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Good Bye Amherest: Anushe Week 4

Dear Amherest,

Thank you for hosting me, and making your beautiful ground my home. At the heart of UMASS, I found so many blessings and experiences that have become a permanent part of my suitcase memories.

There is unconditional love in the universe which is often exhibited by care, affection and concern for the community in general. Tracing the experience of Amherest Survival Center indeed makes me believe more in the conceptualization of concern for the society, as no person is discriminated gainst when it boils down to sharing of the basic survival necessities.

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Week 4: Blog Prompt

Reflect on your last week in Amherst!  Perhaps there's a "Dear Amherst" goodbye message that you'd like to post.  

This week you had sessions on social entrepreneurship, LGBTQ rights, mass incarceration and Tahirah Amatul-Wadud's run for Congress.   You also did campaign presentations and volunteered at the Survival Center. You evening sessions at the Treehouse Community and went to the JCA. You had home visits and then hosted families for a closing dinner at SDT.  No doubt, you had some adventures and challenges that we don't even know about.  Tell a story about what you have learned about yourself, your peers, the US and Pakistan.

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Ahsan Ali: Week #2

2nd week in US passed too quickly and left us with some important knowledge about religion in US and 4th July Celebrations.

Class on religion taken by Sam Camera gave us an insight into a religion in US how religion is practiced here and how government deal with the religion here.

The 2nd thing that, I was amazed to experience here was 4th July (US Independence Day Celebrations) I attended parade in Chesterfield, after that we went for BBQ party with Civic Initiative where had great fun. We danced, played water fight and enjoyed BBQ Brunch. After the BBQ party ended we went to our dorms to get ready for fireworks. We all 30 people in group enjoyed fireworks with our mentors. Though the week passed too quickly but we had many things to learn.

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1st week: 'Here I'm in US' By Ayesha Sahibzada

Rewinding a bit, this all seems like a dream to me, from receiving the final email of selection to the visa interview, from meeting other participants to packing all the luggage, time in Ramada, a quite interactive PDO, mixed feelings of nervousness and excitement at the airport, the long connecting flight from Islamabad to Doha and then to Boston, crazy dancing and singing in the bus from Boston to Amherst and room check-ins.

Being a twenty one year old eastern introvert girl, there was this fear of being so far away from home for the first time but I was also feeling passionate about this opportunity that I've been so lucky to be selected for and wanted to make the most out of it. I met the mentors and found them very sweet and jolly. Everyone got into their mentor groups and my mentor is Sean who is a very sweet and down to earth kind of person. Lectures have been started with Shaheen, Tom, Mike, Raaz and few more. I'm loving the teachers and their very interactive and patient way of teaching so far. We have some American students in our class and it's fun to interact with them and get to know a completely different lifestyle.

One thing that turned out to be completely unexpected for me is my cultural difference from my fellow Pakistani students. We are students with different family backgrounds, different educational history, different fields, different languages, different mindsets and that is why we make very different choices in many of the things which is quite an interesting aspect for me of this cultural exchange program.

Looking forward to some good learning from Americans as well as fellow Pakistanis.

@ecaatstate @umassdonahueinstitute @#susi2019

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Imtiaz Ahmed: Week #3.

I’m very impressed with this program as it gave us myriad of moments to recall throughout my life. A day spent well with heart warming American host family. The immense amount of love, care and conversation over culture, religion and family brought us even more close. Boat ride to Connecticut river and smile on host parents face just made my day the best. Learned how to fish and ride boat from wonderful parents and it’ll be the sweetest memory in my heart forever.

The Montague Bookmill trip was particularly efficient, beautiful and it claims to have 40,000 books and waterfall. The stores motto is “Books you don’t need in a place you can’t find”.

Volunteering at the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, to help sorting food for the households in need. They’ve been doing great work by saving tons of food and serving it to community and end hunger. I was thrilled by the system and way it utilizes.

The farmers market was fun and great to see people from towns bringing up different stocks and selling them. Also few stalls from students and civics were very intriguing.

Afternoon arrival at the Mount Monadnock, a beautiful mountain for hiking and great host who held this spot for us and gave us quality time to cherish. Lucky to meet few of the very experienced people from american politics and had an insightful gossip and heard interesting facts and stories of their serving tenure.

A moments insight is sometimes worth a life’s experience.

