2020 The Joy of Writing

2020The Joy

of WritingStories written by the adult students of

Literacy Volunteers of Charlottesville/Albemarle

Copyright for The Joy of Writing Literacy Volunteers Charlottesville/Albemarle, 2020. Authors are the sole copyright owner of the Works within The Joy of Writing, and retain all rights to their Work except for those expressly granted to LVCA in this Agreement.

Literacy Volunteers of Charlottesville/Albemarle233 4th Street NW, Box LCharlottesville, VA [email protected]

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Literacy Volunteers of Charlottesville/Albemarle (LVCA) promotes literacy through free, confidential, one-to-one reading, writing, and English language tutoring. We provide foundational education to support our students as they embark on workforce and educational paths. Our work helps them secure better jobs and become more fully involved in community life.

The Joy of Writing is an annual publication which provides an opportunity for adult students, who are learning how to read and write, to have their stories published in a collection of writings with their peers. This activity builds confidence in our students and allows many of them to share their stories of perseverance.

Ellen M. Osborne, Executive Director, LVCA [email protected]

For more information about LVCA, go to:www.literacyforall.org

Cover and interior design: Heather Tebbenhoff, Community Engagement Specialist Photo credits: Students, volunteers, and staff of LVCA

Table of ContentsLife Doesn’t Ask You if You Want to Be Strong, Life Teaches You to Be Strong by Ofelia Abundio Alonso . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Why People Migrate from Afghanistan by Mohammad Hares Ajmal . . . . . . . 7

The First Year in School for Jason by Carlos Ardon Rivera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

The History of My Family by Carlos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

A New Chapter in My Life Book by Marah Chiha . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

My Exciting Family Trip by Eunjeong Choi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Bean Sprouts Story by Yejin Han . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

“Do you Speak Turkish?” by Seyed Ali Hashemi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

The New Bicycle by Sahar Hashemi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

My Journey by Nilam Lama . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

My Son Wants to Be Spider-Man! by Eunyoung Lee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

“Heel” the World by Soo Lim . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

New Life in the U.S. by Elham Mohammad Alipour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Back and Forward by J.T. Moon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

My Life in Cape Town by Mary Njogu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

The University of Life According to My Mother by Norma Pineda . . . . . . . . 29

The Woman at the Bus Stop by Bahie Ramadan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

The Golden Land by Julia Sharo Phaw . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Our Beautiful New Life in Charlottesville by Oscar Sulbaran . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Stop Eating Sugar, Flour, Salt and Junk Food by Nebiye Sumer . . . . . . . . . 34

Old Pillows of Borrowed Beds: What Education Became to Me by Xue Ping Wang . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

A Morning at Trader Joe’s by Lijing Yang . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Going to School: A Funny Story by Khatima Yari . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

5Literacy Volunteers of Charlottesville/Albemarle

My name is Ofelia Abundio Alonso. I am from San Miguel Xaltepec, Palmar de Bravo, Puebla, Mexico. I am the oldest of nine children, six sisters and three brothers.

It is 2001. I am thirteen years old. Mom and Dad fought, and Mom has left home because Dad almost killed her. I have to leave middle school. Dad is drunk and has lost his senses. I am afraid and hate my dad for hurting my mom and making her leave. We have nothing to eat. We ask my dad for food, and he gives us hard, raw corn and beans. I am thirteen years old. I don’t know what to do with my brothers and sisters. It is too much responsibility for me. I cry and pray to God that my mom comes home.

Eight days later, my mother comes home and forgives my father, and they are happy again. I am happy because my mom is home.

I am thirteen years old. I have to leave school because we don’t have any money. My mother tells me to stay in school, but I know I need to work to help my family because my dad only works when he wants. I don’t blame him because he grew up without a father to teach him how to be a man.

I start working at a farm six days a week, and I help my mother sell pan de burro, elotes, ezquites, and chicarrones on the weekend. During Lent, we sell fried fish and other snacks. To pay back a loan my father borrowed, my parents

Life Doesn’t Ask You if You Want to Be Strong, Life Teaches You to Be Strong

by Ofelia Abundio Alonso

6 The Joy of Writing 2020

and I go to Baja California for six months to work, but my mother misses her children, so we go home.

When we get home, my mother tells me I have to get a job. My cousin finds me a job at a chicken farm. I work six days a week. I am fifteen years old. Each day I have to pick up forty-five cases of eggs. Each case holds three hundred and sixty-five eggs. The first day, I can’t do it by myself, but my coworkers help me. They help me until I can do it by myself.

I hate this job. The hens poop everywhere. It smells terrible. My shoes are too old, so I have to walk barefoot. I get poop on my feet. Worms crawl in the poop and on my feet. There are rats. There are thousands of flies. I eat my lunch inside as quickly as I can, so I can keep working and finish as soon as possible. I can’t enjoy my food. One by one, my sisters and my mother join me. We work at the chicken farm for three years. I hate this job.

One day I decide I can’t take it anymore. I am afraid, because I know I need to work to help my family, but I can’t watch my parents fight anymore. I have to escape. I am eighteen years old. I immigrate to the United States.

There is no better education than what life teaches you. u


Why People Migrate from Afghanistanby Mohammad Hares Ajmal

Today in Afghanistan we are witnessing approximately two hundred thousand of the young generation requesting asylum in European countries. More than two million people migrated to Iran where about one and a half million people are registered. Another one million are unregistered living in Pakistan, as well as in the Middle East. Every day the number of people who want to leave is getting more and more.

Although writing completed information in all aspects of migration needs is at least one big chapter, I am going to review briefly five reasons for migration.

1. Insecurity – On December 24, 1979, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan. People protested and stood against the government and Soviet Union troops. The government started suppression of the protesters, killing and incarcerating millions of people. Meanwhile, they continued cruelty against those who had not joined their organization. The country was not safe for Muslim people.

