Since my return back, a lot of my friends have asked me to write a blog about my trip to Amsterdam where I visited my brother after 13 years. Well, here it is…

It was Wednesday when I bought my flight ticket from Rome to Amsterdam and sent a copy of the itinerary to my brother. I flew to Amsterdam the same day and arrived at schiphol airport around 3:40 PM. The flight was exactly on time. Since I did not have any language, I walked straight towards the exit sign. I was very excited to see my brother after 13 years.

I walked outside and ready to scream the moment I see him, but saw no sign of him. I kept looking around for a few minutes and still no sign of him. I did see a guy with dark hair and dark complexion walking with a lady and looking at me. I told myself, this cannot be him. The same guy kept walking around for a while.

Finally, after waiting at the arrival for around 24 minutes, I decided to ask someone for a phone and call him to see where he was. Well, I saw the same guy walking towards me. As he got closer to me, I said “SalamAlikom.” He smiled and I realized that it was him, Sharaf, my brother who has been away from home for almost 13 years.

He was there on time, but I guess we did not recognize each other. It was like a movie. All we missed at that time was a video camera. We hugged each other and… As well, I got introduced to his wife, who is a Dutch citizen. She was a very beautiful blond girl with blue eyes, completely different than what I expected: a dark hair dark complexion girl.

I had the best time being with him and his wife in Amsterdam. I wish I could stay longer so I could get to know him more; however, I am very optimistic that we will meet again soon. Time went by very fast. Overall, it was the greatest time of my entire trip.

Sharaf and I

After the Colosseum, the catacombs are the second most important and fascinating remaining I have seen in Rome. They are scary and exciting simultaneously. As I was walking through them, I felt scared; not scared of this world but scared of the grave. “Imagine being in one of these small graves buried under tons of sand and soil” The people who were buried there knew that they will be killed or punished if they get caught worshiping Jesus “their faith,” but they still did it. However, today, we take freedom of religion for granted.

inside the catacombs

Also, I was really shocked to see people walk the steps on their knees “the wholly steps” of Santa Scala. In Afghanistan, which is a third world country, a lot of people including my mother do such actions. The older generations think it is rude if you not do it; however, the younger including myself, believe that these things are superstations. When looking at Danilo and other students walking all the way up the steps with their knees, I was amazed to see such “superstation” in a first world country where people are all educated.

In fornt of Santa scala

The wholly steps (Santa Scala)

Finally, Venice! The city that lives on water is one of the most beautiful cities of Rome. However, I did not really like it. The entire city is surrounded by water, and anywhere you go, you have to take a water taxi. Due to the fact that I do not know how to swim, I am extremely afraid of water. This was one of the reasons I did not like the water taxis. In addition, the rest of the city is all about shopping. So basically, if you like shopping and riding boats, Venice is for you; otherwise, do not even bother. However, I would like to state that the gondola ride was the unforgettable memory of this city.

Saint Marco

Gandola ride

eating pizza in Venice

Lets see if Florence is better than Venice…

Rome, Italy

As you may recall, I mentioned in my previous post that my next blog will be from Rome; well, here I am in Rome the city of Fountains, writing this blog. As of now, I have spent my first week in Rome studying with 12 other students in Castle Gandolfo.

Send off at Walsh

So far, this trip has left me speechless. In fact, I have traveled to many countries before including Germany, India, USA but this trip is completely different than others. I cannot believe one week has passed already.

Rome airport

Well, our studies started last Monday. Every day from 8:30 to 9:30 we are in the class studying one of the four courses already assigned. Then, the entire group will go to Rome see and experience what we were just studying in the morning. For example, on Monday we talked about the Roman Empire and imperator Nero, later on that day we went inside the Colosseum (Coliseum) and the Roman Forum and witnessed everything with our naked eyes. Seeing a picture in the book than witnessing it with bare eyes is absolutely different. As soon as I entered the Coliseum everything changed. All I was asking myself is how did they build such a thing 2000 years ago without any kind of sophisticated technology or machineries. Honestly, as I was walking around it, I felt like I am in the old times watching the gladiator fighting each other.

The Coliseum

Group Picture inside the Coliseum

Likewise, the next few days of last week, we went to other parts of the city and observed everything from near. For example, at the Spanish Steps or (Piazza di Spagna) we got to see some of the very beautiful fountains. At Piazza del Popolo, we saw paintings of Bernini and Caravaggio. Looking at them made me glare more and create my own story from the paintings. They are absolutely gorgeous.

crucifiction of peter by Caravaggio

So far, the trip has been magnificent. The weather is really nice. Food is delicious. Almost anything I ate so far has been tasty. One of my favorite things in Rome is gelato (Ice cream). Their ice cream is a lot different than in America. It is kind of expensive but it is worth it. Indeed, coffee is unforgettable here. Every morning, I start my day with a cup of coffee. Overall, I would like to say that Rome is just incredible. Not only the sceneries or historical remains of Roman Empire, but also the people, the food and the culture of Rome, Italy will stay with me as unforgettable memory.

