Link to my journal: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1uZHFDDiLBbSBjJH82OvulEwS_8ZkSiHnMbOmQ49UwPA/edit?usp=sharing

                Introduction

My goals for my paper was having enough evidence making sure my writing has some kind of flow, have a way to ease into my essay, and no grammar errors. Something that I am proud of with my writing is that I actually accomplished all of my goals that I had when I wrote my paper. I would like my readers to notice my analysis and how I tried to relate real life people when talking about change.

                Environment Changes 

If all places were the same, people would stay where they are, instead of exploring other options. In different areas of the world, there are always different things going on. The main differences are people, culture, and opportunities.. Human migration usually happens when there is something going on that shouldn’t be or just looking for a better life. When coming to a new environment, change plays a big part in adapting.

Something that is common in certain places is refugee crisis. By having refugee crisis, it makes people want to get out of wherever they are to keep themselves and family as safe as possible. With this, they have to leave where they came from and start a new life. For example, in the book Exit West, Nadia and Saeed had to adapt to all the places they went to, so that they can be safe. When Saeed and Nadia arrived to a specific house, after going through a magical door, Nadia immediately made herself at home. She did this by immediately washing her clothes and taking a hot shower to get herself and her clothes clean. Saeed was shocked by how fast Nadia was adapting to where she was, but at the same time, Nadia knew she had to adapt sooner than later. From this example, this shows that since this is a new change, you have to learn how to be comfortable, because everywhere you go isn’t always going to be what you want it to be.

Another example is when Darling first came to America in the book We Need New Names. One of the first things she had to adapt to in America was the seasonal weather. At this time, it was winter, and Darling has never experience the outside being as cold as it was, because in Africa, it’s usually always warm. By Darling feeling something new, it shows that each day she will have to adapt to something, until she’s used to it.

Once you are used to the environment you are in, that’s when the change within yourself really starts. For example, in the book We Need New Names, one of the things that Darling starts to change is her appearance. When she used to live in Paradise, she didn’t like getting dressed up or taking showers. The only time that she got dressed up and clean was when she had to go to church, but once she arrived to the United States, that changed. On page 169, it says, “I finish putting on my lip gloss, smack my lips together like I’ve seen Aunt Fostalina do.” This specific quote shocked me, because back in Paradise, Darling barely even wanted to take showers. Now that she is in America, she is being exposed to different things. With her being in America, she can be herself and most importantly, focus on what she wants to be in the future without being judged by others. Darling trying new things also shows that she is growing up in a way. Usually when girls wear makeup around her age, it shows that she is starting to mature and interested. Appearance is something that changes in lots of girls as they get older. It’s a preference that every girl has and it’s something that frequently changes.

Another way that Darling has changed in the book We Need New Names, is her way with communication. The day that Darling was leaving to come to the United States, she promised her friends that she would call and send letters to them, but that changed once she settled in. On page 212, it says, “One part is yearning for my friends; the other doesn’t know how to connect with them anymore, as if they are people I’ve never met.” This quote explains that there’s one part of Darling that feels like she will always miss her friends and misses the things they used to do together, but she also feels like she can’t connect with them anymore. This has a lot to do with coming to America, of course. Since her friends are back in Africa, they don’t know what it feels like to live in America. By Darling living in America, she is starting to adjust, and the girl she was back in Africa is slowly fading. Change can sometimes be a good thing and others times it can be a bad thing. The good and the bad part about it is that it can either make you a better or worse person. There is conflict that comes with this change. By deciding how you want to handle change, there are other people that will like or dislike the person you’ve become.

Something similar to this is Exit west, it says, “While they wished to look out for each other, and to keep tabs on each other, staying in touch took a toll on them, serving as an unsettling reminder of a life not lived, and also they grew less worried each for the other, less worried that the other would need them to be happy, and eventually a month went by without any contact, and then a year, and then a lifetime.” This quote shows that relationships is another thing that doesn’t always work out. The feelings that people can have towards each other can change by the changes people make with themselves. Changes in friendships and relationships are always going to happen. You might not see who a specific person for who they really are, until later on. By having a different perspective of someone makes you not know how to connect with them anymore.

