Month: May 2016

Leave a comment Posted on by Wyatt W Dai, Mandarin, Sixth

Mandarin Pen Pal

We did a pen pal project. The 8th graders wrote a pen pal letter in Mandarin and we had to respond. This is 康瑞吉 (Reggie’s) letter to me:

你好！

我叫康瑞吉。我十四岁。我是美国人。我的家有五个人，爸爸，妈妈，两个弟弟，我和一只狗。我是小红学校的一个学生。我会说英文和一点儿中文。我的兴趣爱好是踢足球，弹吉他，游泳和魔术。我的朋友是 Pierre, Flynn, Nissim, Cameron Glass, Onaje, Cameron Krakoviak 和 Oliver。他们喜欢吃比萨和汉堡包。我也喜欢吃汉堡包和比萨，还有宫保鸡丁和意大利面。

谢谢，
康瑞吉

My responce:

我叫武华。我十二岁。我属猴子。我在 JJJL6 的班。我是美国人。我的家有四个人。我的家有爸爸,妈妈， 我 和 妹妹。我有三沙鼠。我是小红学校的一个学生。我会说英文和一点儿中文。我的兴趣爱好是踢足球，滑雪，打乒乓球，打篮球我的兴趣爱好是踢足球，和魔术。我的朋友是大家。我喜欢吃培根皮萨,巧克力，和芝士汉堡。我最喜欢的橙色。

再见，

武华

Leave a comment Posted on by Wyatt W Art, Demster, Sixth

Map Art

Wyatt Map Project 4Making map art is very fun. I am almost done with my piece. All I need to do is glue a building onto my map. The main component of my piece is foam core. I cut out the Manhattan section of my map and glued it to foam core. I built my buildings out of foam core. It is very useful because it makes a good base, and is very sturdy when stacked. I am color coding my map and buildings based on places I go and places I do not.

1 Comment Posted on by Wyatt W Cattafi, Humanities, Sixth

Shabanu News Cast

Murad*, a newly engaged man from Pakistan let us get a first-hand look at his life in a Pakistani farming village. Murad believes in Islam, as does everyone in his village and everyone from miles around. Western life is very different from living in the rural Middle East. For starters, money is worth less than sons or camels. In the Islamic Middle East, sons are much better because men can generate income while women are stuck in the house, or mud hut we should say. Camels are the main way of transportation and there is practically no police force.

“Islam is a very important part of my life. It is an important part of everyone’s life in the desert. Without religion, our world would be very hectic and empty. We are very religious,” Murad said. He made a very big statement about his religion and how important it is to him.

He also spoke about his person life. He was to be married to a Cholistian Nomad named Shabanu* , and Shabanu’s sister Phulan* was to marry his older brother Hamir. They were having problems with the landlord, so when Shabanu and Phulan ran into him, a fight arose. Hamir was shot, so everything changed. Murad is now going to marry Phulan, and Shabanu is going to marry Rahim*. “This is very sad and very challenging. I thought my life had a clear path, but the worst has happened. I must adapt. I really liked Shabanu. She is so confident, but Phulan is beautiful. This is just so shocking.

“It is very hard living where I live, but you get used to it. You tell me of police, and I am mesmerized. I cannot imagine a place where there are armed people everywhere, stopping the horrors of life. The Rangers are no help. They cannot enforce anything because there are so few and they have little power. If a rich man tells them to stop, they must obey. If we had police, my brother would still be alive. But you cannot change the past, you can only think about the future,”

*= Last names changed to protect interviewee.

10 Comments Posted on by Wyatt W Cattafi, Humanities, Sixth, Uncategorized

Shabanu Blog Posts – By Dadil Abassi

IMG_0274sandstormaz_camel

sandstorm

pakistani-muslim-wedding-atlanta-thismodernlove-43Preparing a Dowry

My beautiful daughter, Phulan is getting married this Ramadan. Her fiance is my nephew Hamir. I cannot wait for the wedding! I am praying for sons every day! But with only a few months left until the wedding, I still need to get the dowry finished! I do not even have half of the money, jewelry or clothes yet. That is why I have brought 15 of my finest camels to the Sibi fair. I have promised my youngest daughter, Shabanu that we will not sell our most exceptional camel, Gulaband, but the offers are tempting. The highest offers are from governments, but I will not sell Gulaband, only for him to die in war. Nevertheless, there are still good offers from people who actually care for their animals. I am leaning towards an offer from a herder who from Zhob. The deal on the table is 30,000 rupees for a bunch of females, a few calves. That is a good deal, I think as I accept. Right after, a man wants to buy Tipu for 18,000! Of course, that is a deal! I can only accept the highest deals, or else I will lose potential money. But those deals need to come fast because it costs 20 rupees a day just to feed them! You need every rupee for a good dowry! I am still very short of my goal, and my best camels are gone. I think I need to sell Gulaband, even against Shabanu’s will. I have my head in the clouds thinking of the offers I will get! I am so joyful, and Shabanu has done so well selling the saddles, I send her off to get food for a feast tonight! with my belly full, I drift off into sleep, only to be awakened by Wardak, and Afghan who wants the males, screaming. I go out, and after a lot more screaming and bargaining, the deal is done. For all the males, even Gulaband, I get 150,000 rupees! Shabanu comes out screaming, but I stop her before any harm is done. I am very pleased, as now I have almost completed the dowry!

How To Survive Life in the Desert

Life in the desert is very, very tough. From sandstorms to monsoon rains, here is a step by step guide on how to survive life in the desert:

Shelter: Mud huts are the best option. You do not want something too permanent, as you are constantly moving.
Food/Water: The toba dictates whether you are staying or moving. If your toba runs out of water, you must move. You need lots of water because that is where your whole herd drinks from. As far as food goes, you eat whatever is suitable. You eat chapatis for nearly every meal.

Monsoon Rains: The holy grail of desert life! You life off of the monsoons, as that is where you get your water.

Sandstorms: A very, very dangerous part of life in the desert. You must secure everything as fast as possible, and make sure everyone is with you. Tend to the herd if you can, but people are more important. If you get lost, tie you turban or chadr to the top of a tree and make a fetal position until you are found. Do not move.

Diary

Today was a rough day. My daughters escaped a bad situation, but my oldest daughter’s groom was killed. We had set up camp near Hamir’s settlement, and it was the afternoon. I sent Shabanu and Phulan to fetch some water, but the landlord, Nazir Mohammad saw them. He was going to rape them! Thinking on her feet, Shabanu threw her jar at him and ran, grabbing Phulan on the way. Mithoo ran back to camp, so we had to move! I told them to go back to Derawar, and I had Sher Dil take the animals. They had to get away, and I needed to settle this. I grabbed a gun from the tent and ran to find Hamir. Nazir Mohammad has already killed a few men, and he would kill each of them without a thought. Still, my family needed to live. Nazir Mohammad was the only one mad, but he has all the power. After a lot of screaming, he killed Hamir, saying, “That is your price.” I quickly got on a camels back and had him run all the way to the camp. When I broke the news, Phulan was devastated. I am grateful to still be alive.