So I found this on Instagram! Shout out to the mother running the account @kids.eat.in.color on Instagram because I Love this! 😍❤️
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Background/Wallpaper for your lock screen! :)
Especially if you’re a student. The original title was: “Dua for exams”
It’s really amazing how life-like and markedly more exciting it is to read Arabic now that I am learning the language. As I read this dua for the first time, I was able to pick out certain words and recognize their conjugations. And it just made it that much more meaningful and fun to read.
I don’t think people realize how MUCH I enjoy learning. Every time I’m able to apply something like this I feel like I am seeing the world with a new lens. Or like the character in the Giver who finally sees color. Its like the subject comes to life in a totally new way! Okay dramatically excited rant over🙈
A Man and His Neighbor
The other day my Nanaba told me this beautiful story about the value and beauty of a good neighbor. Once upon a time there was a landlord who owned a house. And it was time he had decided he wanted to sell the house. So he put it up, selected a price, and waited for people to come. Eventually, a young family came to see the house. They looked around, and were satisfied with the contents of the house but not nearly impressed for the price the landlord was listing. So the husband of the new family asked the landlord, “With all due respect sir, you have a beautiful house, but I do not feel as though it is necessarily worth as much as you have listed the price for. Do you not think this is a rather heavy price for this level of a home?”
The landlord looked at the man and smiled. His lips pursed but in a manner that meant he was holding back a chuckle of amusement and not one of anger. He looked at the man and said, “indeed you are right, this house alone by itself is not really worth the amount I have listed, but it is not just the structure of the house I am selling as much as it is the place.”
The young man’s eyebrows burrowed in confusion, I am not sure I understand what you mean sir.
The landlord walked the young man and his family out of the house and onto the front porch. Then he turned at gestured his hand to the right as if about to present something. His hand gestured towards another man mowing the lawn next door. The landlord turned back to the young couple and said, it is because of this man that I have set the price to such a high value. Whomever moves into this house can ensure that they will be treated with the utmost care and compassion by this neighbor right here.
He treats me so well that I almost don’t want to sell the house.
The young couple looked at the man, and then at his neighbor, they thanked the landlord and went on their way.
A few days later, it came to the notice of the neighbor, that his friend/landlord was selling his house at such a high price all because of him. So he went to the landlord to visit him. He rang his doorbell as he usually did around Asr time to check in on the landlord and his family.
The landlord welcomed him inside and they sat down. His neighbor looked at him with a puzzled looked etched on his face. He turned to him and asked him, oh dear friend of mine, why is it that you are even selling your house in the first place. The man turned to him and said, to be honest, it is because I am going through financial problems and I cannot afford to pay for this house, and so I have decided to sell it. If not for this reason, I would not have ever given up this house that is next to yours for all the money in the world.
The neighbor smiled. He took the landlords hand in his, looked him straight in the eye and said with the utmost humility and concern in his face, my dear friend, let me cover your financial problems at this time so that I can continue to see you every day. The two men smiled at each other as the landlord agreed.
I totally dramatized and added details to my Nana’s shorter version of the story but the basic through-line remains true, the importance of neighbors. Would you ever sell your house for such a large amount simply because of your neighbor? Are you that neighbor that someone else would do that because of you? I love this story because it is a very plain, simple, and direct lesson learned, to treat your neighbors with the utmost care, dignity, respect, humility, etc. Serve as though they are your own family. Be consistent with checking in on them, and at a consistent time to (so as not to embarrass, or catch them at a bad time). Don’t hesitate to give whatever you have. And honestly, don’t stop until you feel you have fulfilled a neighbors wants so much that he feels like this towards you. Like he feels the same way the landlord felt to his neighbor.
Lesson activity for my future kids- Because of the sacrifices of many before you, you are where you are today.
“Because of the sacrifices of many many before you, you are where you are today.”
When I went to Nicaragua in the 10th grade, I lived in a village with no electricity and no running water. It was 2013… 2013!!!! And there were still people who farmed for food, used candles for light and rivers to drink water from.
Every morning we would get up at the break of dawn, walk a short distance to a well, where we pumped up water for a good long while. It was tiring and hurt our hands so we would take turns between the 20 of us. We would then have to pump all that water again, through a water filter to purify it so our pansy, North American, internal organs could take it, lol. After that, because we hadn’t done enough for our fragile spoiled bodies (ok sorry ill turn down the self hate and sass a tad bit), we had to pour mild chlorine packets into our water to kill any other viruses and bacteria that may be lurking about our water bottles. We did this because we were so used to drinking distilled/ chemically purified, water that even a small amount of the bacteria in the river water could kill us as we just weren’t used to this water quite frankly. (We have a similar situation in India at my Daadi’s house where we have to boil all our water before we, the Americans, can drink it). ANYWAY, after all the work of pumping, and filtering and chlorine bleaching all our bottles, and about an hour and a half later, we would finally have our 2 bottles of water which we used for every water related need for the rest of the day- to drink, to make wudu, to clean our hands, etc. That was it. Except for shower water which was still not a lot.