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'Third Week in Amherst'By Ayesha Sahibzada

The start of my third week in Amherst was very sweet. I turned 21 on Monday night and an amazing surprise birthday party was waiting for me of which I was completely unaware. Some of my friends kept me engaged while others were busy in it's preparation all day and I was mad at them for acting distant and mysterious. All my anger vanished away when I saw those thirty people screaming 'Happy Birthday' including my mentors with a big cake, balloons and gifts. On Monday afternoon I went to Northampton for the very first time with my friends, enjoyed roaming around and in a bar on open mic my friends sang a birthday song for me followed by some other Hollywood and Bollywood songs that I and people there loved. I thought the excitement of the day has ended but I was proven wrong when we got a call from one of our student ambassadors in our class, Téa, that they are waiting for us in my suite and there they were dressed in all eastern fancy attire with a creamy cake again when I reached back to North C. I was literally showered with so much love to be thankful enough. On Wednesday, a dozen students including me went in the first shift for our volunteer work in a local Food bank. It was a very different and interesting experience for me because I never got a chance in Pakistan to visit such a setup and work there myself. We had to sort different types of frozen meat in cartons, had to check the packaging for any damage, weigh the boxes up to a definite given weight, had to label the cartons and in the end had to pack them. It was nothing else but our teamwork and excellent coordination that was helpful for us in completing the task. Together we sorted enough meat to provide 3,666 meals for western Massachusetts households in need.Later that day, I visited 'Beneski Museum of Natural History' with friends that had some outstanding collection of millions of years old fossils of different types of dinosaurs along with their footprints. I also tried Starbucks that day for the very first time in my life. I went to 'Dollar Tree' on Thursday and spent some good time shopping. Friday was soothing as usual as all our group went for Jummah prayer after the class. On Saturday, I went for homestay with one of my friends, Sahar while the rest of our group went for hike to Mount Monadnock. It was a very different experience for me to live with a family in their home; a family whose background, nationality, faith, lifestyle and almost every other thing was completely different from mine. We discussed politics, beliefs, food, lifestyle, geography, their pets, our family systems and what not. On Sunday morning, the couple took me and Sahar to Lake Connecticut for canoeing which was the best part of our homestay for me. It was my very first time that I was rowing a canoe all by myself and I did very well.Later on the same day, our whole group with our mentors went to the 'Six Flags amusement park'. We took a ride on so many huge roller coasters, went to the water park inside and had one of the best times of our life. After spending such an active day, one may not feel very good physically experiencing headache, muscle pull, a sprain, high fever or nausea but in any such condition, our group of students proved themselves by offering all sorts of help. We brought meals for each other, helped each other in completing the academic tasks, literally did bandages and massages for each other and last but not the least made tea for our group whenever someone asked for it.This was all from my third week, now looking forward to my last week in this beautiful campus.

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Fasahat week-3

Is this what you dream

Is that when you scream

You breathe the freedom

If you work the team

You desire the fountain

You centrifuge happiness cream

The story will eclipse one day

I’ll die in peace it seem........................................

A story becomes wonderful, when the reader enjoys the tale and listener is awakened to tellers tongue. This week was near to goodbye Amherst week. It brought a huge influx of learning and exposure to me about the Amherst which maybe was not affordable, to time worth in previous weeks.

The week started as amazing as always. We went to food bank to do volunteer work. It was soul satisfaction to work for better cause, that one could sleep in peace. The night that day was a nightmare though, for us three. We were sitting near the pond and talking about criminal minds in America (Tedd Buddy) and suddenly saw a girl coming from the opposite side with light reflecting her shadow. The view was entirely unacceptable hence we got paranoid and started running. I took the lead and was running most fast and furious. We all were screaming when hamza and Akash came in for rescue. Suddenly we saw Sana asghar instead of that supposed psychopath, drunk, serial killer and canabalist. There was huge laughter after that.

Classes always intrigued us eventually. Mike’s country music class was a fun and learning. Rebecca was the wonderful and beautiful instructor on Education policies ever. The thing that boiled our juvenile blood was politics talk and presidential campaign simulation.

Later the Holyoke mall shopping made us girls super happy and tired too. Host family stay was the most exciting one. Elizabeth,Ted, Tess and Ibrahim were best company.Home stay was just something we needed to add sugar to spice. We loved our home stay with a Jew family. We braided the bread of Halakha. Then prayed over candles,wine and bread. There is a ritual the Jews tear the Halakha and don’t put any sharp thing on it. We were so amazed by them and kept talking late night. We watched Evan Almighty movie. The morning brought a warm farewell. Host family gave us hand made stone jewelry. We bid them farewell and went to monodnock for hike.

