Days of My Life

Talk about daily life of a teenage girl in Iraq, and days of suffering and success. My nick name will be Sunshine..

Sunday, June 10, 2007

My secret..

Hello friends.
I couldn’t write to you because my computer wasn’t working and I had to fix it by myself , it took me a week.
Since my summer holiday started until now , I didn't feel bored, I spend my time working on my book, I think I'll finish it this summer holiday, and making handmade work , I promised to take pix but my camera is not working properly.!!! I took those pix only ..

i made this cellphone case and the handkerchieves' case too..
hehe , sorry Yosif , i will make it up to you .. the olive oil bottle can be a nice candelabrum..


i filled it with dried roses
my old jeans
*******************************

I made an armlet, and now I am making a small bag with a plaided tiger , I am also working on new jigsaw puzzle , it is really hard , I have a tank and a shovel vehicles, I didn't finish them yet.
I play sport when we have electricity (I think I told you we bought an exercise apparatus) to improve my fitness , I don't have time for Tv. I see Dr. Phil while I am having dinner, and I watch “charmed” every Thursday and Friday.. I also finished the book I was reading, and started to improve my French language, with the help of CDs.
I go to my relative’s house (my dad’s uncle who live in our neighborhood)from time to time.
I got my marks (by phone , as we couldn’t reach my school), they are good , specially I couldn’t re-read my answers , I gave my paper really quickly , I was worried about my dad who was waiting in hot weather 046C. while there was shooting, the teacher said don’t worry , the shelling is far away it’s in the other side of Mosul,and mentioned the name of my Neighborhood , I said “OH NO , MY NEIGHBORHOOD” , I was really worried about my family.
You know , when the terrorists attacked the police station my cell phone was thrown, when someone call me , it doesn’t ring , the screen also has a scratch, my family bought me a new one as a gift for my success in school.
In the fourth class we study both scientific and literary subjects , but in the fifth class we specificate , for me of course I'll choose the scientific field .
Our choice depends on the par we take in the fourth class , who takes low marks can’t go to the scientific field. I think students should take 75% and higher if they want to go to the scientific field
Next year inshalla, we'll study religion, Arabic , English , French , mathematics, physics , chemistry and biology, the basic subjects , but we also have art, sport , nursing , and a boring subject that we don’t attend about cooking , sewing … .
I received a beautiful letter from my friend Mr. Bennett , a dear friend and a regular reader for my blog , he asked me to answer his question :
How do you remain so "Sunny" in the face of such terrible things happening around you. I don't even have to live in Iraq and I feel a sense of hopelessness about everything. Every time it seems to get better, something bad happens, and while I too would like the US occupation to end and our troops to come home, I worry what will happen in Iraq if they live. How do you do it, Sunshine? You always have such a great outlook on life no matter what happens
Well , I don’t remain "sunny" all the time believe me , I have times of desperation (or days of desperation!) specially when bad things happen one after the other, like when I hear 3 or 4 bad news everyday for few days continuously , like 3 weeks ago , my mom’s uncle was killed , my relative was kidnapped , the us soldiers took our friends , and the policemen took my friend’s dad (but he was released in he same day), those events happened in less than a week for people I know and care about , that made me very scared and depressed ,beside the stories I heard about killing two families ( the terrorists killed a family and burned them, and killed another family , put them in a car full with explosives when the policemen came they exploded the car), those events made me so close to lose my mind , I felt like I was living in a horror movie !! but I felt better and returned “Sunny” after few days .
I can’t live with desperation, I like to laugh , joke ,I won’t allow the war to effect my daily life and routine , I try to be as positive as possible, for me and for people around me .
No matter what happen to me in my way to school (the delay , mines , explosions, etc) I open the door with a big smile on my face, that makes my mom happy as well as my family , no one like to see a sulky face..
I made my decision that I should accept the reality I live in a war zone and I can’t change that , I didn’t choose to live in a war zone, I am not responsible for what is happening , I can choose whether I live optimistic or not.
Sometimes people live in great areas , have wonderful life, and have almost everything , but they are not satisfied ,in the same time people live in misery and still have hope , and do their best to have a good life, it’s all about decisions.
No matter what happen , I’ll do my best to live a normal life and won’t let the situation and the terrorists have a great effect on my life and education, The terrorists want us to be depressed and miserable , they want us to lose the hope which is a basic thing for the life to continue , if there is no hope , there is no life. I don’t want the terrorists to win and achieve their goal, I don’t think it is impossible to have a peaceful life “impossible is nothing” .
we don’t hear in the stories that the devil wins, right? We hear the virtuous always win , I believe it is the same thing in reality. It is a matter of time.
So I do my best to be optimistic, and try not to think and remember the bad thing that happened in the last 3 years , but I feel worry about my family, myself and everyone , and that makes me feel hopeless sometimes, but then I remember a beautiful say dad said it to me once to calm me down “ what is supposed to hit you , won’t miss you , and what missed you wasn’t suppose to hit you).
I have faith in god , I believe he will protect us, we’d never hurt anyone, and those difficulties that we face everyday, is to examine our patience and faith in god, god protected us in the last 4 years , I hope he will protect us in the next years too, your prayers for us make me feel at ease, we pray for Iraq many times during the day, our prayers will get heed one day.
When I feel upset ,I do the things I like , I listen to music ,I try to think about nice things , remember the good memories , read some of my comments and letters again, that make me encore the hope and feel much better..
Never Ever Give Up
Sunshine ..

