This is the 1328th real-life story we tell
I am Wu Chengcheng
(we are a family of three)
On December 31, 1985, I came belatedly and became the finale of our family. From the moment I was born, it seemed to imply that my life was not simple.
My parents are ordinary workers. When I was young, they were always busy making a living and often left me alone at home. But they gave me all their love. Maybe this is the advantage of being an only child!
But they don’t know that I would rather not have this advantage and want them to give me another brother. That way, I have someone to go out and fight with.
When I first started school, I was the shortest boy in the class and was often bullied by my taller and stronger classmates. But I am a master who refuses to admit defeat. Even if I am beaten black and blue, I will fight back with all my strength.
(I exercise in the gym)
However, every time I had a conflict with my classmates, my parents would only comfort me: "If you don't want to get beaten, you have to make yourself stronger so that you won't be bullied."
Immediately afterwards, my mother sent me to the Youth Palace to learn traditional martial arts . After that, my heart became stronger than before.
When I was in junior high school, my academic performance was not good and I had no interest in reading. Instead, I was very interested in mixed martial arts . Once, the provincial team came to select talents to enter the sports school. I was accidentally selected, so I discussed with my parents to go to the sports school to learn Sanda.
(My fitness instructor certificate)
No matter how much I begged, my mother would not agree. She said: "I will not let you pay to learn how to fight, so just give up on me!"
I can't understand their tyranny and think they are unreasonable tyrants. The rebellion of adolescence turned me into an out-and-out rebel.
When I was in high school, I was the least likely to see bullying in school. Wherever there was bullying, I was there. I simply believe that the best way to deal with violence is to fight violence with violence.
In my third year of high school, I was expelled from school twice for fighting, and I changed schools several times.
(I am teaching boxing to children in Morocco)
Once, in order to protect a relatively honest and honest classmate, I got into a fight with several people from other classes. As a result, I was unable to fight with four hands and was smashed in the head with a stool. I needed several stitches in the hospital.
My parents are often troubled by this, and they love and hate me.
After graduating from high school in 2004, I stubbornly refused to continue going to school and focused on learning professional boxing . But my parents just want me to learn technology so that I can make a living in the future.
They feel that having gold in their sleeves is not as good as having their craftsmanship in their pockets. For them, boxing is violence. To put it bluntly, if you fight well, you are lucky, but if you fight poorly, you will die.
But I think boxing is just a skill. As long as I become famous, I can support myself in the future. However, professional boxing was relatively unpopular in the country at that time, and not many people knew about it.
(In Morocco, there are also many women who like boxing)
In order not to intensify my parents’ control over me, I did not hesitate to work as a waiter or security guard in a restaurant, secretly saving half a year’s salary without telling them. Later, I used all the 5,000 yuan I had saved to sign up for a professional boxing training class.
In this way, I became a rookie boxer with full enthusiasm. Although the daily training of is very intense and boring, I like this kind of life very much.
Gradually, I found that passion alone was not enough to support my boxing dream. I thought that as long as I was good enough and played well, I could support myself.
The reality is that before the competition, I was starving and dizzy because I had no money. I didn’t want to give up and let my dream of becoming a professional boxer die.
(Street of Morocco)
So, I decided to continue training during the day and work as a waiter in a bar at night, so that I could solve my livelihood problem.
My parents saw that my temperament changed a lot after I learned boxing. Not only could I control my emotions, but I also got better little by little. Slowly, they changed their views on professional boxing.
If we say, training is cruel. So, before every game it's like a rebirth from the ashes.
My normal weight is 85 kilograms. If I play in a competition, I must drop my weight below 69 kilograms. Only by keeping at this specific weight can I take advantage of it.
Sometimes I have to lose more than 10 kilograms in two or three weeks. Every day I have to run, target practice, hit sandbags, jump rope, and compete with teammates who are higher than myself.
(local people’s daily meals)
If the competition is approaching and the weight has not reached a good state, the only way is to use a sauna to dehydrate yourself and reach a weight that can be competed.
After continuous hard work and dedication, I finally achieved success in this city and became a slightly famous professional boxer. However, before I had time to be happy, a car accident completely ruined my professional boxing career.
