In an Instant

"An instant later she's gone from the stage." Page 152

This is just like the family's life. They went to Canada and her father got detained in what seems like a flash. Nadira got them out of detainment in an instant. I know it just seems like an instant, although in real life it would have been weeks or months for these things to happen. I just thought the quote was sleek and simple. A very cool sentence.

"And we do as he taught us. We hold our breath, then let them out, bit by bit. We push forward into the unknown. Go." Page 159

The ending line. A little line with so much to say. It's also jumbled up into a sort of mess. The first two sentences were mentioned earlier in the book. Abba told Nadira, while teaching her to swim, to breath because it will get her through everything. I personally think that breathing is very good advice to give anyone. The second part was a little more confusing. Although when you think about it, it's not that confusing. As a world we are always moving forward. Time is always ticking, isn't it? Go. Huh? That's all I have to say about that.

Happiness

"Even though Abba and Aisha are proud of what I did, they can't seem to be happy." Page 142

I felt sorry for Abba and Aisha, as well as Nadira. Of course Abba and Aisha can't be happy because they live in fear of being deported. I also feel sorry for Nadira because it seems that the first time that Nadira accomplishes something great, her family can't be happy for her. Before they started to Canada, her family was focused on Aisha, Aisha, Aisha. At that time they were a little less focused on immigrating and they were probably a lot happier. Nadira's accomplishment came at a bad time when her family wasn't as focused. Something else that caught my atention was how Ma wasn't mentioned in the sentence. I think she wasn't metioned because she did show Nadira how proud she was by thanking her and congratulating her. I wish Nadira's greatness could come at a different time when the family could be prouder of her. Maybe they will notice her later in the book.

Annoying News

"Up on the bus station's mounted television, the news is flashing. It makes me nauseous, all those pictures from the war." Page 125

It is so true. The news is pictures of daily life flashing by on a screen. '10 wounded, 8 killed in explosion. Girl falls prey to bear. Man arrested for possession of drugs.' All of the headlines can make you sick, the world we live in isn't safe, no matter how much we wish it is was. Nadira said, "It makes me nauseous....", well Nadira, it makes me nauseous too. The news just makes the headlines reach people that would not know about what happened otherwise, thus make the news the headline generator. They decided what comes in and what goes out. A group of people controlling what you think, now doesn't that make you feel warm and fuzzy inside?

Fashion in the U.S.A.

"Years later when we moved to Queens, Abba took me to the city pool in Flushing Meadow Park. All his friends gave him a hard time, saying it was shameless what people wore there."

at first it was weird, to me, that Abba's friend thought that people were shameless because of what they wore at a public pool. What you wear isn't what makes you shameless, it what you do and how you do it. Then it stuck, their culture is so different from ours. Of course somebody from a different country would find what people wear apaleing. Especially when you come from a place where women are supposed to cover their hair or faces. I was wondering, do his friends not go to the public pool. Or do his friends go to the pool and just be disgusted?

In This Country

"I didn't know you could do something like that. I sure didn't know a girl could do something like that." Page 106

To me, these sentences were wonderful and horrible at the same time. It made me so happy when Nadira realized that she could actually do something wonderful in this country and that her sister wasn't better than her. At the same time I felt horrible she didn't know that a GIRL could be a geologist. The way she was raised has affected how she thinks about the world, gender, and attitude. I wish she would just prop open her eyes and stare at the outer world for a while. This quote also confused me. "I didn't know you could do something like that." confused me because I wonder if she was refering to college in general, studying, geology, or collecting rock samples. Other than that miner confusion, the quote struck me because it had two different meanings and backgrounds to it.

The Big Shift

"I wish I could just put a hand to her skin, stop her whirring inside." Page 93

When I read Nadira saying this, I was surprised. Nadira was going back to being nice to her sister and it seems like she feels sorry for her sister. Aisha is crumbling before Nadira's eyes. The way the sisters are acting twords each other has changed tremendously. I remember Kat saying that she expected Nadira to to do something awful to Aisha, like destroying her chances at college. While I am a little sad that she didn't do anything, I also think that it would just make the book more confusing emotionally. Another quote I found that make me feel the same thing as this one is, "That's when I realize that Aisha just let me into to her life because she's feeling left out of her own." Page 91 I thought of a metaphor for this book, it's like jumping into a pool. You get the courage to jump(go to Canada); take the plunge(suffer the consequences); come to the surface(make it through). I no longer know who to feel sorry for. Who do you feel sorry for or do you feel sorry for anyone?

Extreme Words

"His words hang in the air, vibrating like an electric wave. We know what they mean. You're illegal, and we can push this further. Don't make a fuss. We hold the cards." Page 82

This whole thing surprised me. Certain words can mean so much more than you thought they could. While everything in this paragraph got to me, "we hold the cards." was the one that got to me. The sheer power of that phrase is shocking. I found it kind of mean. Why does someone deserve something like this. This being the struggle of a better life and specifically immigration.

