5AB Memoir

First Time Being Responsible
Khalifa - November, 2021

I was ,so slow with sadness ,and anger that I stomped my feet . that I
didn't get my materials that I needed. When I realized I was bursting with
sadness.I was walking ,and continued to stomp. When I went, my
teacher asked me where my materials were. I gulped with fear...

When I was about to get my materials for school, I was really focused on
getting my materials for school ,so I rushed to get my work ,and put it in
my bag. I was shocked because in the car I forgot to get my math work.
,But I was too late to get it.

In the middle. I was nervous because I forgot to get my work that I
signed in for my math ,so i was a bit sad that I left it at home. When I
was at school I played football ,and after I finished I gulped. On the way
to the class room I was very nervous Because I didn't bring my math
work. After I Told my teacher she said'' that we need to get it tomorrow''.
When she told me that I was ,so happy ,and didn't think about it at all
day. ,So I was also shocked. She said I was really happy because I
was ,so nervous before she told me that to me. ,So after that day I
remembered to always prepare for school.

celebrating at that day forward,
I changed by not forgetting my school work. It changed my whole life, to
remember to get my school work by double checking everyday. So I
never forgot my homework.
It felt like I learned an Important lesson in one day.

Moving

By Klara Jaklenec - 5A November, 2021

One morning, my mom yelled,"Girls, it's time to start packing for
the new house! Come on!" I got up from my bed as slow as I could, and
didn't feel like doing anything. I was only thinking about going back to
bed, covering my head with the pillow and waking up from this
nightmare.

I was scared to move because I did not know what to expect. I had
a strange feeling in my stomach, and started thinking a lot. Will I have
friends? How would I feel in a new home? Would it be the same as my
previous home? In my building I had a lot of friends and every day we
played at a big park. It had a playground, tennis court, basketball court,
and even a football court. Right in front of my building there was a
beautiful beach where my sister and I would be snorkeling, kayaking and
swimming. From my room you could see canals and beautiful, colorful
buildings and bridges.

It was early morning and I was packing to get ready to move to the
new house. The apartment was a mess. There were loads of books on
the floor as well as games and toys. I thought packing was easy, but I
guess my sister didn't. "I don't want to do this!" she screamed, as she
jumped on the bed. I just ignored her. I knew she was trying to get my
attention. Later my mom told her that she needed to help and it was
really hard for her. I just packed and packed more things. It felt like there
was never going to be an end to it. It was time to see the new house for
the first time. I was happy and sad at the same time and could not wait
to get there. When we arrived at the main gate you could see lots of
trees and flowers everywhere. The houses were semi – detached and
were in bright colors. They all had a front and backyard. When we
entered our villa there was a big bright living room. The living room
looked alike to the one we had in our previous apartment. The dining
room and the kitchen had a different layout than the one we had. Then I
went to the first floor where I saw my room. I froze. I had my own room! I
thought that I would have to share my room with my sister like before.
Later I went to the third floor where there was a beautiful terrace with a
nice view of our new compound. Then after a while I went to the
backyard. There were plants everywhere and a small little fountain as

well. Everything was so nice, and surprisingly beautiful.

I could not stop thinking about my new home. As soon as I arrived

in my new compound I met a lot of new people and made new friends.
We play at the pool and around the compound. I really enjoy living in a

compound and there are lots of fun things to do. Meanwhile I love to
spend time in my cozy room too. Even my dad put up a hammock in the
garden for my sister and me. But the only thing I don't like is that now I

have to do more chores because we live in a bigger house with a garden,
not a small apartment.

Looking back, I
realized that it was not so

hard to move, and that it is
okay to feel sad about
leaving your old home.
Sometimes you need to
accept new things in life. I
really love how my new
house turned out, also I
am proud of what my
family has accomplished.
It was a big experience for
me, and it was unlike any

other.

Voice Cordtastick Commented [1]: I revised I hate the taste of it to I hate
Lillian Wood - November 14, 2021 the taste of the anihistemen.
Living the life of laughs sounds fun at first, but it can really hurt.
Sometimes it can even be dangerous. One time I even closed up my Commented [2]: I rivised I was so happy when I heard
throat. I had twisted my voice cords and my throat. Luckily I realized that. to I was so happy when I heard those words.
before it was too late. So now I know how to stay away from hurting
myself. Commented [3]: I revised Everyone asked me if I was
okay, every single time I said to Everyone asked me if I
The way I found out I could laugh weird was, well, kind of funny. was okay, and every single time I said
Whenever something doesn't go my way I say “AARRGGHH,” but in a
weird way. When a car went in front of us I would say “AARRGGHH!” My
reaction made me laugh so I was not mad. After I thought, wow, and
from that moment on I realized I had great voice cords. One time my
voice was still in that sound and I heard myself laugh. I was so loud and
out of tune that I hollered with laughter. But it was way off from my
normal voice. I sounded like a young grandpa. It was so very weird. It
was deep and rich. Like if someone with a deep voice laughed but in
waves. After that I said to my friends “You want to see who has the
funniest laugh?” Well, I won that. After that I kept practising.

While I was laughing I felt my
throat closing up. I thought you
might die stop this. After I stopped,
I told my friends what happened.
Suddenly I realized my scratchy
voice. Then I started to feel a pain
in my throat. When I drank water it
never helped. When I told my mom
she said I need to have some
anihistemen. When she handed it
to me I was hesitant. I hate the
taste of the anihistemen, but I had
to. Man it did not taste good. The
next day I went to the park and told them what happened. Everyone
asked me if I was okay, and every single time I said “I was able to stop
laughing before it was too late.” When I went to school my teacher
came in and told me “Most people go to acting school to laugh like that,”
I was so happy when I heard those words. A couple days later I went
over to the rope swing and started talking in a weird voice. I announced
“I’m going to talk like this as long as I can.” “Can you just not? It is like
the most annoying thing ever,” said Gaberial. I just had to push through.

Nowadays my friends and I have voice competitions. Recently I

came up with a new voice. And when I showed my friends the judge
Jacob pointed to himself. We all laughed, but back to me. So when I
showed my friends they were very surprised when they heard that. It
was really hard for them to copy it.

So I guess living the life of laugfs has more pros than cons. If you
ever learn how to make weird voices take advantage of it, don’t just
leave it onlen be proud of it. Infact my friend, Hailey, wants me to do
voice lessons at her birthday. I was so surprised, and excited when I
heard this. Never in my life did I think she would ask me that.

The First Canter

Lily Simpson-November, 2021

One crispy summer morning, I woke up excitedly in a luxury dude
ranch tent with my mom, step dad and both sisters. The ranch that we
were at had cost a lot of money, but thankfully that money came from my
great-grandfather's will. As I sat up, I remembered that we had a trail
ride scheduled at 10:00 after breakfast. Then, a horse arena lesson at
1:30 after lunch. It wasn't only with my family that I lived with, but all my
aunts, uncles, both grandparents and every cousin as well.

