Assignment: Interview a Classmate and Write About What You Learned

Our second writing assignment is to interview a classmate and ask questions about their native country and their background. This is a challenge because you will get a large amount of information which you have to organize into a single paragraph. As a class we first discuss good questions which will make the information easier to organize. 

Yecxel from Honduras by Charles

Yecxel lived in Honduras in a big city called Tocoa. People in this country celebrate a “Holy Week Day”, where Christians dress in different clothes like Jews, and they look like demons. Then, the Jews go around scaring young kids and asking for money from people for the whole week. Then, the Jews and the Christians organized an event for both to meet, and practice a fake fight to separate the good and the bad, which is always won by the Christians.

Charles in South Sudan by Yecxel

Charles from South Sudan comes from a culture with various beliefs, and one of them was that, when a kid is born, relatives of the mom must bring her a specific food. The food has no salt or taste, but the mom must eat it in order to make milk for her child. If the mom doesn’t eat the food, they believe that when the kid grows up, he or she will be dumb. Another part of that belief is that the people who bring the food have to eat the same food that the mom eats, if someone doesn’t eat the food, or adds seasoning to the food, this will mean that they are against the kid being born.

PHOTO MISSING HERE

Mame from Senegal by Bushra

Mame lived in a small town in Senegal, with her big family. She lived in a large house with three floors and fifteen bedrooms. She had twelve siblings, and one father and two mothers. Her paternal family also lived with them in the house. More than twenty people lived there and her mother always cooked for everyone. After school , she helped her mother with household chores , cooking, and sewing. It was very surprising to me that she lived in such a big house. Before coming to the U.S  she was very happy in Senegal.

Bushra from Turkey by Mame
Bushra grew up in a small town in Turkey where life was straightforward and full of
lessons. She lived with her family, mom, dad, sisters, and brothers. She was a brilliant student and curious to learn new things, especially math. She maintained her determination to be a good student to make her parents proud. She loved to play sports after school. She made some good friends at school, and together, they shared many memories, both good and bad. She has been a good student, but she was also  a good child. Every day after school. Bushra was invaluable to her mom by helping her raise her little siblings by cooking, cleaning, and doing their homework. She graduated from high school in 2022. Her early school brought her confidence and love, and she always chases her dream.

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Ayefoumi from Togo by Batol

Ayefoumi is from Africa. She was born there and grew up with her family, where she spent most of her childhood. She woke up early every day and went to work at 8 a.m. to 5 pm. She worked for an NGO organization. Her favorite subjects were history and German. She had many friends and her happiest memories were from school. Later she studied at college and received her Bachelor's degree.

Jonathan in Mexico by Oumaima

Jonathan was born in the USA but actually grew up in Mexico, he lived in a small village. He had difficulty in school because of his lack of understanding Spanish.  But this caused a big problem where he told his friend that the teacher was in a relationship with another teacher, causing a rumor to spread so he and  his friends were suspended.  

But one thing he did enjoy was that every weekend they had a party called “El Toro loco” which means “The Mad Bull”. In this party they all tried not to fall off this rodeo bull, if they succeeded in not falling off. They get gifts like a piggy bank, mini animal ceramic, or even a Bolero.  Jonathan’s first time riding the “El Toro Loco” he fell down, but after his second time riding he got better at staying the bull. After all this, he decided to move back to the USA and get a fresh start. 

Oumaima from Casablanca by Jonathan

Oumaima grew up in Casablanca, Morocco. Casablanca is an economic capital and one of the largest cities in Morocco. Casablanca is an economic powerhouse which is located on the Atlantic Ocean including Art Deco buildings and the iconic Hassan II Mosque. This building was built on July 12,1986 and finished after seven years on August 20, 1993. Oumaima says that every Friday, Oumaima and her family visited Hassan II Mosque to pray. After praying Oumaima and her family prepare traditional food called “couscous”. To eat this food Oumaima said that the whole family must be together ready to eat. After eating, all the kids from the neighborhood went to play outside. One common game that everyone played was “Hopscotch” that consisted of drawing a series of numbered squares, then throwing something that could be a rock and if the rock stops on number 3 the person who is jumping should skip that number. This is one of the memories that Oumaima has from her lovely city,

Batol from Afghanistan by Ayefoumi

Batol is from Afghanistan. She was 20 years old when she left her country.

In her country, she had to attend two separate schools for all girls . One

was an Arabic school in the morning from 9h30 am to 1h30 pm and 

2pm to 4h30 pm where they learned chemistry, math etc..

In her country  the culture didn't allow girls to  be in the same classes with boys.

Also the women aren’t allowed to go to work. They have to stay home and take care of the family.

Alejandrina from Dominican Republic by Farhad

Alejandrina was 17 years old when she was in the Dominican Republic. She lived with her grandparents in a small city called Yuma. She had a lot of unforgettable memories from school. When they celebrated holidays at school. On independence days,they held flags in their hands and walked around and danced. She went to school five days a week for eight hours. She did her homework at her best friend's house and cooked. She finished her school in 2017. 

