#and i really don’t wanna live in the UAE. + if i moved i would have to redo grade 11

[butchxenomorph]

going off to boarding school in 2 weeks (long story explaining in tags) for senior year and the off to uni… it’s crazy. i’m leaving home so soon. my relationship with my parents is… messy but i’m gonna make them anyways. i’m such a huge change. i’m not sure than im ready but i don’t really have a choice so i

[dangmelearner]

Hi! I’m a Finn living in Ghana and married to a Dangme. I live in an area where there are a lot of Fante speakers but at home we speak Dangme and Finnish. I lied. My family speaks mostly English. But we are trying to speak more Dangme and Finnish. Anyway…

Dangme:

Dangme is my main target 🎯 language. I really really want to be able to speak with my in-laws.

Fante:

I rather reluctantly and passively learn Fante. Everybody speaks it at my workplace so I should learn it. But I don’t wanna. Don’t ask me why. I don’t know the answer. 🤷🏼‍♀️ Anyway a Fante teacher comes to our house every Sunday mainly to give my kids private lessons so they can catch up with their Fante peers. Fante is compulsory subject in their school. I’m so far behind my kids already.

Twi:

Everybody keeps telling me to learn Twi instead because it’s somewhat of a lingua Franca here. I did at some point but it distracted my Dangme learning and also confused me because it’s so similar to Fante. I may return to learning Twi at some point. But I want to master Dangme first. This might be a dumb thing to do but…

GSL/ASL

I am very interested in Ghanaian Sign Language and American Sign Language too. So sometimes I play around with those two. But like I don’t have any pressure to learn them. I just want to be able to communicate with a lady who sells me fruits and honestly she is so sweet I wish to be her friend so hopefully 🤞 I can learn a few phrases at least to get started.

French

Ok so I was really burnt out and frustrated in Dangme for some time and kinda gave up a bit. So as there was a language vacuum in my life obviously I had to learn SOMETHING. I watched SKAM France and fell in love. It was Covid lock down and I had lots of time so I was learning that a bit. It was so easy compared to Dangme. Anyway I only did like very basics and then sifted my focus back to Dangme. But I do still follow some French media and books when I get a chance. Also my kids have to take French in school so I sometimes learn with them.

Swedish

Yeah. I was supposed to learn Swedish in school. I mean, I think I can still read some simple texts but … I watched Young Royals and understood NOTHING. Ok maybe simple stuff like Jag älskar dig and stuff like that. If I had time I would revise Swedish. But alas, time is that one thing I lack these days.

English

Learnt it in school. I use it every day. Still not fluent though. I guess all I can do at this point is to read more challenging texts. I don’t really have a plan. I’m quite comfortable with my current level. I’m not a perfectionist.

Finnish

Having lived 10 years abroad I sometimes feel my own language is a bit rusty. Still someone contacted me that I should start offering Finnish courses here in Ghana. I mean… I don’t think I’m qualified but if there are people who need a tutor I guess I can help. But Finnish grammar is a real bitch.

I think that’s all for now. I try not to get involved with any more languages. Though my husband was suggesting we move to UAE for a while. Arabic? 😅

Anyway, that’s me. I would really like friends. Especially if you also struggle with learning rare languages. Or want help with Finnish.

Edit: I forgot Latin. I took 3 courses back in upper secondary school. But I can only remember: Ecce Laura puella Fennica i vinea. 😆

[cnc-woah]

uh how is the muslim crisis propaganda???

thank you for asking anon! (before we jump into this, i just wanna say that this will probably be my only post on this blog about this topic bc while i’m a very political person, i usually like to keep this blog cnco-focused. that being said, if you have any further questions after reading this whole post and all the materials linked, please let me know!)

as i write this, i want you to know my intention: my intention in writing this is not to tell you what exactly to believe, or to convince you that my view is unequivocally correct. my goal is to shed light on why having a critical analysis lens is so important, especially if you live in the west. 

