My eyes open every morning at 6 am and within a few seconds, a sudden rush of excitement rushes into my rapidly developing body. My uniform sits on the top shelf of my closet
which is my queue to wake up my mother for her to grab it for me. Dressing myself is a quite difficult task for me at this point of my life however luckily I have my mother who is able to aid me through this complex chore. These long locks will not do for my intense day at the playground today thus needing me to put it up in a ponytail. However, I have also not acquire this skill also resulting in me pleading for help once more. I brush my teeth and eat my breakfast and I am off. My ride is here. These little arms are incapable of opening the massive, heavy car doors which is another favor my dear mother does for me. I carpool with this troublemaker from my private school named Yusef. His mother Amina would drive us everyday down a street to look at the pretty colored birds that would sit on the powerline on the main street to get to school. Khalto Amina would scold her son everyday for creating mischief in the car while I would just sit in the corner of the backseat waiting to get dropped off at the gate.
The time finally comes to when I get dropped off at the gate. Alhamdulillah. I walk on the faded,white line in front of my class waiting to greet the teacher. In front of me in line is Mohamed and behind is a kid named Ahmed. The teacher comes outside and we greet Sister Mary with a loud, warm, “Assalamualaikum”. We walk in and say a prayer right when we get to class asking for God to protect us throughout the day. We start off with verses from the Quran and then continue with our Arabic lesson. Our young minds were absorbing the new grammar rules and were excited to apply these to the new books the school just recieved. Recess time. It was time to play freeze tag and everyone knew I was the fastest girl in school. We would run around childishly insulting each other in Arabic and run and run until it was time to pray. It is time for the girls to be taken to the restroom in order to prepare for prayer. There is water everywhere considering how many girls were doing wudu’ and how we messed around in the bathroom by throwing water at each other. We walk into the main mosque and hear the call for prayer. The imam initiated prayer and the girls around me start laughing. Prayer is typically taken very seriously and has no tolerance for laughing. However, our immature selves would laugh away while advisors would tell us to hush after every rakat. After prayer, its time to go home and repeat the same thing all over again.
But this day was different. I moved from my small and comfortable private school. I moved away from the people who grew up with me. I moved away from the people who were just like me. I moved away from a school that I knew everything about. I moved away from everything that I have ever known in my little world. I no longer wake up with the same excitement to go to school. There is now a new burden of having to choose clothes instead of the same uniform every day. I no longer have the luxury of being picked up and dropped by a car. I now have to load the bus with glaring eyes staring me as I walk down the bus aisle looking for a seat. There are no pretty colored birds perched on any of the powerlines.I get to school and wait on the faded,white line and wait for the teacher to arrive. I realize that there no is more
Mohamed and Ahmed but now it is Kyle and Spencer. Our morning prayer has turned into the
pledge of allegiance. There is not a letter of Arabic in sight. There are no words of Arabic being
spoken. There was freeze tag however it was not the same. It was not the way that I have
always played it my whole life. There was not water all over the bathrooms and throwing water
at other girls was forbidden. There was no prayer consisting of giggling while being told to stop.
This was my new reality. No religion being taught. No culture being emphasized. This was
public school.
34 comments:
Leena, this is a very astonishing blog in which you compared your daily life in a private school as compared to a public school. Not only that, but you also vividly described the strict rules that are implemented in private schools, for example, having a "ponytail" and dealing with the troublemaker (Yusef). When looking at your public school, there are many cons as to why you don't want to be there which I found to be very fascinating alongside with all of the imagery in mind. For example, when you now have to wait for the bus and when you lost your excitement of not being taught your religion and culture that cannot be done in an ordinary public school. You no longer have to deal with the mischiefs of Yusef now but as I read your blog, the costs outweigh the benefits which in my opinion mirrors an important message in today's society; whether it be from seeing a Mohamed and doing morning prayers, to seeing a Kyle and reciting the pledge of allegiance.
Wow, Leena.
