Odyssey with Courage
Marymount Secondary School , Lam , Annette – 13
Athousand years ago , I was in India , being a follower of Sanzang , the incarnation of the Buddha , who was sent by the Tang Emperor to India to obtain the scripture . Throughout the journey , I got acquainted with his three disciples namely Monkey , Pig and Sand . In my impression , Sanzang was wise but a bit cowardice . Monkey was whimsically wistful and invincible whilst Pig was like his name , lazy . I mingled with Monkey most , maybe it ’ s because I was born in the Year of Monkey so I bear certain similarities in character to Monkey .
Sanzang sometimes behaved in a coward way though . His vision and insight were unfathomable . Rumors had it that eating Sanzang ’ s flesh could let you stay immortal . One day , he talked to me in private , asking me to travel to the future through the ‘ Time Rocket ’ found in Crystal Cave . Shocked by his request , I asked , “ Why me ?”. He said , “ Aren ’ t you a ‘ monkey ’ born in the 21 st century ? You ’ re more like Monkey who ’ s always adventurous . So , go find out what is happening out there .” With excitement and uncertainty , I sneaked in the rocket and in a flash , was dropped in a place called Pakistan . Pakistan was once part of India until that day came – 14 August 1947 . Pakistan became independent from Great Britain . It ’ s the year of 2007 in which I ‘ landed ’ on Swat . I was twelve , one year older than the girl I came across in the street of Swat Valley , northwest of Pakistan . When I first caught a glimpse of Swat , I was captivated by its tall mountains , lush green hills and crystal clear sky . The story about this place was as much ‘ amazingly intriguing ’ as its scenery . The girl I met was called Malala . As told , she ’ s named for the great young Pashtun heroine Malala . Malala was hospitable . After having a brief mutual self-introduction , she took me to her home to meet her parents and her two little brothers . She then treated me her favourite , a hot spicy pizza after that we had a long chat in her bedroom .
Through our dialogue , I learnt that her father had started a school 3 years before she was born . It ’ s the school where Malala studied at . There was obsession of hierarchy in Pakistan - parents of richer families do not like their children sharing classrooms with the sons and daughters of people who do household chores in their houses . Therefore , students kept dropping out and that made his father financially meagre in running the school .
To me , school is a place where we quench our thirst for knowledge . To Malala , school is a place where she could get recognition for being treated equally as a human being and have her dream realized . She said to me , “ Hey , Annette , Do you know when a teacher appreciates you , you think , I am ‘ something ’! When a teacher tells you that all great leaders and scientists were once children too , you think , maybe we can be the great ones tomorrow .” I silenced for a second and then said , “ That ’ s why you insist on your campaign for girls ’ education in Pakistan .”
When I was wandering in the streets of Swat , I saw women all under wraps . We ’ re already in the 21 st century and women living here still have to observe the code of ‘ purdah ’ covering themselves in public . Finding this unfair and uncomfortable , Malala refused to cover her face even when she was little . Boldly she said , “ My face is my identity . Why should I cover it ?”. She ’ s right . I told her , “ In our city or other countries , only the gangsters or suspects will cover their faces so as not to let the police or public identify them .” One day , Malala took me to see their family tree where I found her name , being the first female name amongst the male ones inscribed there in 300 years . It ’ s beyond my imagination that it ’ s also the name having influence in India - She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014 when she was 17 . Between 2007 and 2009 , Swat was in a warlike situation as terrorism was all around us . During this period , I was all along staying at Malala ’ s home as her father insisted on my safety . It ’ s no surprise to see Fazllulah ’ s men carrying guns and walking menacingly through the streets . He soon joined forces with the Pakistan Taliban , and announced that women were banned from public places and at an earlier stage , he had announced that schools for girls were “ haram ”, prohibited in Islam .
In fall 2007 , the first female prime minister , Benazir Bhutto , returning to run in that year ’ s election was killed in an explosion set off by the terrorists . Her death struck a chord with Malala , prompting her to