COURAGE BY Taskeen Khan, 12 - 1st Place Winner in National Competition

“Courage. When people hear that word they think of famous heroes. Soldiers, cancer survivors and civil rights activists also come to mind. I think of all those people but there are a few more on my list such as a lady named Ahlam. She had to come from a different country all alone because in her country, women did not have equal rights. Ahlam spoke out against this and was persecuted by her government. She had to flee as an asylee to the US. I don’t know if I would have been able to speak out, knowing those consequences. It’s not always easy to settle in to a new country like she did. You may have to learn a new language, meet new people, make new friends, and get used to a new culture. Those are only a few of the many hurdles new immigrants face.

Ahlam could have stayed in her country despite its unequal treatment of women and done nothing. However, she spoke out against the government risking her own life. It takes plenty of courage to do what you think is right even if your life is on the line. Doing this and knowing you will face challenges is even harder. It’s similar to standing up to a bully at school.

The other challenge was leaving her personal comfort zone to come to America. One of the first issues Ahlam faced in a new country was finding an inexpensive place to stay. Ahlam knew that there were probably many social service organizations willing to help people in her situation from her work in public policy in her own country. She called organization after organization. What made this especially hard was that she knew very few words of English. It takes courage to ask people you don’t know at all for help.

Another problem Ahlam faced was learning a new language. Week after week she collected money for English classes by doing jobs that didn’t require much talking, such as house cleaning. She found these jobs through a lady at one of the social service organizations that had befriended her. It’s courageous to do jobs that are below your qualifications because you feel degraded. Ahlam did it because she knew it was her lifeline.

After her first session of classes, Ahlam could understand the language and say a few words of English. This was progress but the cleaning jobs soon become few and far between. So she got on the phone again. She found a program called RAP (Refugee Assistance Programs) that could help people from other countries find jobs that they were suitable for. After a quick interview, they found she was passionate about cooking. This was important because she didn’t need to be fluent in English and could still hold onto a piece of her culture. They helped her start a catering business from her home that helped her raise more money for English lessons. At first there were very few orders but as word spread and RAP organized public tastings, her business grew. At the end of 2009, two years after she had arrived, Ahlam was fluent in English and had her own business up and running.

Ahlam was now settled into the US because of the help of many people and her original courage to leave her home. She had now seen how many hands make light work and wanted to make it happen for others. Ahlam knew her first problem had been finding an inexpensive house and learning a language. So she started low fee English lessons for people who were new to America. She also used her catering business as a stable job people could participate in till they found other work. The extra money often helped these individuals pay for rent and food. All these good things happened because of one woman’s courage to leave home and start a new life.”

Journey Through The Seasons

By Taskeen K. Age 10, Grade 4

River,
I can feel your chilly waters
Quietly rushing against my toes.
I taste and smell your misty air.
Through your clear blue waters I see
your nimble fish, quick as clouds,
and your smooth, cool, pebbles.

Your guards are the gray, jagged, snowcapped mountains
which keep you going.
For company you have the talkative Maples
And you respond with your swishing waves.
Before they shed their leaves
they glance in your shimmering waters
looking for their reflection
making sure they look their best.

In Winter, when the Maples hibernate
You gossip with the whispering grass.

And with Spring, the beavers come to help
carve out your meandering shape.

Oh River, who could have a more adventourous journey than you?