It was the best pool party ever. We enjoyed a lot. Then the hike and again pool fun was just perfect. Six flags the other day was the best ending to this beautiful week. Time flies like a butterfly, I wish we could taste this nectar for eternity.

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Like other weeks, this week was also a perfect balance between the fun and the classroom learning. We got the chance to know about the US educational system and their country music. Moreover, it was fascinating and inspiring to experience the way people in collaboration with the government are working to provide free food to those in need and eradicate the grave issue of poverty through programs/institutions like Survival Center and Food Bank.    Before coming to the US, I had this idealist impression about the US education system that it is flawless, and everyone has equal opportunity and access to good quality education. I also used to believe that there is a well-organized system of education that is comprehensively regulated in terms of few, curriculum and other such things. However, the session with Becky Mazur helped to understand the situation in a balanced framework that includes both the outside as well as the inside perspective of the US education system. After this session, I believe that the issues like that of curriculum, the role of government in devising it and multiple educational systems are pretty much common between Pakistan and the US. However, the extent to which these problems have impacted the human development and the governmental approaches to such grave issues keep them apart from each other. In the US, the government – at the very least – makes an effort to ensure that the kids are enrolled into some educational institutes; however, in Pakistan, there is a lot of room to work on it. Besides the issues in educational systems, there is a lot in the poetry, culture, and music of both the countries that overlap. While listening to the US Country music and the functions it served, I could remember the way Pakistani poetry and music in general – and the folk music in particular – have functioned to satisfy multiple purposes including the propagation of lessons of spirituality, eradication of social evils and the promotion of peace and love. This phenomenon also continues to exist till today and have functioned very effectively previously in the dictatorial regimes in Pakistan wherein the power of poetry and music captivated the massive rallies to challenge the dictators. Alongside these material changes, such music tracks played a vital role in setting the stage and creating a perception instilling positive energy amongst the masses to join hands for promotion of democratic values in Pakistan. The most exciting of all the activities of this week was the volunteer work at the Survival Center and the Food Bank. The whole concept of such institutions was very inspiring. This activity made me believe that the issues of food scarcity and poverty are not confined to any particular nation or any geographical region. It can be the case that some may be facing more difficulty than others. But, it is the lives of the impoverished that matters at the end of the day irrespective of the numbers of those lives. Through this activity, I believe that such issues which are impacting the lives of the poor people must be the focus of all the policy considerations. The state to state engagements should focus on the eradication of these issues instead of investing efforts for creating hegemony over the power. These are the issues that are not divided by the borders; these are common across the world, including Pakistan and the USA. However Utopian these notions may sound like, but this seems to be the only solution given the prevalence of such problems across the world. After such exciting activities, this week concluded with swimming, hiking and a fantastic visit to the six flags. - Abdul Wahab Niaz

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Habib, Week 2

So I had an interview with Voice of America in the second week. It was my first ever time to be on a television, a radio and live on a news channel's Facebook page. I was worried at first but when I got there and the interview started, I started feeling very comfortable. Another thing worth mentioning is that I was sleepy in the end because I was mentally prepared for a 30 minute interview but guess what? It lasted for one and a half hour. But the overall response I received from friends and family was good. All of them were talking about how confident I looked.

          And then came July 4th, which is I think one of the best memories I'll have in 10 years time. We went to Chesterfield for an Independence day parade and it was fun there. The best part about the parade was the tune played by a band there and I really liked it. People were clapping for real-life heros who have served US, for example, I saw them clapping for firefighters, which I think can help them get motivated and stay focused and saves more and more lives. Later that day, was a dinner organised and the best part was that we found Pakistani food there. And after that, were the amazing fireworks which I really wanted to last long but keeping in mind it's effects on environment, I think those were enough.

          On July 6th, we went to Bookmill and enjoyed there. It was another great day because some of us looked for their favourite books and read them. And then, we went into the water near it and took a number of amazing photos and loved watching my friends get slipped.

