Aim Higher   (  Ghazal Nimri  Tenth Grade (A)  )

At first, all dreams seem unrealistic, but if you have the determination and courage it takes, they will soon become undoubtable.
A dream is the highest goal a person can aim for, it is a series of achievements that lead up to satisfaction.

When reading stories about people who have made their dreams come true, I have noticed that each one of them followed the same steps on the path of success, and here they are:

STEP ONE: Determine Your Dream.
Pick the thing that gives you enthusiasm when you think about it and not what people think is best for you; because only you are going to face the consequences of your decision.

STEP TWO: Take Action.
There is never a “right time” to start, so set off your journey right now with the tools you have, you’ll find more on your way.

STEP THREE: If you fall down, get back up.

Sometimes, you have to fall down because there is something down there you’re supposed to find.
But remember to rise again; for a long adventure still awaits you and no one can do it but yourself. Keep in mind that yesterday is in the past and your mistakes are fading scars now.

STEP FOUR: Fulfill Your Dream…
This, however, is not the end of your journey, because people –in general- never feel pleased with their accomplishments, now, you have to set a new goal, otherwise, life would be miserable.
But the only thing that makes us content is helping others, it is the only thing that truly provides the joyful and gleeful feeling in our heart, just by lending a hand to those who need it.

And always be happy because life is a gift, so don’t forget to live it.

The Experiment   (  Lana Haddad Tenth Grade (A)  )

The question of the meaning of life is the most fundamental question in existence, it asks what is the meaning, purpose or significance in the context of all that was, is, or could be. And there is no right one answer, the answer will differ every time you ask a different person depending on the way they view life. To some, life may be meaningless and true meaning lies ahead of all of us, to others it might have a deep meaning such as family or freedom, or a shallow one such as money but they have their points to back it up.

Consider life a stage that has a great story performed on it and we are more than just the actors we are the playwright of a so called play creating new script with our imagination. It is a complicated twist of suffering, laughing and learning all merging to tell a great story. Life is so ironic; it takes sadness to know happiness, noise to appreciate silence and absence to value presence.

There are no ties to hold you down or blinds to cover your eyes and everyone has a right to find out the meaning of life at their own pace. As I try to figure it out, I’ve picked up a couple lessons that I won’t forget. The most important one is realizing that like attracts like and my vibe attracts my tribe. It could be part of the meaning.

To sum it up, we must let go of life that we planned so as to accept the one that awaits us, always pray to have eyes that see the best in people, a heart that forgives the worst, a mind that forgets the bad and a soul that never loses faith in the power of God. In my opinion that is the meaning of life so far, it is to trust in God, he has created you for a reason and he has everything planned for you just relax and everything will flow smoothly like water.
 

Away From Home   (  Lana Haddad Tenth Grade (A)  )

Have you ever travelled abroad for a short holiday and said: “I could see myself living here someday”? Or even read about a foreign culture and thought: “I belong in a place like that”? Millions of people around the world have taken that big step and are living in countries different to the one they were born in. However, through my experience I’ve learnt that living in a foreign country can be both exhilarating and daunting.

Three years ago my father got a call saying that his job has stationed him in the state of independence, Pennsylvania, In the USA for a little more than two years. I was able to see the joy in his eyes immediately, but my siblings and I had mixed feelings. Surely none of us wanted to leave our family and residence behind, even if it was for a short period of time.
The moment I laid foot on the grounds of Pennsylvania I felt like I had stepped into an alternative dimension. The diversity in cultures was what attracted me the most. Living abroad helped me acquire the knowledge to accept the cultures and traditions that differ to mine. It allowed me to wander in values and habits which were on the other side of the world. I learnt to respect their culture, values and morals as much as respected my own in an open minded point of view. Even though, I didn’t let the different cultures change what I believed in, the variety and miscellany expanded my horizon.

Moreover, living abroad was an enriching experience because it forced me to adapt to things that were unusual to me. I became independent and open to new, exciting, and terrifying challenges that I wouldn’t have encountered back home. And that is the most rewarding of it all, the opportunity to learn and develop as a person, it lead to discover things about myself I didn’t know before, such as my beliefs, passions, character and many more. Through interacting within a foreign society, my eyes opened to all sorts of aspects of life that would’ve been difficult to learn in my home country.

All in all, living in a foreign country gave me many memories that are engraved deep inside my brain, and I will forever be thankful for such a wonderful experience. But at the same time, I wouldn’t trade my homeland for anywhere in the world. Jordan is my base, it’s where I was born, raised, and blossomed and it will always be the one destination I choose to return to.
 

Unity In Diversity   (  Lana Haddad Tenth Grade (A)  )

We are the seeds of the future. Sadly, every time we turn on the news we are disturbed by violence, suffering and injustice. These problems that most people think are relatively new, but actually have been existing ever since powerful civilizations were blinded by greed, materialism, inequality, conquest, and dualistic thoughts. Yet most of us choose to stay silent, and very little speak out and take action.

Peace in the world starts inside each individual. It’s up to each of us to tend and care for our own inner garden first, to be able to influence and guide others by being stronger, calmer, more loving, and precise. We will be able to lead others into peace rather that getting drawn into their conflicts and endless cycle of action and reaction that only leads to more and more violence.

Moreover, I believe that we were brought onto this earth for a reason, surely not to destroy it, but to invest in it and make it better. No one should be considered a waist of space, were all different and that’s the beauty of it all. Just think how boning this world would be if we were all exactly the same as each other. Respecting ourselves and accepting each other’s differences ultimately leads to world peace.

At last, we should all know that how we act and what we say are guided by our inner thoughts and feelings, and that the one area we are held most responsible for. Only by “Being The Change” as Gandhi once put it; can we bring greater peace, love and wisdom to the world, and wake up the fact that the unity between us in this “creative universe” is not just a metaphor; but a reality which conflicts disregards and hatred obscures.
 

LABELS   ( Ghazal Nimri Grade 10  (A)    )

Amid the chaos of war nowadays, ‘peace’ seems impossible. But why can’t we live in peace? Aren’t we all human?

Racism was invented in the 50th century; to divide people from each other and unfortunately, it had worked. That’s how every war had started, it’s always us against them, black against white, Muslim against Christian … and so on.

No one was born black and no one was born white. They were only taught to be what everyone else calls them; and that's why no baby is born racist.

But then we are given “labels”. The world feeds us these labels and we swallow and digest them. But we are humans, we aren’t just some products from a grocery store to be labeled.

Look at it this way: our bodies are vehicles we were forced to ride since we were born. Some people have the black edition, others have the Irish edition and others have the Arabic edition. We can’t judge people on such criteria.

Just ask yourself one question; who would you be if the world didn’t give you this ‘label’? We will all be the same, we will all be united and we will all be one.

Think of it as a caterpillar that turns into a butterfly. We should do the same; break these labels and show who we really are.

Once we remove these labels we can be free and only then, we can live in PEACE.
 

Actions Speak Louder Than Words   ( Rand Bisharat  Class 10 (A)   )