Afghan Girl Culture, Critizism, Adn Sterrotyping Essay Example

from God on my birthday may appear insignificant, but it carries immense importance in light of the hardships Afghan women endured at that time. The culture, tradition, and religion greatly impacted the lives of every female in the nation.

As I grew older and learned about the components of Afghan culture, I started to appreciate her request even more. I realized that a person's name reflects qualities like kindness, positive character, respect for others, friendliness, acceptance of diverse viewpoints, empathy, humility, professional achievement, and personal fulfillment. Thus, this seemingly simple plea becomes profoundly significant.

In September 1991, I still vividly remember my first day at school. The range of emotions I experienced - anxiety, excitement, and nervousness - were evident as I stood in line with my classmates. We eagerly awaited our teacher's arrival to lead us to the classroom. This was a significant milestone in my journey towards adulthood, and my mother also has clear memories of that day. As the school day came to an end, uncertainty filled me. It seemed like my education brought new responsibilities along with it. Frequently looking back, I sought reassurance from seeing my mother there, instinctively yearning for the simplicity and innocence of earlier times in my life.

During my first day of school, I encountered the challenge of not knowing how to speak English. To overcome this obstacle, I depended on my brother Rudy to translate for me and inform the teacher about my language barrier. He promised to be close by if I required any assistance. Nevertheless, the inability to understand English soon became problematic. Despite the teacher's kind demeanor, I found

it difficult to comprehend her words due to my limited knowledge of the language. As a result, I felt a mixture of frustration and embarrassment as I struggled to effectively communicate or express my needs.

As time went on, my feelings of helplessness and impatience increased, along with my hunger and urgent need to use the restroom. Despite this, I hesitated to ask for permission and decided to wait it out. However, as more time passed, I reached a breaking point where I could no longer hold it in. Without warning, I quickly stood up and rushed down the hallway towards my brother's classroom. In that moment, I had faith that he would comprehend my situation and offer assistance.

While clutching his hand tightly and tears streaming down my face, I earnestly implored him to accompany me to the bathroom. Although I had devised a discreet signal of raising my index finger to indicate my need for a restroom break, this particular incident has remained ingrained in my memory as an illustration of the difficulties encountered when feeling like an outsider. Consequently, my teacher had to arrange a meeting between my mother and herself at school to address the situation. However, this presented another challenge as both my mother and I had limited English skills. As a result, we once again relied on Rudy's assistance as our translator during the discussion.

During my time at primary school, I had the opportunity to study alongside students from various countries such as China, India, Colombia, and Afghanistan/Iran. The school provided teachers who spoke these languages and helped us learn English. Fortunately, I was assigned

a teacher from my own country which made learning English in a bilingual class much easier for me. Being surrounded by classmates from different cultures was a delightful and rewarding experience. Within just six months, I noticed significant progress in my language skills.

By understanding both my teachers and classmates, I began to relax and no longer felt school was a source of worry. It was a great relief to have someone from Afghanistan who could assist me and help me develop a love for school. Additionally, my mother played a crucial role in my education by consistently picking up my brother and me after school, regardless of the weather conditions.

My mother had strict rules about completing homework at home. As a family, we would go to the library and sit around a table together to finish our assignments. My mother would watch over us to make sure we completed everything. These moments are very important to me. I still feel proud when I think back to a specific visit to the library where I had trouble understanding my task. With my mother's support, I approached some girls who were sitting nearby and asked for their assistance. While I made some initial progress, I eventually got stuck on the same assignment again.

Despite my initial refusal, my mother persistently tried to convince me to go again, but I couldn't shake off the embarrassment. However, she ignored the risk of appearing ignorant and took matters into her own hands. This sincere gesture filled me with warmth, realizing that she would do whatever it took for our well-being. This determination continued to prevail

in the following years.
Initially, our uncles helped us with our schoolwork; however, my mother was unsatisfied with their methods, which led her decision to hire a professional teacher named Shanhen. Originally from Pakistan, Shanhen diligently assisted both myself and my brother for approximately two years with our homework. This experience motivated me to work hard both at school and during these tutoring sessions. Before I knew it, my first year ended and summer had arrived.