this is probably going to raise a lot of feelings for folks, as it should: human rights abuses are no joke. they are horrible and disgusting and real ones that occur need to be corrected and justice must be served. that being said, the re-education centers located in Xinjiang are not centers of torture or abuse, as western media would have you believe.

i think the first step to answering this question is discrediting the vast majority of western news sources, especially the extremely popular ones. even the ones that are supposedly the least biased still reek of imperialism and often times racism/xenophobia/anti-semitism/etc. for example, i have seen the New York Times and the BBC make several claims about the “concentration camps” occurring in china with little to no material basis for their claims beyond one or two individual people (which like...y’all know people can be bought, right?). i want to draw your attention to the validity of these news sources. these news sources continuously side with imperial powers and politic when publishing articles they claim to be “fact.” for example, the NYT and BBC have both supported the coup in Bolivia, describing it as “restoring democracy” and have gone so far as to twist the story to make Evo Morales some sort of evil dictator (which is so far off base idk how even to link articles in this case just google it dude it’s so gross. la lucha sigue!!) moreover, the NYT continually makes a case that there are always two right sides to an argument, and the truth lies somewhere in between. they especially like to make this case when it comes to US politics and Trump supporters (and let’s be very clear: if you’re a trump supporter you’re not a good person)

so, going forward with the assumption that the vast majority of western news sources are biased towards capitalism and imperialism (even tho i only named two here), we can begin to question the validity of the claims that china is keeping Uyghur Muslims in concentration camps. in order to do this, let’s take popular western media off the table completely. you may think that doesn’t leave us with much to go off of, but in reality it opens a completely new door for us to examine.

one of my favorite news sources for critical investigative journalism is called the Grayzone Project. they often do investigations into whether or not popular western media is spewing fact or propaganda (hint...it’s usually propaganda). They did a piece on this topic when these claims first started coming out, and I think it’s a super good jumping off point for this discussion: https://thegrayzone.com/2018/08/23/un-did-not-report-china-internment-camps-uighur-muslims/

now maybe after reading that report, you still think i’m full of shit. fair enough. but grayzone are not the only people to do reporting on topic. Global Times has also written about this, and these are two of the articles I found to be most poignant:

http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1168472.shtml

http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1170249.shtml

I’d love to unpack the first article a little more. Namely, pay attention to where the visiting reporters were from: Egypt, Oman, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Union of Comoros, Lebanon, Mauritania, Sudan and Tunisia. These nations have majority Muslim populations, or at the very least a significant population of Muslim folks residing there. this was not done by accident: the chinese government wanted to show these countries that they were not abusing their people. they were very open and honest about the situation as it stands, and the representatives from these countries were pleased. moreover, these reps were grateful, as the extremist, terrorist education that occurs in Xinjiang by terrorist organizations has been deadly. 

What’s more, China has actually invited the UN into it’s country to see these centers for themselves (this is an article by TeleSur, another really good news source imo): https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/China-Invites-UN-to-Visit-Education-Centers-in-Xinjiang-20190613-0004.html

Logistically speaking, when a country is committing cultural genocide or apartheid, they don’t invite the UN or other human rights organizations to come take a quick peak (cough cough Israel cough cough). 

Moreover, the UN isn’t moving in on China for a reason: there is nothing to move in on. It’s not like the UN is ignoring the plight of the Uyghur Muslim people, but rather there is no genocide occurring to bring to justice. 

Now even after all that, maybe you still don’t understand WHY western media would propagate such hurtful lies with such intensity. To me, the answer seems clearly rooted in capitalism, imperialism, and self-interest. The US currently isn’t in great standings with China or other Muslim majority countries (y’all remember the muslim (”travel”) ban, right?), and it makes sense to me why they would try their very hardest to discredit the nation. If you want a take from someone who’s not a westerner herself, here’s another article: http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1167645.shtml

Now, maybe after ALL of this, you still think i’m wrong. maybe you’re questioning the validity of my sources or even my arguments. and while i ultimately disagree with you (i think i showed tf up with receipts and also logic), i hope you at least come away from this with a better understanding of why it’s important to be critical of the information we are receiving. every news source has bias; evidently, no one information source lives in a vacuum. but remain critical: are they biased towards imperialism and money? or are they biased towards the truth?

