Recently, I joined my grade on a walkout to protest for gun safety. It was really loud there but I was so surprised by how many people came. The park was packed. We heard amazing stories from different people. The signs were cool and funny but made a point. News crews came and the back of my head got on tv. I was happy to be apart of it.
In the Inca culture, a culture and civilization that was in Peru before the colonizers, they did many rituals and activities that we might find absurd today. One of the interesting things that they did that stood out to me was what they did to children’s’ heads. They would wrap their children’s heads with cloth when they were soft and squishy. They did this for a visual appeal. Just like how today you might put on make-up.
For hero day I dressed up as a causal Gloria Steinem. She is a very big feminist and has be called the mother of feminism. She has written many books and has been protesting since the 60s. She has multiple inspirational quotes but one of my favorite is “a woman without a man is like a fish without a bicycle.” I like this one because it shows that woman are perfect on their own. They don’t need men. She is one of my heroes because she has made a difference for women all other a America.
For my Karamu sheet I wanted to show the music I liked so I wrote the 60s and 70s and 80s down. I added watercolor to show the feelings behind the music. I used warm colors for the 60s and then pop colors for the 80s. I chose blue for the 70s because I feel like the &0s is a mix of a lot. I chose blue because I feel like it represented the cool feeling I get when I listen to the 70s albums I have. I then wrote down some artist that I listen to. Of course I couldn’t fit all the artists I listen to but I wanted to give a feel for the type of music I listen too. I like oldies you could say. I think that the newer music can be boring or to loud. (Of course this isn’t true for all new music.)
Rebels run the world! Luke Skywalker, Beyonce, Amy Schumer, etc. In the book Shabanu by Suzanne Fisher Staples, Shabanu is definitely a rebel, but she lives in Pakistan, she is a muslim and has a strict father. That means she is beaten and hurt by being a rebel, which is very different than being a rebel in New York City. Shabanu’s life is ruined by many things including herself. Shabanu’s characteristics hurt her because she is not proper, she is impatient, and she is rebellious.
Shabanu being not a proper muslim girl causes her a lot of problems. She is a wild girl, “I bite him like a wild animal” (page 61). She also speaks her mind, which a muslim girl is not supposed to do. “I clamp my mouth shut, But I am not ashamed of what I think.” (Page 213). Much of what Shabanu does isn’t “proper” in the islamic world. She gets beaten for these things which is why it hurts her and changes her. People treat her differently because to them she is acting unladylike. There are other traits that fight against her in life, like being demanding.
Shabanu is impatient and this affects her life in a bad way. Shabanu isn’t patient, but that isn’t such a bad thing. “When the platform slows I’m more excited and pleased than relieved. I want another ride.” (page 51). This isn’t a bad trait. This means she can get things done quickly and efficiently. Shabanu won’t wait for life to come to her, she will tackle life head on. This will help her in life because she will get things done. Shabanu is also a defiant girl.
Shabanu is hurt by her rebelliousness. Being a rebel in Pakistan is very different from being a rebel in New York. It might be cool to be a “rebel” in the city, but there it is a disgrace. Shabanu will fight for herself. “I fight them, ‘I won’t do it!’” (page 191). She won’t give up her opinion and take her father’s one instead. “I will not marry a man whose wives will make me their slave. I’ll die first.” (page 234). This won’t sound very strange to an american because americans would say the same things, but in Pakistan it is forbidden to not follow your father on your religion. In the Islamic tradition, these type of things that Shabanu thinks are out of the ordinary. This makes everyone think of Shabanu as weird and that is why it hurt her, physically and mentally.
No matter who you are and where you come from, your characteristics can be taken the wrong way. A good trait can be a bad trait across the world. Shabanu’s life has been ruined by not being an ordinary muslim girl. Shabanu’s traits hurt her because she is substandard, she is demanding, and she is rebellious. Shabanu wants to have carte blanche, but by trying to get that she has dug herself a deeper hole. Muslim girls don’t get that sense of having their own life. People need to know that for every bad trait there is a good trait inside. This is mostly directed towards women because there are standards that women have to live up to, but they shouldn’t be like that because women should be rebellious against sexism in everyday life.
Our group chose Travel to talk about. Our perspective is from a newscaster that has been to the Sibi Fair. We talked about the great assets that come with the Sibi fair. Then we did an interview with Wardak about how he liked the fair. It was a great experience and I learned a lot about the Sibi fair while reading the book.
