Illegal Aliens

"Behind me I hear hundreds of gasps. I don't move, but I can see them: girls and boys we pass in the halls every day; the mothers in their nice summer dresses and the fathers tapping the rolled up program on their knees; the little brothers and sisters squirming in their seats.
'I'm an illegal alien,' Aisha repeats, harder, faster now." (151)

Wow.
Just wow.
Aisha has out done herself again. I really am happy that she begun to get stronger towards the end of the speech. I mean, literally. Aisha, the big bold person that we used to know, seems to be drifting in and out of herself as in a ghosty type of way, kinda thing.
I think that I was a little disapointed overall by the book.
I never found out what happend to Ali-Uncle (my favorite character) other than he disapears.
And I never find out what happend to Tareq either.
Hmm...I don't know.
I was left just sorta hanging.

Water

"At first I can't get the words out-its like pushing against a wall of water. " pg. 132

Another water relating thing. I keep seeing things pop out of knowhere. Not really, they do have some relation. I like the little description's that are just popping around that say a lot. This one in particular says a lot.

For Nadira, I think gathering the courage for her to prove something, well I don't really understand how that's a difficult thing. I mean, if I took her spot, and I had a way of getting my father out, I would not be afraid to say what I had to say. In fact, knowing that I had a chance to do something great, that would make me feel bolder and stronger. I don't know. But I do like this sentence. It really shows the complication that Nadira felt. 

"American-Born" (Chapter 12)

"I look at her, amazed. She's American-born. I can tell by her accent and the way she holds herself. I didn't even know you could do something like that. I sure didn't know a girl could do something like that." pg. 106

HA!
Hahahahaha...ha.
This quote actually made me smile. I could make my own picture of Nadira's face. Bewildered. Going to an all girls school, that teaches you to empower yourself, it's different for us, if we heard something like "I'm going to be a geologist", our reaction would simply be like "Oh...thats "so cool"." Now taking Nadira's reaction, I feel like she's more traditional.
Actually, I know she's more traditional. The question is...why wouldn't a girl be able to be a geologist? Its the United States of America for crying out loud. I think we've moved past this sexist stage, and for Nadira, finding that this isn't a traditional setting, is, I think, rather interesting for her.

Chapter Eleven (A.K.A-->Aisha's gone "Out of It".)

“The next day she shows up at lunch looking a little odd, like she’s worked too hard at her appearance.” Pg. (92)


Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong! Imagine Nadira’s face when she saw her sister. Aisha going from well developed, bold, well dressed, school educated bold person turning into a slow, not clean, too polished, fake-ish look. Aisha is falling apart. Its clear. I feel like her world has completely shattered and she doesn’t know how to put it together.

Discontinued...(Chapter 10)

"The more Taslima talks, the worse she makes things with her agitated, angry air. Aisha shifts from her seat, tucks her hair behind her ears, and speaks very softly.
"If you please, miss," she says. "We don't know the rules. We've never been in a station house before. Can you tell me where we are allowed to make phone calls?"
The officer softens a bit. Her gaze slides back to Taslima with her punky short hair sticking up like bristles, her wiry, tense body. Then she regards Aisha, who is standing with her ankles pressed togetger, chin tipped up, showing the wide planes of her cheeks. I know this look in Aisha: it's the girl who knows how to please everybody to get what she wants.
"Call out in the hall," the woman suggests." pg. 84

And the winner is...Aisha! Naturally. I think Aisha presented herself in an excellent way in order to "get what she wants". Her performance was going well until...

"Please miss," she begins. "I understand that you're just doing your job. But there is such a larger issue here. My uncle being held like this, it's a violation of his civil liberties—" pg. 85

This was followed by...

"Save it," the woman interrupts. "You want to talk about rights, you don't have a right to sit in this area. We're just tryin' to make it easier for you folks." pg. 85

Talking about harsh! Aisha's performance was great until the supervisor cut her off completely. I actually think its highly unfair, the treatment. I mean, I understand that, like Aisha said, the woman is doing her job, but does she really have to say "You don't have a right to sit in this area." and what's with the last part? "We're just tryin' to make it easier for you folks." You could emphasize the you in the last sentence, and that would actually sound even harsher. Is it so difficult to take in the situation that they're in? The supervisor lady/woman person could be at least considerate. Perhaps taking Zuckerman's idea from today during class, might be interesting to look at. Maybe the supervisor woman was afraid that Aisha was going to actually say something worth hearing. Aisha was getting to a point.
Hmm...I don't know. The treatment of immigrants seems a little unfair to me.

Nadira's Confidence (Chapter Nine)

"I think about what Ma said, how I'm patient and that one day people will see my slow, steady strength. And I keep thinking about Ali-Uncle, how he never hurries himself, and he always knows in advance what he's going to do or say. He once told me that every action, every word of his, is watched my Allah. If I say a word that is angry, he explained, then I should never be surprised by the harm. And if I say something good, then it is like watching my own garden grow, and that is the greatest pleasure ever. That's what Aisha and I are doing. We're planting a garden with our words. Our future. Everything careful and chosen well so the shoots come up strong and straight. It's as if Ali-Uncle's hands are still on our heads, warming us from the inside out." pg. 79

Well two main things, really. Ali-Uncle, seems like a really awesome old man! 8D

Literally. He has this way of words that seems to just have this "sink in" feeling. I like how he phrases the things with words. That to never be surprised by the harm, angry words could cause. I feel like Nadira is comparing herself to him. Which is good. He seems like a positive role model. Nadira seems to be going onto the positive side. Even though things aren't looking so good, she seems to be understanding how important it is for her to stick together with Aisha. She has good positive qualities that I think are revealing themselves to her. I really hope she continues to look towards her positive qualities! She thinks very deeply and I like her point of view. Keep on cruising, Nadira! We believe in you! 