At first, I wanted to bolt out of the accommodation, jump on a
saddle and gallop into the morning's sunrise. But, I realized I had to do a
lot of things before I could do that. So, I put on my itchy, warm jeans
along with my fuzzy t-shirt. "Perfect for horseback riding," I thought. My
socks felt warm as I slipped them on my feet. I put on a warm fuzzy robe
as well. My mom, my step dad, and my two sisters were all sleeping, so I
went to check what time it was. It was 6:10. "Great," I whispered. "Just in
time to go to the Blue Canteen." The blue canteen was a little cafe/bar
thing in front of our family's accommodations.

I put on my boots, and headed toward the Blue Canteen. Kayden
(The worker) was already there. Kayden was always very optimistic. He
seemed to like everything in life, and I couldn't help but like his
personality. He seemed to have a joyful aura. Although I only see him
with a mask on, I can always tell by his eyes that he has the biggest
smile on his face. I sat down on one of the sofas and asked him for a hot
chocolate.

Not long later, my cousin Elena came in with Lucy. (My twin.) "Hi
guys," I greeted them, grinning. "Hey, Lily," they responded in unison.
We chatted about our day on horseback, and how lucky Elena was that
she could do arena lessons every day. "But you guys can go on a trail
ride everyday, but I can't." Elena pointed out. (She was too young.)
Kayden took both of their orders, and disappeared behind the kitchen
doors. He gave us all hot chocolate with extra marshmallows. We drank
our hot chocolate with excited giggles about our day ahead.

The three of us laughed and talked as our family started filling into
the cafe. The family drank, ate crossaints, and enjoyed their time at the
Blue Canteen. I sipped my warm hot chocolate, as I happily thought of
our day ahead. Kayden was the best hot chocolate maker I had ever
met.

At last it was time for our real breakfast. We biked to the restaurant
with the bikes that the Ranch had provided us with. The gravel had

many pebbles on it, so I imagined that I was riding a horse instead of a
bike so that it wouldn't be so bumpy. I pictured the tawny brown coat of
my favorite dream horse- a clydesdale. I got a little deeper into my
imagination,and I was in the old-fashioned world. The only transportation
was horse drawn buggies, or just straight up horses. But just as I was
getting even deeper, I heard a voice shout out, "Lily, watch out," I
opened my eyes, I was seconds away from splattering myself in horse

poop. Doodoo. I said in my head. I won't be doing that anytime soon.
As soon as we got to the restaurant, I plopped down into one of

the seats from our family's table. Elena, and my other cousin Wax sat
next to me. Daisy, my younger sister, sat next to Wax, and Lucy sat next
to Elena. Lucy, Elena and I propped our legs in the inside of the chairs,
pretending they were stirrups as we were galloping away into the sunset.
We ate breakfast, and I was extra jumpy, too excited to ride than to eat
breakfast.

Finally, it was time for our trail ride. I jumped out of the seat, and
ran toward the stables. As I got closer, I slowed down, I needed to be
careful not to spook the horses. Lucy and my mom were right behind
me.

A wrangler was there to greet us. We sat down on the horses, and

started walking. "Where do you want to go?" The wrangler asked. We
replied "The Hidden Pond," in unison. The hidden pond was a little pond
up in the mountains that was covered in grass, which gave it its name.
After we were a little ways away from the main part of the ranch, the
wrangler asked us if we wanted to lope. I was nervous but my mom
spoke up. "We would love to. We are all probably very excited." I was
nervous, but I decided to follow suit.

I wondered what would happen if I fell off and no one noticed me. I
would have to sleep in the woods. A terrible thought occurred to me.
What if I made the horse break its leg? It would be my fault that it would
have to be put down. Oh no, I thought. Mom, why did you have to say
yes? My body trembled and everything happened in slow-motion.
Nothing seemed to make a sound. The wrangler clicked her tongue, and

we were off. All my troubles disappeared as quickly as they had
appeared. I shrieked with delight as we cantered across the fields
quicker than I have ever gone. Then, we slowed to a trot, then slowed
down even more for a picture. The view was spectacular! If someone
told me I was actually in the Fairy-Tale world, I would have believed

them.
On our way back, I thought about our ride, and thought about our

wonderful time cantering. I looked forward to doing it again. Although I
was scared, I didn't let that mess up every time we went faster and faster
on horseback, and as we became more comfortable with it.

Looking back, I realised that you have to accept being scared- it's
OK. Sometimes being scared gets in
the way of your happiness and
excitement, but it's perfectly fine, and
you don't need to change it. People
say that you should never be scared,
but that isn't true. Accept being
scared, and learn from it. Really,
being scared is an experience we all
should have. It determines your
courage and how much of a leader
you can be. Worrying is proof that you

have come out of your comfort zone, and that you are trying something
new.

Two Best Friends

Lolwa Al Raeesi 5B - November, 2021

Since I was younger, I always thought that friendships would last
forever, like a chain. And that the relationship never breaks, especially if
they were your best friend. But one day, all of that changed. I would
have never expected that this friendship chain would break.

One day in third grade, I heard a whistle blow, which meant that
recess was over. I could see all the kids rushing to be the first one in
line, and it was also really loud because everyone was talking about
their soccer goals, school work, ect. I quickly washed my hands and
started walking to my class line. Since my class’s line was lining up near
other classes, I would have to walk through a humongous crowd. Just
as I was going to the line, I saw one of my best friends, Kira.

Her line was in front of the door, and my line was right next to the
soccer field. But really, we were only a few feet away from each other.
She was talking to some of her friends, but her body was facing me. So I
knew that she could easily spot me. But, we didn’t talk to each other as
much as we used to. I knew it was normal because we were
transitioning from second grade to third grade (which is a pretty big
change). Surprisingly, she didn’t even wave at me. I thought, “Maybe
she didn’t see me.” The next day when I saw Kira, I caught her quickly
looking at me. Then straight after that, she went back to talking to her
friends. Right after this happened, I knew that something was wrong.
Was I not talking to her enough? Was she mad at me? Were we even
best friends anymore? Those thoughts stuck to my brain like hot glue. I
couldn’t get them off my mind. A few days later on my way to the
cafeteria, I saw my second best friend, Malory, and decided to go talk to
her. I quickly ran to her and said hi. At the time, she was walking with
her friends. Right when she stopped to listen to what I had to say, I
started asking her questions. “Are you mad at me because I don’t play
with you enough? I will play and talk with you more. Just please tell me
why you are mad at me!” Then, Malory replied, “You don’t know why?”
After we both finished talking, she walked away and went to the cafeteria
with her friend. I was shocked and my mind was blank. I had never
expected this day to come. At this point, I realized that me and Malory

were no longer best friends, or even friends, anymore.

When I went home, I told my mom everything that had happened
between me, Kira, and Malory. My mom knew what to do, but she told
me to ask my sister about her opinion on this situation because
something similar happened to her too. When I told her what happened,
my sister said that when Malory was walking back into the building of the
school, she heard her talking to one of her friends about me. My sister
told me to let go of them instead of sticking to them. Since that day, I
have never talked to Malory or Kira. But, I hope that they found some
new friends.

