Saturday, July 28, 2007

Yasmine Fahim Sent "In Memory"

Cat Stevens --Oh Very Young

Oh very young
What will you leave us this time
You're only dancing on this earth for a short while
And though your dreams may toss and turn you now
They will vanish away like your daddy's best jeans
Denim Blue fading up to the sky
And though you want them (HIM)to last forever
You know they (HE) never will
You know they (HE) never will
And the patches make the goodbye harder still

Oh very young What will you leave us this time
There'll never be a better chance to change your mind
And if you want this world to see a better day
Will you carry the words of love with you
Will you ride the great white bird into heaven
And though you want to last forever
You know you never will
You know you never will
And the goodbye makes the journey harder still

Oh very young
What will you leave us this time
You're only dancing on this earth for a short while
Oh very young
What will you leave us this time

Thursday, July 26, 2007

WE ARE SEVEN by William Wordsworth

A SIMPLE Child,
That lightly draws its breath,
And feels its life in every limb,
What should it know of death?
I met a little cottage Girl:
She was eight years old, she said;
Her hair was thick with many a curl
That clustered round her head.
She had a rustic, woodland air,
And she was wildly clad:
Her eyes were fair, and very fair;
Her beauty made me glad.
"Sisters and brothers, little Maid,
How many may you be?"
"How many? Seven in all," she said
And wondering looked at me.
"And where are they? I pray you tell."
She answered, "Seven are we;
And two of us at Conway dwell,
And two are gone to sea.
"Two of us in the church-yard lie,
My sister and my brother;
And, in the church-yard cottage, I
Dwell near them with my mother."
"You say that two at Conway dwell,
And two are gone to sea,
Yet ye are seven!--I pray you tell,
Sweet Maid, how this may be."
Then did the little Maid reply,
"Seven boys and girls are we;
Two of us in the church-yard lie,
Beneath the church-yard tree."
"You run about, my little Maid,
Your limbs they are alive;
If two are in the church-yard laid,
Then ye are only five."
"Their graves are green, they may be seen,"
The little Maid replied,
"Twelve steps or more from my mother's door,
And they are side by side.
"My stockings there I often knit,
My kerchief there I hem;
And there upon the ground I sit,
And sing a song to them.
"And often after sunset, Sir,
When it is light and fair,
I take my little porringer,
And eat my supper there.
"The first that died was sister Jane;
In bed she moaning lay,
Till God released her of her pain;
And then she went away.
"So in the church-yard she was laid;
And, when the grass was dry,
Together round her grave we played,
My brother John and I.
"And when the ground was white with snow,
And I could run and slide,
My brother John was forced to go,
And he lies by her side."
"How many are you, then," said I,
"If they two are in heaven?"
Quick was the little Maid's reply,
"O Master! we are seven."
"But they are dead; those two are dead!
Their spirits are in heaven!"
'Twas throwing words away; for still
The little Maid would have her will,
And said, "Nay, we are seven!"

http://www.bartleby.com/145/ww124.html

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

حلمك

،أمي
ما تفسير حلمك إلا أنني لم أمـت
ومازلت أعيش بينكم حيث كنت
،أمي
يا أكثر شخص في العالم لموتي أشقيت
وكم من أجلك أتعذب اليوم وتعذبت
،أمي
ذهبتُ مسرعة حتى وجنتيكِ ما قبلت
هيهات يعود الزمن فغيرك أماً ما اخترت
،أمي
علمت الآن معنى الأمومة أكثر مما بحياتي تعلمت
وكنت أدرك كم غالية أنا عليك والآن أكثر أدركت
،أمي
أعلم أنني كالخيال أرافقك بل أنا بفؤادك تربعت
فكم من مرة إلى نبضات قلبك سمعت شكواك وواسيت
،أمي
وكم من مرة يا أعز الناس إليك نظرت
وابتسمت لك من خلال الشروق أو لحالك بكيت
،أمي
، لا تجزعي
فحلمك يؤكد بأن جسدي رحل ولكن بروحي معك بقيت

أم سمر
©جميع الحقوق محفوظة للمؤلفة

Sunday, July 22, 2007

Vocab Par

My heartbeats got faster as I thought about the breakfast I had this morning, it felt like it was going to come back up. I was due to be knighted by his Royal Highness King Peter in less than ten minutes. My palms filled with sweat, but I felt so unbelievably cold. Even though I finished my training, I was still unfledged. As I sat there filling my head with worrying thoughts, I saw the king’s affair manager come true come towards me. “Are you Brian Mender? He asked “Yes, Sir”. I responded.

"I know that you are scheduled to be knighted today, but something has come up. A tournament will be held in a short while, and the king is short of knights. Normally, you would participate after you were knighted, but this is a special case."

Of course I agreed, and I was taken to the castle where I was suited up. We reached the tournament area, and as taught to, I went and kissed all the noble ladies on their hands. After the various welcomes, I mounted on my horse and the tournament was about to begin. I looked around me and saw everyone from nobles to serfs applauding their favorites. I was grasping the unstained shillelagh in my hand, and when I heard the herald announce the start, I almost dropped. The mêlée began and a feeling of determination swept over me. My heart was racing and the sight of the opposing knights made me flinch, but I was determined to win this tournament. I needed the money and the prestige that came with it. I began hitting the knights with my various weapons and impaled two of the three knights with my father’s sword. This act secured over victory, yet I was left unsatisfied. Even though I had the prowess of a knight, may be I was not cut out to be one.