The situation forced people to find other places for living. Huge numbers of people started migrating to other countries.

In April 1992, the Mujahidin came to power, but they couldn’t control the situation and civil war started in the country. The situation got worse and forced people to leave the country.

In 1996, the Taliban came to power. Again, people were forced to leave the


country and this still continues.

2. Poverty – Invasion of the Soviet Union, the civil war and the Taliban destroyed the infrastructure of the country. Although the United States and NATO allies since 2001 have expended a lot of money, most of the money comes back to the western countries or is used to extend the 19 years of fighting. Poverty still remained the same. None of the promised economic infrastructure was built during the West’s 19 years in the country.

3. Unemployment – The government had responsibilities to find and create jobs. Although they had money and chances, they did nothing. Most people migrated to the West to find a secure place for living and jobs.

4. Climate (drought) – Previously, people could farm on their land. However, the climate caused most of their land to dry out and left them without enough water for farming. Although Afghanistan has enough water, the government failed to build even one dam so that farmers could continue farming. Even if farmers had a good season, when they collected their harvest the price went down so much that they were not able to earn as much as they had expended. There is not even one warehouse in the country.

5. Politics – Politics is the biggest problem in the country. The Soviet Union interfered in the country’s politics and assigned their representatives. Nowadays Western countries have gained control of the power in Afghanistan, influencing the selection of favored people to key positions in the government. These people are not working for the country because they have been assigned by outsiders. During three elections, the United Nations and western countries supported those who violated the constitution and election law. This means that those who are able to bring security and work for people, but are not favored by these foreign nations, are not allowed to hold power or they are eliminated from power.

It seems that Afghanistan migration will continue until those people who are able to work for security and development of the country are allowed to be assigned to power. Afghanistan has a lot of resources. If its people are allowed to use these resources, they can eradicate poverty and stop migration to other countries. u


The First Year in School for Jasonby Carlos Ardon Rivera

When I came to the USA, my wife and I did not speak any English. The first years were hard because I could not communicate when I was at work, at the store, or with my neighbors.

In the second year here, my wife and I decided to make the family bigger. That was when my first son was born, and we decided to name him Jason.

During his first years, my wife and I taught him in Spanish because that was our home language. He learned a lot, and he learned how to speak Spanish without an accent.

There was a time that Jason had to go to school, and that was when everything started.

His first year at school I imagine was terrible for him because he did not know any English and nobody in school knew any Spanish. He could not communicate with his friends and he could not communicate with his teacher. All of his homework was in English, and when he came home we could not help him because we did not know any English. He started to feel frustrated every day. He did not even want to go to school.

Every day was a challenge for us as parents to help him with his homework and also to encourage him. He was very confused because he did not know any English.

I remember that I used to teach him math just like they taught me in school

Jason and his teacher, Mary Winsted


in El Salvador, and he learned very well my way. The problem was that in my school it was different than how they taught him. I think that instead of helping him, I made things worse because he got confused. I taught him the way they taught me in school, but the teachers taught him another way.

I remember the teachers sent us notes that said please help him. It happened every day. He had a teacher named Mary Winsted. She was a very nice person with us. She helped us a lot. She even learned a little Spanish just for my son because he only spoke Spanish. She was so patient with him.

Something funny happened when Jason was talking to his teacher. He thought that he was talking in English. The only thing that he had was the accent, but the words were still in Spanish. When we had meetings with Ms. Winsted, she told how my son Jason tried to communicate with her. I think that is why we have a good relationship with her.

Time passed and Jason started to adapt. His Spanish was good and his English was getting better. His teachers started to see him change. For example, he started to be more open to talk with everyone in his classroom, his grades went up, the teacher stopped sending notes for help, he reached the other kids’ level, and he improved his reading skills a lot (he even surpassed all of his classmates). Jason no longer needed a personal teacher.

Today, Jason is a confident boy. He makes friends very quickly. Jason is a happy kid. He enjoys school, and now I don’t have to help him with his homework. It is the opposite. He helps me with my homework. As a father, what can I say? I am very proud of him. u


I was born into a very poor family since my parents are not studied. They did not prepare to have jobs where they could earn much more money. Similarly, they did not have the opportunity of studying because when they were children, there was only one school, and it was too far for them. There were no cars. When walking, they arrived to school in 1 hour 30 minutes, so they did not study. My mother studied until 3rd grade and my father until 4th grade.

When I was born, my father and mother already had four sons. I remember that we were a very poor family because I did not have clothes, shoes, or toys for playing. My brothers had none of that. My life was very sad. Food was very scarce. My parents did not have enough to buy food. In 2001 I was nine years old. I remember my country suffered a very strong earthquake of 7.8. So our earthen or adobe houses did not hold at earthquake and fell. The government gave my parents one new house, but this was stronger and safer and it was brick. We were very happy for a new home, but worked very hard to get the house.

In 2008 I finished ninth grade, and started work with my father and brothers. Later on, I went to high school for two years. After I went to work, my life was different. I earned my money and I now had to buy my own food, shoes, clothing, or anything. I was happy and I equally helped my parents with the money. Also, my brothers who already worked, fought for us to get ahead. Thank God we are a very close family in helping. Until today my life has changed much, although it has been difficult.

I am like my parents who are fighters and workers. I remember when I was a boy of eight or ten my father wanted what will work in the earth. He sowed all kinds of plants: corn, bean, chilipuca, yucca, radish, lettuce, tomato, peppermint, and cilantro. My brothers were the ones who worked a lot. When it was the moment of harvest, everybody was very cheerful to get the fruits. Sometimes it was good, and sometimes bad. My mother took these things to the market to sell

The History of My Familyby Carlos


for a little bit of money. With this money, my mother bought some things that we needed like different food, fertilizers, and poison for plants but it was not enough to cover everything.

