childhood

Childhood Portfolio
My name is Reema Uddin, I am seventeen years old and I have lived in New York all my life. I live with my mom, three brothers and my sister. My father passed away when I was thirteen and his death has impacted me I many ways.
Since I am the baby of the family, you can imagine that both my parents and my siblings spoiled me. I am also the only one in my immediate family to be born in America.

My mom once told that when I was a baby my oldest brother asked for her permission to buy a video camera so they could record all my childhood memories so that when I grow up, I can have something to look back at. My other siblings didn’t have the privilege of recording their childhood memories.

My oldest uncle (my mother’s oldest brother) was the one who brought my parents, siblings, aunts, uncles and other distant relatives to America. Although I rarely get to see my uncle now, maybe once or twice a year, thanks to him we are all able to live a good life here and hopefully make something of our lives. Even though we rarely see him, I know that he is proud of the people we have become.

Oddly enough, I remember the day this picture was taken, it pretty clear in my memory. I think it was in 1996, it snowed a lot the night before, maybe up to my waist at that time, we had woke early and I didn’t have to go to mosque that day so 2 of my brothers, my sister and I wore our winter clothes and went to play in the snow. At that time we lived in a building in Parkchester, we went to the back of the building where the playground was. We also went to the metropolitan oval. During the warm weather, the pond was filled with water, but during the winter they covered up the statues with little houses and chimney (they still do that). I remember the snow perfectly lay on the ground, untouched. It was so clean and beautiful.


Childhood Stories
Since I was the youngest, my family had a party for my birthday. It usually included my aunts and uncles (from my mom’s side of the family. All my dad’s siblings and blood relatives live in Bangladesh). The last big party I had was when I was eight years old. My parents, and siblings organized the whole thing. My youngest brother ‘s friends helped with the decorations and everything. From the pictures I can tell it was always a huge celebration, but my eighth birthday is the one I can remember. I even remember who gave me what. I also still have these two balloons that my youngest brother’s friend got a huge Mickey Mouse and a Cinderella castle. Like most celebrations and get-togethers, my birthday was an excuse for my entire family to get together and have a good time. But of course as time goes on things change.

As time goes on, things change and so do people. While I was growing up, and even to this day people always come and go in my life. For some reason, my friends would always leave, disappear, or just stop talking to me. Sometimes they have a reason, like moving away, or issues between our families. Those ‘break-ups’ I can understand, but when a friend just stops being my friend, I can’t help but wonder why it happened. Maybe it was something I said or did, or a million other possibilities, but I guess I will never know and that is what bugs me. I can’t help it, I don’t want it to bother me but it does and it hurts but what can you do. I had this one friend. We were always in the same class from pre-school to the beginning of fifth grade, until I moved away. I was ten and didn’t get to say goodbye to her, I didn’t even know that I was moving. Her name was Roma. Everyone always teased us, singing “Reema, Roma, Roma, Reema”. To be honest that is the same way I lost all my childhood friends, when I moved, I never got a chance to say bye to them, or maybe if I was older I would not have lost touch. Maybe that’s the reason why I can’t keep friends now, karma, since I left all my other friends.

“Ignorance is bliss”, I think that in certain situations this is true. When I was younger I can’t really remember any family problems or issues, but now that I am older, no one really hides them from me. I guess because I’m old enough to know and understand. As a child I always wanted to know what was going on, but now that I do, I rather not know. Little kids always want to know what the grown ups are taking about, and at times I was like that. But I didn’t really care; I was to busy being involved in my own world. My mom says that I am still like that, which in my opinion is a good thing. I don’t like to get caught up in drama, but I do like helping people and listening to people. I guess as long its not happening directly to me, I would be willing to help, not get involved, but help a friend out.