Skip to main content

First Halloween

Since the first day of October I knew that experiencing Fall will be extremely new and beautiful, because we basically don't have a lot of tress that turn colors due to the climate of Saudi Arabia. And I also knew that experiencing Halloween for the first time ever will defiantly add a new chapter to this year. 

The color of the leaves stole my heart, as the sound of crushing them brought joy to me everyday whenever we went out to walk the dogs. The smell of this season, its food, and the spirit that I found in all of the people in here made each day joyful and different.  Those people that I'm living, studying, and interacting with here are like nobody else in the world. They're very special in their own way, and they're like this one huge family.  They all know each other, care for each other, and love one another.  Marion may not have a lot, but its people and nature are simply enough for this Saudi girl who looks at everything differently. 

Carving my first pumpkin was a great experience. Maybe because I didn't know that pumpkins may smell bad, and I didn't expect to find a lot of things inside of them. At first I used a giant scooper to clean it, but then I decided to be courageous and stick my hand in there, and clean it like a real American!  I won't lie, that was very disgusting, but I enjoyed it! 


Then the awaited day has arrived!  Halloween is finally here. I wore my Kennedy Lugar YES Program t-shirt, and told people that I'm dressed as an exchange student -yet that didn't quite work-.  The first custome I saw was a vampire by a chemistry teacher.  And after that I saw a lion, thing 1, zombies, aaaaand The Four Ninja Turtles by the school's principals. Interacting with the students is one thing, but dressing up to share with them an important day like this one is another thing.  Yes I did laugh when I saw them, but I was really impressed. Because I've never thought that principals would do such a thing, they really did succeed in making everyone happy today, and they got me into the spirit of Halloween.  

I went back home and by 6:00 pm we were gonna go trick or treating with my host sister and brother.  The weather was cold for me, because this is our winter in Saudi Arabia, and it usually doesn't get colder.  Just to be honest, here's what I was wearing: a t-shirt, a polo shirt, a sweater, a not-so-heavy-coat, a jeans, and I was still cold...  

They knocked on the doors of people while I stood from a distance watching them and smiling. The happiness that Olivia had was amazing, and I loved hearing her say "Trick or treeeeeeeat".  We walked to a bunch of houses, and by the end, I was really satisfied by this day. 

I kept on asking myself "If this is Halloween, then how will Christmas be?".  The thing that made me really interested in all of this is how everyone was into the spirit of Hallowen, kids and adults, they were all untied by the happiness and joy of this day.  It seemed like Halloween doesn't ask for a certain age, just a good costume, and lots of candy. Now I wonder, where will I spend Halloween next year, because I'm excited to get right into its spirit!

Happy Halloween!  

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Two Days With Dad يومان مع والدي

*This blog post was written only two days before my dear father's accident -may he rests in peace-. *هذا المقال كُتب يومان فقط قبل وفاة والدي الحبيب رحمه الله  Tears may express both happiness and sadness. A shaking voice can describe either fear or sorrow. A shivering body can describe all of the mentioned above. But what if, only if at one point in life, all of these emotions combine together to crash the human's body? What if our emotions can break our hearts in a second, then build them back again in the next?  الدموع قد تعبر عن كلا السعادة و الحزن. الصوت المكسور قد يعبر عن الخوف و الأسى. الجسم المرتعش قد يعبر عن جميع ما ذكر بالأعلى. و لكن ماذا إذا، فقط إذا في وقفة معينة في الحياة، كل هذه المشاعر تجتمع سوياً لتكسر جسد الإنسان؟  ماذا إذا كانت مشاعرنا قادرة على كسر قلوبنا في لحظة، و إعادة بنائها في الثانية التي تليها؟  Goodbyes are meant to happen to everyone. As I grow up, I realize how hard they can be depending on whom I'm saying goodbye to....

Hoping before McDowell's School Board

Not every exchange experience is the same, simply because every student is different, and every place is different too. Comparing an experience to another is a huge mistake, yet looking at each one individually triggers curiosity to those who are not part of it to know more.  Not every day is rainbows and sunshine, but surly not every other day is clouds and rain. One bad day shall never ruin a year long experience, and one good day will create memories that will spring in the happiness of many other days to come.     My day today was one of a kind. A day that shall keep me motivated for a good period of time. It's a day that I can smile at and tell myself that I actually invested my time in the project of my successful ways of living. I'll never be the wise person who advises people with powerful talks.  I'll never be the big boss who's in charge. Instead, or at least for now, I am going to live for the present and do my best in influencing a change in this communit...

"Glocal" at the United Nations Youth Assembly

Those who dream, will definitely achieve.  The efforts we put into chasing our goals will be recognized.  Our faith in God, and those long nights praying with so much hope in our hearts.  The taste of accomplishment, that happiness, the laughter, oh and those tears of pure joy.  Standing up for the right, and fighting for the good.  We were all born great, but at the end of the day, it is up to us to realize that greatness and use it proactively.  Nobody’s better than the other, we are made different so we can come together and join those differences together for our own good.  If we’re the same, then competing will never get us anywhere, because “team work makes the dream work” according to a great wise friend of mine.  Working hand by hand to reach the finish line will get us further and further in life.  This past week, I had the honor to be the Saudi Delegate to the United Nations Youth Assembly, and this is the story of how this week t...