Death is inevitable for every human being because “to God we belong and to Him is our return” said the Holy Koran. However, Nacer Amezian’s passing away affected me a lot. The terrible news of his death shocked and deeply saddened me and added to my homesickness in this ‘cold’ part of the world – Ohio, US. His death came at a time I hadn’t gotten over the shock of the loss of another Moroccan close friend yet – Lahcen Laabid, God bless his soul.
I met Nacer for the first time in Boston College in August, 2004. We were there to attend an educational program sponsored by the University of the Middle East (UME). He was the only Algerian in the group and he felt at home with us the Moroccans though he got on well with everyone else. My relationship with him grew up very quickly because we had many things in common that helped us do so, especially language. We spoke Berber, French, and English but we usually used Berber.
Nacer believed in the power of friendship and he was the only one from the twenty four members of the group who stayed in touch with me on a regular basis. We emailed each other and we phoned one another. I liked reading his emails because they were always peppered with that good humor he never lost.
Nacer was such a good friend and often wished the Moroccan-Algerian borders would open so that he could visit me with his family in my hometown.
He was such a loving and faithful husband and often told me that his wife was the center of his life. He was such an affectionate and devoted father who did everything for his children and whose eyes welled up with tears whenever he talked about them in Boston. I still remember how sad he felt one day in August, 2004 because one of his daughters celebrated her birthday in his absence. I learned the names of his three daughters because he kept talking about them all the time. His boy was still not born at that time. He emailed me and told me the good news when Yassine was born.
Nacer liked fun and enjoyed life. He liked to listen to Berber music. It was in his blood. I recall that day when we were about to leave an American bookstore and that Algerian Berber musical dance came on the radio. He refused to leave the bookstore until the song was over. He even danced for a few seconds there.
My heart is broken because I lost a good friend, a real friend, but “Every soul must taste death.”
My thoughts and prayers go out to his wife, his three daughters and his son. My sincere condolences go to his many friends and all those who knew and loved him.
Rest in peace Nacer you will be missed and remembered.
Noureddine
I met Nacer for the first time in Boston College in August, 2004. We were there to attend an educational program sponsored by the University of the Middle East (UME). He was the only Algerian in the group and he felt at home with us the Moroccans though he got on well with everyone else. My relationship with him grew up very quickly because we had many things in common that helped us do so, especially language. We spoke Berber, French, and English but we usually used Berber.
Nacer believed in the power of friendship and he was the only one from the twenty four members of the group who stayed in touch with me on a regular basis. We emailed each other and we phoned one another. I liked reading his emails because they were always peppered with that good humor he never lost.
Nacer was such a good friend and often wished the Moroccan-Algerian borders would open so that he could visit me with his family in my hometown.
He was such a loving and faithful husband and often told me that his wife was the center of his life. He was such an affectionate and devoted father who did everything for his children and whose eyes welled up with tears whenever he talked about them in Boston. I still remember how sad he felt one day in August, 2004 because one of his daughters celebrated her birthday in his absence. I learned the names of his three daughters because he kept talking about them all the time. His boy was still not born at that time. He emailed me and told me the good news when Yassine was born.
Nacer liked fun and enjoyed life. He liked to listen to Berber music. It was in his blood. I recall that day when we were about to leave an American bookstore and that Algerian Berber musical dance came on the radio. He refused to leave the bookstore until the song was over. He even danced for a few seconds there.
My heart is broken because I lost a good friend, a real friend, but “Every soul must taste death.”
My thoughts and prayers go out to his wife, his three daughters and his son. My sincere condolences go to his many friends and all those who knew and loved him.
Rest in peace Nacer you will be missed and remembered.
Noureddine