24 Comments:

At 3:33 AM, Blogger BirdMan said...

I put your blog to my favorite again.

Can you read our blog that uses Japanese, English, Hindi,,,that is multi-language!

Please show this!!!

http://artharbour-ao.blogspot.com/

Art Harbour AO at Shimokitazawa(JAPAN)

 
At 5:54 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

keep it up, Sunshine. I think you're wonderful - an inspiration to us all. take care.
starliz

 
At 9:05 PM, Blogger Linda G. said...

Sunshine, although I have never commented on your blog before, I have been reading your posts for about a year. You not only give us insight into what is happening in your country, but, as anon says, you are an inspiration to your readers. I tell my family about you, especially my Granddaughters and we all pray for you, your family and your country daily.
Your craft work is really great. Love the recycled jeans! We do crafts in the summer too and I know my 3 Granddaughters will want to make the rose petal candle holders!

 
At 12:01 AM, Blogger Jhondie said...

Hi Sunshine! love the creativity of those crafts. The bird. is that beads? if it is, wow! You must have like really nimble fingers. :) Thank you for sharing this stuff. You're making a difference in this world, even if you don't realize it. God Bless you!

 
At 2:49 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi Sunshine!

Keep the faith! We have a saying that goes: When life gives you lemons, then make lemonade. You capture that philosophy perfectly. BTW, your hand-crafts are beautiful!

Be careful, and prayers for your family's safety,
Rod in St Petersburg.

 
At 8:37 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hello Dear One,

You have been on my mind a lot these past few days.
My own daughter is far away in Africa.
When Daughter was home, she often read your blog (she is a year older than you) and was constantly amazed at your strength. And she often wondered how one who lives in such turmoil can be filled with such joy and sunshine.
Part of her journey in Africa is working in an impoverished area, teaching small children music. And today, she sent me an email telling me she had met "her Sunshine" in Africa. A young girl who had her roof collapse under the rain last night, smiled with love and joy to come to school and be with Daughter.
Daughter said it was a humbling moment for her to realize that out of such turmoil comes such beauty; beauty in people.
You, Dear One continue to be an inspiration each and every post you make. And as I have said before, your light is what will change the world. Your light, and the light from those like Daughter's new friend in Africa.

The crafts and projects you make are wonderful. Don't you find working with your hands calming, fun and downright enriching? Your colours are beautiful. Keep making your beautiful things...with your beautiful heart.

Be safe, Dear One. Be well. And thank you for being such an inspiration to me, for my Daughter and so many others.

Love to you,
4

 
At 10:01 AM, Blogger programmer craig said...

Charmed is a good show! I watched all but the last season of it. Do you really watch Dr. Phil? :)

You made a cell phone carrier from your brother's slipper!? :P

Those two pics are priceless, Sunshine! I recommend you keep them forever!

 
At 3:39 PM, Blogger Sunshine said...

Hello , yes sir , i do watch Dr. phil (if we have electricity ), and if my dad wants to watch news , i go to my grandparents' room and watch Dr. phil..
heheh , yes i made a cell phone carrier from my brothers slipper, it is nice don't you think?
i made a new handmade work from an old book , i will take a pic for it and publish it soon.
mama always encourage me to continue my handmade work instead of watching Tv. and laying on the couch all the time .
thank you mama
Sunshine.

 
At 3:47 PM, Blogger Sunshine said...

hello Jhondie , yes that is beads.
have a great day
Sunshine

 
At 4:28 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi Sunshine! You continue to amaze me! Great craftwork! Can't remember if I told you I make silver jewelry. We have a design area full of every bead you could imagine. You would have a great time there. There's a site called beadforlife.com that might interest you and for what is worth. It's about some women in Uganda who also refuse to give up hope. Keep your Sun shining! : )

 
At 12:26 AM, Blogger Jack B. said...