My older brother ended high school in the year 2007 and worked in the government. He was very afflicted and desperate, and returned home. In July of 2007 he decided to take a loan at the bank to travel to the United States, but it was difficult since the bank did not lend money to anyone. He did not give up. They lent him the money, but with one condition. He had to hand my dad’s deed and pay almost double the money back. In September he left the country, but was stopped at the border between Mexico and the United States. He was in prison for a month and deported to his country. He was very sad when he arrived, and 15 days later he traveled again. The second travel was long for him because he suffered hunger and cold on the road, but arrived in twenty eight days. It was wonderful for him and my family since he was going to help them with money to live better.

In September 2011, my brother was deported to my country. Later on he went to the United States but had one problem with immigration or the police. I went to the university in my country, but I made very little. Therefore I decided to make the trip to come to the United States, although I knew that the road was difficult for people. But I wanted to go to improve myself and help my parents. But I hardly suffered on my trip alone. It lasted 32 days, always traveling in cars and buses on long, long journeys.

Today I plan to buy or build a house in my country because I don’t know if they will send me there someday. I came to the United States because I make more money. What I earn here in one week, there I earn in one month. So to make money more quickly is better for me.

Today my family is better than before. I am always trying to keep going. u


“There is no time to be bored in a world as beautiful as this,” is a book title that reflects the flawless illustration of my experiences and my first impression of Charlottesville!

Charlottesville is a quiet, clean and comfortable city to live in. It’s located in Virginia in the United States of America. I can say that I am still impressed with its beauty and charm. Having started my journey in Alexandria, Egypt, which is a crowded, busy, and noisy city, I found that Charlottesville is the complete opposite.

I settled in this fascinating green masterpiece in the summer. It seemed to me like an inspired artist had just finished painting it with fresh green color for the trees, light warm blue for the skies, and luminous white for the tiny clouds. I was mesmerized by the utter magic with the combination of the fresh mountain air of my new home.

At the airport, my parents and I were greeted by some friendly people from the International Rescue Committee (IRC). One of them was the case worker for my parents and me. His name was Geeta and he came from India. There was a nice lady named Elizabeth. She was an American student at the University of Virginia who was volunteering with the IRC. There was also an Arab man translating for my parents. It was nice to meet people from other countries. I was pleased to experience such diversity at such a moment.

While Geeta, the translator, and my father drove to the hotel, my mother and

A New Chapter in My Life Bookby Marah Chiha


I went with Elizabeth. We looked forward to a well-deserved rest after our long journey. It was my first time speaking English with a native who did not speak my language. I was elated.

Once we arrived at the hotel, we noticed how clean and comfortable everything was. I had a tasty lunch and a distinctive dessert. Content, I was ready for a long rest.

After sleeping for a couple of hours, I had plenty of energy to explore my new surroundings. I liked the lovely, lush setting and the big picture windows.

Days passed and we moved to an apartment. I started working, earning money, and meeting new friends. As time went by, so did the seasons.

I observed that Charlottesville has four clear seasons, each of them having its own special features and its own unique colors.

As I mentioned earlier, I felt stunned by the summer’s green, abundant trees. Fall came with its collection of colors varying from light orange to rich warm brown, making a marvelous picture.

Winter was welcomed with its white dress, looking like a bride on her wedding day. When it started to be warm again, the joyful spring brought to my mind a little girl wearing her colorful dress, putting on her long hair a pink, white, and blue garland of flowers.

This is life in Charlottesville, a city of beautiful artistry.

Going back to the beginning of my story and the book title, I would like to remind you of how beautiful this world is and how blessed we are for having such grace beyond imagination. u


My Exciting Family Tripby Eunjeong Choi

Last summer, my parents, brother, sister, and nephew who live in Korea visited us in America. They stayed in the U.S. for two weeks. During that period, we had a good time and went on a family trip. We went on a trip to New York City and Niagara Falls for six days and five nights.

On a Friday morning in July, we left for New York City by Amtrak. It took about six hours so we arrived around 3:00 p.m. We checked into the hotel and rested for a while. After dinner, we went for a walk around the hotel and went to the Empire State Building. We saw a night view of New York City and it was so beautiful. We were so excited to see this because it was just like seeing it on TV or in books.

The second day in New York City, we had a lot of plans. We went to Times Square, Rockefeller Center, Central Park, Carnegie Hall, etc. We wanted to go to the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) but we didn’t because it was under renovation. I was so sad about that. We went back to the hotel and took a rest for a while.

After dinner we went to Broadway to see the musical, The Lion King. But we couldn’t see it because of the power outage. We waited for a long time outside the theater without knowing the reason. It was very crowded and hot there. We were very tired and disappointed. After we came back to the hotel, we talked about the musical. The ticket price was refunded and the next day’s tickets were available, so we decided to see The Lion King the next day.


The next morning, we took a City Tour Bus and looked around the upper city.

Then we went to see the musical The Lion King with great anticipation. But we were a little bit disappointed because most of the main characters didn’t wear their costumes. They were wearing only black tights instead of fancy costumes because of the previous power outage. After the theater, we went to the Korean District for dinner. It was so delicious and we really enjoyed the Korean foods.

After dinner, we again took a City Tour Bus to see the city’s night view. We looked around lower Manhattan and crossed the Brooklyn Bridge. It was so beautiful, but we were very tired.

On our last day in New York City a lot happened. We were going to Wall Street and the 9/11 Memorial & Museum. It was too far so we decided to take the metro. It was the first subway we took in the U.S., so we were clumsy in everything. We took the subway but we all missed the stop, except for my husband. We were very embarrassed. Eventually, we met again, but our plans were delayed. Anyway, we found Wall Street. On the way, we also saw the Charging Bull, Trinity Church, Federal Hall National Memorial, and the New York Stock Exchange. Then we went to the 9/11 Memorial & Museum.

