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Town Square | Bank | Hall Of Fame | School House | Library | Police Station |
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Town Square | Bank | Hall Of Fame | School House | Library | Police Station |
Merima, DangA, and Mariam are students in a magnet ESOL program in Manchester, NH, a city of 125,000 people and an ESOL program of 1500 students K-12. Some, like Merima, are refugees, and others, like DangA, are immigrants. In order to encourage the 7th and 8th graders to write in English, they are being asked to write about their native countries. They will also explore what it means to live in America.
- Marjorie Burdette, their teacher
When I was a kid, I would do a lot of activities. Building a fort was one of them. My friends and I worked hard on building, but when we were done, we sure were happy because we alone did it, and created something without help from grownups.
It was a small house. It was near to the town where I lived. We brought some old chairs, tables, and pictures, and decorated it. The whole house was made up of logs. So it smelled like wood. We made a small door, and windows. We would go there often, just sit and talk, or something imitate grownups or just do homework.
Soon everybody in town wanted to have our house for themselves, especially boys. First we girl all sat down and talked about how to defend ourselves. Then I got an idea. That day, I went to the store and bought some balloons, and filled them up with water. The next day when they came, we threw those balloons at them. That sure was fun.
The fort meant something to me. But I had to move here to America. My friends take good care of it. I am never going to forget that house, and it will be always close to my heart.
My name is Merima. I come from Bosnia, and Bosnian is my first language. I have many hobbies, but writing stories is my favorite one. Like every other eighth grader, I dream of going to college and becoming a lawyer. Most of my free time I spend playing basketball or just watching TV. My favorite sports are hockey and soccer. I have been living in the USA for one year and two months. I have made a lot of friends, like Aldijana, DangA, and many others. I like school here, but in Bosnia, it was not so bad, either.
A fort is a great place to play with friends and have fun.
When I was 6 years old, my fort was a little attic inside my mother's math school. She gave me permission to go there.
Inside the fort, there were blocks, toys, dolls, books, and one little window. It was dark and the air was cool, so when you went there the first time, you felt a little scared, but as you went many times, soon you got to like it.
I went there almost every day when I finished my work and when I was bored. I went there with my classmates. We played with toys, made something with blocks, and yelled at outside. Sometimes we threw something (like water balloons and garbarge) at the outside. I know it was not good behavior for people who crossed on that street, but we had a lot of fun with that. And we didn't fight.
When I went to elementary school, I couldn't go to the fort often because I had a lot of things to do. The people who couldn't go there were not only me. My friend couldn't go to the fort either.
It was about 6 years ago, but I can remember exactly how it looked even if I can't go there anymore. It is my favorite place and it gave me many happy memories.
My name is DangA Kim, but I have an American name, Dana. I had to change my name because my Korean name is hard to pronounce. I came from South Korea one year and three months ago. America is really different from my country, especially school. We wear uniforms and the stuff we studied in Korea was much harder than here. I like America, but still I miss my country. I speak Korean and English. I work hard to learn more English. I go to Hillside Middle School, and I'm in the eighth grade. My favorite subjects are gym, math, and science. I like drawing, playing games, playing piano, and playing sports. I live with my family--dad, mom, brother--on the East side. I have friends here; Merima and Jannick are my best friends. I like to live in America, and I like school.
The Bad Girls
by Mariam al Kouhaissi
My best friend Rania, my brother Ibrahim, and his friend Ali, and I used to go up in the attic and throw rocks at cars or people in the street.
The attic was so clean. Every Sunday a janitor came to the building and cleaned it and cleaned the attic, too. He came at six o'clock in the morning, knocking on doors and telling people, "Hi, can I have a dollar, please?". And every apartment had to give him $1.00. He was from Egypt and his name was Jamal. He was a very nice guy.
Every day after school we used to go up to the attic and throw rocks at people and they screamed at us. Sometimes it was scary and sometimes it was funny. One day a girl called the police and the police came to our houses and told our parents. So we got grounded for a month! It was so boring, just sitting and watching TV.
We used to bring snacks with us to the attic and we stayed there about 4 to 5 hours, but if some one of us wanted to use the bathroom, they just went down to their houses.
I like it because it was fun and because I loved to bother other people. So, my best friend Rania and I came up with this idea and that's why Ibrahim (who is my brother) and his friend Ali called us "The Bad Girls." But for real, if you try to do it, you will love it. But be careful. Don't play it in the USA.
Hi. My name is Mariam Alkoubaissi. I'm thirteen years old. I'm from Iraq. I was born there and when I was 5 years old, I moved to Aaman, Jordan. I lived there for 5 years. Then I walked to Beirut, Lebanon. I walked for three days to Lebanon. I lived there for 3 years. Then I came to New Hampshire, USA. When I was in Lebanon, I went to school for 2 years, 3rd grade and 4th grade.I learned French, and when I came to the USA, of course I learned English. I like to watch TV and listen to music. I like to do my homework and then take a nap. In the summer, I like to go swimming and ride my bike.