Dear Sunshine,
Thank you so much for answering my question! I admit I still don't know where you get the strength from - I don't know if I could handle the things you do. I know its not easy for you - but its still amazing to the rest of us all the same!

Your handcrafts are wonderful. I'm sure your brother will forgive you for using his slipper - after all he'll have grown out of it soon enough and now you have a nice looking mobile phone holder in return. I tried to take up knitting once but all I mangaged to make was an ugly scarf. It takes a lot of patience and good finger/hand coordination. I bet you're a good typist!

Here's another question for you: I know your mom does handcrafts as well as you, but does your sister and brother? Sometimes what one sibling likes to do, another avoids (or alt least thats how it was with my sisters).

Glod bless you, Sunny

 
At 5:15 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Dearest Sunshine,

Your handcrafts are fantastically beautiful.

Your attitude is remarkably lovely. I wish that all young people in the world had the same thoughts that you do.

It has been two years since aunt Rose introduced us to you. I have read every post you have done since then. Some of them more than once. I certainly owe aunt Rose a great "Thank You" because I am always amazed at how brilliant you are.

I wish that you lived in a safer and more pleasant enviroment. You deserve to enjoy a wonderful enjoyable life.

I continuously pray for you and all innocent Iraqi every day.

Stay safe. Stay happy. Remember we all love you and your attitude.

 
At 11:01 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Dearest Sunshine, you are a true hero that I look up to. When things get "bad" for me I remind myself of the strength one young woman had in the face of such obstacles, and it gives me the courage to face my greatest fears. As a human being, I want to you know that your wisdom, still unlearned by so many elders, has provided encouragment to many, many lives. Have you ever read the 7 Habits, or the 8th Habit, Sunshine? I know for a fact Steven Covey would find inspiration in your journey. I chant num yo huang ho for your family, and all the people of Iraq, everyday. God bless.

 
At 8:31 PM, Blogger Ripama said...

Sunshine,

It's great to hear from you again.

You might want to be careful with the cell phone. Your brother might want his slipper back...Then what?

 
At 5:50 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I think if you were put in a space ship and sent a 1,000,000 light years into space that you would still be the brightest star in the sky.

 
At 1:28 PM, Blogger Marshmallow26 said...

Dear Sunshine,

I am speechless, you said every thing. Day by day you are improving how strong your rays of lights are...

You are a blessed girl indeed, a very talented and smart, and the main thing you are a firm believer and optimistic...

I take my hat off for your courage living and surviving in the war zone.

May God be with you always dear

 
At 8:31 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi Sunshine.
Its been a while since the last time I checked your blog but thankfully my semester at school has finished and I now have the opportunity to read your blog and check up on you. It is good to hear that you are still your ~*Sunny*~ self. Your crafts are beautiful, I do the same thing with my old pair of jeans. It's funny that you took you brother's slipper to make a cell phone carrier case. :D It sounds like something my sister would do. :)

It is cool to see that you also like Nancy Ajram's music I just recently started to listen to her music because of my Arabic professor who would always play her (and others') music in class. One of my favorite songs by her is Enta Eih and Ehsas Jdeed. What are yours?

Can't wait to hear form you again.

Stay safe,
Jennifer

 
At 3:38 PM, Blogger Sunshine said...

hello Jennifer , nice to hear from you.
my favorite songs are Ah wi Nus, & ehsas jdeed ..
thanks for commenting
Sunshine

 
At 4:09 AM, Blogger RG said...

Uh oh! You big sisters put THOSE little slippers on little brother???

Poor little fellow! Little brother is out numbered by big sisters!

;-) ;-) ;-) ;-)

He needs a pair of Cowboy Boots.

 
At 12:56 PM, Blogger Dancewater said...

Sunshine, you are a miracle!

 
At 6:01 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Good luck to you and please stay safe.

We value your writing but not as much as your life.

www.regimeofterror.com

 
At 8:36 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi Sunshine,
came across an article bout your blog in the newspaper today..
you're indeed a miracle, someone mature beyond your age..
way to go sunshine..keep the spirit up =)

 
At 9:38 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Sometimes it is said that an old wise soul is born in a bright young star... it is you that they are talking about... Thank you for the life you bring...

 
At 1:53 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

i'm glad you don't let the war run your life! you're very creative! the little bottle with roses is cute. do you like crossword puzzles?

 

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