Monday, April 17, 2017
Wednesday, September 7, 2016
My Summer At Syracuse
In December of Last Year, I was accepted to the Syracuse Summer College Program. Not only did it provide High School seniors with the college experience, it also allowed them to take legitimate college courses and gain credits for them. I spent six weeks living on the Syracuse Campus, and was able to freely explore the city and the programs that Syracuse University had to offer. It was a writing intensive course; I took an introductory course to college writing and a Media Literacy course, which was extremely challenging. Both my professors were very welcoming of their students, and remained friendly with all of us while maintaining a professional relationship.
I was accompanied by four other BCSM students, who I grew closer to as the summer progressed. Together we experienced the stressful atmosphere of college life, the diversity of the student body, and the entertainment of living by ourselves for a month and a half. I can honestly say that midterms and finals week almost made want to bury myself in a hole; never have I been so stressed in my life. However, all of the experiences that I accumulated have made me a better writer and I have learned some strategies are applicable to both my high school and college careers.
Karyann, Nadia, and Youma, and I on our way to
the pool!
In addition to learning professionalism, I also learned how to interact with other students that I was not familiar with. When I wasn't with my fellow BCSM classmates, I had to talk to other summer college students to get ahead on my assignments and for additional assistance. I ended up making tons of friends that I still talk to!
Between juggling assignments and my personal life, I also learned a great deal of independence.
Tuesday, September 6, 2016
Summer 2016
Hafsa Mamun
I was definitely expecting a better summer this year. It wasn't completely terrible but it could have been better. I wasn't able to go out much right after school ended because the month of Ramadan was taking place until July 16th. Since, I was hungry most of the day, I had no energy to go outside or do anything. However, I had to go to work during the weekends. I had been offered a job at Dunkin Donuts right before school had ended. I would work from 7 am- 4 pm every weekend. It was not easy the first few days. I was really nervous to approach customers and was pressured to do things in a timely manner. But, I got the hang of it a few weeks later. It was a great experience because I got to do something out of my comfort zone. The worst part of it was dealing with complicated customers. The few people that wanted everything perfect. No matter how hard you try, it was very hard to please those few customers. However, this position allowed me to grow more patient. If a customer was not satisfied with their order, I would try my best to make it the way they wanted. It just taught me to be more flexible and it gave me a chance to view different personalities. Anyways, after a long day at work, I would come home tired and drained with a empty stomach. These were the days I would really look forward to breaking my fast and eating all the good food my mom had made. Ramadan was a very special month for me because it had just created peace within my family and in my heart. But, I was also very exciting as Eid started approaching closer and closer. It had finally arrived and on this day all my family and friends got together for a huge feast. Everyone had good clothes on and were dressed very nicely. All the kids and teens were very cheerful every time they would receive money as a gift and blessing from someone. My siblings and cousins used their money to go and buy all the candy and sweets they wanted. It was a very lively environment. It was most exciting because my cousins wedding day was coming closer. So all of my family was preparing for the big day. We were busy in buying gifts, making invitations, creating the itinerary, and so on.
Traditional weddings in Indian culture lasts for three days. The festivities and celebrations had began on August 4. On this day the bride applied mehndi (henna) and all the women got together to dance and sing.
The second day was the Nikkah (wedding) day.
The final day was on August 6. This was the reception day. It was also the most exciting because it was the big day. It was the most enjoyable day and it took place in Long Island.
The wedding was probably the highest peak of my summer. It was so much fun and I really wish I can go back.
After the wedding I started working three days a week and started shadowing a dentist twice a week since that's the field I want to go to. Shadowing was a unique experience because I got to view every thing first-hand. I was like a assistant to my dentists. He would make me familiar with all the instruments that he was using and I would see him clean peoples teeth. This has just raised my interest in this career.
Finally, during labor day weekend my family took a trip to Buffalo. I went to the Niagara Falls and did some shopping at the mall. It was just a final mini vacation we took before school started. It was bittersweet because we didn't like the idea of summer ending but we also enjoyed the long road trip.
My summer was not as boring as I thought it would be but, I was hoping for more trips and fun. The wedding and the trip to Buffalo was probably my favorite part and I really wish I had a time-machine so I could repeat everything all over again.
I will really miss all this as soon as school starts and as the stress to applying to colleges begin. Therefore, I am grateful for my summer.