[lovemesomesurveys]

Did you talk to anybody taller than you today?: Everyone, besides small children, are taller than me. Have you seen “A Cinderella Story” w/ Hillary Duff and Chad Michael Murray?: Yep, many times. What is your favorite brand of chap stick?: ESO or EOS I always forget the order, but yeah that one. Have you ever been to New Brunswick in the summer?: Nope. I’ve never been there at all. Have you ever been to Florida in the spring?: I’ve never been there at all either.

Have you ever been to Vancouver in the winter?: ^^^^^ Have you ever been to Boston in the fall?: ^^^^^ Have you ever been to St. Louis or St. Paul?: Nope. Have you ever been to both in the same 11-day period?: Have you ever driven down a red dirt road?: No.

Do you think horses could run faster on the road or through fields?: Fields, probably. Why do you feel this way?: I just do. Is it past 6 AM?: No, it’s 12:27AM. Is it past 6 PM?: Yes. Are you wearing shoes?: No. Describe the worst time you’ve ever been shocked.: Hmm. I don’t know what I’d say was the worst time. Have you ever been shocked when a cashier was handing you change?: Yes. Have you ever had spicy sweet chilli doritos?: I have. What’s the longest song title you can think of?: Just about any one of Fallout Boy’s songs. And the shortest?: Freebird. Have you ever went to sleep after the sun came up?: Many times. Were you scared of Y2K?: Yeah, even though I was pretty young. Are you scared of Y2K12?: Nothing came of that either. LOL, can you type 2012 in roman numerals?: No. Which button on your cell phone did you last press?: I It was probably the home button. Who did you last call?: My mom.

How long was the conversation?: Just a few minutes. Do you enjoy stepping on ants?: No. What state is nearest to you?: Arizona. What city larger than yours is nearest to you?: Los Angeles.

What country is nearest to you?: Mexico.

What town smaller than yours is nearest to you?: Hmm.

Does the color purple remind of you of anything or anyone?: It’s my mom’s favorite color. Also, Prince’s song “Purple Rain” and the movie, “The Color Purple.”

Did you talk to your bf/gf last night?: Single.

Can you honestly tell the difference between Coke and Pepsi?: Yes.

Do you wish Pepsi never existed?: I don’t care that it does. I just think Coke is better.

Do you think love is the most beautiful thing in the world?: Sure.

What do you want thrown at your wedding?: You assume that I will get married. Or that I even want to.

Do you plan on getting married in the near future?: Noooo.

Have you ever been to: Timbuktu, Mali: Alberquerque, NM: Avondale, AZ: Evansville, IN: Evansville, IL: St. Petersburg, FL: Richmond, VA: Vancouver, BC: Chihuahua, Chihuahua: Memphis, Tennessee: Portland, ME: Portland, OR: Springfield, PA: Indiana, PA: Eerie, PA: Eerie, IN: Lake Erie: The Pacific Ocean: The Indian Ocean: India: South Africa: Peoria, AZ: Peoria, IL: Flagstaff, AZ: Huntington Beach, CA: West Hollywood, CA: New York, New York: Toronto, ON: Henderson, NV: Henderson, KY: Indonesia: Dubai, UAE: Cincinatti, OH: Newport, KY: Newport Beach, VA: Virginia Beach, VA: Washington, D.C.: Puerto Rico: The largest city in your state/province/etc: The largest city in your country: The largest city on your continent: The largest city in the world (Tokyo): The largest city in your county/parish/etc: The largest city in every state/province/territory/etc boarding yours: The largest city in every country boarding yours: The largest city on every continent: Nunavut: Spain: Dawson City, YK: Dawson Creek, BC: Do you eat quiche?: It’s been years, but yeah I like it.

Do you eat Butterfingers weekly?: Uh no. I couldn’t even tell you the last time I had one.