I remembered that on 9/11, I was a student. When I watched the news, I couldn’t believe it. We were serious as we toured the museum. It was so sad. I hoped it would never happen again!

To go to the next place, the Circle Line Cruises, we took the subway again. We had some time left before the cruise, so we looked around the vessel that was kind of an observatory in Hudson Yard. We took a rest and got some drinks. It was almost time for the Cruise, so we walked to the Circle Line Cruises dock. We saw the Statue of Liberty and other views on the cruise. I was most impressed by the Statue of Liberty and so were my children. We also were really excited to see the Statue of Liberty, because it was just like seeing it on TV or in books.

Our last stop in New York City was the Observation Deck, “Top of the Rock”. It is one of the most famous landmarks, so it was very, very crowded. From there we could enjoy another New York City night view including the Empire State Building.


But then something happened. We lost my father! At first, we thought we could find him quick, but because there were so many people, we couldn’t. As time went by, the number of people decreased a lot, but my father was nowhere. It was really a big problem because he couldn’t speak English at all and he couldn’t use his cell phone in the U.S. We became desperate because we couldn’t find him around the building so we asked the information desk for help. I had searched desperately for my father. Tears came to my eyes when I thought of my father, who must be embarrassed in this strange city. Oh, Lord, please let us find him!

Then, we got a message from my father! At last, we found him. We heard what happened to my father later. After he lost us at the observatory, he couldn’t see us no matter how many times he looked for us, so he went down from the observatory alone thinking we already went down. When he couldn’t find us, he went to a security office and asked for help in Korean. Thankfully, the security guard was a person who often went to a Korean restaurant, so he knew my father’s language was Korean. The guard called his regular Korean restaurant, so my father could explain the situation in Korean, and the Korean who heard the situation translated to the guard for my father. So the guard could help my father to contact us. Finally we met again! Thank God!

Early the next morning, we rented a van and left for Niagara Falls. It took about nine hours, so we were a little tired and bored. But on the other hand, it was also a good memory. At last, we arrived and saw Niagara Falls. It was so great and amazing! I was very happy because my parents really liked it. We went close to Niagara Falls on the Hornblower Cruise and it was really fun! My kids said it was the most interesting thing that we had done during this trip. We enjoyed the last night of our family trip at Niagara Falls.

This trip was especially meaningful and happy for me because it was my only trip with my whole family— mom, dad, younger brother, sister, nephew, my husband, and my children since I got married. u


Bean Sprouts Storyby Yejin Han

This story is about growing soybean sprouts during the coronavirus pandemic. I have grown the soybean sprouts two times. Over those two times, I learned how to grow bean sprouts. Of course, I learned by trial and error. Someday, I’ll be like an expert on bean sprouts, right?

Yesterday, my friend gave me a soybean. My children and I decided to grow soybean sprouts. Last week my daughter studied about plants. We learned how to grow plants. Plants need light, soil, water, and air. But soybean sprouts only need water. To grow this plant it must be kept in darkness, and be watered every three hours. There are many Korean foods that use soybean sprouts. Today is the first day. I wonder how it will grow. Next time, I will show you the next step.

I have grown soybean sprouts for about a week, but I didn’t do it well. When growing bean sprouts, it must not be exposed to light. If it is exposed to light, soybean sprouts will have many small roots to the side and it will be a green color. Well grown soybean sprouts are yellow in color, have long stems and roots, and don’t have small roots to the side. My soybean sprouts are different from the common soybean sprouts. People say that the nutritional value is higher than the common soybean sprouts, because they use photosynthesis. I haven’t cooked with my soybean sprouts yet, but I will put the soybean sprouts in my dumpling soup tomorrow.

A few days ago, I made soup and ate it. The soup


“Do you Speak Turkish?”by Seyed Ali Hashemi

Do you ever look at someone and wonder what is going on inside of their head?

This is a story about when I came to Turkey. I did not speak Turkish and tried to communicate with people.

My parents were born in Afghanistan but they moved to Iran when the civil war began in Afghanistan in 1978. They got married in Iran and my brother, my sister, and then I were born in Iran. After years of living in Iran, my family and I moved to Turkey. I was a twelve-year-old boy when we settled in one of Turkey’s cities.

The city was in the eastern part of Turkey and named Agri. It was a small town with very cold weather. Sometimes, the temperature went down to -30 degrees Fahrenheit. We rented a house in the vicinity of downtown. Our new house was in a poor neighborhood but it had very kind neighbors without any prejudice against us. Our new neighbors helped us to buy some home supplies from local markets. They wanted us to meet new people there and made us feel like we were home.

was made of my homegrown soybean sprouts. This time, I tried not exposing it to light, so my bean turned yellow. Unfortunately, I had another problem. The problem was that the soybean stem was thin. I don’t know why the bean stem was thin. I think growing plants is difficult. But it’s better than the first time, isn’t it? u


While my family tried to get accustomed to the new atmosphere of the city and people, I went out to explore around the house. As I was walking around the house, I saw two boys sitting on a curbside who were looking at me in a strange way. They were about my age but I felt nervous as they stood up and started walking toward me.

They came close and after a very normal courtesy they asked me in Turkish with kind faces, “Do you speak Turkish?” When you are new to a country, obviously you do not know their language. So I wanted to say that “No, I can’t speak Turkish” but what I said was, “No, you can’t speak Turkish!” with a smile on my face. I had no idea that I was saying it wrong in Turkish. So they looked at me with a look of disapproval, then asked me again, “Do you speak Turkish?” I replied again with a calm face and a smile with it, “You don’t speak Turkish!”

I wondered why they were looking at me like this. After a minute of dead silence, they nodded at me, said goodbye, and walked away. I did not understand why they reacted like that which was unusual. But, I did not pay attention and walked back to my house.

