Swimming in the Scent

Another poem I wrote last semester. It still aptly describes how i feel sometimes. Enjoy!

Prose poem: Swimming in the scent

It breathes when you least expect it. In the middle of the day after eight months of stay when you are swamped by four humongous assignments and friends are calling you to watch a movie and you feel that all this has never felt more natural, it wafts slowly behind you, perhaps from under the door, or carried by the fresh breeze, or in the dying scent in the sleeve of a blouse you haven’t worn in two months. It breathes on your neck and makes you unable to inhale. It caresses your cheek and then goes on its way. Sometimes it’s the merry thirst of coffee beans brewing in the way they only burst forth and pervade the coffee shops on New York airport. Often times it’s the incense of a Somali perfume, characteristic of the way your dorm room smelled the first time you entered it. It’s the aroma which accompanied the swimming of your insides and the hollow beating of your heart when you first sat alone in an airport, unable to anticipate your future in a foreign country. It is the whiff that still catches you unawares and makes you as nervous and awkward even after months of staying here. It is the first odor of the USA, your first breath here, the first swoon of independence and fear.

TIME

A poem I wrote in my first year here in the USA when I was making the transition of settling in the USA. Just so that it's clearer to you...I am obviously here in the USA, the 'her' mentioned in the poem is my best friend who lives in London, and my family is obviously in Pakistan...the time difference between Pakistan and USA is around 11-12 hours and they are ahead of the US; the difference between England and USA is 6 hours and again, they are ahead of us! That's the backdrop of the poem! ENJOY!!

TIME

As I look out

the window,

the sun

coldly sets.

Eleven hours

too late.

Six hours

too late.

(I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead.)

As I get out of bed here,

on a rain-swept morn,

in the city cuddled

by River Thames

she walks home

from work

under dusky twilight

smiling but worn out-

on another continent

my family is playing Rang

as the maid lays out dinner,

and sleep will beckon

in just a while.

I am displaced.

Time is misplaced.

If it is the purple streaked

Dawn six strokes past midnight

Here in the US,

And the radiant glory of noon

Where she resides,

While the evening crow

Caws 5 p.m. in the country

I have left behind,

What is the real time?

Am I lagging behind

In time, in life, in fear,

Tagging after the bustling

Sun that sets too soon

In my homeland?

I used to fist the stars

And the sun and hide

Them in my bosom.

But is the sun really mine?

It visits me here

Once it has burst forth

On those it prefers

And then just

Sets here in the West.

Time escapes me.

The sun negates me.

(I think I made you up inside my head).

ResLife rocks! (Wouldn't my supervisors want to read this post!)

So it's been almost a week since I last updated. Since I said I will elaborate on all my jobs and activities on campus, I will abide by my promise and do that now before I start whining about how stressful this week was! I warn you, it might take me several posts to actually give details of all my jobs! So yeah, I will start off by explaining about my favorite job of all: Community Advisor!

I love working with ResLife. Basically my job entails being a resource, a friend, and an advisor for all the residents on my floor, along with planning fun and engaging programs for them so that by the end of the year, they not only make new friends and enjoy their life on campus, but also become responsible students and citizens who are aware of the current issues of their zeitgeist.

There are five residential buildings on campus: Mortensen Hall, Urness Hall, Anderson Hall, Luther Hall, and Oren Gateway Center. I am the CA of the 5th floor of Mortensen Hall, the tallest building on campus. I love the residents on my floor because they are all friendly, compliant, and easy to get along with. Heck, I was the only CA who had ALL her residents attend the first floor meeting! Yeah baby! :D

I actually had an event for my floor this week. Part of our job as CA is to create awareness in our residents about different cultures and people so that they become more understanding and knowledgeable individuals who are also interculturally competent (I think that's the term!). So for my program, I did an Eid party. Since I am a Muslim and just celebrated the Islamic festival of Eid which fell on the 20th of September this year, I figured I would teach my residents about my culture and religion. Thus, I held an Eid party where I invited all my residents, the rest of the CAs of the building, and all the Residence Hall Directors. I think around 35 people showed up in total and even if i do say so myself, the event was quite a success Al-Hamdulillah (Praised be God). I made Pakistani food for the event and since culturally, Pakistani girls do henna on their hands, I actually got henna and everyone really enjoyed playing with it! People wanted to hear Pakistani/my favorite music too so we played some of that. Obviously I gave a tiny speech on what Eid was all about and hung up posters about it. I'm sure you have no idea what Eid is too so I'll give a brief description. Eid is the celebration that Muslims have after the end of the month of Ramadan. Ramadan is the month in which Muslims fast from morning till evening and indulge in a lot of additonal worship and charitable activities in order to attain the promised rewards from God during this month of blessings and happiness. Eid is a feast at the end when Muslims eat a lot and enjoy themselves. You can read about the significance of Eid in a Muslim's life here:http://www.islaam.org/Eid/Eid.htm

So yeah, that was my first event that turned out to be quite a success, Al-Hamdulillah! I'm pleased and excited for other events but it is quite tiring and requires a lot of work. Being a CA is no piece of cake!

I will follow up with my other jobs soon inshaAllah (God-willing)! Now is the time to do the homework that I needed to do ages ago and I haven't touched! I am such an annoying procrastinator! (Yes, I did warn you I will whine!). So peace to all and learn lessons from my mistakes: DO NOT LEAVE YOUR HOMEWORK TILL THE LAST MOMENT OTHERWISE YOU WOULD BE SITTING IN YOUR QUIET ROOM IN A QUIET BUILDING ON A SATURDAY NIGHT WHILE THE REST OF THE WORLD IS CHILLING AND PARTYING OUT! :*(

Just the general everyday intro...

Hi! My name is Sana Malik and I'm an international student at Augsburg College, Minneapolis, MN, USA. I am originally from Lahore, Pakistan and that's where I hope to end up too once I am done with my education and some responsibilities. I am a double major in English Literature and Creative Writing and a minor in Psychology. Did I mention I'm doing my Bachelor in Arts? (Oopsie!)

It is my second year here at Augsburg though I am almost a junior (I transferred in some credits). I live on-campus and I love that! (If you follow up my blog, you will OFTEN hear about the only complaint I have regarding my life on-campus and in the USA in general.) I work with Residence Life this year and so far, it's been a FABULOUS experience! I recommend it to everyone, really!

I am quite engaged and involved in numerous activities and organizations on campus because I realized my first year here that is the best life to lead here! Work, study hard, be involved, stay busy, and have a blast!

Thus, I am a Community Advisor with ResLife, an AugSem Student Leader, Vice-President of the International Student Organization, Vice-President of the newly-founded Muslim Student Association, a member of the Augsburg Asian Student Association, a writer for Augsburgian, the college yearbook, a Proctor for the CLASS Program, a Student Representative for the IGNITE Program and a Student Mentor, a Student Representative for the English department (I will go into details of all these jobs and organizations in my later posts; this is just to show you how crazy busy I am here! But lovin' it too, I swear!).

So yeah, that's the basic introduction I give to everyone I meet on a daily basis. Quite boring but factual, so bear with me. Hopefully, my other posts will capture your interest a bit more as I delve into the life I live here and you share my experiences and journey. All aboard, get ready for take off!