BarirahWork

  An Awesome Year of Learning Being a twelve-year-old homeschooler means my "new school year" doesn't start with a summer break... I just study all year round whenever I feel like it. First, I gather all my favorite supplies: colorful notebooks for my writing, smooth pens for my poetry, and my computer for all our online learning. The best part? I can study literally anywhere ... sometimes at my desk, sometimes on the floor, sometimes curled up on my bed, and on nice days, I take my books up to the rooftop or out into the garden. I also organize our PC with bookmarks for YouTube videos, Khan Academy, Duolingo, and our Blogger page where i share my creative work mostly. This year, I really want to improve my cooking and baking, write better poetry, improve my coding and programing, and get stronger at Urdu and English composition. I'm super excited about languages, arts, and learning new skills, but honestly? Maths is just not my favorite...I find it pretty boring an...

  A Breeze, a Groove, and a Prickly Surprise I will never forget the sweet, fresh scent of citrus from the day I visited an orange grove at seven years old. My family and I went to an orchard in Khanpur, where I ran through the soft, damp grass. A cool breeze sent a shiver down my spine...I’d even forgotten my knit cap at home. But such a small mistake couldn’t get in the way of a good time. We picked hundreds of oranges, each one juicy with a perfect balance of sweet and sour. The funniest moment came when my five-year-old brother suddenly screamed and announced that a plant had bitten him. At first, we were confused, but when he pointed to the plant, we saw it had spiky leaves. We all burst out laughing and explained that the plant had pricked him, not bitten him...plants can’t bite! Looking back, that day at the orchard remains one of my fondest memories. It taught me that nature is full of surprises, and we still laugh about my brother’s “biting” plant during family dinners. T...

  The Library of Worlds The morning light sweeps in through the window. How did I forget to close the curtains? I groan, swinging my legs off the bed. I really should have shut the blinds. Peeking outside, I note it's a "soft, cloudy Saturday morning"....still, far too early. I pull the blinds closed and turn around. My room is painted in sage green. Two towering bookshelves flank a study table, with a wardrobe, a bed, and a desk completing the space. There's plenty of room to move..which is good, since I have a habit of pacing while I think. I sigh and make my way back toward the bed, passing the door that stands alone in the middle of the room. No walls, no frame....just a door, suspended in the open. As I walk past it, I catch it from the side: the rich chocolate-brown wood, the subtle grain running across its surface. On the front, intricate carvings twist together...roses entwined with licking flames, petals and fire curling into one another. And then, just as c...