v15.2.10.lifestories

Our Life Stories

by Jorge Aguilar,Montgomery Village M.S.

This is the summary of my life. I was born in 1988 in Ecuador in a small city called Machala. In 1990 my brother was born in the same city.
In 1991 I started kindergarten. When I finished I got a diploma. The next year I started elementary school.
In 1991 my sister was born and after one year my grandfather died. Then in 1998 I graduated from elementary school, and started to play on a soccer team. I also got a diploma from a drawing contest.
In 1999 I moved to the U.S.A. When I came to the U.S. I did not know how to speak English. In the same year I started middle school and had to learn about another culture. In the future I want to become a soccer player.

by Aida A. Sow, Piney Branch E.S.

by Malick Sy, Montgomery Village M.S.

Senegal is a Muslim country where people fast a whole month every year, as many countries around the world are doing presently. People start fasting on November 27, 2000 because of the hour difference. On December 28,2000, Senegal celebrated the Aid-el-Fitr. It is celebrated the day following the last day of fasting. Men and some women, all beautifully dressed go to the mosque to pray. There is a "good" food smell in every house. People pay visits to neighbors, relatives and friends and give " Zakhat " (it means charity) to poor people.

Two months and ten days after the celebration of the Aid-el-Fitr, Muslim countries celebrate the Aid-El-Kebir . On that day, lambs are sacrificed to Allah. The celebration is even greater than Aid-el-Fitr. Very early in the morning, the young boys wash the lambs. When the men return from the mosque late in the morning, the lambs are sacrificed. Meat is given to people who could not buy lambs. People spend the day going from house to house eating and visiting.
The Aid-el-Fitr and Aid-el-Kebir are holidays when kids receive a lot of money and presents.

by Mercia Wenneh, Montgomery Village M.S.

Christmas is different for me here in America. In Liberia we don't use Christmas trees or decorations. As far as gifts are concerned, some people give the children money. Instead of wearing regular clothes, we dress in African attire. We also eat sugar cane on Christmas Day. For drinks we enjoy orange Fanta, cakes and Sprite. On this day mother cooks fish soup and potato salad which is very good. I love this day called Christmas. It's my favorite holiday.

by Kelie Tchouyaleukeu, Piney Branch E.S.

My school in Italy was called Guiseppe Cesare Abba. It was a very good school. To go to school, we had to walk or go by car. We sang, went to PE and at 12 o'clock, we went to lunch. But we had to wash our hands before we went to eat. We ate pasta with bread and bananas. After eating, sometimes we went to recess. In my school, we had two teachers, one for math and one for social studies. At Christmas, we had a concert and my mom and dad came to see me. That school was very, very good.

by Jose Rivas, Montgomery Village M.S.

My favorite holiday is Christmas because my family gives me presents. My family buys me new clothes and we go to eat .We give presents to other people. We don't go to school. We eat pupusas, tamales, enchiladas…. And I like it because the best Christmas I ever had was when I came to this country. But the only thing I missed from El Salvador is my grandmother.

by Andrea Onate, Montgomery Village M.S.

I was born on May 1, 1988 in Quito, Ecuador. I lived with my parent and my sister Carla. When I began kindergarten, I didn't want to go to school because I always stayed with my mom at home. But then I liked the school. When I passed kindergarten, I met a girl who became my best friend up until now. She is so cool. Her name is Ana.

When I was seven years old, my dad told me that we had the opportunity to go to the U.S.A. I was so happy, but lonely at the same time because I had to leave my family and friends. My parents said that if we went to this country, it is for a better life and I understood. Three days before the trip I had my confirmation.
Right now I live in Maryland, U.S.A. and I like this country. There are many opportunities for everybody in America. But it is so different than my country. The language, the school, the people, and everything is so different. But anyway I like this country and I want to live my whole life here.
My goals are to get good grades. I will achieve this by studying hard and doing all of my homework.

by Luis Herrera, Montgomery Village M.S.

This story is about my life. I was born in 1988 (Peru). Then, in 1989 was my first birthday. Later, when I was three years old I started kindergarten. One year later, I started practicing tae-kwon-do. In the next two years (1994), I started working on TV as an actor. During 1995 I started elementary school. Then in 1996 my parents got divorced.
Two years later in 1998, my best friend and I started playing alto saxophone. After that in 1999, it was my last year in elementary school. Finally in the year 2000 I came to the U.S.A. I'm in middle school and I can play tenor saxophone and you know what! I'm really happy here.

by Alpha Dieng, Piney Branch M.S.

When I was in Senegal, I used to live in Mary 'nas. My friends and I used to play soccer and tag. We played tag around the neighborhood and sometimes we just raced all around it. Then the most dangerous of all was a game called "Jump from the Window." We had to jump from the window of a house that was still being built and land in a pile of sand under it. The first time I tried it, I was scared but I still landed in the sand. Then when I kept doing it, I wasn't scared anymore because I had practice. I miss my neighborhood in Senegal and I wonder what games my friends are playing now.