Blog Log #13 (Last chapters!)

"It wasn't true. And none of those things tell you who he is or who we are."

I thought this sentence was really significant because it is totally true. People make assumptions about people from other races, but they don't actually ever get to know anything about them. I think it's wrong for people to make bad assumptions, because you have no proof that they are bad people. Just because there happens to be some terrorists or something from their country, doesn't mean that everyone from that particular country is automatically bad. It's not right to make those kinds of assumptions. You have to think about the situation from the other person's point of view. It not their fault that someone from their country decided to be a terrorist, they can't control that. You have to think about it very thoroughly....

Blog Log #12 chap. 16

"Aisha's huddled on the sofa, her knees drawn to her chest."

I thought this sentence was really significant because Aisha seemed to always be so confident and leading, but now she is a wreck, closed-up and miserable. It's like all the success and confidence has been sucked out of her! It's pretty sad really, how she turned her life around for the worse. I'm not sure why she helped Taslima leave, becasue it's pretty obvious that Uncle and Aunt would miss her, and I think it's pretty wrong to marry someone just to spite your parents. I wonder if Taslima ever wondered if asked her parents and giving few good point to why she should stay in the states, instead of being kind of a coward and running away. I don't like how she did that, and dragged Aisha in to help her. I wonder what Nadira would have done if Taslima asked her to help her run away? 

Blog Log #11 chap. 15

"All I keep thinking is I can't wait to tell Aisha." - pg. 136

When I read this quote, it made me realize how far Nadira has come thoughout the story. I remeber in the first chapter, Aisha made fun of Nadira (whether Aisha knew it or not), and Nadira felt useless. But now, Nadira is brave and loyal to her family. She realized that what she was going to do with Tareq was totally wrong, so instead she handeled it herself in an honest and legal way. I wonder whether Aisha will feel pround of her younger sister, or betrayed or mad because Nadira didn't include her in helping their father. I think that Nadira was sort of smart not to include Aisha in this, since she seems to be falling apart, plus she would totally explode at Nadira for even considering going to Tareq. But I think that the truth is that if Nadira hadn't taken the money and gone with Tareq, then she wouldn't have thought about going to Ma and Abba by herself. So here is my question to you: do you think Nadira would have gone to Ma and Abba by herself if she hadn't gone with Tareq in the first place?

 

Blog Log #10

"When I climb into the passenger seat, he flips open the glove compartment to show his gun inside." and "We walk in closer, and then I notice it, right next to a dish of rice and meat. A revolver." 

I thought it was strange that in the book Nadira didn't feel scared or nervous or even uneasy when Tareq showed her his gun in the glove compartment. When Tareq told her not to go tell her friends or say any names or pretend not to know anything, it seemed like a threat, but still Nadira acted totally normal and didn't really seem to care that she spent probably an hour in a car with an armed man. If I got into a car with someone who I didn't know very well who threated me not to tell anyone what was happening, I would run right out of that car! 

I think that Tareq showed her the gun to make sure that there was a difference between a friend and a coworker, and that he had power and knew where to find her and what he would do if she ratted him out.

Blog Log #9 Chapter 12

"Two guys are tossing a Frisbee in the air. They look so natural, so at home." - pg. 105

I chose this quote because the two guys are actually "so at home", while Nadira has to pretend to be at home. I wonder how Nadira feels, knowing that these people are automatically citizens and don't have to worry about immigration or the INS, and I wonder if she wonders how it would be to be at home in America, so carefree and not having to worry about being deported. 

Blog Log #8

"Yet I can feel Uncle and Abba, like shapes behind the walls."

I think that it would be really uncomfortible for you to be living with someone for such a long time, and then when it seems normal, they disapear from your life and it affects not just you but people around you too. I even imagine having someone leave from your home, and not being able to stop yourself from thinking that they will never come back. I can tell that Aisha feels like everything around her is crashing down, like an earthquake without warning. I wonder if anyone else from Nadira and Aisha life will have to leave, until its just them two, lost together in complete darkness.

Blog Log #7

"Clearly he's surprised at the way she's speaking in such clear, commanding English."

I thought it was so awesome that Taslima stood up to the immigration officers. I thought it was significant when the immigration officer took a step back when Taslima spoke to him, because I don't think he was expecting an illigal immigrant woman to be so educated about the laws and be brave enough to stand up to him. She showed him that anyone can be strong and commanding if they want to be, even if they do not hold the cards.