At first, I was really sad. But looking back, I realized that we grew
out of each other and that it was ok. I have tried to talk to them, but they

still ignore me. That same year, I
found a new friend. But to anyone
that can relate to this, remember that
sometimes in life, friendships can
change in a horrible way, but you
just have to accept it, let it go, and
know that this change is for the great
or good.

The Flash Flood
Lucy Simpson - 5A November, 2021

“Come on everyone, we should probably head back before this rain gets even
worse,” my dad shouted over the loud tip tapping of the rain and hail. About time, I
thought to myself as I nodded in agreement. My sister Lily, my dad, my dad’s friend
Gary, and I, were at Zion Park. We were on our last hike, but unfortunately we had to
go back because of the storm. Walking quickly back to the shuttles, to get a ride
back to the parking lot, I clutched my arms, and shivered.

After a few minutes of a muddy walk, we approached a line of a lot of people.
Glancing nervously at the dripping wet crowd, I said, “Is this the line the shuttles,
dad? It seems kind of long.” I looked at my dad, and he nodded. Lily groand. I looked
down, and realized why. Lily was wearing all star shoes, and they were all soggy.
Soggy and gross. The mud covered all of the bright red color that used to be nice.
Her feet were shivering from the cold. We slowly moved forward as I squinted, trying
to see if we could be anywhere near our ride. This is so boring. What if we never
even get on? Will the rain ever stop? I thought. After what felt like one hour, I could
barely see a little white rectangle. It was a shuttle moving across the muddy ground.
The tires of the big bus, moved slowly, making a crunch sound when they rolled over
small rocks and pebbles. Then I heard a shout,“Ten people. I need ten people on the
shuttles.” We didn’t move. Why would we? We were still far away from the shuttles,
and that it wouldn't make sense if we went on. “Ten people,” I heard the screechy
voice again. Nobody moved. Why? Why is no one going? I thought to myself. “Go.
Go on the shuttles, girls,” said Gary, giving us a little shove.

We splashed through the mudd to make our way through the crowd.The lady
motions all of us to get on the shuttles, and we did so. It was very still. Very quiet. All
I could hear was the rumbling motor of the huge bus, and dripping water. There was
a leak in the ceiling. Drip, drip, drip. I looked out the window. The rain had slowed
down. The bus went away with a ROAR! And we were off. Suddenly, after a few
minutes one the bus, there was a creek, and the shuttle stopped. The lady
announced that we could not go any farther. She said that there was a severe storm
down in the parking lot. There had been mudd slides, and it rained like crazy down
there. She said we would have to wait here until it was clear. Are you crazy? I
thought. I can’t wait any longer. Looking outside the window, I saw other people
walking down where the parking lot was. It must have been a long way down there.

Meanwhile, my dad and I decided to go
outside for some fresh air. The wind sent my hair
flying back, and I shivered at the cold breeze. We
sat down at a damp bench, and my dad offered me
some nuts. I shook my head. I didn’t feel like it. My
feet were so numb, it stung my freezing toes. My
shirt was soaked, but the wind made it more damp
and cold. When will we be able to go? I thought.
My dad suggested that we get our bodies moving
so we aren't cold. Getting up to my feet, I nodded and thought, there isn’t really a
choice. What else can I do? These thoughts rang in my head as my dad and I did
jumping jacks, high-knees, or any other exercise that would get our blood flowing.

Finally, after a long time, I heard a faint yell, “Come on the shuttle. We are leaving
now.” My eyes widened, as we made our way back to the shuttle. The bus stopped,
and dropped us off somewhere that we could walk back to the parking lot. On the
way, we could see cars under inches and inches of mudd. Crossing my fingers, I
hoped that our car would be fine. Thankfully it was, and we drove back home. We
were relieved that our enventure had a happy ending.

From this experience, I have learned to stay patient. That was really all I could
do at a time like that. Nothing else would help, but to wait quietly, and calm. Now that
this has happened, I realize that patients is very important in life.

My First Time In Doha
Maira Sisimayi - November, 2021

On March 3rd 2021, when it was just starting to get warmer, I
came to Doha and I slouched in the taxi. It was whooshing wind straight
at my face and it was cold as if knives were slashing against my skin, I
felt like I was gonna fly away. The following day as soon as we finished
quarantine we went straight to the mall, so we could buy some
groceries. Sadly my mom's ehteraz was yellow instead of green, so we
couldn't go inside the mall which I was mostly looking forward to. I was
so upset about moving and I didn't pay attention to how pretty the
buildings were.

When we got to Doha, we went
in the taxi, It was a beautiful teal metal
with yellow on the sides. I saw the white
cushions as I touched my phone's glass
screen and looking at myself from the
rear mirror. While I was upset about it, I
didn't pay attention to anything except for
how long it would take to go home. I
hated moving to Doha even before I
looked outside. All I was thinking about
was the downsides. "It's so cold." "When will we get there?" "This is so
boring." 'Why did we have to move?" "Can we go home?" All of that
complaining, but there was no going back to Dubai now.

When we did get home though it was beautiful and my room had
all my stuff. My mom went out to pay water bills and buy essentials for
the house. I spent forever organizing all my stuff from the boxes
because my things were mixed with my mom's and sister's, which was
actually fun because I got to try on everything like a fashion show. I had
to eat something so my sister made us a grilled cheese sandwich in the
toaster. The stringy, gooey cheese and crunchy toast was the perfect
mix for lunch, melted butter on the outside tasted amazing and the most
delicious sandwich I ever had.

Soon later, I went with my mom and sister to IKEA and bought
sheets, quilts and quilt covers. I loved it when we went to IKEA because
I haven't been there for a long time and I was pretending as if I was
living there. I heard little kids screaming, screeching and yelling which
got annoying which is the only reason I don't always ask my mom to

come with her, though as soon as we went to get myself a clock. I only
heard ticking as if a bomb was about to go off right there and then. We
went back home and I put my silk sheets on my bed and put my quilt
cover on my quilt.

Looking back, I should've glanced out the window and saw Doha, I
know that I was upset but I shouldn't have been so stubborn about it,
because the lockdown is getting worse and now you cannot do as many
things as before and not being so inpatient could have helped us see
more of Doha before it got stricter. I learned that sometimes people have
to realise never judge something before seeing what it is.

Finding Ginger
Mimi Al-Thani - November 11, 2021

One misty early morning, while laying in my bed, I suddenly remembered that
I had to feed my cats. I walked over to my cat's room in my PJ's and went to go feed
them. The reason why I woke up this early is because they wake up early. To my
surprise, Ginger was gone. I opened the tuna can to feed my other cat Snoflake. I
rushed my breakfast and changed so fast. ''Erba, I need you to help me find Ginger.''
My nanny rushed down the stairs to help me look...

