Saturday was amazing; it was the best day in my life so far
\(^-^)/.
The day before the speech contest I went to A chan's house to practice together(she also participated in the contest), her mother is amazing , we all practiced in front of her mom , I was really excited and worried at the same time , I couldn't sleep , I remembered that I WOKE up at 3 AM , I glanced at my sister that was also a participant in the haiku section, she was sleeping deeply T-T , I wanted to sent a message to A chan at 4 AM , but I was afraid that she might be sleeping so I didn’t , I didn’t sleep that night , I called A chan at 7 AM , to my surprise O_O, she didn’t sleep too and she also wanted to call me.
we went their early , we arrived at 9 AM , my heart kept beating fast , the event started at 10 AM , first the Japanese ambassador made a speech , he is so kind and he also have a high sense of humor , I really liked his speech , after that Mr.Ahmad majdoubeh made a speech and the head of JICA too ,I was really excited , I thought that my heart was going to explode *-*.
At first the hikau section started , it was a tough competition , all the participants was really good and all the topics was really interesting , my sister turn was the third , I was worried but thank god , this was the best time she did her haiku , I was really proud of my little sister , I wanted to cry T-T.
After that , there was only a 10 minute break , then the speech contest started , I was really scared , my turn was the second , thank god I didn’t forgot anything , I memorized my speech , I didn’t look at the paper at all , I was worried to forget something cause I didn’t sleep the night before @_@
But everything went fine ^-^
The judging was really hard, there was two Japanese people that came from Syria, they were surprised of the level of the contestants, the judging took about 45 minutes, then it was time, the time of the results, first, the winners of the haiku section was announced, the first place winner was my sister, I was happy for her, she really deserved it, and not because she is my sister.
Then it was time to announce the speech contest results, I was really worried, I won the first place , I was really touched and happy, after I received the certificate and the electronic dictionary , I cried a lot , Q kun kept saying "why are you crying , you've won ", it was One of the happiest days of my life , also A chan hugged me and told me that it is like she won , it really touched me , I have caring friends that are simply irreplaceable , the best friends in the whole world, they are like A chan said in her speech , my treasure .
Special thanks to T sensei who is really dedicated and a very kind person, and also K sensei that didn’t sleep because she was worried all night about us, thanks to H san and T san ,thanks from the bottom of my heart ^-^. Also thanks to my mom, she was nervous; she is the one that is so supportive in my family. All the moms of my friends cause they were really nice to me.
Enough talking, enjoy the pictures ^-^(during the judging time)
here is my speech in JAPANESE ^-^:
かのじょにさいごにあってから、ななかげつがたちました。
かのじょはとなりにすんでいるともだちでした。
かのじょはアマルといいます。
かのじょのなまえはふかいいみをもっています。
きぼうといういみです。
アマルはヨルダンとアラブしゃかいではやっているもんだいのおおくのひがいしゃのひとりです。
アマルをそだてることはかぞくにとってとてもけいざいてきにふたんでしたから
とてもわかいとしにけっこんさせられました。
わたしもかのじょのけっこんしきにいました。
かのじょのむじゃきさがうばわれたひに。
かのじょはとてもなきそうなかおで”私のかわりにみんなにわたしのはなしをつたえて”とちいさいこえでいいました。
そのことばをきいて、アマルとこのもんだいのひがいしゃのみなさんのためになにかするおもいせきにんをかんじました。
なるべくおおくのひとにかのじょのこえをとどけるほうほうをかんがえはじめました。
ですから、わたしはみなさんのまえにたって、かのじょのよわくてちいさいこえをみなさんにきかせたいとおもいます。
＊
わたしのじんせいがこんなふうにかわるとはおもいませんでした。
わたしはまだじゅうはっさいです。
わたしはせんそうのこでもないし、びょうきもありません。
しかし、わたしはじんせいがひどくてふこうへいだとかんじます。
わたしはじゅうごさいのときにけっこんして、かぞくはみんなうれしかったです。
ひとびとはわたしのけっこんしきでおどって、うたって、はくしゅして。
まわりのひとのうれしそうなこえと、はくしゅのおとがおおきくなればなるほどくびをしめるようにいきがどんどんくるしくなったことはだれもきづきませんでした。
わたしにとって。けっこんしきがいちばんもっともかなしいおもいでになりました。
わたしが、どんなに、いっしょうけんめいがんばっても、そのきおくをけすことができません。
おおくのひとは、じんせいでいちばんしあわせなひになるはずでしたが、ぎゃくにいちばんかなしいひになってしまいました。
＊
いま、けっこんしきからさんねんがたちました、じんせいでたくさんのことがかわりました、まえのじんせいがほんとうになつかしいです。
＊
わたしは、ははにいちばんそばにいてほしかったときに。
あたたかくわたしをだきしめそしてわたしのかたをたたきすべてがだいじょうぶといってもらいたいとき。
じぶんががっこうですごくつかれたあとでははのもとへかえりたかったとき。
でも、いま、はははそばにいませんので、とてもひどいこどくとさびしいさをかんじます。
＊
ともだちとあそんだことをよくおぼえています、かれらとあそぶのがだいすきでした。
それはあのときのわたしのすべてでした。
しんぱいとくつうのないせかい。
ほんとうにたのしかったです。
私は、いま、まわりにともだちがいないのをみて、こころのなかにきょだいなあながあるとかんじます。
＊
わたしはがっこうのじかんをいちばんたのしんでいました。
クラスのだれよりしゅくだいがだいすきでした。
わたしはチャレンジでむずかしいもんだいをといたときのしあわせなかんじをおぼえています。
すぐれたがくせいだったことをとてもほこりにおもっていました。
いま。わたしのしゅくだいはうちをきれいにして、せんたくをして、かべをみつめるだけです。
＊
あるひ、わたしはかがみでじぶんをゆっくりみました。
わたしがみたイメージはすきじゃあありません。
わたしじゃあありません。