This piece really struck me and for someone who is only reading what you have put out for others, I can truly feel the pain, frustration, and sense of lost that you felt/may continue to feel regarding being taken away from what appeared to be your safe haven. I also appreciate your perspective on a non-western religious setting considering we are not (unfortunately) exposed to such in the U.S. due to certain aspects.
I was never raised in a religious school setting, but your use of imagery and detailed anecdotes showed me how comforting and truly joyful it could have been, and I’m sorry that it was taken away from you.
“Our morning prayer has turned into the pledge of allegiance” truly got me! I really hope you will be able to return someday and that you will continue to be true to your faith.
Leena, I really liked your personal reflection story. I think that the way you wrote the piece allowed for readers to understand the images that you were hoping to convey. I think that your experiences were extremely interesting to read because it is unique to your life and part of who you are. The change in tone that you conveyed from when you moved from your private school to public school was amazing since it conveyed how you felt about the situation really well. This was really well done and I really enjoyed it!
I really appreciated your piece Leena. Coming from a Muslim background myself, I understand the feelings that you convey in this piece, of love, and a sense of belonging, a religious private school portrays. Many of my family members have attended Muslim private schools, so we personally understand your struggle of leaving that and jumping into the larger community. Hopefully you adjusted well, and I wish you the best in having an easy transition!
I really appreciated your piece Leena. Coming from a Muslim background myself, I understand the struggles of moving on from the comfort of an Islamic education and jumping into the public school system. There is a sudden culture shock, and that feeling of belonging and affection sometimes feels like it is not there. What really got me was the laughing during prayer, and how me and my friends used to do that when we were little. I hope your transition is going well, and I wish you the best!
-Mirza Baig
Leena, your story was beautifully organized. You truly emphasized the change from not just one school to another, but from the carefree nature of a child to one weighed down by loss. From constantly asking their mother for help and being mischievous (as any child should be) to relying more on themself and losing symbols of consistency and familiarity such as the colorful birds really emphasized how drastic the change was. Wonderful job!
- Sara An
Leena, this a very astonishing blog in which you compared your daily life in a private school as compared to a public school. Not only that, but you also vividly described the strict rules that are implemented in private schools, for example, having a "ponytail" and having to wear a uniform. When looking at your public school, there are many cons as to why you don't want to be there which I found to be very fascinating alongside with all of the imagery in mind. For example, when you now have to wait for the bus, and when you are not taught lost your religion and culture. The important idea isn't being free from the mischiefs of Yusef now: its how the costs outweigh the benefits which in my opinion mirrors an important message in today's society. There was a very profound analogy that you used which I liked; seeing a Mohamed and doing morning prayers, to seeing a Kyle seeing a Kyle and reciting the pledge of allegiance.
I really loved your piece Leena and how much of yourself you incorporated into it from your religion, culture, and language allowing us to relive your experiences. I really appreciated how you compared your past to your new reality and used a change in tone and no longer including the use of Arabic as seen earlier on in your story. Thank you for allowing us to share your experiences.
I loved reading your personal reflection story! I was pleasantly surprised with how well you used imagery to paint a picture in my head of each image and scene of the story. At first glance, the story was appealing because it included a lifestyle that I never experienced. But by changing the tone and opening our eyes, at the end, to how different cultures are I realized that the story was not meant to be happy. At this point in the story, I began to sympathize for the little girl who was taken away from everything she had once known.
Wow! This was amazing. I loved how you showed your emotions through this piece. The jump from a private school to public school not as easy as some people think it is. I think that people who are already in public school don't understand what it's like to come from different places. I think that you did an excellent job with shedding some light on what it's really like to be the "new kid." Well done!
Leena, I loved how you provide specific details about your process throughout the day and the change in tone between the second and third paragraph really allowed me to connect and imagine the major change you had in life. Personally, this piece really reached out to me as we did have multiple similarities in life such as living with people that are ethnically similar to us, going to a private school, and ultimately having to moved away from everything we know and hold dear to our hearts. You showed me that there are others out there that has also been through the exact situations and I loved it.