In the beginning, I called my nanny to go help me look for Ginger. We looked
all around her room. We looked all around the house and there was no Ginger. We
looked all around the backyard still no sight of her so the only place she could be is
in the compound or out. I informed my sister right away and my mom. They went
crazy when they found out that Ginger was missing.

I was scared to death that a car ran over her. We heard so many cars
beeping. We also heard so many cats meowing. My nanny and I hopped on our
bikes as soon as we could. Then pedeled as fast as we could. Screach Screach we
heard the peddels screaching since we havent used them in a long time. The day
pased by and we still coudnt find her. The next day came and it was Thursday, the

last day of the week. So many
voices were around me Mimi
Mimi my class called but all I
could think about was Ginger. I
finally woke up from my
daydreaming. Surprisingly I
was at my desk when I was
just on the carpet. After the
school day when I got home I
asked my mom if my friend
Lolwa was with her sister. My
mom replied yes she can. It
was half a day so school ended
at twelve. so we have plenty of time to go look for ginger. ''Ginger, Ginger,'' we
shouted as we searched all around the neighborhood. Next, we looked for her in the
neighbor's backyard. She was not there. Then we started calling her from my
backyard. Suddenly, we heard a faint ''Meow!'' Did you hear that?

Ginger, meow did you hear that it came from our neighbors backyard we ran to
their door and knocked on their door their nanny opened the door. ''Hi, can we look
in your backyard? We think are missing cat is there.'' ''Ginger! I found her'' I said.
She smells like garbage I said. No she smells like dirt, my friend said. No she smells
like a dump yared my sister's friend said. Ok fine we all agree that she smells bad
now let's head home.

So you see, we cellibrated, and immediately took her in for a shower. My mom had a

sigh of relief. My other cat ran to her and social distanced with her since she was so
dirty. Even though she hates showers she still needs oyone, with shampoo. I will

always take care of the pets that I have.

Riding A Bike
Maya Bou Haidar - November 11, 2021

My forehead sweated, as I climbed onto the high seated bike. My
dad was teaching me how to ride it. I had just gotten the bike for my
birthday. It was shiny, red, and clean. Today was my first time riding a
bike without training wheels. I stared at my dad as my hands were
shaking wildly. I gently put my foot on the pedal with a quivering chin.

Then, I plopped onto the hard seat, and made sure my helmet was
on properly. I looked directly in front of me, and leaned forward. Then,
the bike started moving. My dad ran behind me, and kept a tight grip on
the back of the bike. I was zooming down the street, with my eyes
squinted, because of the bright sun. (With my dad still holding onto the
back of the bike.) The bike was sparkling, so it looked like a blur of light
passing by. I looked back to show my dad the big smile on my face but...
He was at the other end of the street! Little did I know that my dad had
let go of the bike a while ago, and I was riding it by myself. Then for
some reason, my hands just let go of the handles, and I crashed into
someone's garage. My smile was turned upside down when I looked at
all the bruises I got. I buried my face in my hands. I hoped no one had
seen me fall. Except for my dad ofcourse. "Oooowwww!" I yelled to my
dad. He came running over, and helped me up. I didn't think I could do it.
I wanted to give up, but my dad said I shouldn't. I really didn't think it was
possible for me to do it. "It's too hard. I can't do this," I said. "Let's just
take a break, and come back to it later," said my dad, looking into my
eyes.

Next we went in for some chicken noodle soup lunch. It was warm,
and salty. There were little chunks of chicken floating around in it. I saw
the steam rising off of it to the ceiling. After that, my dad fell asleep, and
took a nap, while I was playing inside to cool off. It was about an hour
and a half before we came out to continue practicing. I opened the door.
Creek, it went. I went outside when my dad had woken up. I was a bit
surprised to see how clean the bike was, because I was used to my old
one, which was really dirty. I rinckled my forehead and made sure I was
seeing properly. I stopped in my tracks for a minute. I swiped my index
finger across the bike seat. Nothing was on my finger. I got on my bike
carefully, and waited. This time my dad was just watching me, instead of
following me, and holding onto the bike. I knew he was waiting by the
other side of the street, because I asked him to. I was believing in myself
that I could do it. I pushed off of the curb, and took off. This time, I did an
entire lap around the compound. I was super amazed with myself,

because my dad was not helping me. I pulled over to the side of the
street to catch my breath.

I did it! Now I was practically smiling to the back of my head. I
started to pedal again. Going faster,
and faster. It felt like I was flying
around the compound at top speed. I
went again, and again, until I felt like
my legs were going to fall off. When I
reached my house again, I pulled on
the brakes, and jumped off the bike to
hug my dad. He congratulated me,
and cheered. Then, we spent the rest
of that hot day inside. Slam, went the

door behind us. When I told my mom that I learned to ride my bike, her
eyes shot wide open. "Great work, Maya," she said.

Now I know, to never doubt myself. If I don't get it right away, I just
need to believe in myself, and keep trying. I am very proud that I didn't
stop trying. I realized that I can do lots of things when I put in my hard
work. Now, I can ride a bike!

My First Day of School
Monsoon Deep-November 2021

Sometimes in life, we do not always get what we want, but you should be
patient and keep going. My mom and I used to play all the time having fun
until one day, my mom told me I had to go to school. I never ever thought I
would go to school and when I got there, I felt sick. I knew that in school, you
would not see your parents and would have to work since my older brother,
Venice, already started school two years back. When I got into the classroom
though, all I wanted to do was to go back home.

I was sleeping peacefully until one day, My mom woke me up by turning my
light on. The second the lights turned on, my eyes were burning and I did not
know what was happening until I realized that it was my first day of school! I
was not in the mood and asked my mom if I could go some other day, but she
said I had to get up now. The whole time, I was dizzy and was walking really
weird. My mom was hurrying me and was really stressed. When I finally got
ready, I opened the door with my mom coming with me. But, when I stepped
on the bus with my bag, thinking my mom would come with me. All of a
sudden, The doors closed and I realized that my mom tricked me! I felt like I
fell in a trap.

Right away, I noticed that I was going to be on the bus for a long time. There
were a lot of kids talking and shouting while I was just sitting. I could not
believe my eyes and I knew it was going to last for a long time. I was really
scared and nervous about what was going to happen. When we finally got
there, I was a little nauseous and did not want to leave. After walking with an
assistant teacher. I could feel my heart racing faster than it ever did. When I
stepped in my classroom, I got a heart attack. Instead of studying and doing
tests, everyone was playing with toys. At the time, I did not know how to read
or write and only knew a few words. But, that did not stop me from playing. I
played for around fifteen minutes until the kids asked pretty basic questions
like my name and my age. I did not know what to say. But, the second my
teacher started asking me too, I started to run and cry

After a while, I calmed down and I stopped. The teacher told me that it was
okay and my mom was going to pick me up after. I felt better right when I
heard that and we all started the lesson. We learned a lot of things like colors
and days of the week. At the end of the day, we even got to play a little more.

