Love

Love. How can I help myself from thinking of you when I think of this word.

Blessed

I was eating Samosa. My mother was feeding me with her own hands. I was very happy and peaceful. The Samosa was hot and spicy-perfect for my taste. Suddenly a girl's voice made me jump.

I wasn't at home anymore. My mom disappeared. No samosas. :(  It was my U.S. Government class in America-oh right, I am on my exchange year in America. The lights were off and a documentary was going on the screen in class.

It took me a long moment to realize that I fell asleep during my Gov class. Being in Pakistan with mom was a dream-a beautiful one. My mouth was watered because of the delicious dream. I tried to concentrate on the documentary; which I apparently didn't miss a whole lot, and tried not to think about the dream-which was hard.

After class, I babbled with my friend about how hard is life without your country's food.American food is too blend. Chinese is sweet. There's nothing good for me to eat. I am missing my mom's homemade Pakistani Cuisine. 

-"God, I would pay a hundred dollars for Pakistani street food, right now", said me.
-"Well, that is great. I would get you some Paki food from an Indian restaurant. You give me the hundred dollars. I will take them to Haiti and feed the starving kids out there", said my friend.

I fell silent.

How do we not realize that how lucky we are? How can we ever regret about having this life?
-"My life is so hard. I can't take it anymore!"; My all-time-favorite line.
Hard? Hard? My life? 

Of course, my life where I go to school every morning. Hang out with friends. Have fun all the time. Eat as much as I want. Don't worry about the money I spent..It is very hard. But, the life of a farmer who is working in a field under the killing-hot sun since 6 in the morning, goes home after working all day at 9 at night, looks into his children's eyes and decides how to tell them that they'll have to divide the never-so-enough food among themselves (Again tonight), is easier than my life.

A kid in Haiti. (didn't wanna put a really sad image)

Feeling happy? yes? good. But that is not the point. The point is we all are a bunch of whiny dreamers, who like to build beautiful castles in the air but have no idea about the reality. 

Just be thankful that you are not the little girl in Afghanistan who was killed by a terrorist; because she wanted to go to school and become a doctor.

And that you are not the little kid in Haiti whose parents, house, school-if they even had one, siblings, everybody is dead! Who is left alone to face hunger, agony of loss and a dreadful life.

We are so blessed. And yet so ungrateful. Just recognize the signs of a happy life that God has granted you.

Hate your life?? Put yourself in any one of those examples above, you'll feel better about your life.

Spread the blessed light

 I am blessed! and so are you! If you have the access to read my opinions and ponder upon them, you are definitely lucky enough to have a computer and 2 meals a day. If you are lucky enough, help other people. Support your community. Go volunteer for some fund raising for places like Haiti instead of wasting your time and whining about the world. Stop Whining and just go fix it. If you have the resources, help others!  GO NOW!
Spread smiles..

The world needs love!
Stay Blessed.. :)

The count down Begins..

A year has passed and now we stand on the brink of returning to a world where we are surrounded by the paradox of everything and yet nothing being the same. In one month we will reluctantly give our hugs and, fighting the tears, say goodbye to people who were once just names on a sheet of paper to return to people that we hugged and fought tears to say goodbye to before ever left. We will leave or best friends to return to our best friends. We will go back to the places we came from and go back to the same things we did last summer and every summer before. We will come into town on that same familiar road, and even though it has been months, it will seem like only yesterday. As you walk into your old bedroom, every emotion will pass through you as you reflect on the way your life has changed and the person you have become. You suddenly realize that the things that were most important to you a year ago don't seem to matter so much anymore, and the things you hold highest now, no one at home will completely understand.

Who will you call first? What will you do your first weekend home with friends? Where are you going to work? Who will be at the party Saturday? What has everyone been up to in the past few months? Who from school will you keep in touch with? How long before you actually start missing people barging in without calling or knocking? Who will get breadsticks at three in the morning with you now? How long until you adjust to sleeping in a room again? Then you start to realize how much things have, and you realize the hardest part of college is balancing the two completely different worlds you now live in, trying desperately to hold on everything all the while trying to figure out what you have to leave behind. In the matter of one day's traveling time, we will leave our world of living next door to our best friends, walking across campus to eat, instant messenger, 8:30 classes, and perpetual procrastination to a world that will seem foreign to us despite the fact that we lived in it for years. But it is different now. We now know the meaning of true friendship. We know whom we have kept in touch with over the past year and whom we hold dearest to our hearts. We've left our high school worlds to deal with the real world. We've had our hearts broken, we've fallen in love, and we’ve helped our best friends overcome eating disorders, depression, stress, and death. We've given blood to help a fellow student fight leukemia. We've lit candles at the grotto and we've stayed up all night on the phone just to talk to a friend in need. There have been times when we've felt so helpless being hours away from home when we know our families or friends needed us most, and there are times when we know we have made a difference. One month from now we will leave. One month from now we take down our pictures, and pack up our clothes. No more going next door to do nothing for hours on end. We will leave our friends whose random emails and phone calls bring us to laughter and tears this summer. We will take our memories and dreams and put them away for now, saving them for our return to 
One month from now we will arrive. One month from now we will unpack bags and have dinner with our families. We will drive over to our best friend's house and do nothing for hours on end. We will return to the same friends whose random emails and phone calls have brought us to laughter and tears the year. We will unpack old dreams and memories that have been put away past year. In one month we will dig deep inside to find the strength and conviction to adjust to change and still keep each other close. And somehow, in some way, we will find our place between these two worlds.

