Skip to main content

Maktoob



    ‘’Something has changed within me, something is not the same’’ -Defying Gravity.  Allah, my mother, my teacher, and the World had helped me a lot, and  now its my turn to pay it back to them.
      There will be a Spelling Bee Competition at our school in five days.  They’ve told us about it two months ago.  I was really angry about the idea, ‘’Really?  A spelling bee?!’’ I thought in my mind.  Words weren’t really important for me, spelling was nothing for me too.  But… When I saw the movie Akeelah and the Spelling Bee, one month ago, I knew that I can be great at spelling.  I knew that I can love words.  But I was sure that I can win.  If spelling is my biggest fear, then why not make it something that I love?  I can face that fear and win…
     Yesterday, something strange happened.  Or let me say it was ‘’Maktoob’’ to happen.  I started to have some nightmares toward the competition.  There’re some brilliant girls, there’re girls who live to spell and learn, there’re girls who are…bet…better than me.
      I removed this stupid idea from my mind, and prayed to Allah.  I asked him for happiness.  I want to be happy if anyone won.  I want to have fun, and that’s the purpose of the competition!  Having fun, believing, believing that you can if you want.
     I have a friend who loves to translate words.  Who loves to discover and search, who loves to memorize.  Who loves to solve and look at everything.  This friend has decided to enter the competition.  Let me be honest with you (I love to be honest with people), she is a strong opponent, and she’s good.  But guess what?  I don’t care!  I want to have fun, right?!
   ‘’When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.’’ -Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist.  It’s my turn to pay it back.  When my friend wins, that will mean a lot to her, because that is her dream.  That is what she wants in life.  That’s why I’m stepping aside, and that’s why I’m gonna have fun, so she can have her moment if it’s ‘’Maktoob’’ to her.


April 5th, 2012

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Two Days With Dad يومان مع والدي

*This blog post was written only two days before my dear father's accident -may he rests in peace-. *هذا المقال كُتب يومان فقط قبل وفاة والدي الحبيب رحمه الله  Tears may express both happiness and sadness. A shaking voice can describe either fear or sorrow. A shivering body can describe all of the mentioned above. But what if, only if at one point in life, all of these emotions combine together to crash the human's body? What if our emotions can break our hearts in a second, then build them back again in the next?  الدموع قد تعبر عن كلا السعادة و الحزن. الصوت المكسور قد يعبر عن الخوف و الأسى. الجسم المرتعش قد يعبر عن جميع ما ذكر بالأعلى. و لكن ماذا إذا، فقط إذا في وقفة معينة في الحياة، كل هذه المشاعر تجتمع سوياً لتكسر جسد الإنسان؟  ماذا إذا كانت مشاعرنا قادرة على كسر قلوبنا في لحظة، و إعادة بنائها في الثانية التي تليها؟  Goodbyes are meant to happen to everyone. As I grow up, I realize how hard they can be depending on whom I'm saying goodbye to....
4 comments
Read more

خطوة للأمام A Step Forward

سمك كنعد مقلي فوق رز أبيض. إجتمعت عائلتي حول هذه الوجبة الأخيرة، و بدأت شخصياً بالإستمتاع بالوجبة التي بدأت بها إجازتي و التي تنتهي بها الآن. في البداية، الجميع  حول السفرة كان يسأل عن موعد عودتي لأمريكا و كأننا جميعاً نريد أن نطمأن أنفسنا بأن لازال لدينا الكثير من الوقت معاً. المزيد من الوقت لسمك أكثر، شاي بالحبق و السكر، ليالي السمر، و غيرها.  و الآن، الجميع يسألني عن موعد عودتي للمملكة.  نحاول دائماً أن نضع "خطة ب" لكي لا يصدمنا الواقع بسرعته بما يحمله لنا من أحداث لنعيشها. جميعنا نختار الرحيل، لكن ذلك لا يخفف من قوته أبداً.  Fried fish on top of white rice.  My family gathered around this last meal, and I was personally enjoying the dish which started and ended my summer trip to Saudi.  Everyone around the table asked me about the date of my return trip back to the States at the start of the summer, as if we were all trying to reassure ourselves that we still have plenty of time together.  More time for more fish, more sweet tea with mi...
3 comments
Read more

"Glocal" at the United Nations Youth Assembly

Those who dream, will definitely achieve.  The efforts we put into chasing our goals will be recognized.  Our faith in God, and those long nights praying with so much hope in our hearts.  The taste of accomplishment, that happiness, the laughter, oh and those tears of pure joy.  Standing up for the right, and fighting for the good.  We were all born great, but at the end of the day, it is up to us to realize that greatness and use it proactively.  Nobody’s better than the other, we are made different so we can come together and join those differences together for our own good.  If we’re the same, then competing will never get us anywhere, because “team work makes the dream work” according to a great wise friend of mine.  Working hand by hand to reach the finish line will get us further and further in life.  This past week, I had the honor to be the Saudi Delegate to the United Nations Youth Assembly, and this is the story of how this week t...
2 comments
Read more