At this point, instead of being scared of school, I was actually excited and when
I saw my mom, I almost forgot my own bag! While we were going home, I told
my mom every little detail of what happened.

Looking back, I learned that since I was not comfortable, I made people know
how I was feeling in some way. It is important to alarm your guardian about
how you are feeling and if there is any problem. Another thing I learned was to
trust people. For example, when I was not feeling safe without my mom, I told
the teacher how I was feeling by crying. But, when she told me that it was fine
and that my mom was going to pick me up, I believed her and stopped crying.

The Death of Old Man
Nayanika Ghoshal 5A November,2021

One Thursday afternoon, when I was going home, the bus
dropped me off at the clubhouse. It was like any other usual day, except
I met an old guy. He saw me and said, " Hey there," but I just ignored
him. I thought he was an old man who can't do anything, but god was I
wrong!The next day, I ran into him again! Because I was in a surprisingly
joyful mood, I decided to say "hey". After I said hey, he asked if I could
help him with a few boxes.I said that because he was a really old man
and he was not as strong as he was before, I told him, "Ok!" I am not
trying to say he was weak, but he was really old so he probably had a lot
of back problems and all. I also heard him grunting a lot and I really
didn't want him to strain himself. After I helped the old man, he decided
to give me candy and of course I took it. {There is not one single kid in
the world who doesn't like candy!} Suddenly, I heard drills upstairs. I got
scared and confused at the same time. Then someone barged into the
house holding a ladder shouting ,"got the ladder!" All of that happened
so fast I couldn't even say anything!

When I stepped into his house, there were already people there. My
biggest wonder at that time was why did he ask me for help when there
were guys that were ten times stronger than me in his house."Then why
did you ask me for help with the boxes?" I asked with a lot of interest in
knowing. The old man was so nervous that all he could say was for me
to go home now. I was shocked! So, all I did was go home and wonder
all night in my bed. Who is this old man? Why does he want to talk to
me? What does he want from me? All of these questions were going
around in my head all night long. The next day, I finally decided to build
up my confidence and go up to the old man and ask him why he did that.
He said that he didn't want to distract the guys when they are already
paid less.Soon after that, I went to his house everyday just for
fun.Though, the most annoying part about that, is that my friends found
him creepy whereas I found him fun. He was really important to
me.Everyday, I went to the old man's house full of enthusiasm, and all I

did was talk to him about my friends.

On Tuesday after school, when I was coming back home and going to
visit the old man, I saw an ambulance by his house. I saw that guy with
gray hair trying to catch his breath. I ran to him and held his hand. I went

into his house and
saw a report from the
hospital that he had
level four cancer and I
didn't even know! A
few months later, I
found out he died.

Looking back, I think I
got over it especially
since it was years
ago. But I still
remember how kids
used to make fun of
him.The most funny
part about that is that the people who made fun of the old guy loved
him.Though I was friends with the old guy, I never knew his name. I
wonder why?

Leaving my Cats at Doha
Roman Lago - November 14, 2021

I was in my room looking at the floor, my cats purring on my lap.
The feel of my cats' fur resting on my lap made me want to cry. It was
the day. It was the day I was going to Spain, without my cats... I knew
that we had called a friend to take care of the cats while we were away,
but I still wasn't sure that they would be fine. I didn't like this at all.

I walked downstairs after I changed into some really comfy clothes
and brushed my teeth. I felt really, really bad about what we were going

to do. We were going to leave the cats and go
to Spain as if they didn't exist, and my parents
thought that was ok? And all that just because
"It costs too much to take them there, blah blah
blah." I got downstairs and started eating my
breakfast. It was my favorite type of cereal, but
everything tasted like wet seaweed and cheese
that day, so I refused to eat them. After that, I got my bag and hugged
Lily and Coco (my cats) as hard as I could. They looked at me with a
confused and sad expression on their faces. That was the worst day of
my life.

When I got to the car, everyone looked happy. Everyone but me
and my sister. Later, I heard Lily and Coco meowing louder than they
ever had. I closed my eyes as hard as I could, "They're fine, they're fine,
they're fine," I thought to myself. Some seconds later, the car started up.
We were on our way to Spain now. There was no turning back. When
we got to the airport, my mind started racing with questions, "What am I
doing? Why am I doing this? Do I have to do this? Will they miss me?
Will Lily and Coco be okay?" Some time later, we got on the airplane
where some people greeted us and offered some earbuds. "Get ready
for 4 tiring hours of boredom," I thought… When we got to Istanbul, I
asked my dad how much time we were going to be there before going
on the second plane. What my dad told me stopped my heart for a whole
second. We were going to spend 8 hours at Istanbul Airport, just to wait

for the next airplane? I can't even describe how shocked I was…

Playing on my iPad, doing a whole minecraft speedrun, eating my

favorite food, nothing could pull me out of boredom. First my cats, and

now this? I wanted to scream… When my family and I got to the next

airplane, I discovered something else that was bad. This is what my

parents probably thought, "Come on, let's make Roman wait 4 hours on

the first airplane, then 8 hours on the airport, and then, we'll add 4 more

hours on the second plane = 16 hours of waiting for Roman."

I can't believe my dad didn't tell me about this. I would've just stayed
home eating some chocolate without having to worry about leaving my
cats!
Best summer ever…

When I got home, everything was alright: The house, the pool, the
windows, the plants, the trees, but something was missing… Lily and
Coco. My stomach made a weird noise again. Then, we got the
suitcases and got them inside. They were really heavy. After that, I
looked at the creepy basement, which we were going to turn into a
games room. I decided to not look at it anymore, it was creeping me out
too much, so I went upstairs to my bedroom. When I got to my bedroom,
I figured I was the unluckiest person on the planet. I found a spider. After
my dad "got rid of" the spider, he told me to help him clean the pool.
Well, that was pretty much it, my 1st day back in Spain: Cleaning, and
finding spiders. The next day, at 10:00 am, Nico rang the bell. Nico's one
of my friends in Spain. He's nine years old, he has brown hair and blue
eyes. He also has two dogs, and they're really kind to everyone. While
we were on our bikes, going to Nico's house, he caught me with a sad
face. Then, he asked me if anything was wrong, so I told him about Lily
and Coco. After that, Nico told me that one time he was in the same
situation. He was in South Korea, but he couldn't bring his dogs there so
he tried to convince himself that they were ok. He also called the one
taking care of the dogs to see them. That really helped me a lot. Thanks
Nico.

As time passed, I did what I normally do on summers: play on my
iPad, go to the pool, go to friend's houses to play, and more. I sure didn't
have my cats, and nothing felt right without them, but I knew they were
safe. I knew that they were truly ok.

My First Time Doing a Blood Test
Saleh Almana 5A - November, 2021

It was a normal day. I was at the doctor. I was going to check my
head because I had a headache. The doctor checked me and he said I
have to do a blood test. I thought it was a big scary needle. Wanting to
burst into tears and shouting like there was no tomorrow. I was holding
my tears in so hard trying not to burst and fill the hospital with tears. I
was holding my mom's hand so hard that she whispered to me. My mom
didn't want to shout because there were a lot of people around us. I let
go of her hand and burst into tears.