Despite the summer season, studying remained a top priority for us. Our mother insisted that we spend at least one hour every day on studying and writing a page summarizing our learnings. Additionally, she expected us to acquire a minimum of five new words daily. Consequently, summer became quite a hectic period.

We assisted with household chores and then went to the library to borrow books related to our upcoming grade, making sure to avoid comics or heavily illustrated material. My mother had set strict guidelines for us to excel academically. Our routine was well-organized, as we would have lunch and read the books we had chosen, followed by writing a one-page essay on the topic. The remainder of our days was typically spent in the park or with our relatives, as my mom strongly emphasized the importance of family.

She ensured that our days were filled with chores and assignments, whether they involved books or tasks around the house. My older brothers, Rudy and Robbie, were responsible for cleaning the bathroom and bedrooms, while my younger brother and I, Jimmy and Shahira, took care of the living room and kitchen. This upbringing taught us the importance

of responsibility and order. In my second year of school, things became easier as my language skills improved and making friends was no longer a challenge. Additionally, I enjoyed assisting others, and my teacher praised my social skills. Everyone believed that I had great potential, which brought immense pride to my mother. She would celebrate my accomplishments by treating me to pizza every time I received my report cards from school.

During my elementary school years, Mr. Solanos stood out as my favorite teacher due to his innovative teaching methods like incorporating plays and shows into lessons. However, I was fortunate to have other kind teachers, such as Miss Gilbert. The overall relaxed atmosphere at school allowed me to truly enjoy my education, and this enthusiasm stayed with me throughout those years. I approached learning with eagerness, particularly nurturing a love for reading and diligently completing homework assignments with the help of my tutor. My academic success held great importance for me because my mother consistently emphasized that the quality of my work would ultimately shape my future life.

Having complete trust in my mother's words, I made her feel good and acted as her confidant. We discussed my daily experiences, as I had unwavering faith in everything she said. In 1998, I finished elementary school and eagerly looked forward to the next phase of my life. My dedication to learning and striving for success had become a vital part of who I am.

During middle school, I experienced a sense of uncertainty and change. This new phase of my education brought about feelings of nervousness as I faced the unknown

of making new friends and finding enjoyment in learning. Unlike my friends and brother who attended different schools for their own reasons, I found myself enrolled at Junior High School 189. Each day began with a Homeroom gathering, where the Chairman would deliver a familiar speech before we went our separate ways to our respective classes.

The first period concluded rapidly, and despite recognizing a few individuals, it turned out that I didn't have any classes with them. Suddenly, I spotted Habiba Rhami, who happened to be the cousin of my mother's neighbor's friend. I had met her previously and felt relieved to see someone familiar. We started talking and I got acquainted with her friends as well. Just like in elementary school, Junior High also consisted of a diverse mix of ethnic groups. It intrigued me to witness the presence of these various groups, but it also made me anxious. I wasn't certain how my friends would react if I approached different groups. Nevertheless, forming friendships with people from different backgrounds was something I was accustomed to; for instance, my friend Lilly Ho was Korean.

I recall the moment when my friends started talking over me, but I chose to ignore it. When I returned, a girl sarcastically remarked that I didn't know where I belonged. This made everyone laugh and created a clear divide as each person isolated themselves within their own ethnic group. In response, I asserted that I belonged to every group because I believed in the equality of all people, and promptly got up to leave. This was true; I had grown accustomed to socializing with everyone and

no longer took note of our diverse backgrounds. After that incident, my attitude was respected. I'm not saying that my school was divided along racial lines, but it was apparent that everyone felt more comfortable within a group that shared similar religious beliefs, traditions, and cultural practices.