In One month!!

:'(

World Nobel Summit 2012

I am Sonam Chawla form Pakistan. I have been placed in Dexter Michigan with AFS. I did a Peace Jam project with other YES students from 6 different countries around the world. Peace Jam was an amazing opportunity only for YES, FLEX and CB students.
  We decided to feed the homeless people for our service project. We raised funds for their meal by selling note cards. We interacted with them and asked about their lives and how did they end up being homeless. We cooked the meal together and took it to them. We were interviewed and our article was published in the local newspaper.
 http://heritage.com/articles/2012/03/10/dexter_leader/news/doc4f5a13a8a8891940285620.txt

After the success of our project, we went to the Peace Jam conference in Kalamazoo at the Western Michigan University on April 21- 22. We met Rigoberta Minchu Tum; The Nobel Peace Laureate form Guatemala there. I was asked by her to join her for lunch on April 21, 2012. During lunch I asked her questions about the barriers she faced in her country and how she dealt with them. I had the most prestigious lunch of my life on that day.
  On April 22, we presented our service project to her. But before that, they asked if any teenagers wanted to share their own stories of who and how inspired them. I was the first one to go On stage and speak in the Microphone. I shared the story of my life with them.I talked about how my family faced problems in my education and how my mother was the only one to support my education. I spoke for more than 20 minutes on stage. After I finished, everybody in the hall applauded for me. The Founder of Peace Jam hugged me and then Rigoberta Minchu Tum shook hands with me and I lit a candle- as a candle of hope and inspiration.
Rigoberta met me in person and said that she listened to my story and I am a strong girl. She said she believes in me and I can change the World. I was so honored to hear such words from A Nobel Peace Laureate!
I was encouraged and appreciated by several people out there. I was interviewed and asked about my life and my future plans.

World Nobel Summit 2012:

After the Peace Jam conference in Kalamazoo, we got a chance to attend the World Nobel Summit 2012 in Chicago. 21 Nobel Laureates from all around the world came and talked about inducing peace in the World and discussed what the Youth can do for that. 

 President Obama's video message for us.
There were rumors of him coming but he didn't come. He sent us a video message in which he apologized for not coming and encouraged the youth to believe in change.

 I met 21 Nobel Peace Laureates from all around the world in the Summit. Three of them I met in person, including Jody Williams (Nobel laureate from USA), Shirin Abadi (Laureate from Iran) and Rigoberta (Guatemala). I was the only YES student to meet Shirin Abadi.
On the second day of the Summit, we had a Peace Jam meeting with Jody Williams. I asked her a question in the meeting. I asked her about my country Pakistan, the relationship between Pakistan and US Government, her personal view about Pakistan and how to solve the conflicts. She came down from her seat and sat on stage and offered me to sit besides her. I sat with her and she answered that She believes in Peace and she thinks there should be no war anywhere. We had a big, interesting discussion because of the question about conditions in Pakistan. Now I am even Facebook-friends with her.
The same day after the end of the conference I talked met Shirin Abadi backstage. I talked to her about the education problems small town girls face in my country and how to make it better. She suggested me to use my computer to spread the awareness, gather people who believe in the same cause and then get started!
  All of the Nobel Peace Laureates were insisting on how Youth can make a difference! They all inspired me. I now believe in change!

 I am a Proud Peace Jammer! I am glad that I came to America and I thank YES program and the State Department for that. I thanks IEARN Pakistan for organizing YES program in Pakistan.

Me with Jody Williams on the right.

Me with Shirin Abadi on the left.

Michigan weather

Sitting on my porch, having a cup of tea at 7 in the evening. Without any winter coat or sweater, I know!
Yes, It is possible in Michigan. Sometimes.
I was so-not-used-to the Michigan weather when I first came to America. It was totally opposite to what I've been living in Pakistan. Michigan is way North in America while Karachi is to the South of Pakistan. K-Town is blessed with beautiful Beaches and sunny weather all year long. Ont he contrary, Michigan has cold weather all the time. Hard to adjust? Nah.. Snow is fun! ;) I had my first snow here in Michigan on Nov 29, 2011.
It was gorgeous..
                                                               
Yes, I loved it! Here's my reaction:

They say that if you don't like the weather of Michigan, just wait for 5 minutes.. Its true! And it has the most beautiful seasons I've ever experienced in my life. Michigan is the perfect place for a vacation.
If I ever move to America, I'll live in Michigan! <3