https://padlet.com/sandhtav000/kb0xdhoszw3zozs1 By Maria Toorpakai and Katharine Holsten en-us 2022-02-04 16:18:48 UTC 2022-03-23 00:44:00 UTC hello@padlet.com sandhtav000 https://padlet.com/sandhtav000/kb0xdhoszw3zozs1/wish/2091210784 Maria Toorpakia had thought all the roles were set in life, but she learned differentley when her family started to do what they believed to be right. Round the age of 5 years Maria cut her hair short like a boy, her mother went to school and her father had no problem with this. The people of their community did not accept this and Maria's family became outcasted. Since then they lived moving town from town. Maria made her appearance to look of a boy and would go to shops to collect food. One night, after the sun set and during Ramadan, she was in a shop when a group of men walked in and killed 3 others in the store. The killers took the bodies and left the shop owner and Maria in shock. That day Maria said some of her childhood was lost.]]> 2022-03-11 23:53:11 UTC https://padlet.com/sandhtav000/kb0xdhoszw3zozs1/wish/2091210784 sandhtav000 https://padlet.com/sandhtav000/kb0xdhoszw3zozs1/wish/2091233623 Toorpakia, Maria & Holsten, Katharine. A Different Kind of Daguhter: The Girl Who Hid from the Taliban in Plain Sight. Hatchette Book Group 2016.]]> 2022-03-12 00:38:18 UTC https://padlet.com/sandhtav000/kb0xdhoszw3zozs1/wish/2091233623 sandhtav000 https://padlet.com/sandhtav000/kb0xdhoszw3zozs1/wish/2094523877 When Maria was four, she would stay at home while her siblings and mother were at school and her father at work. Her neighbors would check up on her to see if she was alright and Maria would spend most of her time on the roof of her house. While up there, one day, she saw a group of men playing a game with a white ball and it fastinated her enough to lure her off the roof. She watched at a distance, hidden, and would copy their motions. One of the hits led the ball in her direction and she picked it up and hit it back. The men were shocked and walked over to her and Maria had said, " 'I would like to play,' I said, half smiling, no idea at all how wrong I was about that"(30). The men laughed and one of them walked over and hit her 3 times which was enough to draw blood and leave a bruse.]]> 2022-03-14 19:11:07 UTC https://padlet.com/sandhtav000/kb0xdhoszw3zozs1/wish/2094523877 sandhtav000 https://padlet.com/sandhtav000/kb0xdhoszw3zozs1/wish/2094577085 Maria's parents came together through an arranged marriage. Her mother was educated more than most women and her father was said to be a madman because he spoke his mind to his tribe. It was said that their marriage would settele a blood feud between her mothers and fathers tribes. After their marriage ceremony her mother and father were alone at their home. Her mother had only heard rumour about her new husband and feared him. She soon learned that night that he was a gentel and just man who would not allow harm to be brought to her.]]> 2022-03-14 19:49:33 UTC https://padlet.com/sandhtav000/kb0xdhoszw3zozs1/wish/2094577085 sandhtav000 https://padlet.com/sandhtav000/kb0xdhoszw3zozs1/wish/2094643151 Maria was more of a tom-boy and was always watching the neighborhood boys play their games. One day Maria had a sudden surge of anger and grabbed all her dresses and took them outside. She lit them on fire with kerosene. As the fire died down, her father stood next to her but said nothing. "When I finally turned and caught sight of him standing there, I could see that he was stunned but not angry; I saw in his face a recogonition of the very thing he always hoped I would harness-pure Wazir courage"(56). Her father understood that she did what needed to be done. From then one she was know to be Ganghis Khan as a way for her to embrace her more masculen side without judgment of others.]]> 2022-03-14 20:47:33 UTC https://padlet.com/sandhtav000/kb0xdhoszw3zozs1/wish/2094643151 sandhtav000 https://padlet.com/sandhtav000/kb0xdhoszw3zozs1/wish/2096987108 Maria and her sister's only and biggest influencer was Benazir Bhutto- her father was the former priminister during the time. Ayesha, Marai's sister, was to be a polititain and at the age of 9 was giving speaches to crouds of men. The day Benazir Bhutto was killed, Maria and her family were watching the tv as Bhutto returned to Pakistan again. The next few week, the government had been trying to cover up the incident and call it an accident. Maria wondered why it even mattered how the death happened and her father responded, "Maria, everything is in the how. A gunshot makes a martyr, An accident makes a fool"(73).]]