That tone shift was intense. Your story went from warm, lighthearted, and cheery, to cold and dreary. I also related, not in the same way, as I went to a private school when I was younger where I was taught religious values. When my family moved, I was put into a public school. For me, however, it was a minor shift in comparison to yours. I went from a more Westernized school to another Westernized school. Aside from all that, I really liked your atory and how you described your emotions and thoughts on leaving your cultural private school, for a public school.
Leena, this blog gave me understanding of what it was like to move somewhere completely different from your normal setting. The use of imagery when describing the two different places allows me to see their comparison. I admire the way you described your faith because I can tell it means a lot to you.
Leena, I was so moved by this piece. I really could sense your emotion of moving from a private school to public school. I think that you are very brave to write about your experiences and shedding some light on what it's really like to be the "new girl in school." This is a very well written piece. Well done!
I really appreciate the level of maturity you had throughout this piece, Leena. It was such an interesting narrative of a big transition in your life, and with the anount of detail you put, I could tell how much it had an impact on you. From the giggles at prayer, games of freeze tag, and even the splashing of the water in the bathroom, you took me on a journey into a day of your childhood, and it was beautiful! I do hope that your first year of public school went well, and that you have found ways to embrace both your culture and religion!
Leena, this piece is very relatable to me being that I have moved several times. It is always a hard adjustment and honestly I feel like the whole experience is summarized when you said "I realize that there no is more
Mohamed and Ahmed but now it is Kyle and Spencer". Every time I have moved there was the realization that I was going to have to learn things that had no relevance to where I lived before or I was going to have to change some part of my identity to fit in. I loved the descriptive language you used throughout this piece. The imagery in the first paragraph made me recall old memories of wearing uniforms in my old elementary school. You did an amazing job.
I really enjoyed reading this piece because once I started reading, it was hard to stop! I could feel the emotion that was put into writing this and I enjoyed the image you painted of your childhood self. The tone shift from warm and lighthearted to sad and bleak really stood out to me. The tone shift transitioned really well to the rest of your personal reflection.
What an incredible piece! I'm not too familiar with your religious customs but you did an amazing job using imagery to really create a sense of what it was like. I too have gone from a private school to a public school and it really is such a different world. You really nailed what it was like and how adjusting to a new school is so different and how everything just seems so odd. Overall, you had an amazing piece with amazing imagery!
Leena I loved this! Being able to capture the difficulties and culture shock of moving from somewhere rooted in familiarity, culture, and tradition is a narrative that I personally feel is beginning to be overdone, but your inclusion of detail and humorous jabs at your younger self really breathe a new air to the writing style. It is very insightful for those who may have been exposed only to the American public school system throughout their lives. This really hit home on a personal level with me since I moved from a Muslim country to America when I was so young. I am glad that someone is able to share the experience and create a short story that so accurately depicts the struggle. Well done!
Leena, I am in awe. From the second I started reading, you captured my attention and kept it throughout the blog. All of the imagery and sensory details you incorporated allowed me to see and feel the world around you as if I was in your shoes. When you talked about your happiness in private school but changed the tone as you began to talk about the horrors of public school, I felt your pain,anger, and heartbreak. Throughout your piece, I saw your growth- both physically and mentally as you aged and developed a new mindset. I really enjoyed reading this, Leena and you are truly a gifted writer.
-Chimi Nebedum
I appreciate this transition you include of this girl who has the same routine which makes her very comfortable of the environment she is in and then changes into a state of unease as she is taken out of her comfort zone. You gave the reader insight on how it feels to be in a different environment which is something I relate to. Transferring schools during high school was something I had to learn to deal with, but you included a shift in different cultures which makes me have a very different perception of learning to deal with change. Thank you for sharing something personal with the audience and also how we our society can differ from others.
Leena, your piece is so moving and full of imagery from when you were a little girl. I absolute love the way you compared the life you loved to the new one in the end. it struck me on how big of a difference it was for you when you were a little girl. this poem is relatable to me to when i first came to etiwanda high, and i love how you pushed through it. this was one of the best writings ive seen on this blog
Your writing is absolutely heartwarming. The shift in tone in the last paragraph from being joyful and jolly to dreadful and unpleasant really brought your piece together. I especially loved how you incorporated the short and simple sentences at the very end to not only add tension, but to express your unpleasant attitude towards being placed in a totally different environment. Brilliant work!
