After experiencing a happy childhood with her grandparents, a girl decides to come to this country because of the problems in her country and her desire for a better life. She experiences unbearable hardships during the journey, but continues, motivated by the desire to see her mother (whom she hasn’t seen for 12 years) and to give her a hug. She is fortunate in that she has a positive experience with the immigration authorities, but soon after she is reunited with her mother, her stepfather becomes very abusive and her relationship with her mother shatters. A year later she learns that her beloved grandmother has died.
Pre-Reading Activity:
- What is something you once “had to do” but really did not want to do? Share with a partner. Tell your partner where you were how old you were? What were the small choices you may have had inside the thing you “had to do”. Think about anything that was in your control that you could choose at the time.
- The writer tells us her “childhood was the best time” of her life. What is one thing you remember from your childhood? On a blank sheet of paper, draw what you recall from a time you were younger. It may be an event, an activity, a place a meal, a song, a person or many people. I can be anything at all that you can remember. You may share this drawing with a partner or your teacher and explain what your memory is. Use your sensory system to help you remember…. What were the sights (what did you see), what were the smells (odors), what were the sounds, what were the tastes?
During or Post-Reading Activity: (individual, pair or group activity)
- You are the guidance counselor at school for this writer. Give her advice to get through this difficult time. What can you tell her to make her feel better? You know that her classmates have seen her crying. What can the classmates and friends at school do to help her? What can the school do to help her feel better?
- Write your advice down in the language you feel most comfortable. Or, use your words to give your advice to your partner or to your group.