         Academic part of week 2 was great. Like we came to know that 90% of the US media is controlled by 6 companies and like Pakistan, they are also directed by these companies in specific directions. We had other classes too, I'd like to mention one more. I had a discussion with Sam Camera after her lecture on Religion in the United States, and I came to know that just like Pakistan, much of the youth is not very religious.

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From Developing to Developed country

Aziz Ullah Baig

In the start of third week

here in Amherst I am feeling alive,experiencing every moment .Still things remains to explore and for experience.

In the classes we learned about how politics works here and what are legal perspectives about electoral processes, which are different from our country

We experienced about the prosperity and loyalty of this country with people and with their country,how they are contributing,helping others. The food bank system which is a vital example for the rest of the world,it was one of the good experience I ever had in my life,the way they managed things taking care of hygiene.

We should as student leaders personally contribute to our country about food bank system to save the lives of people.

The thing which was full of wonder and exciting was the 6flags,where I enjoyed a lot which includes water park,Superman and Batman roller coaster ,intreacted with other people and wonderful experience to understand the culture diversity US have.

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Week 3: Danish Aziz Awan. Yeehaww! You’re either a WINNER or LOSER. WHO IS JOHNATHAN?

Entering 3rd week, I am happy and a bit sad at the same time. I do not want all this to end next week!

This area and this university has still so much to explore! Even if you walk all day, you just can’t do it. I WISH WE HAD ACCESS TO SOME SORT OF PERSONAL TRANSPORTATION!

Anyway!

Day 1: Miss Shaheen Pasha on Media and volunteering survival center.

So, long story short, media is one of the most powerful tool to control minds of billions!

Be it any country, there are pros and cons to all thing made by humans. But on the bright side, media has shaped our world much better than most of us would agree on. Media industry has huge potential and this class allowed me to better understand the dynamics of foreign media and local media.

Part 2 of the day: Survival center.

The second time I cried on this tour! What a beautiful setup by Survival center! They were accepting all the people walking through the doors, everybody felt home! There was food, clothing, dining area and the best part, they engage people in different activities! We unloaded about 5000+ pounds of food!

BEST PART OF THE DAY!

Few of us went to karoke at Majestic Bar in North Hampton. Where we performed 2 English and 1 Hindi song. The audience was so pleased by it, we loved the hospitality of people!

Day 2: Mr. Mike is magic Mike!

What an interesting insight of how music is directly related to our emotions. We went through different country songs. Some were patriotic, some reflected people’s journey etc. What an interactive session it was! Mr Mike has some sort of magic in his voice! The point get through your skull!

Sessions like these make me want to take a new initiative when I am in Pakistan.

“Learning through visuals and sound.”

2nd part of the day: YEEEEEHAWWW! Highlight of the week.

Mr Matt had a mountain big bag of energy! He took us through the world of politics! The science behind WINNING THE ELECTIONS, how to manipulate minds! How to have better turn over. It sounds easy but it is actually very verrry verrrrry different! We learned how the democratic system of United States is unique. Even if you loose the popular vote, you can still be the PRESIDENT! How amazing is that?

This class brought out our inner WINNING DEVIL! Spark of dirty politics.

LET THE GAME BEGIN!

Day 3. Food Bank!

Again America didn’t fail to impress me more! What an amazing system to aid the food scarcity!

We were accompanied by Miss Shaheen, we segregated thousands of pounds of food!

Also we went to this giant freezer where temperature was MINUS 2 FARENHITE! That’s MINUS 30 Centigrade, and one time was not enough, so went twice. Hehe.

This is one of the ideas, I am definitely going to work on once I am back home. Pakistan needs this desperately.

Part 2 of the day, I SLEPT ON THE BUS STAND, HAGIS MALL ONE! So yep, I took a bus ride to North Hampton, just to have star bucks. Yep. That’s what you do in AMERICA!

WORTH IT!

Day 4: Who is JOHNATHAN? Education Policy and Mr Sibii.

This was rather the most intense learning day of the entire trip. Miss Rebecca beautifully comparing education systems in USA with those of Pakistan. STATISTICS is what America is about! She proved it with numbers. We learned how even the best country is having problems with its education system, but what to take home with this experience is that, USA keeps making it better by trying new and new methods which is good for the nation.

Mr Sibi, well he just went from leadership to History.. hhahha sudden shift. This never ending class gave us insight on how USA went through ups and downs, still held onto its ideology. Heroes emerged, people kept their fire of freedom alive!