The day after that incident with the boys, one of our Afghani friends, who was living in Turkey for a long time, came to our house to say hello. I told him in Farsi about the conversation that I had with the boys. I asked him to explain what happened there with me and the two boys. After I told him, he started laughing his head off. Then, he explained that I told them that “You can’t speak Turkish” not “I can’t speak Turkish.” He explained that because I looked like Turkish people and my accent was very good, they did not understand that I was not from Turkey. My Afghani friend said it was normal because my accent was flawless. This was because of my mother language Farsi, which has almost all the same pronunciations of words as Turkish.

After all, I learned that I could not know what is going on inside someone’s head. Maybe they were thinking about my language and how good it was. Or even maybe they laughed at me and did not pay attention at all. I don’t know and no one can know. u


The New Bicycle by Sahar Hashemi

When I was about seven years old, I loved to ride my bicycle. I used to ride a lot on my brother’s bike. One day my parents gifted me a bicycle and I cannot explain how happy I was that day. Finally, I had my own bicycle.

We decided to go to the park and have a picnic, so I could ride my bicycle.

That park in Mashhad, Iran was very big. There were very huge trees all around and grassy fields. But there was not a special lane for bicycles, so I could only ride in the lane that people used for walking and running. And that lane was crowded! I had to ring my bell to let people know I was coming through.

After eating dinner at the park, I said to my parents, “I’m going to ride my bicycle.” “Don’t go so far, please. I’ll watch you,” my mom said. And in a quick second I went off into the crowd. I was very happy that time. Every time that I pushed the pedal harder, the wind was playing harder with my hair. And I loved it very much. After about half an hour of riding, I decided to go back to my family. But suddenly, I realized that I didn’t know where I was. “Where are you, mom? I can’t see you,” I said, with a very low voice. I was scared, nobody was there. There were only trees and the wind sound that came from inside the trees. Everyone in my family had left and it was dark. I was about to cry. I started walking to find someone to ask for help. After some time, I found a policeman. I ran to him and asked him to help me. He was very nice and started to talk to me to make me comfortable.

After half an hour, I found my dad running around the park and I screamed, “Daddy!” He turned and saw me, and I started to cry. He ran to me and hugged me. My father thanked the policeman for helping me. That evening I promised myself that I would never go far from my parents again. But a week later, I was riding by myself again. u


My name is Nilam Lama. I was born in a small place called Dalsing Para in West Bengal. I went to an Indian high school. The name of the school was Hashimara Hindi High School. I had a big family, one brother and five sisters. My family worked at a tea garden. Some people worked as nut farmers. I always miss my family and my place.

I am married. I have one son and one daughter. My coworkers only speak English, and my English is not very good. I learn

English at the Jefferson School City Center. Sometimes, my husband, daughter, and son help me with the weekly homework. My teacher helps me read and write every week.

My husband and I met and got married in India. Then, we moved to a refugee camp in Nepal. The refugee camp was uncomfortable; too many people in a small place, dangerous crimes, no light, and no gas. I used a clay/soil stove to cook. My husband lived in the refugee camp for a long time. I spent five years between India and the refugee camp with my husband. It took us two years to finish the paperwork and go to America.

We came to America in October. The IRC helped us with rent and food expenses for four months. I went to a group class with the IRC to learn how to introduce myself in English.

I have a new life now with my family. My husband and I work at UVA hospital. My husband got promoted and he’s now a team leader. Due to the coronavirus problem, I have to work more. I cover two large areas now by myself because there are fewer workers in one shift. u

My Journeyby Nilam Lama


My Son Wants to Be Spider-Man!by Eunyoung Lee

My name is Eunyoung and I am from Korea. I have a son. My son is three years old and his name is Seojun. My son can’t go to preschool because of the coronavirus. Seojun and I stay at home. Seojun and I spend a lot of time together!

So, we watch TV, play playdoh, draw pictures, take walks, and color. When I cook, Seojun helps me in the kitchen.

Seojun and I watched the movie Spider-Man. He started to like Spider-Man after watching Spider-Man movies.

One day he told me, “I want to be Spider-Man.”

I told Seojun, “You must eat many vegetables and meat and fruit to grow up tall. Then you will be Spider-Man.”

Suddenly, Seojun said, “Mommy, my hands are sticky! I think I’m about to be Spider-Man!”

I laughed... ha ha ha!... Now, Seojun asks me every day in the morning, “When will I become Spider-Man?”

I answer the same thing, “You must eat many vegetables and meat and fruit to grow up tall. Then you will be Spider-Man.” u


“Heel” the Worldby Soo Lim

When I just came to U.S.A, I led a meaningless life. My English was not good, and I was a little bit afraid to go out. I first lived in Baltimore. Baltimore had a high crime rate. Every day there was a report on the news about different crimes.

One day, my friend proposed for me to go to a volunteer activity with her. So I decided to go with her to ODBEC (Our Daily Bread Employer Center). It is a Catholic charity. It opens 365 days.

At the beginning, actually I was fearful. Because there were many homeless people, drug

addicts and criminals in the building we were serving. ODBEC served all the different people that needed help. They separated the criminals into the second floor. ODBEC wanted to reform them.

On the first day, before we worked, the staff said to us: “Breakfast is very important. It can change a person’s day, more over a person’s life.” We brought food to their tables just like in a restaurant. They didn’t have to line up. They even could choose from a vegetarian menu.

I tried to give good energy to them. I thought my smile and good attitude could make their day good. In the meantime, I felt full in my heart. Sometimes


they requested to bring the ‘heel’. At first, I didn’t know what they meant. But I came to know it meant the crust end piece of a loaf of bread. I didn’t know why they liked the ‘heel’. But I came to understand them. The word ‘heel’ seemed to bring us closer together.

