Author Archives: 18ishaa

First Memory by Isha

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In chapter 11 in the giver Jonas receives his first memory. We were asked what If we were the Giver what memory we would have shared with Jonas. I think my first memory I would have shared with Jonas would have been color, one of the things that is hard not to notice if you live in the world we do. We see it everyday don’t we?  The exact memory I would give him would be of a rainbow that you can see from the corner of your eye when a sprinkler is on.

Another thing I might have given Jonas as a first memory is when its raining but the sun is still out. I love it when this happens, its so beautiful. He would see the sun and rain two in one and both really beautiful!

Image from flickr cc: http://www.flickr.com/photos/51713653@N00/130207138

The Giver By: Isha

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In L.A we are reading The Giver. After reading chapters 2,3 and 4 our teacher asked us what we thought our assignment would be. If I lived in an Utopian society I think my assignment would be Instructor because I love teaching and kids (that are younger then me)! I have always loved school and respected my teachers. They really do have a tough job dealing with us. I have always wanted to do what my teachers are doing. When I was seven I used to play school with my neighbors and I was always the teacher. So I think that I would enjoy being an Instructor.

From flickr cc http://www.flickr.com/photos/23019891@N00/92200688

Apollo 13 By: Isha and Christy

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The movie Apollo 13 is about three astronauts going to walk on the moon. Then something goes wrong – really wrong. The astronauts have to figure out how to get back. In the book Cosmic, the exact same thing happens. Liam and the children don’t do what they were supposed to and the spaceship went out of orbit. In both stories, they use free-return trajectory to get back to Earth. In Cosmic, however, they do get to land on the moon, whereas in Apollo 13 they do not get to land on the moon. While one is fictional and the other true, these stories – one a movie and another a book – are both extremely suspenseful. We recommend them.

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http://www.flickr.com/photos/90365119@N00/311214627

 

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Spring Break by Isha

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Over my spring break I went to Spain. My father had to teach in Madrid for three days because some of our friends had invited him over to their university. We rented a flat in Madrid for a week. The flat was small but nice. When you entered there was a white curved wall with two slits in it and in the slits were two trays for holding our keys. As you walked on you would see a sort of hidden away  kitchen and restroom. The kitchen was extremely narrow but okay for a week. There was a split from the kitchen and the living room. The living room had a small wooden table in it. To the front of the table was a television and to the back was a white couch with a gold and purple cloth draped over it. around the television are two round chairs with no back to them, basically they are like two circles. In the same room was another table but it was for break-fast. It had stainless steel spinning chairs. I loved eating break-fast there. Off of the living room were two more rooms, two bed rooms, my parents and mine. My brother wanted to sleep on the couch. Inside my room was a twin sized bed-trundle, a small chandelier, and a closet. The bed had white sheets and a purple clothe draped over it. My parent’s room had a queen size bed with a long but narrow closet and a broken television. The flat as you can now see was very quaint. The first three days my mother, brother and I went to look at museums, went on bus tours, and exploring. We sent the nights at our friends house. We went shopping to what I thought was an expensive store called Zara. On Thursday we went to Seville and Cordoba by train and came back on Friday night. In Seville we went to a bull fighting stadium and took a tour of the place and in Cordoba we visited a famous mosque. The mosque was also part of a working church. Saturday morning we left for the airport to come home.  I had so much fun I want to go back again. I hope other people will visit it too.

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This image came from http://www.flickr.com/photos/11613932@N04/3481813173

Board Games With Family

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When my family has time to play a board game we usually play Monopoly. Monopoly is an all time favorite game in my family. Monopoly is a game where you start off with a certain amount of money. You roll the die and if you land on a property you have the choice to buy it. Eventually if you buy enough houses you can buy hotels. You can also buy railroads. The object of the came is to have the most money by the time the first person loses all their money.

 

My Cosmic Life

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http://www.flickr.com/photos/95572727@N00/5931809385

In Language Arts we are reading a book called Cosmic. In one point in this book the main character, Liam, is mistaken for an adult. Mrs. Donnelly asked us what we would do if we were an adult for a day. If I woke up an adult I would travel around the world. I would visit places in Africa, South America, Australia, and more places in Europe. I would go on many safaris in Africa, watch traditional dances in South America, I would go site seeing to try to see kangaroos in Australia, and ski in Sweden. I would also go and visit places I’ve already been like India, Japan, Italy, France, and Mexico. That is exactly what I would do if I was was an adult.

India by Isha

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From FlickrCC                        http://www.flickr.com/photos/62223880@N00/295142265

Every year I go to India because my parents are from India and I’m half Indian. India is a really beautiful place. There are many gardens, parks like what we have in the USA, but what sets it apart are the old and historic monuments and temples. The other thing that strikes me is the sheer number of people everywhere. Most people are very friendly and more than willing to go out of their way to help strangers. I see many more youth than I have seen in any other place that I’ve ever been. I was told by my parents that 1/2 the population is younger than 26 and that 30% of the population is under 14. Everywhere I’ve been in India has been very colorful, and lively. The streets are filled with makeshift stores such as pan vendors, tea stalls, vendors selling toys or ice cream, and fast food in little push carts. There is hustle and bustle everywhere. The other thing that is unusual about India is the variety of vehicles that you see on the streets. Apart from cars and motorcycles, you see auto rickshaws (three wheeled vehicle) cycle rickshaws, and scooters which by the way are different from motorcycles. Just so that you know, the big cities and even some small ones have malls, broad streets, multi storied buildings and modern stores and manicured gardens, and modern cars like the cities in the US.