Do you read the newspaper more often than once every 2 weeks?: I don’t read the newspaper, I read the news online or watch it on TV.

With what color toothbrush did you last brush your teeth?: White and blue.

Do you bathe your dog?: Not me personally, but yes we do.

Does it have a collar?: Yes she does. She has a cute collar and ID tag.

How long were you last sleeping?: I took a 2 hour nap yesterday. I haven’t slept since then, yet. I’m really tired, though.

Have you ever played “Dungeon Explorer: Warrios of Ancient Arts”?: No.

What brand PS2 controller do you think is best?: I don’t know anything about that stuff.

Do you like Keith Urban?: I like a song or two.

Have you ever been to urbandictionary.com?: Yeah.

Do you have a porch swing?: We don’t even have a porch.

Is that a good thing?: I don’t see why it would be a good or bad thing if we did.

When did you last feed goldfish (whether they were yours or not)?: Not since my own when I was a kid. What is the last sweet thing you ate?: The strawberry milkshake I had.

Spicy?: I can’t have spicy food anymore. :(

Salty?: The soy sauce I dipped pot stickers in yesterday.

What is the last dream you remember having?: Something random and weird as usual.

Do you know anybody whose language you speak better than they do English?: No.

What’s your favorite pokemon?: I liked Jigglypuff.

What’s your favorite pokemon game?: Never played any of them.

Is anything good on TV right now?: I doubt it seeing how it’s almost 1AM.

Have you ever worn a blue hat?: Possibly.

What about a sweater and a sweat shirt at the same time?: No. I’ve worn a hoodie and a jacket or a sweatshirt and a jacket at the same time, though.

What’s your area code?: Nah.

How many area codes would you recognize?: Not many.

Do you know where sponges grow?: In the ocean.

Have you ever read “Where the Red Fern Grows”?: Yeah, in 5th grade.

Who is the author?: I don’t recall.

Do you like suspensful books?: Yes.

What about scary ones?: I like mystery and psychological thrillers.

Can you name every hamster you’ve ever had?: I had two when I was a kid, but I don’t recall their names.

What’s the last building you were in that had more than 4 floors?: Not sure.

How far away is it from your house?:

Did you drive there?:

Have you ever driven to Utah? No. Have you ever been to OK, TX, NM, and AZ in one day?: No.

Do you like road trips?: Depends.

Isn’t it awkward when someone mentions they just lost a loved one?: Only because I never want to say. There’s nothing you can really say. I’m also not good with comforting others.

How do you react?: I express my condolences but other than that I’m just like awkwardly there not knowing what to do or say.

Have you ever been to a funeral and everyone else seemed more sad than you?: It wasn’t something I paid attention to. There wasn’t like a who’s sadder than who thing going on. It was just a sad, rough day for everyone.

Do you even like scary movies?: Some.

Do you have a bus pass?: Nope. No need for one.

Do you take a bus daily?: I don’t take the bus at all anymore. I used to have to sometimes while I was still in school, but those days are over.

Do you know anyone named Roger?: No.

Is he older or younger than you?:

What’s the age difference in the youngest and oldest people you’ve dated?: One year.

If I told you that answer was 8 years for me, would you believe it?: I don’t have a reason not to.

Do you answer your own surveys?: I don’t make any.

Do you like go-gurt?: Wow, I haven’t had one in yearssss. I liked the strawberry banana ones.

Have you ever eaten something, and the food stayed on your hands forever?: No...

Is that worse or better than it staying on your breath?: I’ve never had that problem.

What did you last drink that was brown?: Diet Coke.

When did you last deficate?: Ew why do you wanna know that.

When did you last suffocate?: Never.

When did you last relocate?: As in moved to another house or something? Five years ago.

When did you last perspirate?: It’s freakin’ hot here, so it’s not such a rare occurrence. Ugh, I hate summer.

Who did you last irritate?: My family, I’m sure.

Who (or what) did you last imitate?: I don’t know.

What (if anything) did you last irrigate?: Not sure.