In conclusion, I enjoyed helping them. I had meaning in my life. They changed my life!

It has been more than a decade since this work experience. I raised a child and moved three times. My English is getting better. I’m also getting help from the volunteers in the TJACE program like I served in Baltimore. They are helping us in their own ways, just as I helped through the word “heel.”

Do you know the song “Heal the World” by Michael Jackson? Perhaps many people will. I especially like it. Sometimes I hum that song. Sometimes I changed the word heal to “heel” the world’ for me. Together we heal each other. u


New Life in the U.S.by Elham Mohammad Alipour

I was born and raised in Iran. I came in the United States to live with my husband in January 2019.

At first many things were new for me such as:

The streets are less bright compared to the streets in Iran at night. American people like to live in their houses with less

lighting compared to the houses in Iran. Another thing that was weird for me was that I hadn’t ever experienced such cold weather. The weather is warmer in Iran. It is similar to New Mexico in the U.S.

In the first few months I was a beginner in English language. It was very difficult for me to communicate with other people. I couldn’t understand what American people were talking about. This matter provoked fear in me and made me refrain from going anywhere alone.

The people are very nice and friendly in the U.S.; they are confidence-giving people. They encouraged me to speak even though I made mistakes. I started to learn English. I was practicing it with my husband at home and with my volunteer teacher. I was reading some books about English.

Finally I improved my English language steadily. Now I could communicate with other people more easily than before. It has made me feel good to understand American people, culture, and beliefs when I’m speaking to them. u


Back and Forwardby J.T. Moon

When I first heard about the coronavirus, I didn’t pay a lot of attention to it, because I thought it was China’s problem. But a few weeks later I watched the news that was in South Korea and found out that COVID-19 broke out there, too. After that, I thought of it seriously and I watched the news more to get more information. I started to take it more seriously because my parents are living there. So I did more research and I also talked to my wife about this matter. After talking we decided to buy a plane ticket for my parents and they arrived on 3/1/2020.

But later after my parents came, we found out that COVID-19 broke out in the U.S. They had to leave early because they have no health insurance. I am still worried about my parents. When they arrived in Korea they had to stay at home for 14 days without contact with other people. They later took a test to make sure they were healthy and not infected. They were not infected. They are healthy and doing fine. I think right now in Charlottesville, everyone is doing their best staying away from people and also doing their best surviving quarantine. I just hope that everyone stays healthy until the vaccine comes out. u


My Life in Cape Townby Mary Njogu

When I was in South Africa I had a business, and we used to go to a festival in Grahamstown. One day we packed our stuff in our truck, and we started the journey.

We used the GPS to direct us. It is about a ten hour drive from Cape Town to Grahamstown. When we were on the way, we lost direction. We drove a long way. We traveled for four hours, and then our truck broke down! The trouble started there. We tried to stop other travelers, but no one stopped. When it was almost dark, one car stopped to help with the problem and he drove us to the nearest town.

When we arrived there, we managed to get the truck to tow our truck. We drove back to our truck for four hours. Unfortunately, we had one tire already stolen. We towed our truck and we started the journey. We arrived at 11:00 p.m. During that time, we did not have enough money to take the truck to the mechanic. My husband phoned our friend in the church and they sent the money. He got enough to repair the truck and to look for another transport to go to Grahamstown, and we traveled all night. In the morning, we arrived in Grahamstown and started selling. u


When I was nine years old, I saw my mother go out one door of our house and my father went out another door, after a big fight.

My mother went to a seamstress and asked her to make two pairs of pants.

Then two weeks later, my mother rode a horse back to the seamstress. She tried on the pants. They fit her. So she got on the horse and said, “Now I wear the pants in the family!!”

She rode over the mountain to her coffee farm. She raised us seven children by growing everything that we needed. The kids helped her to grow, pick, clean, wash, dry, grind, and sell the coffee beans.

She worked long and hard for us to have a better life. She had a big vision for us that was especially focused on education.

My mother taught me more than I learned in the university. She only had two years of school. She learned from life. u

The University of Life According to My Mother, Senora Santos-Chavez

by Norma Pineda

Norma’s mother, Senora Santos-Chavez


I see a woman sitting on a bench. I think she is waiting for the bus. She is wearing a blue dress with white stripes. Her shoes are white and her hat is in rainbow colors. Her coat is black and she is wearing gray gloves. She looks like she feels tired. Maybe she works ten hours a day or has a cold because it is winter.

I think she will go to the hospital. She wants to have some blood tests and a full health check because she feels tired and sick. I think she is 40 years old and has two children. She works hard to raise her children because her husband died more than a year ago.

I think she lives in a small apartment far from this town. Also, I think she has no car because she was riding the bus to go to the hospital. I think all of her neighbors are busy with their business because no one helped her go to hospital when they saw her in the morning while she was leaving the house.

I think she works as a cook in the hotel. When she finishes her work, she returns to her home and cooks for her children so they can eat dinner together. She cleans the home a little bit, then she goes to bathe in hot water to relax her body. Finally she goes to her bed to sleep because she wants to wake up early the next morning, the start of a new day.

I think she hopes her life will improve for the better. When she sees her children and joy fills their faces while they study, joy fills her heart. The life of my children will be better in the future, she believes. u

The Woman at the Bus Stopby Bahie Ramadan


Burma is fondly referred to as “The Golden Land” because of the country’s beautiful golden pagodas. Today Burma is also known by a different name: Myanmar. Many Myanmar Royal Families donated gold to create the gold plated pagodas all over the country. The pagodas were named Shwe, meaning “golden” in our language.

Myanmar is an agricultural country. The main crop that farmers grow is rice. During harvesting time, we can see yellow and golden colors in the rice paddy fields. The golden paddy fields also represent Myanmar as the golden land.