Next, while I was walking to the room I tried to run away. I was so
scared. I was crying so hard. At that time I was so scared of needles, I
thought they sting badly. I was begging my mom to go back home and
that my headache was gone, she didn’t believe me, she thought I said
that because I wanted to go home and not do the test which was true. I
was begging and begging while we were waiting for the doctor to let us
in. He took so long, I was biting my nails and my skin. I really wanted to
leave and run out, well that was in my dream and dreams normally don't
come true.

Next, we finally got into the room. I was screaming and shouting,
the doctor was very confused. The doctor tried to calm me down, well

that didn't work. My mom was holding my
hand. I let go and tried to run, my mom was
holding me in. I was screaming so loud the
nurse came running in and she thought it was
an emergency or something happened to me.
My mom was so embarrassed. My mom
started reading the Quran and I calmed down.
The chair was really comfortable and looked
weird, the comfortness also calmed me down. I looked at the needle, but
it was short so I was ok. He put it in, I exploded and I screamed like
there was no tomorrow. My mom was holding me in so I couldn't move
and make it hurt a lot more. The room was going to flood with tears. The
doctor said “ Everything is ok.”

Last but not least I acted like it hurt a lot. I didn't know why I did
that. In my mind I was relieved that it did not hurt. My mom was
confused about why it hurt. I went back home fake crying. My siblings
asked me about it while we were eating dinner. I told them that it hurt a
lot. They were confused that it hurt because they knew that it doesn't
hurt. They thought I was a baby. Well, I was six at that time, so that's
why I threw a tantrum. Later on I told my mom that it didn’t hurt and she
was surprised.

I'm thankful for that experience, because I was always terrified of
needles. I was always crying when I saw a needle, so I want to celebrate
it now because after that I'm not scared of needles. If you're scared of
anything just get over it like what I did but without the screaming and
crying. You only live once so get over all your fears and enjoy your life.
That was a really funny experience to go back to, but was so funny
because I was screaming and crying so much

Moving Away
Salman Al Fakhroo - November, 2021

I was in the playground with my friends that night,“Come on, go off
the slide.” I said my friend named Ameen said “ Ok i’m going i’m going”
he replied in an angrily voice. That moment changed a lot of things
between him, and me.

In the beginning, my friend, and I named Ameen , decided that we
would meet every Tuesday since it was a half day of school, so every
night we met on Tuesday night. But one of those nights changed

everything. My dad came, and said
“Salman come over here I need to
tell you something important.” After
he said that I came then replied
saying “yeah what do you want
dad” he said “we're moving away
soon to a new place, your new
home.” I started getting a bit
emotional because I couldn't see
my friends anymore. I wouldn't see
them forever. My dad started to tear up as well.

My dad, and I went back to our apartment. After I went inside we
sat down and he talked to me, he said “ I know this is tough for you
because you won't be able to see your friends, but you have to since my
job, and the new house is way bigger.” but it didn’t change anything. I
was still sad, and didn't want to leave my room. I always thought to
myself, why does it have to be me? Why do all the bad things happen to
me?
I didn’t know what to do. So I just went outside, and sat there. I was, so
sad that I started crying ,and kicking some rocks. I stayed outside for
maybe an hour, and there was this man he went up to me. I was weirded
out, but he just walked away. My parents got worried, and called me. I
just told them I was outside, and they said ok. I just continued to think
about all the memories I had here. I have to leave this place and never
come back forever.

Just after that I started to get scared, so I went back in. My parents
that I was back, and ran up, they hugged me they were relieved. He told
me to never go outside by myself. My father told me that “ even though
we're moving you shouldn't be upset ok.” and that changed me a lot.

Looking back, I have accepted everything. When anything
happens I just get up, and accept what happens to me. I learned that
sometimes in life, you just have to accept what happens to you. Even if
you like it or not.

My Stubbed Toe
By: Sander Buijs - November, 2021

It was a hot Friday morning and I was playing my favorite game. I
thought this weekend would be fun, but I did not know what awaited me
in a couple of minutes. Did I forget to introduce myself again? Well just
in case, my name is Sander, Sander Buijs.

In the beginning, I was on my iPad playing Tower Defence
Simulator on roblox. Tower Defence Simulator is a game where you can
defeat zombies with your friends and beat bosses. I was playing the

hardest mode with my friends and
we were almost at the final wave.
We had really good towers like
accelerator, turret, ranger,
commanders and DJs. We were
so close to victory that I could just
smell it. We just defeated the last
enemy and now it was wave 40
the boss stage. The boss for the
hardest difficulty was called "The
Fallen King." Rangers were firing accelerators were charging their
attacks and the battle was on. The Fallen king slashed away and
stunned our towers. But he was no match for us. We defeated his minion
and the fallen king was slayed. "Good game." I typed in the chat. When I
left I smelled the heavenly smell of eggs and bacon. "Time for
breakfast." My mom called me. But first I ran upstairs to get my new
pajamas. My new pajamas were long sleeved with the most amazing
patterns.

In the middle, I went up to get my new pajamas out of my mom's
room. My dad was sleeping so I had to be quiet. Tip toe tip toe tip toe,
my feet went. I finally crept around the room to the bag, and got my
pajamas out. I heard my dad waking up because I heard mumbling.
Quick, I need to get out of here! I thought to myself. I quietly ran out of
the room just in time before my dad woke up. I ran straight down the
hallway, I turned the corner and my toe went…
CRACK. My toe felt the cold plastic of the wall. I did not peep nor yelp, I
just standed still not doing anything. After about 20 seconds I limped
down the stairs feeling the soft carpet on the stairs. I went to the
bathroom to go get my pajamas on. "MMmMm." I mumble to myself.

After I got my pajamas on I limped to the dining room table. I slowly ate
my warm food. When I was eating I tried to wiggle my toe, my toe felt
like it was getting burned in lava. "Mom." I called. "What is it?" "I stubbed
my toe and it is really hurting." "Well let me take a look at it." I jumped
onto the couch and my mom lifted the slipper off my foot. "Is it bad?"
"Well it is a little black and blue but I think it will be fine. I went back onto
my iPad and I played some more. "Hey Sander," My mom called. "Do
you want to go to Louise house?" "Ok," I replied. Louie is my friend and I
met him through my friend George kneebone.