Samar Al Ansari
Grade 10.3
Nov 10,2003

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

My First Day in the Land of Freedom

My palms were all wet, a drop of cold and salty sweat dropped from my forehead into my mouth, and my insides were churning; this is what I felt like as I entered the Middle School building. I enjoy being in Middle School now, but before experiencing it, I was petrified of it. Things are never as bad as they seem, if you dig deeper you will realize that they are actually good. The way I acted the night before my first day, how I acted in my first day of Middle School, and the comparison of Middle School to Elementary clearly explains this. I admit Middle School does have its ups and downs, but that just makes it more interesting. I can honestly say that the first day of Middle School was not what I expected it to be…fun!
The night before Middle School, I was so scared, my face was flushed, and I had this petrified look on my face. I felt very nauseated; my insides were doing flips and I had butterflies in my stomach. I couldn't go to sleep at night; I was worried that Middle School would be hard and tiring. Somehow, I managed to get some sleep, but then I was awake early in my uniform waiting for my siblings to wake up. When I was on my way to school, the nausea increased and all these thoughts entered my head.
I reached school, and by then I thought I would throw up. Those feelings of nausea soon went away when I saw my friends again. Believe it or not, my first day of Middle School was actually really fun. The canteen was a change for me, and I was overjoyed that I had the choice of choosing my own food. On that day, I had more fun than I ever had in Elementary.
Middle School and Elementary are two very different places. In Middle School, you have more freedom; you could do whatever you want to. You could pick some classes you think you'd enjoy. The canteen had better food than the food in Elementary. In Elementary, we didn't even have a canteen we just had the same foods weekly. Having lockers was probably the best of all. I no longer had to carry every book in my bag and break my back doing that. I also enjoyed having binders and dividers, in some weird way; it gave me a sense of responsibility, which I would never have had the opportunity to feel in Elementary.
I think Middle School is much better than Elementary, although they give us so much work. Sometimes I miss Elementary because things are simpler there, but I know I will be happier in Middle School. I think I thought too much about Middle School the night before, and I wish I didn't do that. Things are never as bad as they seem. I look forward to High School, and I will try not to over think things ☺

Hey … Do you remember the good old days?
An autobiographical Scrapbook about me, Samar Al- Ansari
Pp 12-15
Grade 8A

Monday, July 16, 2007

My Wish

Do you know, Samar, my daughter what my wish is now?
That time returns me, as the little girl I was in my memory
When the only worry I had was my studies and studying,
And to work hard to make my parents and siblings proud,
And that the separation ceases to torture and haunt me
And that each member of my family would live under the same roof.
Do you know Samar, my daughter, what my wish is now?
To whisper with my friends in my school yard
And to write my daily events day after day, in my journal,
And wait for teachers’ day to assume the role of my teacher.
These were my worries within my kingdom’s borders.
Do you know Samar, my daughter, what my wish is now?
To put my head on my mother’s lap for her to solve my problem
And to turn the clock’s hands to prevent time from confronting me
So that the events in my story change to let my daughter live
Living the best of her life, and to burry me when my time comes
Forgive me God; please do not hold me accountable,
For my teacher had forgotten to teach me how to confront tragedy.

From: SAMAR: Sunset and Sunrise, Page 47
by Randah Ribhi Hamadeh, 2007, Copyright©
(Translated by Lina Ribhi Hamadeh)
Samar, Sunset and Sunrise

Saturday, July 14, 2007

أمنيتي

أتعلمين يا ابنتي سمر ما هي الآن أمنيتي؟
أن يعيدني الزمن طفلة صغيرة كما كنت في ذاكرتي
عندما كان همي الوحيد هو دروسي ومذاكرتي
وأن أعمل دوماً على رفع رأس أبي وأمي وإخوتي
وأن يكف الفراق عن تعذيبي ومطاردتي
ويجمع سقف واحد كل فرد من أفراد عائلتي
أتعلمين يا ابنتي سمر ما هي الآن أمنيتي؟
أن أتهامس مع صديقاتي بفناء مدرستي
وأكتب وقائع يومي يوماً بعد يوما بمفكرتي
وأنتظر عيد المعلم لأخذ دور معلمتي
تلك كانت همومي ضمن حدود مملكتي
أتعلمين يا ابنتي سمر ما هي الآن أمنيتي؟
أن أضع رأسي في حضن أمي لتحل مشكلتي
وأن أعيد عقارب الساعة لأمنع الدهر من مواجهتي
وان تتغير الأحداث و تحيا ابنتي في حكايتي
تعيش أجمل أيام العمر وتدفنني عندما تأتي نهايتي
سامحني ربي فأرجوك عدم محاسبتي
....لقد غفلت أن تعلمني مواجهة الفاجعة مُدَرِسَتي
رنده حماده
( أم سمر)
المصدر: سمر غروب و شروق 2007
©جميع الحقوق محفوظة للمؤلفة

Thursday, July 12, 2007

The Tennis Routine

If I ate a tender fillet steak each and every day, I would still be hungry, hungry for change. I go to tennis lessons and what I do there is I practice my forehand and backhand and we rarely do anything else. Recently, I started to practice the surf, at the beginning it was fun but hard, but soon my surf improved. Lessons and lessons went by and we did that, but I didn’t have a problem with it. At first I enjoyed it, and it was a fun hobby.