Where is this Golden Land? It is located in Southeast Asia, bordering Bangladesh and India in the west and northwest area. The northern part of the country borders China. The east and southeast regions border Laos and Thailand. Myanmar has a long coastal area in the southern region.

The national capital city of Myanmar is Nay Pyi Taw. The government officially proclaimed the new city of Nay Pyi Taw, the capital of the country in 2006. The old capital city of Yangon (Rangoon) is the main seaport of the country. Many commercial businesses are located in Yangon.

The weather in Myanmar is divided into three seasons. They are summer, rain, and cold seasons. Summer is from March to June. It is followed by the rainy monsoon season from July to October. Finally, between November and February

The Golden Landby Julia Sharo Phaw


is the cold season (winter). Depending on the seasons, the temperature can change from the north to the south. The northern regions have cooler climates, and the delta and southern regions become hotter than the north.

In the summer, we have long holiday breaks in April. This is called the Thingyan Festival (Water Festival). This festival is celebrated during Myanmar’s traditional new year. People celebrate for four or five days. Thingyan represents the washing of the sins of the previous year and the preparation for the goodness for the coming new year. Following our traditional way, we sprinkle scented water on each other from silver bowls using Thabyay, which are the leaves of a green tropical tree. The people from Myanmar believe that when they donate to the Thabyay in their pagoda, it can carry good luck to their lives. Many families hold a “Novice Ceremony” in the summer for their sons before they turn 20. They enter the monastery, and have their heads shaved. They live the life of a monk for one week. During that time they offer a big donation and have a festive celebration. At the end of the ceremony, the novices ride elephants and horses in a parade. The elephants and horses are decorated in traditional clothing and jewelry.

During the monsoon season, farmers grow several species of crops like rice, wheat, beans, and corn. Today they continue to use buffaloes or bulls to prepare the land. For this reason, the people from Myanmar are not willing to eat beef. Cows are important benefactors to the farmers. They provide a lot of manpower for agriculture like clearing weeds, plowing, maintaining, and fertilizing the land.

The winter season is the time for harvest. So the farmers celebrate a thanksgiving ceremony. They donate their products to monasteries and churches. It is called the Harvest Festival. Farmers can harvest their crops plentifully. They invite their neighborhood to join their harvest festival. Normally, they treat their guests with the new crops they grow.

I love the culture and traditions from the Golden Land. Now that I am in the United States, I will never forget my family and my native country. I am so proud of where I came from. u


The little story of my family and I in the U.S.A. begins in 2017. It was by divine providence that we managed to leave Venezuela, our beloved home, which has been completely dominated by a communist government.

Since arriving in Charlottesville, we have been filled with many good-hearted friends and people who have made us feel like a second home. Pierrette, Jean, Jenn, Annette, Maureen, and Steven, among many others, have been some of the most special people we have met. With their volunteer work, they have helped us improve our English and have also advised us regarding many other formalities.

We thank God for putting them in our lives.

We are also thankful in the same way for all the brothers in our churches, with whom we have shared beautiful moments during our time here.

Finally, our plans for the future include completing our English courses, continuing to teach our children at home, completing the master’s degree in pastoral ministry, strengthening family ministry with support of the church, opening our own business, and achieving our permanent residence, among many other plans.

Appreciate all. With Love,Oscar, Marivic, Andy & Becky

Our Beautiful New Life in Charlottesvilleby Oscar Sulbaran


I made a difference for my students by helping them change their eating habits.

I was a Nursing Professor in Istanbul ten years ago. I explained to my students the side effects of sugar, flour, and salt. I told them about junk food and healthy food. I taught students in Nutrition Classes and asked them to invite their families into the project. Most of them wanted to lose weight and become healthy nurses. I brought a scale into the classroom. I gave a folder to each student and asked them to record their weight secretly. They monitored themselves and their families. I

also brought jump ropes to school to use for exercise every day.

The students and families changed their eating habits. They thanked me at the family meetings.

I am still telling everybody around me about healthy food. I also cook healthy foods and share them on my YouTube channel. u

Stop Eating Sugar, Flour, Salt and Junk Food

by Nebiye Sumer


Old Pillows of Borrowed Beds: What Education Became to Me

by Xue Ping Wang

Education has become a passion for me. Never does it stop. People acquire an education throughout their lives. It makes people understand responsibility. It teaches people obligation to give to the world around them through sharing and learning.

When I moved to the United States, I closed myself off in my bedroom in the apartment I rented and in the barber chair I worked from at Chung’s Barber Shop. My heart closed because I was missing home near Inner Mongolia. The rolling Piedmont of Central Virginia was peopled with strangers who spoke a different language and had unfamiliar ways than Chinese ways. I felt like a foreigner for not having had a complete education. I felt sad that I could not talk with them. English was too hard for a farmer’s son.

Later, a lack of education led me to feel like I had lost myself under the foothills of Monticello. I was out of step with the changing world. Loneliness made me realize I needed to find myself, accept hardship, and challenge my predicament. Leaned up against old pillows of borrowed beds, I felt isolated. Americans spoke to me, but I could not understand their words. I asked myself “How could I be a good barber if I did not speak English in the United States?”

With no choice and wanting to do the best job I could, I would have to make new friends and learn English and American culture. The problem was I did not know how since I had only reached a 9th grade education back in China. One


day a customer told me about the Charlottesville Literacy Center. In August 2014, I began my education again, long past the days when I was a teenage boy in Lian Feng Cun.

Despite working six days a week and attending church twice a week, I began meeting a tutor once a week for two hours. I began to interact with Americans through meeting my tutors—Robert, Sam, Suzanne and Erin. First, I worked on conversational English so that I could speak to my customers and make American friends. After three years I switched to learning reading and writing in English.