That day, I was riding a heavy motorcycle and had a car accident on the road. The sudden pain made me feel unprecedented fear.
This car accident caused injuries to many parts of my body. It also resulted in fractures of the inner and outer ankles and lumbar vertebrae of my feet, which required titanium alloy implants in my body. The location of the injury nearly paralyzed me, and it took two major surgeries before I could get better.
(Completely integrated into this city)
After recuperation, my body showed almost no signs of major surgery, but my boxing career was completely ruined.
In desperation, I transitioned to a well-known local gym as a fitness instructor. For this reason, I also obtained the national first-level fitness instructor certificate.
Compared to now, it was still a little difficult to obtain fitness instructor qualifications at that time. This requires not only training, but also a combination of theory and practice.
Although my theoretical knowledge is relatively weak, fortunately, I learned boxing before and have experience. After a period of practice, I successfully passed the first-level fitness qualification.
(local ancient Roman architecture)
Even though being a coach does not require high-intensity training, he is very busy every day. Not only must he teach the students well, but he must also take care of every customer. In addition, there are many foreigners in the gym, so self-learning foreign languages has become my top priority, and my schedule is full.
One day in 2009, I was teaching students at the gym, and a Moroccan girl happened to come. She said in awkward Chinese: "I want to find a personal fitness trainer."
When I first saw her, I was a little shocked: "Moroccan girls are so beautiful!" To my surprise, I became her personal trainer.
I didn’t know it at that time, but Yue Lao was trying to guide me. What surprised me even more was that this red thread actually changed my future life.
(Moroccan scenery)
From the chat, I learned that her name is Ouafa, she is the eldest in the family, and she also has three younger sisters. Her father runs a car rental company, and her mother is a nurse. Because of her faith, she never accepts red envelopes from patients.
Ouafa went to Dalian University of Foreign Languages alone because he liked China and was curious about Chinese culture. At that time, she had just been in China for half a year and her Chinese was not very good.
My English is also very poor, so teaching is not ideal. In order to make her understand my movements, I began to seriously study English by myself, and then combined it with Chinese and added gestures to teach.
Although before this, I had been learning English by myself for some time. For me, it is not difficult to learn English by myself. What is difficult is that I need a reason to force myself. The arrival of Ouafa seemed to be the reason for me to work hard to learn English well.
(If you can, be sure to come and see this charming scenery)
It is just like the principle in physics that likes of the same sex attract and opposites repel.
Gradually, the two of us began to have feelings for each other, and we even firmly believed that the other person was the right person.
Both parents recognized us very much after they found out that we were in a relationship. Although Ouafa's parents have never been to China, they think China is a very powerful country.
Morocco is a country mainly based on tourism. There is almost no manufacturing industry there, and most of the goods come from China. They often hear people say that Chinese men are excellent and family-oriented.
Therefore, even if they did not go to China to inspect me, they still chose to believe me and support Ouafa's decision.
In 2010, Ouafa and I got married naked. I don’t have a house or a car, and I couldn’t even give her a simple wedding. I asked her to marry me with a wedding ring worth several thousand yuan. She didn't complain at all about this.
(I was brushing my teeth on the streets of Morocco)
After marriage, the differences in our lives soon became apparent. She loves Western food and I love Chinese food. Neither of us seems to be able to convince the other, but we are slowly adapting to each other's living habits.
In 2011, Ouafa graduated. The two of us were faced with a difficult choice. Her parents wanted us to return to Morocco. But I was born and raised in China, and my parents are still here. What will they do if I leave?
However, my parents took the initiative to let me go back to Morocco to live with Ouafa. They think it will be more conducive to my career development if I live there.
Just like that, I followed my wife back to Morocco. At that time, I simply wanted to see the outside world. But I never thought that I would become my son-in-law.
(Moroccan RV Coffee)
When I first arrived in Morocco, I was amazed by this small blue city. It doesn't look like a barren desert at all. Instead, it looks like a hanging garden. I like it very much.
However, my enthusiasm and love were quickly defeated by reality.