Now WHO IS JOHNATHAN? This guy I met on the B43 bus, 64 years old, surprisingly his family had a history of studying and UMass. His grandfather was in civil war! His dad was one of the first 400 people to graduate from Agriculture school of Massachusetts (UMass NOW). He graduated from UMass back in 80’s. Long story short!

We talked about US history, UMass, Politics, then I explained PAKISTAN to him, literally from a map on google maps. We talked about culture and how it is like in Pakistan. I showed him photos of Pakistan and he was just shocked! This made me realize that Pakistani’s need to tell the world about them!

Then we talked on religion, he told me that he was raised a protestant Christian. I related our religion and then I told him about Islam and Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H). How peaceful our religion is. How Quran (holy book) talks about the rights of women and men, SPACE and technology, what path to take in life. He was so shocked and inspired by me, that he actually wanted to read the Quran first hand.

Long story short. We talked for 3 hours. At the end, hard farewell! I gave him my favorite PAKISTAN FLAG PIN as a gift, and he gave me a torch <3. I loved it. This knowledgeable guy just gave me goosebumps.

Day 5: Confederate:

One of the most different experiences academically! USA is huge and it has difference of opinion as well! The leaders have done quite a satisfactory job in keeping the states as one!

We learned about monument of confederates. How they were put there in the first place and what is the importance of a memorial!

Day 6: SWIM TO HIKE.

Lead by Mr Mike, we went to visit Miss Amy and her family! There we met Mr.Andy, who is a huge figure in US history. What an honor it was. Anyway, they owned a beautiful place. As we all saw the pool! We literally jumped in because who doesn’t love swimming? Hours of hours in water and then we headed out for hike, natural tracks and what not! An amazing experience!

Also once we got back from Hike, we jumped into pool AGAIN! And had ice cream too. AMY IS SO AMAZING <3.

Day 7: MOST INSANE DAY! Six flags, Taha’s Concert and Becky’s Birthday.

I am so glad SUSI selected me. This experience of amusement! Taha took us on the best rides possible. Hours of wait in line for 2 min ride. TOTALLY WORTH IT!

From Goliath to Batman to Superman and off to water park. INSANE INSANE.

As we were running short on time! 5 of us were running with Taha, because he was getting late for his concert. We ran for like 2 km. Got on the mini-van, Wendy’s on the way and there we reached Eastern Hampton community center! Taha rocked the stage as expected and we kept dancing throughout.

We got home and we heard about Miss Becky’s birthday.

Then we went to Becky’s birthday where we got a chance to interact with Mr Abrar. He gave us life lessons on how to be better person professionally. We cleaned up the place afterwards with them and Mr Hasan. Hung around for a while and Calsie dropped us back to North C.

Major take from this day? NORTH SOUTH EAST AND WEST! All experiences are possible if you have the will to do it. I literally learned so much from this day. I am glad SUSI coordinators made this decision of Six flags. I wish I could write more.

Week 3 was simply another shocking week, full of HORROR stories as well. Hahah. Ayesha’s birthday and what not.

#susi2019 @ecaatstate @umassdonahue @susi2019

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The difference between surviving and living

Aziz Ullah Baig

If we head back to Pakistan, people are some kind of surviving not leaving,if we look at the way US citizens spending their life some kind of maintained life . They have job security,life insurance and civil right protection.

In the second week We a group of fellows were went to survival center ,where we help to allocated the stuff and putted things in right way,the way they are working here for the humanity is a huge example for the rest of the world,everything was perfectly placed and hygienically reserved.

The Independence Day celebration 🎊 was totally different as respect to Pakistan,here everything was well organized and in well ordered,the intervention of guns was at zero level which was good sign,people were came with there families no threats no any mis management that was a very good thing experience for me.

The interaction with mentors

Mentors are that part of this program who are sacrificing their vale time for us even they are busy,they never said no whenever we asked fo help ,trying their best to accommodate and facilitate our group,I am happy with them for their love,respect and the way they are helping

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Week 3: Reeta Kumari

We all susi aspirants are fortunate enough to spend two weeki usa. In these two many things happened. Specially in thr second when all of us got a chance to see celebration of 4th july which is day of independence for homework. So on the morning of 4th july we went to chaster Field in order to watch parade . It was different experience for all of us . Blc in Pakistan independence day is celebrated in very different way in comparison of usa. Then we had launch 2pm with all our mentors and professor and many other groups from different countries accompanied us on launch just like group of people from morroco, Algeria. Tunisia jordon etc. After launch USA national anthem was sung and then everyone of us Sang their own national anthem . All these moments we're pretty good. Something i liked about parade day was to sing Pakistan national in other country which is kind feeling of pride for all of us . And there comes a last part of day when we went to see firework show . I thought i will last for more than half our but it ended it 15minutes. According to me , it should be of 45min .blc people enjoy watching them . Well in the end i would like to say i am enjoying being here .