Gradually, my coworkers realized I had changed. Because my English pronunciation improved so much, I could communicate with customers. Quickly I encouraged them to do the same by sharing how education can change our lives for the better. Like me when I felt isolated leaning up against old pillows of borrowed beds, my coworkers worried they could not learn to speak English. Fortunately, I convinced some of them to attend tutoring at Literacy Volunteers. Despite working every day, they have continued to study until now.

Besides learning to speak, read, and write English, I have learned how important it is to study the culture and history of my new home in Charlottesville. Soon I would learn how Virginia was one of the original thirteen colonies. A customer and good friend began to teach me about the Constitution with its separation of power and checks and balances. Far from isolated, I learned how Thomas Jefferson had aided America to become the greatest example of democracy in world history.

Education allowed me to grow in my new home. New lessons open up to me as endlessly as the uncounted times one of American’s greatest minds looked out from Monticello. Now, I can communicate well with many Americans. I have made lifelong friends with them. We share our life experiences together with me teaching them about Chinese culture. I am pleased to share with my new friends, and help my coworkers learn English and American culture.

I left behind old pillows of borrowed beds of my past loneliness as a foreigner in my new home in Virginia. Reading, writing, and speaking English taught me how education changes each of our lives for the better. u


On a sunny morning in late April during the pandemic, my husband Liwei and I went to Trader Joe’s for our first grocery shopping trip at Trader Joe’s since the COVID-19 outbreak.

Trader Joe’s is one of my favorite stores, and I usually go there once every two weeks or so. One thing I like about the store is that it has some things special to me, like figs and certain kinds of flowers. The vegetables are always very fresh and coffee is available for testing before buying.

There is also interesting food like “fake meat” for vegetarians, and by the way I was a vegetarian for a while.

When we parked the car in the parking lot in front of the store and put on facial masks, I felt a little weird as if I was not going to a grocery store but instead, to some place such as a hospital. Well, if this is the so called “new normal” then I guess we have to live with it like everybody does. What can I do about it? I can’t see the virus. I can’t discuss it like with other people by saying, “Hey, go quarantine yourself, all right?”

There were already some shoppers quietly and patiently staying in a pretty long line, and they were staying quite apart from each other. Bright sunlight cast a shadow in the diagonal shape of each person.

There were some elderly people in the line. Some of them were about eighty or maybe even older than eighty. I am not sure. But their hair was surely white

A Morning at Trader Joe’sby Lijing Yang


or salt and pepper. One of them, an older lady in a pink dress, was sitting on the curb under a tree. She was tired for sure. We found a spot at the end of the line and tried to be as quiet and patient as everyone else.

After a while, a guy wearing a facial mask came from the store and walked toward us. He said something I didn’t understand. His facial mask had changed or twisted the tone of his voice. Liwei said he was trying to persuade the elderly people to go into the store. They didn’t need to stay in line. But they continued to stand in the line.

It took twenty minutes for us to get about fifty feet from the store entrance. I saw a poster which said that elderly people didn’t need to be in the line, but could go directly into the store in the first hour after opening. Why did elderly people stay in line and not go straight into the store? They had been there since the opening time when they could go straight in without standing in line. As I realized that, my heart felt deeply moved by what they had missed.

At that time, a young man standing directly in front of us left his place in line. I was a bit confused and asked Liwei why he left when he was next to go inside. We thought maybe something had happened to make him leave. Then we looked around and saw that he had gone to the back of the line, giving us the chance to be next to go into the store.

What a fine man! What fine shoppers and what a fine America! u


Going to School: A Funny Storyby Khatima Yari

I went to class at Adult Learning Center. After class, I went to Jefferson School. I looked for my tutor Sunny inside the room. She was not there.

I asked the front desk. “Hi Maureen, is Sunny here?” She said, “I don’t know.” “OK. Thank you.”

Oh, I needed to call her and we talked on the phone. She said, “I am sorry. I sent a message for you last minute. I have a bad cold, and see you next week.”

That was my fault. I didn’t check my phone because she sent the message in the morning at 8:55. Then, I thought, “Oh, I need to call the JAUNT service to cancel it.”

I needed to go to the bus and walked to the bus stop, then looked inside my backpack. Oh no, I forgot my wallet today. I had no bus pass, and no money. I sent a message to my nephew, “Are you working today?” He said, “Yes, I am at work now.”

I called my friend. She didn’t answer.

I needed to go to the Afghan grocery store. I asked the manager, “Can you give me a dollar for the bus? I forgot my wallet today.” And he said, “Sure.”

I took it and went to the bus stop. I went inside the bus and looked at the pay machine. It was covered because it was Election Day. The ride was free.

I got home and ate some food, and drank tea. Then I started to write this story. Sometimes things happen, and they are a little funny. u


How can you support Literacy Volunteers?

TutorOur volunteer tutors are the heart of our program. Becoming a tutor will enable you to make a profound difference in a person’s life. We train you to tutor an adult student in reading, writing, and English acquisition skills. Most of our tutor/student pairs meet for two hours a week at a mutually convenient time. We ask for a year-long commitment. As a tutor, you will receive a rewarding experience knowing that you’ve helped someone achieve their goals and be more integrated within our community.

VolunteerIt takes a lot of effort to serve our community. There are lots of ways to volunteer and provide invaluable service, even if your time is limited. Volunteers are needed to assist in the office, serve on the Board of Directors, participate in the planning of events, work on community awareness projects, and more! Email our office to find out how you can be of assistance.

DonateAs a non-profit organization, LVCA relies on state and city/county grants for the majority of its funding; these grants leave little room for the growth our organization requires to meet the community’s need for our services. The cost for each learner—taking into account staff support, tutor training, learner materials, and facility costs—is approximately $1,000 per learner, per year. We are able to serve more adults who need our assistance only through the contributions of our friends, family, and neighbors—in other words, you.

2020 The Joy of Writing

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Transcript of 2020 The Joy of Writing