The cat who was red and small ( written at age 6)

By Taskeen Khan

There lived a cat named Magwa who was very small but wanted to be big. Magwa was red and angry about that too. All the other cats were not red. She didn’t know what to do.Along came a zebra and said, “I’m much bigger than you” and magwa said, “If you were in my skin, you’d be small too.”Zebra said, “ If you were in my skin, you’d be big and have stripes like me.”Then the Zebra walked away and said, “Hah! She should have been bigger. I didn’t even hear what she said!”Then a tiger came and said to Magwa, “That Zebra who walked by you said that he couldn’t even hear you. Why don’t you hop on my back and then everyone can hear you?”Magwa said, “ You have orange and I have red. No other animals have that. Can we be friends and live together?”“Yes,” said the tiger, “ I don’t have children. You could be my child. I will be your mother.”They lived together and had a happy life. Later Magwa married another tiger and moved to a new cave and had cat babies of her own.The end

Room 107 By Taskeen K. ( written at age 7)

One day in Room 107 they were making cupcakes. Their teacher Mrs. Buchholz said, “Put butter on the pan.” ‘Ok’ they said. So they did. Then Mrs. Buchholz said, “Put the pan in the oven.” So they did. The oven went CRRRCRRRCRRR. “Oh, oh,” said Mrs. Buchholz. “The oven is broken.” “Awwwww,” said the children. “It’s okay,” said the teacher. “We can put it in the sun.” “Yay!” said the kids. Then they made the frosting and then the cupcakes were done. Then they put the frosting on the cupcakes. Then they ate the cupcakes! MMMMMM !!!!! Chew, Chew. But by then the day was over. So everyone got ready to go home. TING !!! TING !!! TING!!! Then everyone went home with a full stomach. The end

With Winter By Taskeen, Age 9

With winter comes flakes of snow. With snow come
Igloos made by children. With chilly children come
Nannas’ wiping boot-stained, wet floors. With wet floors, come hot chocolate and
Taffy Apples. With hot chocolate and taffy apples, comes
Everyone savoring a warm, blazing fire.
Relaxation settles over the house as everyone gathers around the table,drinking hot chocolate while sticky hands clutchtaffy apple sticks.

Definitions by Taskeen, Age 9

What is Power?

If you have power, you’re respected.

Power is when most people like you and trust you and know you’re not going to trick them to do something that will harm them.

You have power if you can give someone courage to can help them climb the mountain even if they are sacred..

Power is you face what you’re sacred of. Courage is Power.

Power is believing in God even if your friends don’t believe in Him. You have to be the thick tree. You have the power to stay with what you believe even if your friends don’t.

What is Friendship?

Friendship is like Spring. It’s always growing and in spring everything grows and flourishes. If your friendship is like winter, it means you’re friendship isn’t growing, it’s dying because in winter things don’t grow, they die. And if you say your friendship is like all the different seasons you’re saying sometimes it’s growing and sometimes it’s dying and sometimes it growing and it goes in a cycle, like the seasons. My friendships are like Spring.

What is Happiness?

Happiness is when your heart lifts.

Happiness is a memory of or the anticipation of something you’re looking forward to.


What is sadness?

Loss of a loved and important thing or person.

Sadness is when you know what’s coming or what’s happening then and there, and don’t like it. Like getting a spanking.

Poems By Taskeen

With Winter

By Taskeen K., Age 9

With winter comes flakes of snow. With snow come
Igloos made by children. With chilly children come
Nannas’ wiping boot-stained, wet floors. With wet floors, come hot chocolate and
Taffy Apples. With hot chocolate and taffy apples, comes
Everyone savoring a warm, blazing fire.
Relaxation settles over the house as everyone gathers around the table,
drinking hot chocolate while sticky hands clutch
taffy apple sticks.

BEAUTY

I hear the wind swish
I hear the crows weaving nests as they go ‘caw’, ‘caw’
I hear a hawk swoop up and down and
catch its mouse,
then give out its shrill call to its mate
to tell it, ‘I found my dinner. Now you find yours’
I see and smell Caribou Moss
I hear a cricket. It’s calling its family.
This is my listening place


QUIET

I see a cat prowling.
I see and hear a Toucan with its colorful beak.
I see a little hornbill.
I hear one Bird of Paradise.
I see another one.
I see the towering necks of family’s of grapes.
I hear and see a family of bamboos.
They have such vivid colors.
It is so quiet here.
Shoo!
See.