Do you think it’s annoying or cool when I rhyme questions like that?: I didn’t care, sorry.

Do you watch pro wrestling?: Nope.

Why or why not?: Not my thing.

What are your plans for the next March 11?: Uh I have no idea. That’s a long ways away.

How many days do you think it snowed where you live in the last 365 days?: It doesn’t snow in my city, unfortunately.

Is your birthday less than 8 months from now?: Yeah, it’s next month.

Will you wake me up when September ends?: Nah I’ll probably forget cause I’ll be asleep, too.

I have been to 28 US states. Am I beating you?: Yep, by a long shot.

Do you like yarn?: I don’t have anything against it.

Do you enjoy my geography questions?: They’re whatever. It’d be more interesting if I actually traveled.

What is the last thing you used a brush on?: My hair.

Who was your best friend from your high school while you were there?: Amanda.

Do you have any pants you’d be embarassed for your friends to know about?: No.

When did you last stand up?: Never.

Did I just make you realize how long you’ve been doing this survey?: Nope.

Have you ever shopped for 2 hours at Dollar General?: No.

Do you think that’s crazy that I witnessed someone do that today?: I don’t care lol.

Have you ever dated a teenager?: When I myself was one as well, yes.

Were you popular in high school?: Hahah nope. That was perfectly fine with me, though.

Does your city have a Poplar Street?: I think it does.

Do you know what a poplar is?: Yes.

Do you like lemons?: No.

What color are your eyes?: Dark brown.

Got any plans for July 24, 2009?: Well we’re in 2018 now and I have no idea what I did on that day 9 years ago. This July 24th I don’t have any plans as of now, but that’s 4 days away from my birthday.

What about July 24, 2012?: I don’t know, man.

Or do you think minimum wage doesn’t need to be $9.65?: It’s $11 here, I believe.

Do you think the raise in minimum wage is partly why our economy is ruined?: Not getting into that right now.

Did you watch your favorite television show today?: One of.

Did you listen to your favorite song today?: I haven’t listened to any music so far today.

Did you play your favorite video game today?: I’ll be playing The Sims 4 soon.

I don’t know how many pairs of shoes I own! Do you?: Like 6.

I have about 4. Do you have them organized?: They’re just in my closet.

So when did you last go to the zoo?: A couple years ago.

Have you ever filmed a movie?: For a class project in high school. A very, very crappy one.

In the zoo?: Filmed a movie in the zoo? No.

Who is your favorite teacher from high school?: I had a history teacher my sophomore year named Mr. Coffey who was really cool.

What’s under your bed?: Nothing.

Do you think money should be green?: I’m used to that.

Do you have children?: Noooo.

How much did you pay for your last meal?: Like 5 or 6 bucks, I think.

What’s the longest period of time you’ve had a goldfish?: I had fish for a few years as a kid.

Would you rather go bowling in the spring or summer?: I don’t care to go at all, but why would the season matter for something like that?

Do you like lazar tag?: Never been.

What about miniature golf?: Never been.

Have you ever been to a casino in Canada?: Nope.

Have you ever been to Bear Lake in Saskatchewan?: No.

Do you have any t-shirts you’ve owned for 7 ½ years that still fit you?: How specific, but yes. Some older than that.

Do you know how it feels to be heartbroken?: I do.

Is your house currently on fire?: Uh, no. I wouldn’t just be here chillin’ taking this survey... Do you like ramen noodles?: Yep.

How far away is the nearest fire station?: Pretty close by.

Is your dog a real barker?: Nah. She barks if someone knocks, sometimes when she’s in a playful mood, or when she wants something. It’s not excessive. Our neighbor’s dogs on the other hand....

Could you see yourself with short hair?: I had short hair for years.

Can bad hair alone make someone unattractive?: I hate when my hair looks really bad, which it always does now. Have you ever eaten bad spinach?: I don’t believe so.

Have you ever had banana nut cheerios?: No.

How do you know how to spell Mississippi?: I just do.