New emerging cities have sectors instead of neighborhoods and many gardens, and parks in the sectors. Sectors are basically mini towns which have their own shops, hospitals, parks and gardens. The parks are different than ours. The majority of the things in the park are made out of metal. Metal slides, metal monkey bars, metal see-saws, etc.  Instead of the ground being covered in grass or turf, the ground is covered in dirt and gravel. We get even dirtier when we go to park in India than here! I see a lot a kids playing cricket, badminton, tennis and soccer. When we got to that park we are always welcomed by every child in the park and play with kids of all ages. Its so much fun!

India also has a not so pretty side as do all places. There are many people whom are without a home.  The things that I’ve seen like homeless kids on the street I can’t ever erase from my memory. Many people will do anything for money, they will go when all the cars are stopped and knock on peoples windows asking them if they would like a magazine or just for money. Some just stand outside stores in hope for a treat. Some people build shack like stores right on the edge of the street. Despite all the poverty I feel that there is a lot of love.

Almost all middle class and above class homes have servants working for them. Servants become part of their family. For a pay the servants do chores like driving cars, cleaning houses, washing clothes, washing dishes etc. Since the servants are like part of their family, house owners take care of the servants education, healthcare, and families. Most of my very good friends in India are servants kids. I am told that as more and more poor families give their children education it is getting harder to find people who are willing to work as servants. Which in my opinion is a good thing.

The rich kids in India live very similar lives to the kids in the US. All of them speak English, and go to english medium schools. Most kids learn at least two other Indian languages. The language of the state they live in and the National Language, Hindi, as well as English. There are 27 official languages and over 100 dialects spoken in India. I feel India is like one giant melting pot of different languages, religions, and cultures. Did you know that almost all Christian, Muslim, Jewish, and Persian holidays and traditions are celebrated in India, even Halloween?

I love everything about India, the natural beauty, the history, the culture, the languages, the people, the hustle and bustle, the colors, the dust, the smell, the noise, and chaos. The good and the bad. I hope now you see why and I hope one day  you are  able to experience it too.

Coming soon to blogs near you…… India part 2!

 

We Made It by: Isha

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2011. A most eventful year. Tsunamis, earthquakes,crises, and many more tragedies and happy things too. Each of these things filled our day with joy or sorrow and each of these things affected the world. But we made it. Through all this we made it.

I most remembered the tragedy of the Japan tsunami and earthquake. We had just gotten back from Japan about maybe six months before. I was shocked when I looked at the Youtube videos. I had heard that tsunamis were big but I never imagined that they could cause so much destruction includig all the people that got hurt or were separated from their families. Thinking about that caused me pain.

Going into 2012. 2012 the year that will supposedly end the world. I don’t think so. What I am most looking forward to is having a greener planet starting with cars. I know this project has already been started but I think the greener the better. We are heading towards 2012. Good Luck.

 

Made by Isha in skitch

My laptop By: Isha

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I have now been using my laptop for about two months now. Everyday I use it more and more. It is becoming part of my everyday life. I use it for homework. Everyday I type all my assignments into an app called Evernote. When I take my laptop home instead of checking my assignment notebook I check Evernote. In some classes I take notes (if I get permission). My binder is now replaced by my laptop. Almost everything I do is on here, even my homework! I love my laptop it helps me so much. It’s easy and efficient.

 From flickr cc: ttp://www.flickr.com/photos/36645776@N00/3685126366

Why I’m Thankful by: By Isha

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http://www.flickr.com/photos/79406424@N00/4133364759

I know that when you think of Thanksgiving you think of a turkey with stuffing and maybe visiting family. When I think of Thanksgiving, yes that’s what I first think of. But in many minds it has a lot more meaning. My mom used to work as a teacher for kids in the slums in India. She has told so many stories and I can’t even remember them all, but I do remember one. At the school many of the kid’s fathers did not have a fixed job. If the father found a job that day they would have dinner and lunch for the next day.If he did not they would get maybe a leftover roti (Indian flatbread) or just a glass of water. These kids did not pity themselves or think they were poor, but were actually really proud of themselves. They though that their fathers are able to work and try their best. Well at this school they served a “snack” which was actually more like lunch but these kids were so proud that they wouldn’t take anything for free. The way my mom got them to take the “snack” was by saying, “This snack is not free, what you have to do is earn it. Showing up to school and showing commitment is what will get you the snack.” One day my mother noticed that one girl was missing she thought that probably she was sick so she didn’t investigate. The rest of the week the girl wasn’t there. My mom decided to ask her parents. It turned out her father hadn’t been getting a job the past few days and she had not been eating well. She thought that since she was not eating well she wouldn’t be able to concentrate in class, then she wouldn’t deserve the “snack”! My mother explained to both the parents and the girl that showing up to school was enough to deserve the “snack”. I really loved this story and am thankful that I live in a place where I don’t have to worry about my next meal.