Assalamu alaikum warahmatullahi wa barakatuh.

This is Munash-e-Khamar and you're listening to the Digital Sisterhood podcast.

This week I am once again with you narrating this story.

I consider this story honestly to be a love story for all of those who consider themselves

Tullab-e-Layn, seekers of knowledge, students of knowledge, and those who are aspiring to become

students of knowledge. Her journey, what she has won through, is honestly not only motivating

but really healing. And as the resident student of knowledge, though there are many in TDS,

I was asked to narrate this one and who am I to say no. So without further ado, please enjoy

the story. Marimo was born and raised in Canada. Her majority of her childhood grew up in Vancouver

and Edmonton and then later on moved to Toronto. She grew up as the eldest daughter of six kids

with a single mom, which meant that automatically by default she was the chief executive officer

of the house. But at school, Marimo is known as the quiet smart girl and she had a keen love

for learning languages. I remember my best friend being this Korean girl who had just come from

Korea. Yeah. And we bonded over her food. We bonded over her food. I had my other best friend was

was Pakistani. You know, the school was filled especially for you know, in Edmonton and also

in Vancouver. There's a very big population of East Asian kids. So I had that influence as well.

It was one of the only Muslim girls in school. But they never really bothered me. When I came to Toronto,

I realized, wow, I was missing out. Yeah. Yeah. That's when I really got connected with my Somali

rules. Yeah. I got more closer to the dean and it was like it shouldn't be a culture shock,

but it was to be amongst my own people, you know, amongst people who looked like me.

It's a summer right before senior year of high school. And Marimo is in her peak senioritis.

You know, that special laziness that hits senior year where the only cure to it is graduating.

...