Last Days In The States

Everything in this life has to come to an end, happy or sad one, but still the End.I don't know how we spend most of our days doing things, maybe crazy things and then ;after they are finished, you don't believe we made it,...just like a dream...or happy dreams,wake up in the next morning as if you haven't lived a while sleeping adventure....

I'd say :It was JUST like alife dream I lived in the United States. How can I expect to spread my emotions to all people who weren't living those days with me in one of the busiest cities in the world....New york- New york.

Driving from my Dear Delaware to the Big Apple , 5 hours by vans ,,,transforming from the calm quite Newark to the organized mess in Manhaten, seeing those skyscrapers catching up with the sky, walking in those streets looking up higher then getting a neck pain after long time of wondering!!

Visiting the UN Buildings, Unicief ,or the sharming Statue of liberity from the ferry, how fascinating!!

What about the Empire State building, when you see all streets, lights and rivers of New york and neighborhoodsat night.

spending midnights at Times Square watching Indiana Jones Film in Cinemas and the Lion king great play...

Watching all the busy people running out of time, rushing on the streets, talking by cells, using laptops, reading in cars, even don't stopping on the red traffic light since there is no time.

I was wondering when these people go to sleep?! Even though I became at that time one of them((You are in New York...No Sleeping!! spend as much as you can there...good advice)

It was all fantastic-but there a very special experience in the States.

After New York we got back to Delaware to spend the last night there, had our Farewell dinner with our professors and staff there, took our mepi's certificate, and got hours of tears...saaadly, we will leave our new home, which we lived in for 6 weeks, but had more and more memories.

The next day 11th August, it was the day to go back to Washington DC, since it's the right place to meet all the mepi's groups from the 6 Universities(Montana, benidectin, Georgetown, Roger Williams,Wayne state Uni and Delaware).

We -mepi at UD, had a wonderful chance to be invited to join an American show viewpoint with James Zogbe-Arab American Institute.He interviewed us at that program and will be broadcate on Aug.21st, Abu Dhabi TV..Don't miss our show!!

In our last night in The capital city, each University had to present (PPP)what they did in mepi, all activities, classes,community services, study trips, fun and sun....5 minutes-more or less-to the department of states at the final farewell in China Town, DC .

We did our last arabic party that day in the English speaking City, we sang palestinian, lebanees, syrian, egyption,even Gulf songs and morrocan ones,which almost most of us don't understand !!
The GOODBYES day, ,,,,how sad we were!

cheeks were full of tears, all of us,students, staff, and some Prof.

It was the time to say I love you all guys whom I lived with 7 weeks, shared adventures and risks,happines and anger, I learned from each one of you,...every one is a story,...every one is so special,....commite to make a difference, ..tell people and let them know,..spread all truth.

Till our reunion in February,.....will miss you all.

Discovering the states

I just graped some time to write on this blog, I'd really love to write every thing I experience these days in my last week in the states, since it may be the first and the last at the same time,...I need to write to remember the greatest life I've ever had, the tremendous freedom I am up to, all that unbelievable things we are doing here and all that time we are having fun and stealing the hours from the nights to stay all together, even talking about nothing sometimes, but still MEPIs together.

Since the first day I came to the States, every day is being different than the previous one.Having this wonderful amazing experience will change -if it is not already -my view of the world, now I will see the same world but with my new eyes.

giving me the chance to explore the life with myself by myself in a place I was Little bit afraid to come to, will affect my whole life in the future.
I can say now that stars are the light of the night, after having me laying on the green grass of Delaware University.
It's my right to enjoy the very scary moments in the 6 flags amusement park in New Jersey, when my heart stop pumping and my mouth doesn't help, at some points!!!
Or biking with all the MEPIs and our academic director Professor Magee near the shore& coast of the eastern part of the states, Peaks Lake-Portland- Maine-New England.
Now I can tell you what the freedom is all about, you have 50 choices to choose if you are not satisfied, just find a place grape your stuff and pack your luggage....that's what all about, another better life -mostly.
What about your right to talk freely without any restrictions, that's is what we call it the freedom of speech back home.
You can work, study even hard, play hard, enjoy your time and have fun....and you are still the same person.
I learned many things about Americans I'd like to share with others, maybe it is a good chance for opening dialogues with these friendly people who we don't know about them, and visa Vera of course.
We just know America by its power and control of things in the world, we can't even distinguish between the Americans and their government.This confusion -in my opinion- is the locked key for our cultures which should be crossed.
I've been living here for 5 weeks, which is obviously not a long time to know every thing about such a huge geographical and tremendous cultural country like the states, but I'd say it is enough period to discover and know , look in the eye at these people, how friendly they are!!
Besides being your road friends, eager to learn, and book eaters, everywhere in the airports, airplanes, trains, buses, in the vans, between classes even when they are walking, or if you don't have time to read you just play your auto book on your ipod!!of course this won't apply for everyone in the states, but it happened to me to see this every day with staff members I usually spend time with,... they are also as hospital as people we used to know in our Arab world.
Well, yesterday we had a great time biking in the peaks island in Portland ME, we got into the ferry...unbelievable, and then had some discussion after a presentation with seeds of peace organization here in Maine.
Today we checked out the Holiday Inn at 7:30 am driving by vans to the state of Massachusetts( 4 hours drive), and now in Plainfield, which is a very small town in here , 600 people is living in this nice place, with the weird weather.we just experienced the heavy rain ,and after half an hour it was very sunny, then again a light rain...but now it is clear!!
We spent all the day with the town people, had lunch boxes with them,...some Arabic food ,Falafel and hummus.we've been introduced to the history of this town and its policies to run their own place, had discussion with the committee of the town and their volunteers , who put fires off, or who works on the ambulances, then we had a good tome with the minister of the church here and got a good crossing cultural debates, and absolutely talked about Religions.
Then we had a big dinner and a fabulous dessert with these people and our host families for tonight, and finally we end up our full day with a Q/A from the town people to us the Middle East and North African students, which was really a unique conversations cleaned some wrong ideas about both sides, who wouldn't have the chance to hear that if there wasn't such an exchanging opportunity.
As for tomorrow, we will be having our breakfast with our generous host families, then leaving them to do some voluntary work in a trail and having some discussions with some kids like us, have lunch and then to the BIG APPLE, NEW YORK CITY........YES!!!