> 2022-03-16 00:48:22 UTC https://padlet.com/sandhtav000/kb0xdhoszw3zozs1/wish/2096987108 sandhtav000 https://padlet.com/sandhtav000/kb0xdhoszw3zozs1/wish/2097048151 Maria was close to the age of 8 and would always be running around in her free time, all over the roofs. One day she saw a group of boys playing with a kite and chased after it with them. At some point the kite came down low enough to reach and out of sudden, unexpected anger, Maria reached out and ripped it apart. The group of boys were angered and chased after her- but she easily out ran then as well as the fact that she ran across roofs. When she stopped she ended up at a refugee camp think that their blue tents was the ocean of water. She came down from the roof seeing starved children and women and suddenly she was surrounded by a group of hungry and agressive boys. They beat her up and ripped up her bag of fruits and her cloths, they took her shoes and ran. After this encounter, Maria had nightmares of those boys returning again.]]> 2022-03-16 01:27:40 UTC https://padlet.com/sandhtav000/kb0xdhoszw3zozs1/wish/2097048151 sandhtav000 https://padlet.com/sandhtav000/kb0xdhoszw3zozs1/wish/2097302358 Maria was arriving at the age of 10 when her family moved to a new city. This city was known for the making and exporting of guns. After an incident that occurred at home, Maria's father had her carry a gun. She did as her father asked and kept it with her when she went exploring around the city. On these trips, this boy would always follow but would leave when he tired. This day he didn't and continued to pursue Maria until she stopped and gave in to her tire. She feared the worst from him and pull her gun out but the boy only wanted to ride her bike. She put her gun away and walked him to her house but couldn't help but wonder what she might have ended up having to do. She though, "For a moment it seemed that I'd stepped out of my own skin."(109).]]> 2022-03-16 04:33:31 UTC https://padlet.com/sandhtav000/kb0xdhoszw3zozs1/wish/2097302358 sandhtav000 https://padlet.com/sandhtav000/kb0xdhoszw3zozs1/wish/2097398858 Maria had visited her neighbors home and came back home with many questions. Once her father arrived home, she began to ask about why there were so many paintings and books all over the neighboring woman's home. Her father understood her curiosity and told her that the women must be a religious scholar. He then went on to explain how there are many other religions around the world who worship similarly but call their God by another name.]]> 2022-03-16 06:02:18 UTC https://padlet.com/sandhtav000/kb0xdhoszw3zozs1/wish/2097398858 sandhtav000 https://padlet.com/sandhtav000/kb0xdhoszw3zozs1/wish/2099129237 When Maria was 10, her family moved to a city that was very loud. Maria did not have the same freedom as she did in the other places she lived before but she made it work. She would go on bike rides and one day decided to look for a fight. After the fight she relised that she enjoyed the power she felt when she stood over her opponent in victory and they lay in fear and weakness. After her second fight, she was hurt badly and her father took her to the hospital and reminded her of what her fighting inspiration once said, "You gotta be a moron to want to be a fighter"(143).]]> 2022-03-17 01:55:10 UTC https://padlet.com/sandhtav000/kb0xdhoszw3zozs1/wish/2099129237 sandhtav000 https://padlet.com/sandhtav000/kb0xdhoszw3zozs1/wish/2099390108 Maria continued her street fights till her father caught her in a fight on the streets at the age of 12. He then entered her- and her 16 year old brother so he can watch over her- in the sport of weight lifting. After 8 months, they both entered a competition but had to make sure Marias' true gender stayed hidden. They thought that Maria would have to step down from this chance when they faced the problem of weighing themselves in public but were spared when they were permitted to keep their clothes on. After the competition was over Maria won a silver medal but realized her brother had been tense the whole trip out of fear that his sister would be discovered. He told her, "If they ever find out what you did in Lahor, Maria, beating them that way, they'll hunt you down, believe me- they'll hunt you down, and they will kill you"(160).]]