Realization

"I think about what Ma said, how I'm patient and that one day people will see my slow,steady strength. And I keep thinking about Ali-uncle, how he never hurries himself, and he always knows in advance what he's going to do or say." Page 79

I absolutely love this quote. It shows that Nadira is gaining some much needed self confidence. I really hope that people do see her strength, not her weaknesses. Ali-uncle never hurries himself, he always thinks about what he wants to do or say, he never seems to hurt anyone(good) with his words. I like the way the whole paragraph ends on a good note, a much needed good note. I like the 'deep' writing in the last paragraph. I really think it adds something to the book. I do hope that people realize Nadira's strength.

So Wrong About Her

"She's much to conceited. She will make problems later on in life." Page 57

This was Abba's parents referring to Nadira's mother. I find it to be funny that she hasn't really been a problem so far. We haven't read a lot about her. I don't know why it is, but it seems that parents in India much prefer chosing who their son or daughter marrys. Why is this? I really liked this quote, though. I sort of thought it was funny.

Borders

Why do borders not have a line marking where they are?

I noticed that many borders have no distinct markings. On maps there are lines marking where the borders are. The most I saw was a fence with a hole in it. Doesn't that defeat the purpose of having a fence? I didn't find much in common between the movie and Ask Me No Questions.

Repetition

"He doesn't talk too much either; his words are sour balls in his mouth." Page 43

I read this and went; what is up with words being stones or sour balls? It reminded me of when Nadira said, "...words inside me are stones in my mouth." I am starting to think that words words are very powerful things for the characters in this book, why else would Marina Budhos use so many metaphors for words? This quote also makes me feel sorry for Nadira, like she's getting lonelier and lonelier. The end of the chapter just added on to the feeling of loneliness for me. I really hope that she will find someone trustworthy enough to tell her situation to.

History of a Country and Other Random Things

Nadira talked about the history of Bangladesh. Bangladesh lies in the northeast corner of India. Nadira talked about how the land melts into the sea and back again. It was an interesting way of thinking about how much Bangladesh is affected by the sea and other bodies of water. She also mentioned that they ate hisla fish. I was interested in learning about hisla fish so I did a little research on it and I found an article at the BBC news website. I found out that for a while, India had a ban on hisla fish imported from Bangladesh. India's government put the ban on hisla fish imported from Bangladesh because it was unsanitary.

Life's Tough

"That not all I am, I want to say, but she has all ready hung up." Page 39

This sentence really got me because even though her mom noticed Nadira, she still doesn't get her completely. They still favor Aisha. I really want to know what else Nadira wants to tell her mom. It seems so unfair to like one daughter more than the other, and really show it. I want to know if they even notice how much the fawn over Aisha.

"You must say nothing. Not to your parents, not to anyone." Page 36

Reading this made me realize just how much it takes to be an illegal immigrant in this country. You have to keep so many secrets. It seems like it would be hard to just up-root yourself and go somewhere else. It was just a shock to me.

(B)log vs. (B)log

I noticed that both Becca and Kat quoted what Aisha said about obese people. I thought it was interesting that both of them had the same quote but they each had a different view on what it meant. Becca said that she thought it was rude while Kat said that it showed the perfect side of Aisha.

Cracks, Personalities, and Two-faced People

Nadira seems to be cracking. She can't take Aisha bossing her around anymore. In some ways, I wish Aisha would just stop bossing Nadira around, but it makes a great story! I found it interesting that Aisha is two-sided. One-side is for adults and for her friends, and one is for Nadira. I think true Aisha is going to be revealed later in the book.

"After she's crawled under the covers, she keeps talking in the dark, rehersing who she wants to be the next day." Page 24
This sentence stood out to me becuase it occured to me that Aisha has no personality of her own. She's simply trying on other people's personalities. Let me explain it; do you lay in bed and practice what you're going to say to you'r friends tomorrow? Didn't think so(if you said yes, you're one of a kind). Everybody I know has their own voice, their own style, their own personality. No one I know changes who they are every day. The only reason, I see, for changing yourself every day is that you don't know who you truly are.

"Who says you're in charge?" Page 27
Nadira said this. I was like, "YEAH! fight back for once." I was sort of proud of her, resisting what her sister said. I know it's not much of a fight, but I was happy that she said something. She is still cracking, but slower than I thought.

The First Chapter

"Every night Abba brought home wads of dollars that Ma collected in a silk bag she bought in Chinatown." Page 8
This sentence was interesting to me because Nadira and her family are Indian, yet Ma went in to Chinatown and bought a silk bag. That just stood out because it shows how much of a melting pot our nation is.

"She looks gratefully at Aisha, and my stomach twists with jealousy." Page 7
After I read this, I felt sorry for Nadira. She seems to always come second to Aisha, and this is just the first chapter! Maybe this foreshadowing of something happening to Aisha later in the book? To tell you the truth I wouldn't be very sad if something happened to Aisha. To me, she's the snobby older sister and Nadira is hiding behind her shadow.