin. From the moment the plane started to descend, I was amazed by how green Ireland is. It truly deserves its name, the Emerald Isle! On the road to Leitrim, I couldn’t stop looking out the window at the endless fields, the stone walls and the many lakes shining along the way. We drove during the sunset, and watching the sky turn orange and pink over the Irish countryside was the perfect welcome to my new home. I arrived at the house at night, tired after a long day of travelling. The people there welcomed me so kindly, with a warm cup of tea and a dinner of fish and chips, which was delicious and my very first real Irish meal. The next morning, I discovered how beautiful the house is. It sits near a lake, surrounded by hills and peaceful scenery.
I’m excited for this year ahead: meeting new people, contributing to GEAI’s projects, and discovering everything Leitrim has to offer. So if you see me around Ballinaglera or Drumshanbo, please come and say hi! I’ll be happy to share a bit of Moroccan culture with you, and I’d love for you to teach me more about Irish culture in return. And if you play chess, let me know. We can set a time for a game over a cup of tea.