> 2022-03-17 05:20:44 UTC https://padlet.com/sandhtav000/kb0xdhoszw3zozs1/wish/2099390108 sandhtav000 https://padlet.com/sandhtav000/kb0xdhoszw3zozs1/wish/2101003027 Maria grew bored quickley of the consistencey of weight lifting. Her father took notice in this and guided and encouraged her to look for something else that might catch her eye, and she did. She found the game of squash and told her father all about it. The next day, they both went to regester her and when the man behind the desk asked for her birth certificate, they both grew scared. In the end, they told the man Maria's true gender. The man reacted well and was excited for her to start. ]]> 2022-03-18 00:41:07 UTC https://padlet.com/sandhtav000/kb0xdhoszw3zozs1/wish/2101003027 sandhtav000 https://padlet.com/sandhtav000/kb0xdhoszw3zozs1/wish/2101195546 Maria became almost obsessed with squash because she knew she would have to be better than all the boys who were to be on the team, to prove her place to them. There was one boy who was the leader of the group and he would throw insults at Maria saying how she played like a girl and couldnt run. The next time she saw him, she decided she would go against each of the boys there, all 14, to see them lose. When the "leader" went against her, Maria surved first but when she hit the ball, she hit it so hard it broke in two. When she got a new ball and began again, the boy feared her strength. In the end as the boy walked off the court he turned to Maria and said, "I will pray for your father. No man, whatever his sins, should have a slut like you for a daughter"(192). Maria got so mad and asked if he wanted to fight her and was yelling at him. He was practically shaking with fear as he backed away from her.]]> 2022-03-18 02:44:36 UTC https://padlet.com/sandhtav000/kb0xdhoszw3zozs1/wish/2101195546 sandhtav000 https://padlet.com/sandhtav000/kb0xdhoszw3zozs1/wish/2101378454 Maria put squash to rest because of the continuous harassment and tried school again. She stopped that too because she could never focus. Maria would roam the streets on her bike and saw a man one day. He seemed to be high and had a pistol similar to the one she used to have. She slowed and the man reached out and grabbed her bike by the wheel, telling her he had seen her around before. Maria was very scared and when she felt the strong man's grip loosen, she fight away from him and went home. She eventually told her father because the man would not stop stalking her. Her father talked to the man in a calm manner telling him to leave his family alone and the man nodded along, apologized, and left. Maria was angered her father did not hurt him for what he did but her father said, "The scorpion venom that man smoked is not nearly as dangerous as the poison in his mind"(213). Her father knew that man was dangerous and if he was messed with, there were people who would come out and cause harm to their family.]]> 2022-03-18 05:32:16 UTC https://padlet.com/sandhtav000/kb0xdhoszw3zozs1/wish/2101378454 sandhtav000 https://padlet.com/sandhtav000/kb0xdhoszw3zozs1/wish/2102179110 Maria picked up raquet again and when she went back to the training complex, she did not worry about being accepted by the boys, she only wanted to play. They boys eventually did because of the long hours she practied. Her coach found a tournament she could play in against other girls and when she walked up the counter for regestration, her coach had to step outside for a little while, so she was alone. The man behind the counter did not believe her when she told him she was a girl and brought lots of attention to her. The other girl who she would play against were watching her but at some point her coach came back and showed her birth certificate and she was saved. The man was unbelievably shocked.]]> 2022-03-18 15:57:08 UTC https://padlet.com/sandhtav000/kb0xdhoszw3zozs1/wish/2102179110 sandhtav000 https://padlet.com/sandhtav000/kb0xdhoszw3zozs1/wish/2104069383 Maria entered in another competition in Punjab against other girls. There she lost every match and was about to leave when her coach convinsted her to come back and stay for the next days to come. Maria stayed but she never won. During the trial days, they were told that they were postponing because of war between Iraq and USA. Maria believed this was a sign from Allah and that Allah is giving her another chance. When the trials began again, Maria won every game and went home with a huge money prize. Her coach never let her walk off the court during the first trials and her father was forever greatful that he gave Maria such faith in herself.]]