Chapter Seven&&Eight Highlight

"You can't do that!" I yell. "You can't just run off. Or tell Mr.Rashid the first thing that comes into your head!" Then I notice that Aisha is trembling. Her backpack slides off her arm, and she slouches to the ground, right next to the Zaro's Bread barrel full of Snapple bottles and banked in ice. Her eyes are glassy, far-off. I crouch down next to her. "Aisha, what's wrong?"

"I'm scared," she whispers. pg. 66

Well she admits that she's afraid. Aisha admitted what they were both thinking. Its sort of odd, to think that Nadira was thinking the exact same thing. They are all very worried for their father. I would be too. It seems like such a scary process. The scary thing out of all is that its "reality". This is real, and for Nadira I think that its complicated to understand that. 

Borders

Yes, I think we've all stumbled upon those things called "borders". Either physically or mentally. Its that line that separates us from that something. For Nayo and Milton, in the Wetback documentary, borders or "fences" is what's separating them from a good life. For them it seems more difficult in comparison to Nadira's situation. Nayo and Milton are risking their lives 24/7 for a few dollars more. Although Nadira's father is going through the process and is getting his freedom taken away, I don't think Nadira's family's lives are at risk in comparison to Nayo and Milton's.

Chapter Six

“Aisha looks as if I’ve socked her in the chest. She sits back, breathing hard. Her frizzy hair has straggled loose from her braid. She blinks away a few tears. The others stare at me in shock. Then she picks up her tray, stiffly, and walks down the aisle of tables. I’m left staring at my own tray. Strange, nasty thughts come swarm into my head. I’ve never made my sister cry before. It seems impossible. Aisha is too strong, too smart for me. But this is different. It’s like having a new kind of power, black and ungly, like what Uncle did to me this morning.
And the weird thing is: I like.” Pg. 52

The first thought that came into my head was Revenge is Sweet. Ouch! All of a sudden, I believe Nadira has found the negative potential buried deep underneath the layers of unsureness. I feel like she’s lost a lot of what her sister used to be, and suddenly feels more powerful than her. Making her own sister cry, after how worse she’s treated her, seems great to her. I have a feeling that she recognizes it that it isn’t a good kind of power. Its written in itself, “black and ugly”. I meant for Nadira to speak up, but not in a rude way. She should discover the positive qualities, not negative. At least we know now that she can be outspoken.

Nadira- "There's more to her than meets the eye."

I'm sure we've all thunk it. There's more to Nadira than meets the eye.

I believe that she has a lot of potential. She seems like someone that has low self esteem but what could be the cause of that? I think the world in her family revolves around Aisha. I mean, her mother seems to have a least some respect towards her. Nadira seems to think about things more deeply than Aisha. For Aisha, I feel like everything is laid out for her, but for Nadira, she definitely has to work for it. Like I said, Nadira thinks about things thoroughly. There's more to her than meets the eye. I'm sure she'll be doing something significant later on in the book.

Worst of all...(Chapter Five)

“Worst of all, she’s been spending time with some kind of shada-chele-a, white guy. A few weeks ago she had the nerve to come over to our house with her shada. His name is Tim, and he has hair the color of orange wheat and freckles on the backs of his hands. He’s so tall he had to stoop a little when he shook Abba’s hand.” pg. 39

I can see how this would be horrifying to Taslima's father and mother. Especially since they seem and tend to be very traditional. As soon as Taslima came to the United States, she seems to have completely changed who she was. It gives no indication that she was never disobedient, but I'm sure she didn't make remarks against her father before. The United States, seems to have taken affect on her in a way for the good, but also for the bad. I don't think its bad to be bold, but for her family it might be. I don't also think that she has to change who she was, but I do believe that she is allowed to identify herself as who she is. Its a new place, and she should be allowed to explore it as she has, but in the correct way. I think that she should have more respect for her father.

Neeli's Narrative

"But I actually like the sound of Aisha in this chapter because it makes her more like a human being, than a robot or a 'perfect' Barbie doll. Aisha tries so hard to become exactly like the American kids though, that makes me wonder whether she's doing it to fit in, or to not seem like she's from another place." -Neeli's 2nd post

Neeli has a point. In these chapters we find out things about Aisha that we didn't know about. I disagree with Neeli at one point. This chapter doesn't really make her seem more like a human, other than the fact that she's actually demonstrating a point of view towards "obese" people. I mean, judging someone is actually human instincts but the way she describes them is practically inhuman that its ironic in a way! She knows that people treat her like "out of the ordinary" and uses that to her advantage. Aisha does actually bother me a lot. I do feel bad for her and I do understand that its tough coming to a new place, but does she really have to change who she is? I feel like Aisha has multiple split personalities, she could be nice if she wanted to.

You're only little...Chapter's three and four

" These are the stories you hear from your grandmother with the dry rattle in her throat, her teeth stained red from pan and betel leaves; from your abba when he's in a quiet mood and smoothes your hair over and over. You're only little, but you know it's there: that feeling that you know what terror will pulse from the ground." pg. 22

Talking about creepy, man! I feel like there is more to Nadira than anyone sees. She seems a lot smarter than Aisha to me, in her own way. She seems more thoughtful. I like how Nadira thinks about things. The first quote makes me think of my grandmother, she smells of chilly peppers, and has this crisp tone to her that makes her voice sound scratchy as she tells stories. My grandfather is listening to her and ocasionally smiling. I remember when I was much younger that I used to sit in his lap while he brushed my hair or occasionally attempting to get gum out of it, by smothering it with peanut butter and other sticky things that you wouldn't want in your hair. Overall, the stories they used to tell me, they were never negative, they were always happy and I wasn't always afraid of the "terror that would pulse from the ground".