Mud City By: Deborah Ellis
Entry 1, Thursday, April, 3rd 2008.
Shauzia is a young girl from Afghanistan. For the first part of her life, she is raised by shepards, however they are not able to take care of her forever. So, she is then dropped at a Women's Compound so she can be taken care of properly. Shauzia is very popular at the Women's Camp, especially with the younger children, not however with the compund's director, Ms. Wera.
Shauzia is a very good storyteller, and tells all the children about her adventures of keeping the wolves away from the sheep late at night. However, this is not what she wants. Shauzia dreams of earning money and travelling through the seas to France, where she will eat French food, and take in all the amazing sights of France. She would then travel to the Eiffel Tower, where she would meet her friend Parvana, would sit at the top and gaze at the stars, and of course make fun of Ms. Wera.
Things don't go well for Shauzia though. She asks Ms.Wera for a way to make some money, her thoughts are then shot down by Ms.Wera's belief that Shauzia should stay in the camp for the rest of her life. Shauzia is not happy about this so she decides that she will leave the camp and find a way to make money on her own. As soon as she announces this, a going away party is held. When it's over, Shauzia makes a drastic decision, she will leave a day early. That same day she heads for the gate with her dog Jasper at her side, and as soon as she exits the gates, she knows there is no turning back.
My Thoughts:
Personally I would have hated to be in Shauzia's position. She is young, has no parents and is stuck in a war filled country. Everything is dirty, her clothes are falling apart, and so are her sandals. She has no money and is not staying in a great place. I think that it would be very hard to live this way, but this is probably because I'm used to a completely different lifestyle, and country.
Questions:
-How do you think Shauzia feels about first leaving the Women's Compound?
-Why does she think the compound is such a bad place?
-Why was she put there?
-Where will she go to find money?
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