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Redha Al-Hamoud Professor Jan Rieman English 1101 April 30, 2013 AIR, FIRE, WATER, AND WORDS

Al-Hamoud 1

The process of writing this memoir was filled with challenges. I began with a list of keywords, and ended up with this piece, which I am most proud of. Every step I took during this process has helped me in a different way. My prewriting strategies showed me the way I should prewrite all of my assignments because they were useful and effective. The peer workshop I participated in assured me that it is always beneficial to ask another person to take a look. Finally, my teachers comments and my talk back showed me the value of communicating with my instructor.

Once upon a time, I imagined how life would be if it had no words. There would not be any books, letters, magazines, or even Twitter. How would a prophet deliver his message to people? How would history be retained? After a while of thinking, I realized that words shape life, and my life was definitely shaped by words. When I started learning the English alphabet, I always challenged myself to recognize them. I tried to guess which letter my mothers name starts with; I tried to guess the letter that looks like an orange. I finally memorized them all, which was my first achievement in the literary world. As I was growing up, another challenge came to face me, which was reading an entire word. My mother says that I used to try to read everything that was in front of me. I used to look at the signs that I saw from the car window and try to understand what they are saying. I also used to read labels, which cover a book, a juice box, or a DVD. These challenges were the first; and I believe I have defeated them.

Al-Hamoud 2 Another memory from my childhood is bedtime stories. My father and mother took turns to read my brother and I a story before we slept. When it was my fathers turn, he would read us a purposeful story. A story he repeated many times was the boy who cried wolf. This type of stories taught us great values and principles, and they were also enjoyable to hear. My mothers stories were different. She had a package of Islamic stories, which she bought from a bookstore, about the prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, and his family. By telling us these stories, my mother was trying to show us how our leaders life was, and how we should follow his steps in behaving with the people around us. These stories taught us the importance of respecting and satisfying our parents, the importance of balance in our daily life, and the importance of giving without expecting an interest in return. Bedtime stories gave me an idea about the different formats that are used in stories. I knew how a non-fictional story would begin, and how it would end. This made me more interested in exploring other types of stories. From my personal experience, I believe that bedtime stories are a very effective way to send a message to a child, and should not be underestimated. When I reached the first grade, I was able to read a story by myself. I knew what type of stories I liked, what kind of characters interested me, and where I could find them. Every time I went to a supermarket with my parents, I would go to the magazines section. It was confusing for me to choose only one magazine, especially when there were too many choices. So, I decided to buy a different magazine each time we went, and read it at home. One of the first magazines I read was Mickey Mouse. Although it had a catching design, well-known characters, and entertaining puzzles, I did not like it very much because it was not the type of magazine that interested me. I was looking for a more informative magazine. The following week, I chose a weekly magazine called Majid, which is the name of the main character. Majid is a character

Al-Hamoud 3 of an Arabic boy who is very intelligent and loved among his friends. His friends have different personalities; some of them are funny, some of them are sport experts, and some are artists. When I started reading the magazine, I was attracted by the variety of sections this magazine had. The first section was called Letters From You. People around the world would send their letters to these characters wishing to appear on this section. Another section I was interested in was a contest. Each issue, they would publish around 5 questions, which were easy to answer from general knowledge, and people would send their answers hoping to win. Majid magazine had many interesting ideas, and I thought, This is the one. I started to buy this magazine every weekend, and wait for the next issue to be published. I would send them a letter each week, and try to solve the questions for a chance to win. After few months of sending letters, Majid finally published my letter and sent me a membership card for special readers. I felt amazing when I read my own writing on the pages of that magazine. The next day, I took the magazine with me to school and showed it to my classmates and teachers. Then, I kept it in a box where I kept all of the things that I valued. The funny thing is that I stopped buying it after my letter was published. I am not sure why that happened, but I think I was getting older and thought it was time to move to another magazine. Another source for my readings was school. In Saudi Arabia, every school must have Quran classes. These classes teach students how Quran should be read and understood. In elementary school, teachers assign easy verses for their students to recite and memorize, but as students grow up, these classes get more in depth. In intermediate school, Quran classes split into two classes. The first class is about how to read Quran correctly, and the second class is about the story and explanation of verses. These classes introduced me to the holy aspect of literacy. I was able to understand why a certain verse was said by looking through the story behind it. In

Al-Hamoud 4 addition to Quran classes, we had literature classes. When I was in the 9th grade, an unforgettable teacher was my literature instructor. He had a huge amount of information about poets and authors. He knew when a certain poet began his artistic life, or what his first poem was. Although I had a hard time memorizing all of this information he gave in class, I gained a considerable amount of general knowledge. At the same period of time, a new project had started in my school by the student advisor. One of the requirements a student advisor must do is arranging activities that make school more entertaining to students. The project he started was called The Wall Forum because it was on an actual wall. Any student can type a discussion topic, print it, and stick it on that wall. The fun thing was that students could post without mentioning their real names. I was one of the first students to post. My topic was about our need to make a student council by electing a group of students by students themselves. My idea was clear; we needed a messenger to send what students needed to the school administration. Some students were against this thought, but most of the students were supporting it. Later that semester, the principal stated that this was a great idea, and we should do it. Two weeks later, a number of students put their names hoping to be elected, and I was one of them. Surprisingly, I was elected as the leader of the student council. We started by using the recess between classes to make competitions and contests between students. Later on, we published our first issue of Promising Pens, which was the first printed magazine published by our school. I was proud of myself for collaborating with my colleagues and making many achievements in a small period of time. Making the magazine has taught me how to research for interesting topics depending on the targeted audience. It also taught me how to conduct interviews with powerful personalities, and strangers who I just met.

Al-Hamoud 5 I was inspired by the idea of a forum, and how it benefited me as a student. I started writing and reading in Internet blogs and forums. I began to regularly visit the websites that I was more attracted to. Most of them were about technology and art. As a result, everyone around me expected me to have the latest news about technology. Then, Facebook started, which was a revolutionary step in the social networking industry. I began to update my status, write short stories, and share interesting readings. My friends on Facebook would respond by posting comments, which helped me see their opinions of my writing and improve it. Although I could have looked for strategies of writing on the Internet, I did not learn them until I came to the U.S. Last year, I graduated from high school, and I had to plan my future. There were many options that I had to choose from, but I chose to apply for a scholarship to the U.S. Fortunately, I was admitted to the scholarship program, but I had to choose a state, a city, and an English institute. I looked all over the Internet to find a strong program located in a pleasurable place. My search resulted in choosing California State University in Los Angeles. When I arrived, it felt like a dream; it was the first time that I travelled by myself. I started the program a few weeks later, and it was an amazing program. Donna Byun was my writing teacher who extremely helped me learn how to write in American English. Her class was very interesting and I used to look forward to her class session. Byun knew how to deliver the information in a fun and unforgettable way. Now, I have all of this information and tips that I can share with my friends who just started learning English. Finally, I cannot ever imagine how my life would be if all of these experiences did not exist. I would not be the person I am if I have not interacted with words all my life. I can see words in every aspect of life. Words exist whenever I read a story, watch a movie, or even chat with my friends. Words are powerful, and this memoir shows how words shaped my life.

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