The city I live in, Marrakesh , is located in the southwest of Morocco, at the foot of the Atlas Mountains that runs through Morocco. Although it is called the "Pearl of the South", there is not a single Chinese here.
A strange environment, a strange language, even the air smells strange. Without familiar people and things, I felt extremely lonely and even a little out of place.
The only English I know is of no use here. I cannot communicate normally with people here. I can only pass the time by watching movies every day, but I never expected that the Internet here moves at a snail's pace and it takes a week to download a TV series.
(local landscape)
The most difficult thing for me to accept is that people here are used to eating directly with their hands. I don't like to touch food with temperature or soup directly with my hands.
At first, because I only used chopsticks to eat, everyone thought I was looking down on them. The strange eyes made me sit on pins and needles, feeling like I couldn't integrate into the life here.
When people talk here, it's like listening to a book from heaven. I don't understand what they are saying at all. For a moment, I felt homesick and wanted to go back to China.
I naturally refuse to admit defeat. When I thought of running away like this, which would be disrespectful to the Chinese people, I couldn't help but resist. As the saying goes: "If you don't fight for your mouth, let's fight for your reputation!"
So, I spent 2,000 dirhams, less than 1,500 RMB, to find a local language school to learn French. However, French is much more difficult than I thought. Although there are only 26 letters, once you make a mistake, it will cause a whole sentence to be grammatically incorrect.
(The desert with no end in sight)
Fortunately, after three months of continuous learning, I can finally understand some simple common expressions and can have some simple conversations.
I was very timid at first, worried that others wouldn’t understand, and worried about making a joke. Most of the time, I need to express myself through gestures, but people here are very tolerant of me.
Although French is the lingua franca here, many locals only speak Arabic. In order to fully integrate into this place, I started learning Arabic non-stop.
However, let alone learning Arabic, I find it difficult to even read it, and I can’t understand what is written in the book. No matter how difficult French is, I can still recognize 26 letters. Arabic is a tortuous thing, and learning it makes me doubt my life.
(Sandboarding in the Sahara Desert)
At first, my pronunciation was very inaccurate and no one could understand what I said. However, after a period of accumulation, I gradually became able to have normal conversations.
My father-in-law and mother-in-law occasionally learn some simple Chinese from me. At home, everyone can speak a few words in Chinese with me.
Through hard work, I gradually developed a sense of belonging here. I started to learn to eat with my hands. Although I still like to use chopsticks, I also understand the principle of doing as the Romans do.
Later, I started looking for a job. Because there are only a handful of Chinese in Morocco, it is not easy to establish a foothold here. But this has also become my advantage.
Before 2016, there was no visa exemption. Most Chinese people came to Morocco for official activities or business inspections. Many Chinese people or travel agencies will take the initiative to find me and ask me to pick them up from the airport. Later, they will ask me to take their guests on self-driving tours.
(Taking Spanish students to visit Morocco)
Slowly, I started traveling and international trade . Later, visa exemption was granted, domestic professional travel agencies entered Morocco, and I began to connect with Chinese tour groups, and my work gradually became regular.
However, wages here are generally very low. The monthly income of ordinary people is only about 2,000 yuan, and the unemployment rate is also very high.
Even if you sign a contract with a cooperative restaurant, hotel, or driver, you still need to add an additional tip after paying the fee.
Although the salary is low, I like the working atmosphere here better than at home. When I work in China, I often need to guess the mood of my leaders, but here everyone gets along more equally.
(Leading a group to experience the desert)
Even if I am just working, I don’t need to look at anyone’s face. If I were the boss, I wouldn't look down on others.
People here seem lazy, but everyone is very responsible. Whether there is a problem at work or with a partner, if there is a problem, they will basically solve it on the same day, without causing unnecessary misunderstandings and troubles.
After five years of hard work, my career and life in Morocco are on the right track, and my wife and I have also put the plan to create a baby on the agenda. In 2017, my wife returned to China and gave birth to a little princess for me. When the child was three months old, we returned to Morocco.
(wife and eldest daughter)
The following year, our second child was born in Morocco. Although we have always lived in Morocco, my wife and I set the nationality of our two children as Chinese.
The arrival of my child has given me greater strength. I want to support a free world for children in the future so that they can be proud of their father.