Leena, your work really speaks to me, as a fellow Asian American who attended another religious private school in their youth. I felt myself relating to the aching feeling of fear and confusion that comes with switching from a familiar environment to one that is completely different than what we grew up with. I especially liked your use of juxtaposition in the final paragraph, in which you compared the nostalgic and familiar past to the distant and unfamiliar present. Overall, your personal reflection is one that represents you as well as the experiences of many other people who have felt like a "fish out of water".
~Lance Anthony Aquino, Period 1
Leena, this piece was very intriguing to me in the fact that your culture is so different from mine even though we are in the same classroom, going to the same high school. I like how the tone of your story shifted along with your physical movement in real life, it really brought out the reality that you had to face moving to public school. I really enjoyed experiencing the culture of someone with a different background than me, Thank You for sharing-Nathan Brown
Wow, what an amazing read! I am not too familiar with your religion and culture, but the way you wrote this was really descriptive and really painted a picture. I too, have transitioned from private school to public school and you really nailed what it was like to be introduced to a new atmosphere. The way you used your emotions to convey the sense of what it was like transitioning really impacted the reader and your use of imagery was really insightful and helped me understand what your private school was like. Overall, an amazing piece written by an amazing person.
Wow, what an amazing read! I am not too familiar with your religion and culture, but the way you wrote this was really descriptive and really painted a picture. I too, have transitioned from private school to public school and you really nailed what it was like to be introduced to a new atmosphere. The way you used your emotions to convey the sense of what it was like transitioning really impacted the reader and your use of imagery was really insightful and helped me understand what your private school was like. Overall, an amazing piece written by an amazing person.
- Kendra Gonzalez
This was a beautiful piece, the emotion that was put into this piece is inspiring and I really appreciated the juxtaposition between cultures in your writing it was refreshing.
- Camryn Greer Period 6
I loved the juxtaposition of a former school day and a current one; it really lended itself to the overall feeling of your entire piece. Also, your descriptions of everything from one movement to another helped paint a picture for me even though I haven't seen anything you're describing I still felt like I was there with you.
Leena, Im so happy that you decided to share this piece with us. I cam from a religious private school too. I recall how it was all really just a protected bubble. Your depictions of comfort and brightness reminded me of my times at my other school. Even though we are of different religions they’re not so different in morals. You’re imagery was so relatable and brought me to think of my past and comparing it to now. I greatly appreciate this piece and what it means.
-Carlos D. Villegas P.4
Leena, your story was very inspiring. It has opened my eyes to another culture that I had no idea about. I love how you used imagery to create a picture of each scene in your story. I felt like I was there in the car with you and Yusef. I feel that your shift in tone was done perfectly because it made my mood change from happy to sad in mere seconds of reading. The repetition of "I moved away from..." really stood out because it indicated the first signs of loss and sadness in your story. Very well done, I love your story. -Kailee Hinds
Leena, Your story was very moving, and while I haven't experienced the feeling of being blindsided- moved from one culture to another- I have moved schools before and I can sympathize with how jarring it is. I love your use of description to really immerse the reader into your world-view. Your feelings of disassociation are very vivid and expertly written.
Wow Leena I literally loved this. As I began reading each sentence became more and more interesting it was difficult to stop. The amount of details that you used made it seem as If i was there with you. I could really feel the emotion throughout the whole story and what a roller coaster it was. You did a great job thank you for sharing.
Leena this piece was eye-opening, being your friend, I was unaware of this occurrence in your life. I totally can relate, going from knowing everything to being in a practically whole new world. I loved how descriptive your writing was, with the specific times to names and also with the description of your very limited capability to do things by yourself. Overall this piece was very well written as well as wonderfully executed.
- Julissa Saenz
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