In conclusion, change can happen in multiple forms. Change can happen with your appearance, communication, and your connection towards people. These types of changes aren’t something that is made by force; it is made normally as you are processing as a person. Some people may or may not like the new changes you make within yourself. The more people are exposed to new things and new people, changes within the self’s mind start to change as well.

Citations:

Quotes from We Need New Names and Exit West

“Exit West Quotes by Mohsin Hamid.” Goodreads, Goodreads, https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/51234185-exit-west.

                      Introduction

My goal for this essay is to my readers to understand that it’s not a bad thing to feel different emotions when dealing with school. Something that I am proud of is how my words really expressed how I was feeling. One way that I want to improve in my writing process for my next paper is learning how I want to form it, so that my essay isn’t all over the place.

                       Feelings...

School will always be something that’s on your mind. The mindset of school can be a good thing or a bad thing. When it’s the first day of school, most people don’t know what to expect, so they immediately get nervous. I was one of those people.

Ugh! Do I have to go to school? Why can’t I have at least one more week of summer? Is junior year going to be hard? What is it going to be like in a new building? I just don’t want to go. I just know that this year is going to be stressful just because that’s exactly how it was for my sophomore year. It was just work piled after work, and I know it’s going to be the same for my junior year.

September 6th, 2019. The day I started junior year. Waking up at 5:15 A.M almost killed me. I got dressed and put on my red Vans shirt, black jeans, red vans, and black shayla. Still asking myself: Why do I have to go to school?

Going through the doors of Ben Franklin with one of my closest friends Alyssa, all I could feel was nervousness all of a sudden. All I wanted to do was wake up from this nightmare I was having, and say “it was just a dream.” I even had to pinch myself to make sure that I wasn’t dreaming. The sad thing about this was, IT WASN’T!

All of a sudden, the friends that I haven’t seen all summer started to give me hugs and make conversation with me. I don’t know why, but it gave me comfort. From that point on, I wasn’t even stressing about the fact that I was actually in school. My friends just made me extremely happy by making me super comfortable with the environment that I was in. Turns out, it wasn’t a bad day after all!

It was a regular Thursday night. Paperwork all over my bed. Just tired of working, and ready to go to sleep. Stressed was the only word to describe how I was feeling that night.

Sophomore year. We just received a mini project for Mr. Kay. The assignment stated that it had to be a cartoon relating to the book we read and it has to be scanned on an app called “Cam Scanner.” I never had to scan anything before, so I wasn’t sure how to actually use it. I tried to make sure I finished the project a day earlier from when it was due, so I can see how to use the “Cam Scanner” app. Unfortunately, I didn’t meet my goal, so I had to complete my project the night it was due. The problem I was having with this app was that I didn’t know how to make it into a pdf, so that I can turn it in on canvas at 11:59 pm.

By this time, it was 11 P.M and I’ve been trying to figure out this “Cam Scanner” app for 2 hours now. I couldn’t call any of my classmates to figure it out, because they were also trying to complete their own projects. I started freaking out.

Moments later, my mother came into my room and asked what was wrong. She sat on my bed and looked concerned.

“What’s going on Sukainah,” she asked. Crying in her arms is all I remember. I just cried, until no more tears came out of my eyes. All she did was comfort me as I needed a moment to get myself together.

After having a moment with my mother and explaining to her what I was stressed out about, she showed me how to use the “Cam Scanner.”

Within 15 mins, I got the assignment done! All I needed was comfort and guidance to accomplish my goal that night.

Something that I realized is that comfort is all I need. When you have comfort from the people you love and who also loves you, it makes you feel a lot better. For example, if my I didn’t see my friends on the first day, I probably would have just been nervous. The weird thing about this is that it’s my third year in SLA and till this day, I still don’t understand why I was so nervous.

Also, if I didn’t get comfort from my mother about my project, I probably would of just sat there in my own tears stressing myself out. The feelings I had can definitely have a similarity to the real world. For example, students can often feel nervous on their first day of school. The reason for this nervousness can be, because they don’t know what to expect on their first day. Also, students can often feel stressed when doing any assignment. The only way to express ourselves sometimes is to cry, because we might not know what else to do. With the comfort of someone when having any type of emotion, can make things 10 times better.