So, I decided to open my own travel agency. I just did what I said, I quickly found a suitable store, quickly recruited people, and formed my own team . It took more than 500,000 yuan to fully open the travel agency. I think has always been worthwhile and meaningful.
However, just when I was obsessed with making money, my mother called me from overseas. She choked on the phone and said: "Your dad is gone, gone..."
(The second daughter was born)
My sky fell, my body was shaking, I wanted to cry, but I wanted to say something to comfort her, but found that everything was superfluous. To make matters worse, I was on my way to the desert with a tour group. Even if I returned home as quickly as possible, it would take at least a week.
Just when I was calculating how to go back as quickly as possible, my mother said again: "Don't come back. You can work without worries. You can't help much if you come here, so don't come back."
At that moment, I felt a burning pain on my face. I had never been so desperate and powerless.
Actually, my dad has been in poor health for many years.Our family had been mentally prepared for a long time, but when he really left, I found that I was never ready for him to leave.
(With my dreadlocks, I look a bit African)
I heard someone say: "Parents are like a wall between us and the God of Death."
My father is gone, but I am far away in a foreign country, and I can't pay him a final farewell. This has become the most unspeakable pain for me. I seem to have really grown up, and suddenly I feel that there is a lot more weight on my shoulders.
The person who carried me up is no longer there, and I no longer have an arm to rely on.
Just when I was still worried about not being able to return to China to see my father off for the last time, news of the epidemic came. Not long after, the epidemic swept across countries and the tourism industry was severely damaged.
With the emergence of the epidemic, domestic tour groups were banned, resulting in the cancellation of 99% of the company's orders. This meant that my company was facing bankruptcy just after it was established.
(Local people were singing and dancing at the wedding)
Due to the Russian-Ukrainian war, oil prices have risen, and there is no profit at all from a tour group.
Although, my father-in-law took the initiative to give me his company’s car for free, which saved me a lot of money. But this unprecedented predicament almost brought me to the point of collapse.
Because car rental companies, travel agencies, and hotels all have difficulties in obtaining loans or receiving payments, I am burdened with a heavy bank loan.
For a moment, I couldn't breathe. I even heard that my former partners chose to end their lives because they couldn't bear the pressure.
I'm afraid, what should I do if I can't hold on? I have reached the point of no return. I have a wife, a mother, and two young children behind me.
(You can buy two cigarettes on the streets of Morocco for 50 cents)
What should they do if I fall? The purpose of my initial establishment of a travel agency was: I wanted to provide the Chinese with the best services in Morocco, and I wanted to be a bridge between China and Morocco, because my children are Chinese.
I could only grit my teeth and carry the weight forward. In order not to end up in a disastrous defeat, I returned to my old profession and became a boxing coach. I don't dare to waste a minute or a second. I am deeply afraid that if I am lax, the travel agency will close down.
My wife also supports my decision. She always firmly believes that as long as we get through it, spring will bloom.
In the boxing gym, many students like boxing. My professionalism and dedication have also been recognized by many parents. Later, I worked as a personal trainer for many upper-class people in Morocco, and my monthly income was enough to support family and company expenses.
(Our family)
At the same time, I have been developing overseas tourism business. I have received orders from Spain, Singapore, and the United Kingdom, as well as many Chinese tour groups living abroad.
The crisis brought about by the epidemic is slowly beginning to be resolved. In the end, I survived the most difficult three years.
Although, I am very busy and tired every day. But I enjoy this life very much because I can send my children to international schools so that they can receive a better education. At the same time, it also solved the unemployment problem of some local people.
(My children have grown up)
I hope I can get the company back on track as soon as possible. Then, I took my family back to China to live for a while. Because of the epidemic, my children have not been able to live in China. I hope that China will be indispensable in their childhood.
When China has festivals, they will celebrate Chinese festivals. When Morocco reaches the top four in the World Cup, we can also cheer at the same time.
[Oral: Wu Chengcheng]
[Editor: Twenty-one]
We cannot live through different lives, but we can experience other people’s real stories here, and every story has real photos! If you also like such true stories, please follow us! @Interview with real people
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