でんとうとしゃかいにけいせいされた、ちがうだれかのイメージでした。
わたしはおおきいゆめをもっていたときをおもいだしました。
わたしはそのゆめをかなえるちからをもっているとおもっていました。
そのとき、かんがえはじめました。
ふかいねむりからおきてそしてべんきょうをつづけることをきめました。
わたしはがっこうでべんきょうしませんでした、
だれもわたしをおうえんしませんでした、でもかみさまはみまもってくださいました。
わたしはながいあいだうちでじぶんのべんきょうをつづけました。
わたしにとって、じんせいのもっともしあわせなひはこうこうをそつぎょうしたひでした。
わたしはじんせいではじめて、じぶんのなまえにいみがあるとおもいました。
＊
わたしののぞみは”アマルがきょうみんなのまえにたち、かのじょからかのじょじしんのはなしをしてもらいたいとおもっていました”。
しかし、そうしませんでした。
かのじょはできないわけでもなく、したくなかったわけでもありません、かのじょにはおおきなプレッシャーがありました。
たくさんのしょうじょが”アマル”のようです。
わたしははやいとしにけっこんすることはとてもよくないことだとおもいます。
なぜならば、こどもはじぶんにとってなにがいいのかわからないからです。
このしゃかいげんしょうをなくさなければなりませんでもこれはとてもむずかしいことです。
わたしは、すくなくともかのじょのはなしがみなさんにつたわってうれしいです。
わたしは、いつか、”アマル”がみんなのまえでかのじょのはなしをすることをのぞみます。
なぜなら、かのじょがだれからもうばわれないじゆうにはなすというけんりをもっているからです。
And here is the ENGLISH version of it :
seven months had passed since the last time I saw her, she was my neighbor and friend , her name was Amal , her name hold a great meaning into it , it means hope ,Amal is one of many girls who were victims of a problem that is spreading in Jordan and the Arab world in general ,because she was considered as a financial burden to her family ,she was forced to marry at a very early age , I witnessed the day of her wedding , the day her innocence was stolen from her ,she looked at me with eyes full of tears and whispered, "speak out for me, tell the whole world my story " ,her words created a feeling of responsibility to do something for Amal and all the victims of early marriage, something that urged me to let her voice reach as many people as I can, so right not I am standing in front of you asking you to listen to her little weak whispering voice telling her story.
"I never imagined that my life will turn the way it is today, I am only 18 years old, I am not a child of war, I am not suffering from a rare disease yet I feel that life is cruel and unfair. I got married at the age of 15 , my family was really happy when I got married, people were dancing , singing and clapping at my wedding , they didn’t know that all the sounds around me was like a rope around my neck, that got tighter and tighter as the sounds increased, I felt that I was suffocating ;my wedding was the worst memory of my life, I can’t erase it no matter how hard I try, The day that was supposed to be the happiest in my life was the saddest.
Three years had passed since my wedding, a lot of things had changed in my life, I really miss my old life.
In times I needed my mom the most, when I needed a warm hug and a rap on my shoulder telling me that everything is going to be ok.I used to come back to my mom's lab after a very tiring day at school, but now, mom is not by my side, I feel very lonely.
I remember the times when I used to play with my friends, I used to love playing with them, It was my whole world, a world without worry and pain, it was really fun, I look around me right now, I feel that there is a huge hole in my heart.
I used to enjoy my times at school the most, I used to love homework’s more than anyone in my class, I remember when I used to feel happy after solving a difficult challenging problem, I was really proud of myself for being an A student, now, my only homework is cleaning the house and doing the laundry and staring at the walls.
one day , I took a deep look at myself in the mirror ,I didn’t like the image I saw , it wasn’t me , it was someone who was molded and formed by traditions and society ,I remembered how I used to have big dreams , big dreams that I thought I have the power to achieve, thinking of that , I had decided to wake up of my deep sleep and complete my education , although I didn’t study at School and no one supported me excepts God's blessings ,I have spent years studying all alone at home, for me the happiest day of life was when I got my high school certificate, for the first time of my life I felt that my name "Amal" meant something .")
I wished that Amal could actually stand in front of you today telling her own story by herself, she didn’t, not because she wasn’t able to, not because she didn’t want to , she was under a lot of pressure , a lot of girls are like Amal .
I think that early marriage is a very bad thing, I think that children don’t know what is best for them, we should destroy this social issue, but this is a very difficult, I am glad that at least her story reached you; I hope that one day Amal will stand in front of you telling her story, as she has a right no one can take away from her, the freedom to speak.
see you next post , with good news , hopefullly ^-^
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