[zihaaaa]

Salaam :D Leaf, plant, seashell, breeze, bird, campfire, energy & summer!

wa’alaikum assalam! awwwwwww thanks for all these awesome asks! :) Leaf: What’s your favourite season?

Winter! Snow, beanies, coffee, ahhhh, I love everything about it!Plant: What, in your opinion, is your best aspect?

Hmm, this is pretty tough to answer without sounding conceited LOL. But I guess I’d say my personality is perhaps my best aspect? Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate my looks because they are all me, uniquely me, and that is beautiful alhamdulillah. But I’m grateful for the personality Allah has blessed me with, that He has allowed for me to develop through the exposure to certain people, places, and things. :) I’m comfortable with who I am, and who I try to be (aka a better person, hopefully better). Seashell: What’s a sound that soothes you?

Birds chirping in the early morning! momma always said they chirp at the time of fajr as a means of praising Allah in their own special way, just as we get up and pray in the early morning. I mean, idk how accurate or true it is haha, but it’s a beautiful thought, so yeah, I’ve always loved hearing them chirp away as the sun rises!

Breeze: What’s your favourite dessert food?

Fresh baked apple cider donuts covered in cinnamon sugar, mmmmmmm!

Bird: If you could fly, where would you fly to?

Right now? Right this very instant, if I could fly, I would fly to Pakistan. I’ve been missing my fam so darn much lately. God, I cannot say enough about how lovely they all are. My momma’s side of the fam, specifically. And y’all know how amazing my momma is, mashaAllah tabarakAllah. They are the most generous, kind, loving, compassionate, and good hearted people ever, I promise you. I could tell you a gazillion stories and incidents! They are a light in my life alhamdulillah, and sometimes, video calls just don’t seem to be enough. I wanna give them my love in person, y’know? sigh, soon inshaAllah, I hope! Also, my uncle is in the UAE, but he’s totally included in this, so I would flap my theoretical wings to the UAE, and then head over to Pakistan LOL 

Campfire: What’s your favourite childhood memory?

OMG I have so many favorite childhood memories! Can I share my favorite traumatizing childhood memory? Cause I got a lot of those too haha. Okay, so, when we were in Brooklyn, we had older Pakistani kids who lived in the basement of the house. Basically, the house we lived in was separated and partitioned off into three parts. The basement, the first floor, and the second floor. We lived on the second floor. We used to play outside with the older kids often and our families were pretty close. One day, we were playing and our moms were chatting on the steps when the older kids told us there was a carnival within walking distance and they wanted to head over to it in a litte bit. I was 4 years old, and as soon as I heard carnival, I clutched the leg of the older guy and asked him if I could come along too! He looked at his siblings and looked down at me and said ‘okay, go change your shoes and i’ll take you and [my big bro]’. Idk why I had to change my shoes, but I ran upstairs as fast as my 4 year old self could, and when I ran back down……..

……….they were nowhere to be seen. Not my older neighbors, and not my bro. I wailed, I raged, I wept. This was my first taste of deception [dun dun dun].

I laugh about it now, but that was also the first time my little heart was broken, my trust shattered to smithereens, looool.

anywaaaaays, onto the next one, haha!

Energy: Pick one word to describe your life.

Blessed. (alhamdulillah)

Summer: What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done?

Two summers ago, I was in a leadership program at college, and the training included a day out doing leadership/trust building exercises and later, a high ropes course. Yo, the high ropes course was CRAZY. It was so high up and all that kept you in the air was a rope held by a person all the way down below on the ground. You had to climb up a wooden tree trunk thing (soooooo high up) and there were different kinds of courses, some where you had to balance on wobbly wooden planks, other where you’d walk across a thin rope with only other thin ropes dangling above you to grab on to, etc.) It was an awesome experience alhamdulillah, and I really truly did feel like a ninja! The tour leader later told me I was a natural, and that my moves were graceful, balanced, and better than most first timers (hehe). This isn’t even that crazy, I know, but it was something I’d never done before and I’d totally do it again!