I remember I learned a lot from that trip but it wasn’t until now, 7 years later that I fully see the gravity of that lesson. That if my parents, and my grandparents had never moved to America; If my Nani continued to be an orphan and never got an education, if my Daadajaan stayed in the village and never left to become an engineer, I wouldn’t be where I am today. The hand dealt fortune upon myself and my family from Allah. I could very well be a child in India walking 2 miles for water from a dirty brown river, with no time for education. I could be a child subject to child labor. But because of the efforts and the sacrifices of the family members before me, and the kindness that other people around them showed them, I ended up here, in a x thousand square foot house, with my own room, with a vaulted ceiling, and a 1,000 dollar MAC laptop, a degree in Psychology with no debt,… and the list of fortunes, and gifts to be grateful for goes on and on and on.
So I hope one day to teach my children, a little bit earlier on in life this important lesson- that you are where you are because of the sacrifices of many before you.
I would take my child out to a river or lake one day with a water chlorine bottle and a water purifier. I would tell them to go fill the bucket with water, and then to purify it. And then to chlorinate it. And together we’d drink. And id tell them to do it again, and again, until you get tired. When we get to the end and he/she (really hates the taste), I’ll give them a drink of our normal water.
Then ill teach the lesson. Why do you think I asked you to do this?
Possible answers include: because you wanted me to value water, because you hate me lol, because its tiring.
No, [insert name here], have you ever realized that you have never seen where your water comes from? It comes from somewhere like this yknow? But because we live in the suburbs, in our nice houses, and we’re well off, we never see where our water comes from. [insert name here], yknow this could have not been your life. If your nana had never come here to America, if he had never sacrificed missing his family, and his language, and his culture to come here to give a better life to his children, you would not be here. You could’ve been born in India to a family of less wealth. You could’ve been a kid who has to do what you just did every day 15 times a day. You could’ve been that kid.
But you’re not, why?
Because of the sacrifices your parents, and ancestors, and family, and friends, have made before you. See your life doesn’t just start when you are born, it starts long before that. And we have to remember to be grateful to the people who have made sacrifices for us, so that you can continue to enjoy what you enjoy today. Your own mother and father have made sacrifices for you, some of which you will never know, just so you can be here today. And I never want you to forget that. So the next time an elder, your dad or your mom or someone else makes a mistake, or annoys you, just remind yourself of the sacrifices they made so you can be here today.
If they didn’t feed you you wouldn’t be alive, if they didn’t get your shots you could’ve been sick, if they didn’t buy you clothes you could’ve been embarrassed. So always, always respect your elders, okay? and respect people, because when you love what Allah has made you can never go wrong.
Lesson learned? okay lets go home.
(Separate side lesson to add? That the whole point of this life is to humble ourselves and see ourselves as nothing, as the lowest, as slaves in front of God. To hear and obey him and trust that He knows what is best without knowing everything ourselves. So respecting and obeying your parents and elder siblings, and elders is kinda like a practice test. Can you handle being patient and obeying without understanding? Or do you have to say “oh no i know better than that old whatever… and rebel and disobey?”
Trip to Chicago
So…. I went to Chicago. And una persona was there. And I did it again. And…. And….
I took some pictures. Some pretty good ones I think.
A tree wrapped in lights right outside our hotel.
I waited for the coast to be clear, got on the ground, and then I took this shot in the exact middle of the road😅 I really love how it captures the never ending lining of lamp posts down the left side. This was taken around 7 am post fair. I love post fajr time when I’m traveling. It’s like a really special moment in the day where potential and possibilities are endless. 😊
This was a shot of one of the booth vendors’ products and they just happen to be my aunt and uncle ;)! I remember when I first got there I got all excited to show off my amateur photography skills looool
Does anyone else think it’s weird that this photo is crooked? I thought it was cool in a “creative liberty” sort of way but maybe that’s just me.
GRE
Vocab
– Can you guess what the underlined words mean?
Penury= extreme poverty/ “he died in a state of virtual penury”
Sanguine= optimistic or positive, especially in an apparently bad or difficult situation
Appraise= assess the value or quality of something, set a price of value to something/ she stealthily appraised him in a pocket mirror/ they appraised the painting at $200,000
Ascertain= verb, find something out for certain, make sure of/ an attempt to ascertain the cause of the accident
Assay= verb, to determine the content or quality of (metal or ore)
Descry= to catch sight of/ she descried two figures.
Anomaly= something that deviates from what is standard, normal, or expected./
Homonym= when two words are spelled exactly the same but mean two different things- like bear (noun) and bear (verb)
Epigram= a pithy saying or remark expressing an idea in a clever and amusing way/ At his daughter’s wedding, Jason shared a heartwarming epigram he had written.