I was definitely expecting a better summer this year. It wasn't completely terrible but it could have been better. I wasn't able to go out much right after school ended because the month of Ramadan was taking place until July 16th. Since, I was hungry most of the day, I had no energy to go outside or do anything. However, I had to go to work during the weekends. I had been offered a job at Dunkin Donuts right before school had ended. I would work from 7 am- 4 pm every weekend. It was not easy the first few days. I was really nervous to approach customers and was pressured to do things in a timely manner. But, I got the hang of it a few weeks later. It was a great experience because I got to do something out of my comfort zone. The worst part of it was dealing with complicated customers. The few people that wanted everything perfect. No matter how hard you try, it was very hard to please those few customers. However, this position allowed me to grow more patient. If a customer was not satisfied with their order, I would try my best to make it the way they wanted. It just taught me to be more flexible and it gave me a chance to view different personalities. Anyways, after a long day at work, I would come home tired and drained with a empty stomach. These were the days I would really look forward to breaking my fast and eating all the good food my mom had made. Ramadan was a very special month for me because it had just created peace within my family and in my heart. But, I was also very exciting as Eid started approaching closer and closer. It had finally arrived and on this day all my family and friends got together for a huge feast. Everyone had good clothes on and were dressed very nicely. All the kids and teens were very cheerful every time they would receive money as a gift and blessing from someone. My siblings and cousins used their money to go and buy all the candy and sweets they wanted. It was a very lively environment. It was most exciting because my cousins wedding day was coming closer. So all of my family was preparing for the big day. We were busy in buying gifts, making invitations, creating the itinerary, and so on.
Traditional weddings in Indian culture lasts for three days. The festivities and celebrations had began on August 4. On this day the bride applied mehndi (henna) and all the women got together to dance and sing.
 |
| My beautiful Cousin, Saleha |
The second day was the Nikkah (wedding) day.
 |
| The Bride and Groom |
The wedding was probably the highest peak of my summer. It was so much fun and I really wish I can go back.
After the wedding I started working three days a week and started shadowing a dentist twice a week since that's the field I want to go to. Shadowing was a unique experience because I got to view every thing first-hand. I was like a assistant to my dentists. He would make me familiar with all the instruments that he was using and I would see him clean peoples teeth. This has just raised my interest in this career.
Finally, during labor day weekend my family took a trip to Buffalo. I went to the Niagara Falls and did some shopping at the mall. It was just a final mini vacation we took before school started. It was bittersweet because we didn't like the idea of summer ending but we also enjoyed the long road trip.
My summer was not as boring as I thought it would be but, I was hoping for more trips and fun. The wedding and the trip to Buffalo was probably my favorite part and I really wish I had a time-machine so I could repeat everything all over again.
I will really miss all this as soon as school starts and as the stress to applying to colleges begin. Therefore, I am grateful for my summer.
Summer 2016
Hafsa Mamun
I was definitely expecting a better summer this year. It wasn't completely terrible but it could have been better. I wasn't able to go out much right after school ended because the month of Ramadan was taking place until July 16th. Since, I was hungry most of the day, I had no energy to go outside or do anything. However, I had to go to work during the weekends. I had been offered a job at Dunkin Donuts right before school had ended. I would work from 7 am- 4 pm every weekend. It was not easy the first few days. I was really nervous to approach customers and was pressured to do things in a timely manner. But, I got the hang of it a few weeks later. It was a great experience because I got to do something out of my comfort zone. The worst part of it was dealing with complicated customers. The few people that wanted everything perfect. No matter how hard you try, it was very hard to please those few customers. However, this position allowed me to grow more patient. If a customer was not satisfied with their order, I would try my best to make it the way they wanted. It just taught me to be more flexible and it gave me a chance to view different personalities. Anyways, after a long day at work, I would come home tired and drained with a empty stomach. These were the days I would really look forward to breaking my fast and eating all the good food my mom had made. Ramadan was a very special month for me because it had just created peace within my family and in my heart. But, I was also very exciting as Eid started approaching closer and closer. It had finally arrived and on this day all my family and friends got together for a huge feast. Everyone had good clothes on and were dressed very nicely. All the kids and teens were very cheerful every time they would receive money as a gift and blessing from someone. My siblings and cousins used their money to go and buy all the candy and sweets they wanted. It was a very lively environment. It was most exciting because my cousins wedding day was coming closer. So all of my family was preparing for the big day. We were busy in buying gifts, making invitations, creating the itinerary, and so on.
Traditional weddings in Indian culture lasts for three days. The festivities and celebrations had began on August 4. On this day the bride applied mehndi (henna) and all the women got together to dance and sing.
The second day was the Nikkah (wedding) day.
The final day was on August 6. This was the reception day. It was also the most exciting because it was the big day. It was the most enjoyable day and it took place in Long Island.
The wedding was probably the highest peak of my summer. It was so much fun and I really wish I can go back.
After the wedding I started working three days a week and started shadowing a dentist twice a week since that's the field I want to go to. Shadowing was a unique experience because I got to view every thing first-hand. I was like a assistant to my dentists. He would make me familiar with all the instruments that he was using and I would see him clean peoples teeth. This has just raised my interest in this career.
Finally, during labor day weekend my family took a trip to Buffalo. I went to the Niagara Falls and did some shopping at the mall. It was just a final mini vacation we took before school started. It was bittersweet because we didn't like the idea of summer ending but we also enjoyed the long road trip.
My summer was not as boring as I thought it would be but, I was hoping for more trips and fun. The wedding and the trip to Buffalo was probably my favorite part and I really wish I had a time-machine so I could repeat everything all over again.
I will really miss all this as soon as school starts and as the stress to applying to colleges begin. Therefore, I am grateful for my summer.