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Week 3: Arslan Ali

Foodbank is kind of different experience for me . I do engage in volunteering organizations but the system in foodbank was so much well oriented .I really love that kind of way of volunteerism. Holyoke was quite impressive . Tracking was amazing because in tracking we not only engage in deeply conversation about politics but also swimming The classes were really knowledgeable. All the educational,  Health policies were completely new for me. As an engineer I really enjoyed these conversations. Furthermore , I would like to thanks our mentors and US department of state to give us a permission for attending our community celebration held at Boston. Finally , the Sixflags is different world . Yes , the experience at Sixflags was inexplicable. In a nut shell , this week was adventurous I really enjoyed a lot in this week. This week was fun.

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Week 2: Arslan Ali

This week was spend very well . We did a lot of crazy stuff we went to bookmill for purchasing books and I found my favourite book of Sam Walton, then we jumped into river and experience the real beauty of nature.The other amazing experience was host family .They treated us like their own children . They invited professors at dinner and we all engage in deeply conversation of religion ,we took a walk in the farm , played ludo(local game) , dance on the Sufi music , went to gym together , swim and cook pakistani  breakfast.Day of independence is celebrated very uniquely here in USA.In  parade We saw different kind of beautiful cars , diverse peoples and showsWe learned about leadership, religion , socio-economic conditions of Pakistan and America. Over all This week was the mixture of unique experiences , learning and exploring .At last bridge of flowers , where we discovered thousands of flowers on that bridge and just sit there to meditate and live the moment.

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Habiba’s reflection on the US day of inception.

Last week, the United States marked the 243rd anniversary of its independence – and I was lucky enough to celebrate the Fourth of July for the very first time. Yay! Turning back the pages of history America's demand for the "No representation without taxation" which eventually exploded into their nation's birth. Also the day commemorates the Declaration of Independence, a momentous act that became a illuminant for the people of United States.

Founding father John Adam's saying is the mentionable piece here that:

"It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires and illuminations, from one end of the continent to the other, from this time forward forever more."

John Adam's words still true after 243 years laters. The addressed elbow grease has remained the core component of the holiday. Not only we put a halt to the day by the fireworks, but a carnival in afternoon doubled the joy.

Who said the fun ceased? The week followed by our random hitching to the town of Northampton -The place rests with my chunky heart. Also the academic week went quirky and pre-dominant most of all, yet educative and measured. The friday prayers occupy the lordly place in my schedule -the appreciated sense of union and holistic gatherings tie the emotions in strings.

My sojourn in USA, until the next time! :)

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SHABNAZ KHAN WEEK#3

I believe that education is the most imperative factor in nation building of any country , in this week we had an amazing session about the education system of USA and its comparison with the Pakistani counter part which help us to understand that not only Pakistan need to bring reforms in its system but there is a room for improvement in US education system. The session about the media gave insight about the factors which influence and try to control the media. It was quite surprising to know that these factors were similar in both countries. The session about the monuments and its preservation leads to a realization that how important it is to embraces and confront our history as it has serious repercussion in contemporary times.

In this week we got opportunity to take part in voluntary activities in the food bank and Amherst survival center. The Amherst survival system was so inspiring. Back in Pakistan people do charity a lot but we do not have a proper chain or system to connect the donor with the people who need assistance.Amherst survival center has developed a transparent and effective mechanism to connect both with each other, they welcome people of all races and age group and provide assistance to them while maintaining their respect, prestige and confidentiality. The food bank was also worth visiting and it was an amazing feeling to add our contribution to such amazing work.

last but the most amazing part of the week was the weekends. The hiking in the woods, playing in water while enjoying ice cream with the breathtaking scenery and the six flags had added beautiful memories to cherish for the rest of my life. The roller coaster rides, free fall and all other rides were so amazing. I enjoyed every moment of it and the six flags has boost up my self-confidence a lot.