I went to Louise house and I was in so much pain when I went
there. We were having a lot of fun though, for example we went to the
pool, we played hide and seek, we played some video games etc. After
the playdate was finished I went home and I had a nice rest. When it
was morning, I woke up, the first thing I saw was my black and blue foot.
I got out of bed and I was ready for the day. "Hey Sander," "Yes?" "We
are going to the Kneebones for a board game night. The Kneebones are
our friends that live at our compound. That night we were playing a
game of Monopoly. When we were doing the cash grab card I saw that
my foot was getting worse. "Hey mom, my foot is looking bad." I told her.
"Let me look at it again," She got a chair under my foot. "Maybe we need
to get it checked by the doctor." After Monopoly. We went back home
and my mom and I went to the doctors. When we were in the car I had
my book with me and I started reading a bit. When we got there I limped
my way to the help desk with my mom. A little bit later we got our
number and headed to a seat. We had to wait what felt like five million
years and then we went into the doctor's office. We got into the room,
and we waited, waited, waited. Finally a nurse came and took me to the
x-ray room. They took some pictures and we went to the room again.
The doctor came back and he told my mom and I... "He has a minor
fracture maybe get some pain killers and he will be healed in three
weeks." I could not believe it. My first fracture ever. We went back home
and I got ready for bed.

As time passed, I thought to myself, wow what an amazing story
this could be. Maybe my fractured toe could be an advantage after all.
After that day I was excited to share this to my friends and classmates
for this experience I had.

Riding A Bike Without Training Wheels
November - 2021

We kept on peddling. I just peddled, peddled, and peddled to my
heart's desire. I, Sarah had peddled without training wheels! Shocker. I

decided to stop to wait for my mom, dad, older brother, and younger
brother. When my older brother, Hamza arrived we talked for a bit. Then

when my parents and younger brother, Adam came. We went back to
our temporary vacation villa in Seychelles, Four Seasons Hotel. In July,

2019, we experienced this moment. This moment was surely one we
would cherish forever.

In the beginning, when we first landed at Seychelles, Four
Seasons Hotel. We went to our cozy, cool, villa. When I first saw the
room, I felt my eyes open wide. I just couldn't believe this was where
we'd be staying for a few days. The room was tidy, clean, just nice
overall, so we started unpacking our bags. Afterwards we started to
relax since we had just came and we were pretty tired. We slept in the
cool, fluffy, used to be tidy and now messy bed. How did it feel? Oh boy,
you're gonna hate your pillows after this one! Well anyways, I would
honestly say it felt like a soft, fluffy, cloud. A cloud that would give you
the best dreams there was. To be honest, it was just honestly amazing

in general.

During the next few days, we started exploring the area. We visited
restaurants, cafes, the beach, and many more places. At some point, we

decided to learn to ride a bike without training wheels. I felt the urge to
do it, but at the same time to not do it. Everything in my mind felt out of

place, scrambled all over like eggs. Like no matter what you do, you
can't solve the puzzle. Even like you've lost the most important puzzle
piece, the one you needed the most. It's like a game, one you could

never beat. What was with my feelings? How did I even feel at this
point? So, I just decided to try something new. Hamza and I had never
actually rode a bike without training wheels, so we were nervous. But,

that feeling of nervousness also caused another emotion to arrive,
determination. We started practicing. Suddenly, I peddled, peddled and
peddled on the pathway. I could hear the birds chirping, the wind flying
right by me, my heart thumping fast full of all types of emotions. I also
could hear the trees swaying from side to side, the rest of my family's
voices, my rapid breathing, and lastly, the ocean waves crashing against

the beach shore.
Honestly, this really showed me at the time that you can do anything if
you put your mind to it. Anyways, as we went back home and called it a
day, I knew I made the right choice.

In the last few days, we took more pictures of ourselves having
fun. We ate at the restaurants, rode on our bikes
more, explored the area, and even looked at the
beautiful wonders of the island. Speaking of
looking at the view, we looked at the majestic
sea, sometimes the mesmerising sunset, the fun
pools, the specially patterned hermit crabs, and
many more gorgeous sights to see. There were
some moments at the pool when we had water

fights, or on the bikes when we would race each other. Everything was
just so much fun, and I am just grateful I got to experience all of it. I
appreciate that I got to make these memories. After all, these are the
memories we will forever nurture. After all, we will cherish these
moments until we die.

As time passed, soon our time for our stay was up. Looking back, I
might've felt hurt, but I was so ecstatic that I learned how to ride the bike
without training wheels. You can do anything if you put your mind to it. If
you want to do something, but can't, persevere. You can do it, that's what
I've learned from my experience. I still just can't believe that I've achieved
my small goal, and it's because I used to struggle with it so much. Now

please, try your best. You'll be glad you did later on.

When My Rabbit Died And We Visited his Children
Sura Makki - November, 2021

"Sura Mai, I need to tell you something, " my mom said. "Coming one
second" I replied. A few weeks ago we gave Winter Mai and my rabbit away
because we were going to travel. We were going to visit her On friday.

My mom came downstairs to tell us the news."Something bad
happened,"My mom said. Mai paused what she was watching and then turned
it off " are we still going to visit winter on Friday?" Mai said I was eating
popcorn. " Ok well are you going to tell us or what " I asked "Winter died " My
mom said. My sister jumped on to my mom's lap and was sobbing so hard.
and I felt bad for winter because she didn't even live a year. She was turning 1
in August and it was June. My mom showed us a picture and Mai cried even
more. She cried for at least 20 minutes. I was shocked because Mai never
cries. It was Wednesday and we were supposed to visit her on Friday.two
days Winter you couldn't wait until Saturday to die so Mai could see you.

I messaged my cousin Salma because she made a Tik Tok account for
Winter. After that Salma made a video saying that Winter died. " Did you tell
Salma?" Mai asked and I didn't reply. After what felt like a while it was Friday.
And we were going to visit Winter's kids. Winter is a boy not a girl.but we
thought it was a girl when we got her so that's how we named her Winter.
Finally after what felt like a hundred wrong turns we got to the place. I didn't
want to go but Mai and my step brother Victorio really did. When we got there
we saw that the guy had lots of pets. I saw rabbits, bunnies, fish and birds and
it smelt like poop or something else. We saw that Winter's wife had like twelve

bunnies. They were sooooooooooo… cute
and small. Some of them had black eyes
and some had red. They were really scared
and, I don't think Mai was really helping.The
bunnies were jumping ,and scratching Mai
and Vito's hand. The one I was holding did
too ,but I kept it in my hand very tight. It
couldn't escape. The bunny I was holding
had black eyes. My sister named the one
she was holding was named Ava. I don't
know why. Victorio named the one he was holding Lexi. We were just holding
them. They started sweating ,and they were not the only ones who were
starting to get hot.We started getting really hot so we were going to go.Then
the people who lived there showed us where they buried Winter. They also
gave us a plant.

Ever since then everything was the same. We watched TV, went to
piano lessons and we went to Arabic lessons. But the only thing was that
Winter wasn't there. I know that he's fine ,and that he lived a happy life as it
lasted.

Being Seperated From My Dad

Vasco Reis - November 11, 2021

Sometimes in life people get seperated, like it or not. One day my
brother, and I came from school normally. Suddenly my mom was all
stressed out saying that the school was going on tvs, and Qatar would
shut down, and we had to go to portugal without my dad.

