The Shoe Project: Session 4

Exercise: Keep Writing for 7 minutes, do not take your pen up from the paper, do not look up to think.

Snow

A purple sky- looks almost surreal. I have never thought the sky could be this...enigmatic. It was my first snowstorm in Canada. I opened the door to the balcony of my second-floor apartment unit, and just stood there in awe. Two things I do not like are snow and rain, yet both are so beautiful. How come something that is so pretty can cause so much pain? The next day when I came home with soggy boots, which were brand new by the way, I decided I will stay away from pretty for a while. I was freezing!

There's another day that comes to my mind. It was one of those years I was learning to live alone. Technically, not alone., I had a two-year-old to take care of. But she was at home and I was returning to her on this very night. I got off the train and was waiting for the bus at the station. A chilly breeze touched me while passing through. It was sunny in the morning- so you can imagine what kind of clothes I was wearing. I felt something on my cheeks, I looked up and there it was- the majestic snow, falling down as if for eternity.

Exercise: Write about shoes

Shoes

There is this romantic notion of growing old together. I think shoes are the only thing I know of, who are persistent on this. They start their lives together, grow old and die together. If one dies before the partner, we throw away both of them. Not sure how they feel about that- but that is the usual practice.

There is this Bengali poem about how shoes were invented. Not sure if it's true, it's a satire. A king got annoyed with all the dust that touches his feet every time he steps outside. He summoned all his advisers and ordered them to find a solution. First, they tried buying 17 million brooms and sweeping the whole kingdom, which ended up creating more dust than ever. Dust storm, you might say! Everything was a mess. Then they thought of cleaning this mess with water. 21 million cleaners were appointed to clean the kingdom with water, only to create even more mess. Now all the dust turned into muddy puddles, everywhere. Some came up with the idea to cover the whole kingdom with rugs, and some told the king not to go outside anymore. Some told the king to wrap the ground with leather. Where are all the capable leather smiths? And where to find all this leather? Then came a wise, experienced leather smith who said, "My Lord, if you allow me, I have an idea. Why cover the whole world, when you can cover your own feet?" And that's how shoes were born, in this poem. 

Exercise: Know your partner and describe her

Muska Tarin

Muska Tarin is originally from Afghanistan. She is currently living in Brampton, Ontario, Canada with her four lovely children, three girls and one boy. Her extended family lives in Canada too. She was the only one of her siblings who were living in Afghanistan before migrating to Canada. She speaks Dari and English. Religion-wise, she is a Muslim. She has two degrees, one in Law and another in Education. While in Afghanistan, she used to work for a newspaper called Wadsam. Now she works for Walmart and volunteers for Afghan Women Association. Two of her favorite things to do is working and shopping. She likes to change her style frequently. Design is more important to her than expansive and branded products when it comes to clothing and accessories. Her favorite color is red. She also likes other light colors, ie. light pink, light purple, and yellow. One of her favorite brands is Chanel. Muska is a focused, goal-oriented person who is working hard to establish her presence in this new country.