Graphite= a gray crystalline allotropic form of carbon which occurs as a mineral in some rocks and can be made from coke. It is used as a solid lubricant (Google)
Vocab Story 3- GRE Practice
Vocab Story
– Can you guess what the underlined words mean?
Set the scene. A Korean drama-esque setting. A chaeboel and his family are sitting at the dining table. His mother is opulently dressed in silk and a pure fox fur shawl. You can tell from her muted talk that she is not a naturally gregarious person unlike her son, who seeks out parties and company throughout all 24 hours of the day.
To his left is his sister who has just walked in, in a short skirt and blouse. Although she is naturally pulchritudinous, the layers and cakes of foundation on her face start to morph her beautiful face into one with a more spurious look as though she were a Barbie doll with a painted on face. Her mother glances at her and asks “You’re wearing that outside?” she states in a very candid but also demeaning tone. Her daughter replies with a swift and witty riposte “i only ever get my style from my very fashionable mother” she says without even looking up from her phone. The flat affect on her face indicates that her reply was laced with sarcasm.
The camera pivots to the front where the chaebeol’s father sits at the head of the table. He is a quiet man with an enigma about him that confuses most of his clients. As a businessman he is certainly no neophyte to the world of negotiation, and his perfected poker face only increases his ability to make good sales.
At last the food is brought in. The servers walk in a line but the head of the servers is the one with the most sour look, as if the frown has been etched in stone onto her face for years and years. She has a noisome scent that envelops the room the very minute she walks through the door. Its as if a cadaver were hiding under her skirts or a poisonous disease, endemic on her body was present, that no amount of perfume could hide.
Penury= extreme poverty/ “he died in a state of virtual penury”
Sanguine= optimistic or positive, especially in an apparently bad or difficult situation
Appraise= assess the value or quality of something, set a price of value to something/ she stealthily appraised him in a pocket mirror/ they appraised the painting at $200,000
Ascertain= verb, find something out for certain, make sure of/ an attempt to ascertain the cause of the accident
Assay= verb, to determine the content or quality of (metal or ore)
Descry= to catch sight of/ she descried two figures.
Anomaly= something that deviates from what is standard, normal, or expected./
Homonym= when two words are spelled exactly the same but mean two different things- like bear (noun) and bear (verb)
Epigram= a pithy saying or remark expressing an idea in a clever and amusing way/ At his daughter’s wedding, Jason shared a heartwarming epigram he had written.
Graphite= a gray crystalline allotropic form of carbon which occurs as a mineral in some rocks and can be made from coke. It is used as a solid lubricant (Google)
References
G. (n.d.). Graphite Definition. Retrieved June 11, 2019, from https://www.google.com/search?ei=M-X_XP6JDI28tgWvpIXwCg&q=graphite definition&oq=graphite def&gs_l=psy-ab.3.0.0l10.3602.4715..5476…0.0..0.89.315.4……0….1..gws-wiz…….0i71j0i67j0i131.VHddLAkPuK8
Vocab Story 2- GRE Practice 2
Vocab Story
– Can you guess what the underlined words mean?
The history of the 1920s is an interesting one. The young generation was too excited to spurn the traditions of their ancestors as youth will do every generation cycle. Young women would deprecate the idea of a “good little girl” by openly smoking to show women could do this act as well (although lets be honest it didn’t matter who did it, it was a very unhealthy, and dangerous act (thank goodness it is unpopular today).
The “Roaring Twenties” as it came to be known involved large tax cuts, freeing citizens from confiscatory taxes that kept them from earning their well-deserved wages. You would think this governmental success for the people would leave citizens feeling satisfied and full of cheery, blithe emotions. But the youth of this era were not done yet. They were fighting for much more. Their bellicose attitude towards their time and place was not to be misread. They were sick of spurious politicians who spoke one thing while their policies spoke another. Their campaign managers would go on and on extolling their politicians’ picture perfect, clean records when in reality they were not so clean at all.
But the youth’s galvanizing spirit ignited even older generations to get up and fight back for what was rightfully theirs. Some even went as far as to sojourn outside governmental buildings for long periods of time; sometimes days, weeks, or even months! Having the older generation join the revolution greatly helped because they had the consummate knowledge and experience that their youthful counterparts lacked. This resulted in an effortless up”roar” that could not have been easier.
Please note that not all the information in this paragraph is factually correct. Some of it was made up for the sake of using these vocabulary words. Thank you!
~Sakeenah Tahir
New words to study for next post’s vocab story:
Opulently: ostentatiously rich and luxurious or lavish/ the opulent comfort of a limousine
Riposte: a quick, clever reply to an insult or criticism
Candid: truthful and straightforward, candid
Endemic: regularly found among particular people or in a certain area.
Neophyte: a person who is new to a subject, skill, or belief
Gregarious: sociable, fond of company
Noisome: having an extremely offensive smell
Pulchritudinous: beautiful
Cadaver: a corpse
Enigma: a person or thing that is mysterious, puzzling, or difficult to understand.
The Warrior Within 