Farhad in Afghanistan by Alejandrina

Farhad did not have a lot of friends when he lived in Afghanistan. He and his friends used to play cricket and had conversations about how they could improve other peoples’ lives. He went to an only boy’s school from Saturday to Thursday, the school hours were from 7:30am to 12:00pm. His first 10 years of school, he had to walk 20 to 25 minutes to get to the school. Then when he was in high school, he moved to the city, and he used a “Rikshaw” which is a two or three wheeled cart pulled by one person carrying one passenger. He graduated from high school in Kabul in 2021.

PHOTO MISSING HERE

Tamana from Afghanistan by Flora

Tamana began middle school at the age of five in Afghanistan. School started in the afternoons from Sunday to Thursday. Fridays were days-off so there is no school. Each morning, she and her family went to the mosque. After returning home, she played and jumped rode with her sisters, rested, had lunch and then left for school at noon. She had to walk 30 minutes to reach her classroom which made her dislike school. Classes ran from 1PM to 5:30PM. After returning home, she played again with her sisters before taking a bath, ate dinner, did her homework and went to bed around 10:30 PM.

CLASS OF 2024

Alina from Ukraine by Tsering Lhamo

   Alina is my classmate and she came from Ukraine. She had to come here leaving her family behind. Her father sent her here because in the Ukraine there is war. In class she told me a little about her background.

   In Ukraine, education is free for all kids until 17 years old but then if you want a degree, you have to pay a lot. Kids in her country start school at the age of six. Also medical treatment is not free, Some medical attention is free or you can get some help from the government, but if you need more, then you have to pay yourself.

   I wondered if she wanted to go back to her country because she didn't choose to come here. She told me here she has more opportunities. Alina has been in Connecticut for six months and she is taking a class to improve her language. She is working here and she told me back in her country it is very hard to get a job that you really want. We got to talk a little bit about each culture and it was so nice to learn new things. I'm happy to have a classmate like her.                   

Ukraine

My Classmate from the Oriente in Ecuador by Paola Arevalo

    Nataly is from Ecuador. She tells me she is from a region called the Oriente located in the east of Ecuador. Oriente does not have seasons but the climate is temperate. She has a favorite river called the Upano. 

   Their typical clothing is a top and skirt for both genders. Oriente is a place of very friendly people. A typical food is Ayampaco. It is a roll of food wrapped in a leaf, and there is a drink called Guayusa with many flowers inside. Nataly says the Oriente is a good place for vacations.

Upano River

My Classmate from the Sierras of Ecuador by Nataly Morales

     Paola and I are from Ecuador but she is from a different region. I am from the east side of the country, and she is from a region in the middle of the country. The climate in her region is cold due to the mountains that contain snow. 

     The people of this region are white-skinned. Men's clothing is pants, shirts and ponchos, and the women wear a skirt, blouse and a poncho. Some of the things that grow most in her region are apples, corn and onions. 

     A popular place in her region is the Cathedral and Flower Square. In the Flower Square you can see all kinds of flowers.

     The traditional food to eat is guinea pig with potatoes and white corn served with rice accompanied with the traditional drink of this region which is Pitimas made of red flowers.

        

Flower Square

My Classmate From Tibet by Alina Chubata

    I had a small trip to Tibet. I have a classmate. Her name is Katrina. She is from Tibet. I have never been to Tibet, but Katrina told me a littel bit about her country, some food,and some traditions.

    Barley is a popular plant in the territory of Tibet and beyond. In this country people cook some dishes from barley. One of these dishes is named Tsampa. This dish is eaten for breakfast in Tibet with butter and green tea.

    The second most popular dish is named Momo. It is a steamed dumping filled with vegetables, sometimes fried until golden brown. Momo is traditionally served with three sauces: soy, garlic, and chili. Traditionally people in Tibet eat food with hands or chopsticks. They do not use a fork or spoon.

    In Tibet the popular religion is Buddhism. I do not know much about this religion, but Katrina told me about one holiday. In Tibetan "Lhabab Duchen" in translation is "Festival of the Descent from Heaven". Lhabab Duchen is an important holiday in Buddhism. This holiday means Buddha comes to earth. When Buddha was born his mother died after 7 days. His mother was in Heaven. When Buddha grew up, he returned to Heaven to teach his mother and other gods. After 90 days (about 3 months) he returned to earth. When she told me about her country, I felt like I had been on a small trip. Thank you very much Katrina!

Tibetan Momo

My Classmate from Haiti by Mona Baquero

     Haiti is a country that believes it's freedom is very important. On Januay 1st, they celebrate their independence with squash soup, music and festivals.

In Haiti a person is free to choose the person that they love and they want to live for the rest of their life. A real problem in Haiti today is the amount of crime, there's kidnapping, robbery and extreme poverty. But it's not an impediment to liberty to be who they want to be and grow up their goals.

    Also it's good to know that they have Haiti's national dish: beef or goat become tasso, while pork becomes griot. Their religion is primarily Catholic, although in some instances it's profoundly modified and influenced through syncretism. All this information shows us that Haiti is a country where people can choose what they want to do live their dream.

Independence Day in Haiti