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.