Ramblings of Three Friends

Coming Full Circle

As a 12-year-old in the 1970's, I made a very special friend. Her name was Rafia, and she had just arrived in Canada from Pakistan with her mother, father, and 4 younger sisters Fauzia, Samira, Jameila, and Rubina. She was placed in my sixth grade classroom, not knowing a word of English. We soon became inseparable. As I helped her with her English, she and her family educated me about their culture. I was adopted as one of the family, and often shared meals with them, sitting on the floor, around a tablecloth, eating such exotic delicacies as fish curry, dahl, roti & dai, and my favourite, samosas. I learned a few words in Urdu, such as how to politely say hello or goodbye, how to count to ten, and they taught me how to write my name in their language. Shortly after arriving, Rafia's mother discovered she was pregnant, and she was unsure about having another child in Canada. I remember her telling me (through her daughter as an interpreter) about the horrendous conditions she had endured during childbirth in Pakistan. I remember assuring her that things would be much better this time around. She went on to deliver another healthy daughter, named Nahid. Unfortunately, in ninth grade, Rafia and her family moved to California, and I have never seen them again.

Fast forward almost 30 years. I'm a mother of 3. I spend much my spare time following the career of Clay Aiken. I listen to his music, attend his concerts, and read message boards devoted to his artistic and altruistic accomplishments. I recently traveled to Raleigh, NC to attend a fundraising gala for Clay's Bubel Aiken Foundation, an organization that fund programs for inclusion for children with disabilites, to be included with their non-disabled peers. He's really changed my life, in a lot of ways, even though I've never met him. I've made a circle of friends, through this fandom, who have come to be more "friends" than just "fans".


Not only is Clay the co-founder of the Bubel Aiken Foundation, he is Unicef's Ambassador of Education for Children Worldwide. He visited Indonesia shortly after the deadly tsunami of 2004, travelled to war-torn Uganda in 2005, and most recently, spent a week touring schools in Afghanistan. Upon his return, he announced the Afghanistan Appeal: $100,000 in 10 days campaign.

Recently, I began reading a book called Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin, on the recommendation of a Clay friend. It chronicles the story of an American mountaineer, who fails to reach the summit of the 2nd highest mountain in the world, known as "K2". On his way down, he gets separated from his party of climbers, and is guided by a local man to a small Pakistani village, named Korphe. After he arrives home in America, he vows to return to Pakistan and build a much needed school in the rural village, so he scrimps and saves and searches for donors until he has $12,000 saved, and gets on a plane back to Pakistan.

The rest of the book (which I haven't quite finished yet) details how he further expands his desire to give back to the people of that region by building multiple schools with an emphasis on making sure that girls get educated as well as boys. It's an inspiring read, and I am learning a lot about Pakistan and Afghanistan. I'm also recognizing a lot of little bits and pieces that I remember learning from my friend Rafia and her family. To learn more about Greg's foundation, or to make a donation, go to the Central Asia Institute's website.

This evening, after reading a few more chapters (in which they talk about food all the time!), I felt the overwhelming desire to cook myself some curried chick peas. I discovered I was out of onions, so I jumped in the car and raced over to the grocery store to get some. As I was checking out, I heard the familiar strains of Clay Aiken's Without You come over the speakers. It just struck me as not so much a coincidence as coming full circle. All my life I've been fighting prejudice, advocating for women's rights, and the rights of all children to an education, regardless of ability or economic means. Both of these amazing men have accomplished so much in their lives, and through different channels, are advocating for the same things. They inspire me in different and in similar ways, each and every day.

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posted by luckiest1 @ 4:12 PM