At the beginning I loved it, it was so fun. The wind was in my hair, sweat drenched my shirt, and I loved the thought of being an athlete. When I played tennis it took my mind off things, because all I focused on was performing well. I liked having a hobby, and I wanted to keep it that way. My dad and I always talked about tennis since we both played it. The weeks turned into months, which then turned into years and we did the same thing; it became a routine.

Every time I went, all I did was forehand, backhand, and surf. That was so boring, and I no longer felt excited when I went, it was like an obligation. I felt bored and I wanted a change, but every time I confronted my instructor he said it would help me and improve my skills, and I guess that was true, but I could still improve my skills by having a small match with him!! I still continue to play tennis, because I love the sport, but I want a change. Change is good in life, if you stick to one thing you'll be bored and build resent towards it.

Samar Al-Ansari
Grade 8A
Hey Do you Remember the Good Old Days? Pp 6-7

Monday, July 09, 2007

The Family Reunion of a Lifetime

Picture this, a house filled with kids and adults playing, talking, and just enjoying each other's company, now doesn't that sound good? What makes this even better is that these people are family. There was a family reunion at my house, and it was special because the whole family hasn't been all-together at once for eighteen years. Although people aren't always together, that doesn't mean they're not close. In the family reunion the kids acted normally and were close to one another, this also goes to how the adults acted, and how we all acted when the photographer came.
If you saw how the kids acted, you would've been amazed of how close this family is. I loved being with my cousins and talking with them all night. We all played together, especially Nintendo 64, and I was having the time of my life. We used to scream and run together playing various games; we sounded and looked like monsters that just wouldn't be quiet. People say that adults and kids are different, but that is not entirely true.
The adults were having the time of their lives as well. They played this traditional Arabic game called Backgammon, and since my grandfather was the best, he had a constant smile on his face because he always won. The adults would sit together in the living room, sipping on their afternoon tea, and yawning continuously since they have just woken up from their afternoon nap. They remembered the old times, and then they would sigh and gaze into midair realizing how much they will miss each other once they leave. We wanted this family reunion to be remembered by future generations, and the only way to do that was to take pictures.
A photographer came to our house, and set up everything in the living room. Soon, he started snapping away taking glorious pictures. Everyone was smiling, and trying to look their best for the photos, but the kids didn't care so much about their looks. The kids laughed and made faces. The photographer took many pictures, lots of us all together, and some of each family apart. Looking at these pictures makes me realize how close we really are.
Everyone enjoyed himself or herself here, and we hope to do it again. It was an event in my life that I will never forget, because it is of great importance to me. My family is the most important thing in my life, and I literally wouldn't know what to do without them. My family isn't always together as a whole, but that doesn't mean they're not close. That is clearly shown in adults and kids' behavior and I think my family is the closest family around, and I would not trade them for the world.


By: Samar Al- Ansari, Grade 8A
Hey … Do you remember the good old days?
An autobiographical Scrapbook about me, Samar Al- Ansari


Wednesday, July 04, 2007

بكيتك سمر

بكيتك سمر
بكيت حتى بكى عليّ الصخر والحجر
وحزنت علي النجوم وتألم القمر
وصرخت السماء رعدا فهطل المطر

بكيتك سمر
فهاجت من أجلي أمواج البحر
وتساقطت لألمي أوراق الشجر
وأذرفت الأمهات علي الكثير من العبر

بكيتك سمر
فأنا الأم التي قلبها على ابنتها انفطر
وأنا الأم التي حمت أولادها من الخطر
ولكنها وقفت ضعيفة أمام مشيئة القدر

بكيتك سمر
أنا التي دفنت حية بعد أن مستقبلها احتضر
وتحولت بلحظات إلى ثكلى بعد أن خطفت سمر
والتي تقوم متثاقلة كل يوم للعمل كباقي البشر

بكيتك سمر
فكيف للعود أن يُطرب وقد قطع منه وتر
وكيف للعين أن ترى وقد أفقدها الحزن البصر
وكيف لأم أن تحيا والزمن بها غدر

بكيتك سمر
فأنا أبحث عن أي مكان تركت به أثر
وأمسك أي خيط له علاقة بك، يا حبيبتي سمر
وأرى كل لقطة بشريط وأنظر إلى الصور

بكيتك سمر
لا أريد أن أقول سمر رحلت ولكنها على سفر
ورحيلي إليها يحدده خالق الكائنات والبشر
وإلى ذلك الحين احفظني ربي لعمر وقدر

أم سمر
©جميع الحقوق محفوظة للمؤلفة