Translator: Mirjana Čutura Reviewer: Peter van de Ven
"I woke up on a Sunday, But something was different.
I didn't wake up with a jolt,
The kind that makes you feel alone On the face of the Earth.
I saw the sun shining through a window.
I couldn't remember last night.
I felt safe,
And there was no feeling Today would be my last.
I liked this new feeling.
Then it came back to me.
I was in America,
The country made of a variety Of different cultures,
The everything country,
With people from Italy, and Ireland, And Poland, and Germany, and more.
I came from Iraq.
It was a dream to be here,
Here in everything country."
What I just recited was the essay
I wrote for the Celebrate America Creative Writing Contest for fifth graders.
This essay contest was sponsored by the American Immigration Council,
and the essay I wrote won for the Midwest region.
I based this essay off of my classmate and very close friend, Teeba Al Zabedi,
who came here from Iraq when she was three years old.
I feel really lucky to have Teeba as a friend
because she's funny and caring.
I would go on, but I only have three minutes.
(Laughter)
Some people would view an immigrant like Teeba through a lens of fear,
but I think
immigrants are what make us the everything country
because they bring us parts of their cultures
through food, dance, and holidays,
that give America its variety.
(Applause)
The people that chose my essay thought I did a great job at showing empathy
and seeing through the character's eyes.
They thought it was unexpected
that a ten-year-old could show such empathy
for something she'd never experienced.
But the truth is
caring about other people isn't a skill you have or don't have.
It's something we can all practice and get better at,
like math or playing an instrument.
If you reach out and show empathy, it benefits everyone,
it improves your relationship with people
and allows you to understand
what the immigrants that come to the everything country
have gone through.
This is what makes the everything country a better place for everyone.
Now that you have the background,
I'd like to recite my essay to you one more time.
"Woke up
On a Sunday.
Something was different.
Didn't wake up with a jolt,
The kind that makes you feel alone On the face of the Earth.
Saw the sun shining through a window.
Couldn't remember last night.
Felt safe,
And there was no feeling Today would be my last.
Liked this new feeling.
Then it came back to me.
I was in America,
The country made of a variety Of different cultures,
The everything country,
With people from Italy, Ireland, India, Poland, Germany, Jamaica,
And many, many more.
I came from Iraq.
It was a dream to be here,
Here in everything country."
(Applause)