I was definitely expecting a better summer this year. It wasn't completely terrible but it could have been better. I wasn't able to go out much right after school ended because the month of Ramadan was taking place until July 16th. Since, I was hungry most of the day, I had no energy to go outside or do anything. However, I had to go to work during the weekends. I had been offered a job at Dunkin Donuts right before school had ended. I would work from 7 am- 4 pm every weekend. It was not easy the first few days. I was really nervous to approach customers and was pressured to do things in a timely manner. But, I got the hang of it a few weeks later. It was a great experience because I got to do something out of my comfort zone. The worst part of it was dealing with complicated customers. The few people that wanted everything perfect. No matter how hard you try, it was very hard to please those few customers. However, this position allowed me to grow more patient. If a customer was not satisfied with their order, I would try my best to make it the way they wanted. It just taught me to be more flexible and it gave me a chance to view different personalities. Anyways, after a long day at work, I would come home tired and drained with a empty stomach. These were the days I would really look forward to breaking my fast and eating all the good food my mom had made. Ramadan was a very special month for me because it had just created peace within my family and in my heart. But, I was also very exciting as Eid started approaching closer and closer. It had finally arrived and on this day all my family and friends got together for a huge feast. Everyone had good clothes on and were dressed very nicely. All the kids and teens were very cheerful every time they would receive money as a gift and blessing from someone. My siblings and cousins used their money to go and buy all the candy and sweets they wanted. It was a very lively environment. It was most exciting because my cousins wedding day was coming closer. So all of my family was preparing for the big day. We were busy in buying gifts, making invitations, creating the itinerary, and so on.
Traditional weddings in Indian culture lasts for three days. The festivities and celebrations had began on August 4. On this day the bride applied mehndi (henna) and all the women got together to dance and sing.
|
| My beautiful Cousin, Saleha |
The second day was the Nikkah (wedding) day.
|
| The Bride and Groom |
The wedding was probably the highest peak of my summer. It was so much fun and I really wish I can go back.
After the wedding I started working three days a week and started shadowing a dentist twice a week since that's the field I want to go to. Shadowing was a unique experience because I got to view every thing first-hand. I was like a assistant to my dentists. He would make me familiar with all the instruments that he was using and I would see him clean peoples teeth. This has just raised my interest in this career.
Finally, during labor day weekend my family took a trip to Buffalo. I went to the Niagara Falls and did some shopping at the mall. It was just a final mini vacation we took before school started. It was bittersweet because we didn't like the idea of summer ending but we also enjoyed the long road trip.
My summer was not as boring as I thought it would be but, I was hoping for more trips and fun. The wedding and the trip to Buffalo was probably my favorite part and I really wish I had a time-machine so I could repeat everything all over again.
I will really miss all this as soon as school starts and as the stress to applying to colleges begin. Therefore, I am grateful for my summer.
My Summer
This summer was probably the most boring one I've had so far; I didn't really have plans and hardly anything to do. One fun thing I did this summer was attend a CodeNow program which lasted 3 days. There, I was introduced to the coding language Ruby. It was confusing to understand, but I had a fun time at the program as I met new people and was given free food. It amazes me how far technology has come, it's everywhere and it plays a humongous role in our daily lives. But for the majority of the summer, I stayed indoors and played games or practice learning guitar. I don't really mind staying indoors, but it can get really boring. I hope next year I make some plans. I'm hoping I could travel to different places in or out of the country or state or get a job.
Summer 2016
This summer was one of the best summers i have had in a long time. I was able to go to Vermont with my family for two weeks. Vermont is only five hours away from New York but it felt as if we had gone to a new country. Unlike New York, Vermont has many trees and animals. It also didn't have many buildings, it was like a town that one would see in the movies. During that time i witnessed many things that weren't normal to me.
I saw huge acres of land that held animals, crops and a bunch of trees. I also met a lot of really nice people which is odd to me since the Bronx isn't a very friendly environment. I was so fascinated by the fact that the people would start a conversation over the littlest things. One day my family had went to the grocery store, i was supposed to get cheese and ham while the rest of my family looked for other stuff. While in line, two ladies started randomly talking to me about maple ham. Never in my life would i have thought that i would have a 5 minute conversation about ham, specifically maple ham. Besides that encounter, people would always say hi which was somewhat weird since i didn't know them but nice because i was able to interact with other human beings besides my family. Overall, i had a great summer with my family. We interacted with each other way more then we did the whole year. This trip was filled of barbecues, movie nights and late night adventures.
Monday, September 5, 2016
My Summer Experience
So my summer could have been better but I really enjoyed working at my dad shop. He's a mechanic and a car dealer and he wanted me to be a secretary in his office. All I did was pick up the phone and take messages. When customers came in, I had to assist them in what they needed. If they wanted a car or also wanted to buy one, I ask for the consent of my dad and went ahead to do so. Buying cars is fun because it's an auction and the customer has to tell me the highest price I have to go on their car. Sometimes I win the car, sometimes I don't. Also me and my sister helped push a car into the street. Yes it was very heavy but it was fun until oil got all over my jeans. That's how my summer went in July. I really enjoyed being able to help others find what they desire and also being around family because most of the customers were people I knew.
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