In the beginning, my mom, and my brother were making the
suitcases so we would be ready to go to the airport the next day, without
my dad. My dad had to stay because he had to go to work every week.
At the same time my mom gave up work the day this happened so we
could all go to Portugal, and live there for some time. We thought we
would be seperated from my dad for just two to three months which is
already harsh. We woke up the next day. I actually thought it was a
dream because it was crazy. Let's picture it for you, a new fast spreading
virus killing people all around the world, and making hospitals full.
Spreading everywhere, we had to go to Portugal, and stay apart from my
dad for more than two months. This sounds like a nightmare to me. I
was relieved to wake up or was I? Well it was not a dream! We went to
the airport the next day.

I was scared, and sad that we had to leave behind my dad just
because of his work. We were all crying, and trying our best to get
through this together. The next day we went to the airport in doha. We
brought about four big suitcases, and six normal sized ones. My dad
drove us to the airport. He parked, and walked with us. We were all
looking at the floor, and walking slowly. When we got to the check-in
area my mom, and dad gave the tickets to the woman that was sitting
behind the lighted bright quartz wall which meant the opposite of what
we were feeling. The lady started to check the tickets, one by one. The
lady weighed the bags. They all weighed a lot just like the thinking of
getting seperated. We went to the migration area. That is when it
happened. We got separated. We headed to the plane. When we arrived
in Portugal we went to our summer house. It is a really good house, but
we needed my dad. We had fun with summer, but we all needed dad.
Sometimes we would cry. We would not stop thinking about him. Once

my dad had these days off. We went to Paris with him, but then came
back to portugal. We were bored of having home learning, and having to
stay isolated from other people because of covid-19. Summer was still
fun. Finally we got the news that we could go to Qatar again.
"WOOOOOHOOOW!!!" We all said we were all relieved. We still had to
wait for the entry permit. It is a online page that will let you enter Qatar

when the check in people see that. We
waited, and waited. One day we woke up
with my mom shouting, and screaming
that we got the page!!! We started to pack
our bags, and we went straight off to the
airport. When we got there we all
celebrated! Some hours later we arrived in
Qatar! We ran to the exit, and there was
my dad, waiting. We ran, and started to cry happiness.

We went back home joyfull, and smiling like crazy. When we got
home we all decided to go to a special restaurant that night. We went to
a really good meat restaurant. We laughed and ate. Later when we went
to sleep, I was feeling better and I even slept for more than ten hours!

Now I know that being away from my dad for more than five
months, it was harsh. Now we are all back together, but we still have
that memory. Now we are all happy and relieved. No one liked the
experience of being away from each other. We will never do that again.
We will never get seperated. As time pases by, we remember those five
months. We learned a powerful lesson, we need each other to live.

Moving Friend
November 2021

I've known my friend for about 5-6 years.Now and honestly I never
thought that he would move but he did so obviously I was sad but I had
made a new friend at school. His name was Roy and we would always
hang out at recess and walk. We would basically do everything together.

Jason me and his sister would always go to the swings in our park.
The swings were not normal they had these straps on them to hold
people down. Jason and I created this thing called "The Tornado." It's
when you spin the swing and it depends how many times you actually
spin the swing. Honestly the most I would do 3 to 4 spins because as
Jason started to spin me, I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. By
the second I could also feel my heart rate getting faster. He finally let go
and I realized that I wasn't that bad. But Jason on the other hand he
would do 5 to 6.

The next day after school we went to the park and the annoying
kids were there. There were four of them on the bike though. The bike
was three wheeled so they were really annoying so I kind of threatened
them so they fell and the older one fell and the bike and the handle fell
on her stomach and me and Jason were laughing for 5 min straight.
Then we left and we went home.

So today was the last day we spent the whole day together. We
went and did The Tornado one last time and we skated and by the time
we did all of that it was over so we each went back home. He got ready
for the trip and I just chilled so I went to his house to say bye so I
hugged him. Then I got my phone out, and took a photo then just like

that he was gone.

In the end Jason moved to
the USA, and I moved to Roy's
compound. Honestly, I am really
happy and we are still in contact.
Roy and I go to the football pitch
with our other friends.
Sometimes in life you have to
accept that things change.



The skateboard
Zayaan - November 2021

This story is about a young girl who badly wanted a skateboard and, saved up all her
money to get one and she wondered to herself, is it worth it? Sooner or later she'll
find out.

One day a girl was watching her ipad. She was watching people skateboard and
they were doing some awesome tricks she had never seen before! She so badly
wanted a skateboard, “MOM!” She screamed, as she slipped and slided on the floor
with her socks. “Mom, can I get a skateboard?” She said with a weak voice she knew
her mom was skeptical about letting her ride a skateboard. In her mom's eyes almost
everything was dangerous, but, she asked anyway. She asked if she could get a
skateboard and she showed the video to her mom. She even explained that she
couldn't possibly fall off the skateboard because it had a hard sandpaper feeling on
the top of the skateboard, designed to grip onto your shoes so you can't fall off. Her
mother opened her mouth and siad, no, straight away without even thinking about it.
She “but, mom you don’t even have to pay for it, I can save up and buy it myself” she
hesitated bofer she spoke.

She said that if I paid for the skateboard, than I could could get it with my one
money, but, I knew that would I had to work hard to get the money so I got some
extra chores and I got to work, I did the dishes, vacuumed the house and wiped the
all the windows in the house, by the time I was down the cloth that I used was so
filthy that it was black at the end of the day. I felt exhausted but, I got my payment,
and after a couple more days of hard work I finally had enough money to get a
skateboard, so with the first chance I got I went to the nearest sports store and
bought the best one I could find and afford. It looked awesome! I couldn't wait to try it
out. Once we got home I took my skateboard outside to try it out.

I ran outside and I put my skateboard on the floor. I put one foot on the skateboard
and the other on the floor. I kicked off and I was suddenly moving, I was moving at
walking speed. I wanted to go a little faster. I gave another big push, I was now at a
much higher speed. I saw a car reversing out of a parking space. I needed to slow
down, fast! I let my foot drag on the floor to slow myself down, or at least I plan to.
My shoelaces were untied and it got caught in the wheel and I fell arm first into the
wall. I toast and tumble on the hard road. I tried to get up but I just lied there on the
floor. I saw that I had so many bruises on my arm and legs I even had one one my
neck! I wanted to just go home and give up but something told me to give it another
try and that's just what I did. I got on my skateboard but, before I got back on, I tied
my shoelaces, I pushed off and I was a lot faster than before but still not fast enough
so I pushed again, I was flying through the road I was SKATEBOARDING!!! I felt
awesome. I ran back to my house so I could tell my parents they were so proud of
me and I was of myself too. I told all my friends and family and they were proud of

me too. I don’t think I have been so proud of myself
ever.

Sometimes in life you have to accept things, even
when they don't turn out the way you wanted them to
be. For instance when I fell and got hurt I wanted to
give up. But, I realised that I could accomplish more if
I don't give up so easily. Looking back I have
accomplished more than what I could have
accomplished if a had given up all the time