This is the link to our interview:
https://drive.google.com/a/lrei.org/file/d/0Bx447Aoz9qMLVURnZ2ljRXhMMXM/view
Do You want to have the best time of your life? Come to the Sibi Fair!
The Sibi fair is the best place to go if you want to have some fun in Pakistan. It has wonderful games and rides. It also has a great selection of camels for trading. The Sibi fair has amazing musician and they will serenade you into the night. And a good trade means good fortune.
The weather at the Sibi fair is humid and lovely. It rains periodically for the camels to get healthy and for us to refill our jars. The sand surrounding the fair is just enough heat to toast your toes. When the sun rises up above your head it shines over everybody’s beautiful faces. The Sibi fair is welcoming to the 2nd pillar of Islam, Salah, for the five moments in the day. There are amazing spots outside in the sand for camping and festivals. There is also a lot amazing food. On the fairgrounds there are many stands lining the streets. You can get many different foods for low prices. The food is all made right there in front of you and is very fresh. There is also water and other drinks to for you, whenever you need them. “The Chapatis are simply wonderful!” Said Murad.
On top of that there are mysterious wonders in this fair. Like the magnetic man. He can place metal objects on his body and they won’t fall off. They also have the balancing brunet. She can take anything and balance in on her head. The Sibi fair has many more like the jumping jack russel, the morphing man, the cackling camel etc… These attractions are so powerful that it pulls in crazy people like the scary Man Woman. It has been to the Sibi fair multiple times, but don’t fear so far it hasn’t attacked anyone. We also have the notorious Wonder Wheel! You can ride it while eating a piping hot pan or your freshly cooked chapati. When you are up there it is amazing with the wind in your face and the sun gently beaming down at you. You can go there with your best friend or with your loved one. The trading at the Sibi Fair is great and you will not be disappointed. You can get the best camels in the eastern region. You can spend your time walking around, browsing for anything you want. It’s a great bargain. You can spend your time walking around the Sibi Fair. There are many booths to go to and many items to choose from. As you can see, the Sibi fair is the best place to go in Pakistan.
How did you like the Sibi fair?
What was your favorite part?
What do you trade?
What did you trade?
With who?
Would you go back?
Why?
If you are ever giving birth and you are in a bad place, this is what to do. First you call out for help. A good tip for that is to wale. It brings more attention to you. If that doesn’t work try to push really hard, like really hard. Yell if it helps. And if that does not work then give up. It is probably already dead so just give up because you have tried everything. After someone comes they will help you and get the baby out. It is probably dead, but if it is not dead then you are lucky! Birth is a hard thing and I might not show it but I do care when my baby dies. (sigh)
muslimmatters.org “‘It was another boy,’ mama whispers.”p.173
I chose my style because I really like reggae and I new it was going to be a challenge. I learned a lot about my style. I had a fun time discovering new styles too. I learned about the beat and the type where it is off. I learned about the guitar strum. And I learned about all the types of singers that sang it too. I had a really hard time making it. It doesn’t really sound like reggae but I think that there are some important parts that do.
The best part of the Ashokan trip was the rope course because it had a zip line, it made us stronger and it brought our class together. The zip line was so much fun because it felt like you were flying.
The second best part of the Ashokan trip was the open reck because we got to speak about the fun activities we had, we got to hangout with our friends and 14 out of 20 people liked it. All the 6th grade girls used their time wisely.
The worst of the Ashokan trip was the Gorge hike mountain because it was steep, we had to hold on to the dirt and and we were already to tired.
But when my group reached the top we all cheered on Margaret and that was fun.
The second worst part of the Ashokan trip was the leaf fight because we all got dirty, we ruined the raked leaves and in all of the fuss Ben C.’s glasses fell off and broke. A lot of kids including me helped him find them, but one of the lenses broke and the frame was snapped. It was sad.
I class we are reading the book Beowulf. It is all about this character named, take a guess, Beowulf. He is not an ordinary hero because he is short, disproportionate and blind. He takes down this monster named Grendel but another monster pops up. Every chapter we are supposed to write down the new characters, a chapter summery and define the words we don’t know. We broke up into groups to draw the characters. I got Wealtheow, the queen.
I am very proud of this and I think it shows my best work. My partner Milei, was not the one who did the work. She could have done a lot more, but I am happy she tried.