A Wonderful Life

1
A Wonderful Life
January 12, 2007 Volume 1, Issue 1
Rawan Najar [phone]

• Special Interest Articles
• Need a vacation? We have just the place!
• Muslim girl celebrates Christmasand likes it!
• AYSO Evanston soccer team adds exchange student
  to roster

International Educational Week at ETHS
Two years ago Evanston Township High School
(ETHS) started accepting exchange students from
all over the world. Exchange students at ETHS
have regular classes with the rest students. They
are asked to make presentations about their
countries, cultures and whatever else they w
ould like to share. international Educationa
l Week (IEW) is their chance
to be creative and make their presentations in
front of the schools students. This year ETHS
has seven foreign exchange students Rawan from
Jordan, Jawad from Palestine, Mustafa from
Iraq, Youseff from Tunisia, Shahzadi from
Pakistan, Marcio from Brazil, and Veronica
from Russia. During International Educational
Week, students
Continued on page 3
New Things Church and Christmas
Other Stories Inside Purple Player 2
Hilton Head 2
I always heard people talking about trying
something new, but I never thought of anything
interesting that would be worth trying until I
did this! I decided to go on an international ex
change program, where I would be a student in an
American high school for 10
months. I was so excited to come to the U.S.,
although I knew it would be hard to live away
from my family and friends. My biggest fear was
having to live with a host family I didnt get
along with, but I was so lucky to be with the
Merkleys. Heres my story
Continued on page 4
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PAGE 2 OF 4
AYSO Purple Team Adds Player
After adding one new team member, AYSO Evanston
is expecting to win the tournament. Rawan Najar,
a female exchange student from Jordan, was glad
to join the team. Its a dream come true, she
said. When asked what made her want to join the
team, she said, Ive wanted to play on a soccer
team ever since I was little, and now is my big
chance to do what I always wanted.
Evanston Team (also known as the Purple Team) was
excited to add Rawan to their roster, Rawan is a
very friendly girl, and she is a good soccer
player, too, said Cathleen Alfredson, a
teammate. The season started two weeks ago, and
the Purple Team has played two games. The first
game ended in a tie against Peterson Park Team.
The second game against New Trier was better the
Purple Team won 2-1. Now the team is preparing
for their next game against Highland Park. They
are hoping to win as they worked very hard during
the week. Rawans host family was happy when she
joined the team. Im so pleased she could join
the team. I love going to her games, said Greg
Merkley, Rawans host father.
After spending two months in the U.S., Rawan
said, I cant tell you how lucky I am to have
this experience, and Im looking forward for the
tournament next month. We wish the Purple Team
good luck, and hope they win!
The Purple Team welcomes its newest member
Ive wanted to play on a soccer team ever since
I was little, and now is my big chance to do what
I always wanted.
Hilton Head, Anyone?
Do you like lying down on a sunny beach, with
clear blue water right in front of you? Are you
looking for a relaxing vacation where you do
whatever you like, and you dont need to worry
about anything else? Then I know just the place
for you.
Try Hilton Head in South Carolina. Its a very
beautiful island on the Atlantic Ocean. There are
so many things you can do there for example, you
can ride your bike on the hard sand beach, or you
can go and play tennis or volleyball. You
Continued on page 3
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Hilton Head (Continued from page 2)
can also visit the lighthouse from which you can
see the whole island covered with green trees.
And if you want to go shopping, there are malls
and many small shops. If you want to enjoy
nature you can visit Sea Pines Forest Preserve,
where you can walk or ride a horse.
I went to Hilton Head on Winter Break, and what
I really liked about it was that
the weather was so nice. We were able to ride our
bikes on the beach every day, said Rawan Najar.
Another tourist was Sheridan Merkley who said,
It was the most relaxing vacation Ive ever
had. Consider Hilton Head as your choice for Spr
ing break you will really like it! If you have
any question please call 847/ YES-0000.
Sheridan and Rawan atop the lighthouse on
Hilton Head
IEW at ETHS (Continued from page 1)
Rawan and host sister Sheridan ride bikes on H
ilton Head
had the chance to share and learn about cultural
differences. The week was wonderful according
to Mr. Romain, the faculty sponsor of the World
of Difference club. We asked some of the exchange
students what they thought of this week and got
some beautiful answers. I felt this week was a
big step toward global understanding, Rawan
said. We asked another exchange student, Jawad,
and he said, After doing my presentation, some
American students came and asked questions about
Palestine, which made me interested in doing my
presentation in some places
other than school. We also asked American stud
ents what they thought at the end of the week.
Listening to those exchange students was very
interesting, as we were able to understand
cultural difference around the world, said Chris
Edwards, a junior at ETHS. At the end of the week
everybody was happy with what they had done.
ETHS is planning to accept exchange students
again next year, which will give more students a
chance to learn about cultural differences and
similarities.
I felt this week was a big step toward global
understanding
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Rawan Najar
Church and Christmas (Continued from page 1)
Evanston, IL USA Phone [phone] Fax

E-Mail rawanlulu_at_yahoo.com
When I first arrived in the U.S. I felt homesick,
as it was the first time in my life I had been
away from home. But after a while I started
getting used to living with my host family,
because they always tried to make me feel as if I
was one of their family. So I started calling
call them mom and dad because they acted just
like my own parents. When I knew that I would b
e living with a Christian family for ten months,
I thought of two things first, going to church,
and second, celebrating Christmas. The first
Sunday after I arrived, I went to their church,
which was my first time attending a Christian
church. I really liked it there because the
people were very friendly and almost all of them
came and talked to me and thanked me for coming.
Then it was time to think about Christmas. My
host family asked me to make a list of the things
I wanted so they could have an idea of what to
buy for me. So I did. On December 24, 2006 we had
a very delicious dinner and
then it was time to open gifts.
I was the youngest, so I got to open the first
gift. Then everybody started opening his or her
gifts until we were done. But there was still a
big box under the tree that hadnt been opened
yet. It was for me, so I started opening it and I
found the most special gift anyone has ever given
to me in my life. It was a quilt that my host mo
ther made with her own hands just for me. She
usually makes a quilt for her children right
before they leave for college, but she decided to
give it to me then because I was leaving their
house before going to college. That night, more
than any other time, I felt I was one of her
children, which made me so happy. The best part
was that she made the quilt blue, which is my
favorite color, and she put some soccer ball
pictures on the other side. That made it perfect.
Im writing this story as a gift for my host fam
ily, who I now consider my real family, just to
let them know how lucky I am to be with them.
When the World Becomes A Small Village
The Christmas quilt warms Rawan and her host
mother