> 2022-03-20 21:24:37 UTC https://padlet.com/sandhtav000/kb0xdhoszw3zozs1/wish/2104069383 sandhtav000 https://padlet.com/sandhtav000/kb0xdhoszw3zozs1/wish/2104094852 In 2006 the violence in Pakistan grew. Maria's father was a professor and would teach college students but his school was looted and bombed. Maria came home and found him sitting in his chair, missing a shoe, cuts all over his hands, face covered in dust and his shirt ripped. Her mother was a principle and she arrived at school one day with all of the girls standing outside, looking at the chalkboard on the walls of the school. The chalkboard said that they would bomb the school and whoever entered, was writing their own death. Her mother told her,"We were all scattered all over the gorund like seeds. What could we do? We saw the smoke. We all cried. The girls went home." Maria asked if her mother say who had done it. "There is no who, Maria-there is just a them. No faces, no souls- they are bombs adn bullets and cries to Allah in the mountains"(262).]]> 2022-03-20 22:12:53 UTC https://padlet.com/sandhtav000/kb0xdhoszw3zozs1/wish/2104094852 sandhtav000 https://padlet.com/sandhtav000/kb0xdhoszw3zozs1/wish/2104133918 As the violence continied, so did their lives. Maria and her family continued to do as they would on a normal day. Maria went to squash complex but would feel as though she was being watched. She came home one day to her father telling her that the Taliban wants her to stop playing and that they would harm her father if she continued. It was agreed that the Taliban would not stop her practices and so, she went with her brother to practice. One day, when returning from the complex, she saw her father reding to her younger brothers with a cut on his lip. She knew it was the Taliban striking as they said but her brother and father simply said to her, "You'll go at random times and by random routes-but you will go...Yes, Maria. If we get to keep our Qurana, you get to keep your raquet"(281).]]> 2022-03-20 23:24:03 UTC https://padlet.com/sandhtav000/kb0xdhoszw3zozs1/wish/2104133918 sandhtav000 https://padlet.com/sandhtav000/kb0xdhoszw3zozs1/wish/2106427733 Maria continied being taken to the complex by her brother but word got to the government about the threats form the Taliban. They sent soldiers to consitently watch over Maria where ever she went. At some point, fear consumed Maria and she decided it was best to stay at home, inside. She cleaned and hit her ball against her wall. That was all she ever did for the days inside. When she played she would fall and bruse herself all over. She was covered in bruses and couldn't move, her father found her and moved her to her bed. He talked and told her that she cannot keep living life this, without squash. So, her sister came forward with the idea to send an email to any college that will except her.]]> 2022-03-22 01:07:36 UTC https://padlet.com/sandhtav000/kb0xdhoszw3zozs1/wish/2106427733 sandhtav000 https://padlet.com/sandhtav000/kb0xdhoszw3zozs1/wish/2106507501 Maria was still locked away in her house but at night her brother would take her to an outdoor court and play with her. He told her that she should go play at a tournament out of country and she agreed. She arrived there but the whole jounrey she was so dehydrated. She was walking to the stadium where she was to play but she kept in falling over, eventually other squash players took her to the nurse at the facility. She was told to go home and rest. This family from her home town that now lived where Maria was now, came and took her to their houes and cared for her. She stayed there in bed for 4-5 days and had to call the ambulance. Ther she stayed a week before her fever broke and was told that they believed she would die. She was said to have internal bleeding and a virus given from mosquitos. In the end she was well but didn't get to play.]]> 2022-03-22 01:56:42 UTC https://padlet.com/sandhtav000/kb0xdhoszw3zozs1/wish/2106507501 sandhtav000 https://padlet.com/sandhtav000/kb0xdhoszw3zozs1/wish/2108584982 Maria went to the U.S. full of fear but there, she found a Pakistani family that took her in and cared for her. The only probelm was, she felt lost. She found Johnathan Power's number and called him. So then, she went to Canada and was trained by him. In 2012, Maria was in Philidelphia and there she won her the tournament easily. The life Maria lived in Canada made her finally feel free. She was living without the fear and guilt she carred in Pakistan.]]> 2022-03-23 00:23:51 UTC https://padlet.com/sandhtav000/kb0xdhoszw3zozs1/wish/2108584982