In my quest for personal development, I had a strong desire to immerse myself in different cultures and expand my perspectives. As a result, I made it a priority to have lunch with various groups of people each day. Sometimes, I would eat with the nerds, other times with the popular crowd, and occasionally with the quieter group. Living in such a diverse society played a significant role in shaping who I am as an individual. It was fascinating to gain knowledge from people coming from different backgrounds. While others couldn't understand why I embraced this constant change, for me it was simply about enjoying the experience of learning beyond the boundaries of traditional education. This approach greatly influenced my educational journey.

Having a rich cultural background from Afghanistan, I experienced disapproval from my mother regarding spending time with friends outside of school. This resulted in me feeling like an outsider whenever others planned movie outings or birthday parties. Visiting friends at their houses was also not allowed. Despite these restrictions, I respected my mother's wishes because I believed she had my best interests in mind. The difficulty she had in trusting others made it challenging for her to trust anyone besides myself. Unfortunately, this lack of trust hindered my social life as people eventually stopped inviting me to events. Nevertheless, despite these obstacles, I have

cherished memories of my time in Junior High.

In my school years, I gained knowledge in different areas like friendship and problem-solving. I aimed for academic excellence, as my mother always received positive feedback about my grades during parent-child conferences. Besides studying, I also devoted extra time to doing chores at home and learned cooking from the seventh grade onwards. I was an energetic person with a lively personality, enjoying activities such as cooking, having long phone conversations with friends, and spending hours reading in the library. Additionally, I also pursued outdoor hobbies.

In that period, I had enjoyable times with my family engaging in activities like playing basketball or roller-skating. Nonetheless, one frightening memory from that time was when I underwent a scoliosis operation. While visiting the doctor, he noticed my abnormal seating position and concluded that surgery was required to correct my spinal cord. Despite everyone's apprehension, the operation was ultimately successful.

In 2001, I moved from Junior High to High School and joined Flushing High School. As I started my tenth grade in September, I remembered a well-known Afghan saying. It made me think about how the first step you take determines your luck and future path, guided by God's will. Even though others didn't believe it, I stood at the entrance, unsure which foot to use. Growing up in America had deeply impacted my cultural background.

As I walked, my friend started teasing me. To clarify my actions, I had to have a private conversation with her. She found them impressive, but another friend thought they were superstitious. I disagreed and acknowledged that I couldn't change anyone's

beliefs. Just like in Junior High, high school consisted of various ethnic groups that fascinated me. We had to introduce ourselves, and before I knew it, the class was over and it was time for my next class: math. Math was never a subject that brought me joy, so I felt relieved when I saw someone familiar to study with.

My enthusiasm and motivation were once again at an all-time high. However, on September 11, a day that remains vivid in my memory, something unexpected happened during my math class. Another teacher from a different subject entered the room abruptly and quietly mentioned something about the Twin Towers. Although I couldn't hear much of what was said, I turned to my friend and saw smoke billowing outside, which made me scream. The classroom filled with panic as everyone rushed towards the windows, shouting and running in one direction. Despite our teacher's attempts to calm us down, it was unsuccessful.

The collapse of the Towers on TV filled everyone with horror, fear, and anxiety. We stayed at school out of fear for leaving and concern for my family's safety in the city. Eventually, while boarding the bus to return home, we witnessed a fight involving an Indian man wearing a turban which made us fully comprehend the extent of the attack.

The animosity towards anything perceived as Islamic escalated rapidly, which was undeniably the most terrifying day for my family and me. We couldn't bring ourselves to eat, sensing that our lives would never be the same. And indeed, life changed for us when Americans became highly suspicious of Islam; shortly thereafter, Afghanistan

was invaded in the name of counterterrorism. This realization compelled me to strive even harder than before in order to improve our lives, as I now had to prove myself within a society that doubted me and associated my identity with one of the darkest days in US history.