New country, New experiences
“Fasten your seatbelts, the plane is about to take off”
The excitement built up inside my six-year-old body. I looked outside the multi-layered window to look at the guy outside to give the permission for the airplane to take off. As the plane is speeding faster and faster my heart is pumping rapidly with every second that goes by. My body leans back onto the seat feeling pressure against me. As I look out the window, I soon gaze at the most eye-catching view. A beautiful blend of layered clouds on top of each other and the naked sun distributing its light through the immense sky. It was my first time riding a plane and it was even better than I’ve ever imagined. It was also the first time was going to visit my parent’s home country, Sudan, and I had no idea what to expect. My dad said it was a beautiful country but I don’t exactly trust my dad’s interpretation of “beautiful”, but I did just this once. With the mini T.V in front of me filled with thousands of movies, shows, and games, all a kid needed for a 12-hour flight.
After a tiring flight but fun flight we landed in our stopover, Egypt. Though I didn’t have an image of Sudan in my head I did have one of Egypt. It was of any assumption of a typical American, Pyramids, deserts, and very hot weather. But I was surprised when I got off the plane to see a very modern type of city when I arrived in Cairo, Egypt. So many skyscrapers and markets, I couldn’t believe it. It was such a beautiful weather causing me to throw my jacket on the plane. My dad and I went to visit some of our family members that live in Egypt. Then after we rested a bit we went to explore the city. Visiting markets that are filled with men screaming prices for items. And the beautiful pyramids that filled my head with so much curiosity about how an area like this turns into a modern-like city. It was an experience I would never forget.
The flight to Khartoum, Sudan was much shorter considering that Egypt is bordering Sudan. When I stepped out of that airplane, a very hot and sandy breeze hit me. I immediately had an urge to leave but figured to give it a chance. I rode a Raksha for the first time in my life and was terrified. There were no doors in the vehicles nor seatbelts so there was no certainty of safety. I held on to my dad until we arrived at my aunt’s house. And over 30 people were just swarming around the house. Each one of them hugging me and kissing me on my cheeks. The house was crowded which made me have a weird feeling. They started speaking this language I couldn’t comprehend so my dad had to translate for me. They questioned me about my life in an America and which country is better. As of any Sudanese-American kid, I answered America. I asked my dad who are these people and he said these are your family. Which made me feel so happy and loved to know how many people care so much about us.
Several days after we came when the number of people coming to visit us decreased, I went to the biggest market in Khartoum called The Arabic Market. It was a huge market that sold many things from clothes to produces to house supplies. We stepped out of the Raksha into this huge market that had many people selling produces outside in the hot sun. Which made me wonder how these people stand in 109 Fahrenheit weather just to sell their products. All f which were yelling how cheap their prices are. We walked to this stand that sold vegetables and my dad started speaking Arabic to the guy who was selling the produces. I didn’t understand a word they were saying but it seemed like they were old friends. My dad insisted to pay for the produce, but the guy swore to god that he wouldn’t take the money. When we were returning home, I thought about how loving the citizens of Sudan were and how they put others before themselves. I suddenly found my love and pride for my heritage grow. Soon I realized what made this beautiful. It wasn’t because of what the country looked like but instead what were the ethics and values of the people living in it.
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