I always had a thing for numbers so mathematics was sort of fun for me…then I got into uni and instead of numbers with a sprinkling of alphabets / symbols, it became alphabets / symbols with a sprinkling of numbers.
Right after Calculus II, my math courses grades started to take an interesting trajectory. I’d pass the first mid-term exam, FAIL the second one and then start reading my Maths textbook like a novel so I could pass the final exam. During one of those final exams, I’d just finished writing two pages of what looked like gibberish (that somehow made sense) as the solution to a 10 marks question. Moved on to the next one, read the question and my heart skipped a beat. This question was for 20 marks, but I was pretty sure that the answer was one line; I’d seen a similar question in the textbook the night before. 20 out of 100 marks for just one line…in the same exam that pages of solution was for 10 marks. Was this a trick question? Was I wrong? Was this how I was going to fail the course? Stressed over it for a while, said a prayer and wrote down the one-line solution. Figured I had nothing else to lose. A few days later, I got my script back and (surprise, surprise) I passed that question.
…then it is a duck. Sometimes it’s just that simple.
I have a muslim name, and I usually have a scarf wrapped tightly around my head. I’m in a predominantly muslim country, so it’d be logical if you assumed I was one too. Not that there’s anything wrong with being a muslim, it’s just the assumption that I am, that is wrong.
I have a muslim name because my parents are muslims and they named me so…tried using my middle name to avoid confusion, but it just wouldn’t stick. I’ve always got a scarf wrapped around my head because I have a strong dislike for flies buzzing around my ears…and there happens to be a lot of them where I work (people that leave doors open…story for another day).
…then it still might not be a duck. Sometimes you need to ask more questions.
differentshadesofbrown 