I will soon upload the next blog from one of the weekend trips…

Eating gelato in Piazza del Popolo

Regards,

Well, last Saturday night, Walsh celebrated their 50^th anniversary with a magnificent dinner, the Gala. It is by far the biggest dinner at Walsh. Each ticket costs $150. A lot of people including the president, staff, alumni, congressmen and some students attended the dinner. I was invited as well. It was a night full of different kinds of folks, fun and food. It started around 6:30 and finished almost at midnight. The Gala is a black tie dinner and everyone is supposed to wear nice clothes like a suit or tuxedo. Due to the fact that I do not own a tuxedo and I am international, I decided to wear my Afghan traditional “Tuxedo.”

Congressman John Boccieri welcomes me to America

As you can see in the picture, the dress not black at all. In fact it is mostly white. It is my national outfit that is used only in a very special occasions, such as a wedding or a special gathering. When president Hamed Karzai travels to other countries, he wears it as well. It takes around 4 -5 months to completely finish one set of this outfit, because it is mostly sewed by hand.

Indeed, among almost 350 guests at the dinner, I was the only one who was standing out in the crowd because I was wearing something that was totally different. Majority of the guest had no idea where I was from. This allowed them to come up to me and talk. Almost the entire night I was chatting and debating on different topics about Afghanistan. Overall, almost all the people liked my Tuxedo, even though it was not black. The next day, my host father who is a graduate of Walsh, was awarded as the outstanding alumni of the year. We all gathered in Barrett Center for that ceremony.

Me and the Mahoneys (My international friends family) at Alumni brunch

Overall, it was a weekend full of events. From the football game on Saturday morning, to Gala and to Alumni brunch on Sunday, every event was fun and exciting.

Due to the fact that I am leaving to Rome in 10 days I believe my next post will be from Rome. I will make sure to keep you updated from Europe more often.

I will surely miss Walsh…

This last weekend was Walsh Family Weekend. One of the most exciting and fun weekends so far.

On Friday, we had to set up the Hoover Park and make sure everything was ready for tomorrow (Saturday). Due to the fact that the event was open and free to everyone including the public, we had to make sure we are ready for a big crowd. Friday night, the UPB (University Programming Board) prepared a movie for us to Walsh. We got to watch the Movie “UP” outside on the grass on a big giant screen.The weather was a little chilly but the excitement of the movie and the big screen made it easy and fun to watch.

The weekend of excitement and entertainment started with a magnificent football game between Walsh and Ohio Dominican. I had to be at the tailgate party two hours before the game started to distribute free t-shirts to Walsh fans. The T-shirts were all provided by the President. It was a gorgeous day. Everyone was happy and excited for the game.

Me and the Cavalier before the game

Being member of the “Cav Crazy Club,” required me to scream and cheer for Walsh until I basically lost my voice. My friend Diego who is from Argentina and I were sometimes cheering in our languages (Persian & Spanish). It was funny because no one could understand what we were saying. Well, as a result of our cheers and the good play of Walsh football team, we bet the Ohio Dominican, though I missed out the last quarter because had to leave early to help out in the Hoover Park with food, games, and cakes.

At the Park we had different kinds of games and fun activities, all free for Walsh Students, their families, as well as, to public. A very big crowd showed up and had a great time.

Although there were many different kinds of fun activities, games, music, dances, food etc, most of the people were excited to see the “50 Cake Contest.” Due to the fact that this year is the 50^th anniversary of Walsh University, the Campus Ministry arranged a 50 cake contest. Everyone could design and make a cake and compete. The theme was Walsh University and its 50^th anniversary. I was totally shocked to see that many cakes in different shapes and colors. Congratulations to the winner “The book of Legacy.”

One of the fifty cakes with my picture on it

Finally, around 9:00 pm when it got dark outside, we all went out on the soccer field to watch and enjoy exceptionally amazing fireworks right in front of us. The University prepared terrific fireworks for this occasion. It was really cool to see it right in front of your eyes, because they were being set off right behind the soccer field. A huge crowd of people from around the area along with their families and children came to enjoy the fireworks.

Fireworks

Overall, it was a non forgettable weekend. Everyone enjoyed and had a great time. Thanks to all who made this possible!

Fireworks

Hi everyone! I hope you all had a great summer.

During the last four months, I have been extremely busy and occupied by summer school as well as normal work. This summer has been very challenging for me. Due to the fact that I was not able to go back to my home country Afghanistan, I had to stay on campus for the entire summer. Therefore, I did all I could to make the best out of my summer time.

I have been working on campus from morning to afternoon and taking summer classes in the evenings. This allowed me to earn income and cover my expenses, at the same time accelerate my graduation by acquiring 16 credit hours.  Yeah, I know that sounds crazy, but I had six classes this summer along with work and gym. Although this has been a very busy “boring” summer, I am satisfied with my accomplishments.

The entire campus looks absolutely beautiful. As you may know this year is the 50th anniversary of Walsh University; hence, the maintenance crew including myself work very hard to prepare the campus for this big celebration. Whoever visited Walsh so far absolutely loved it. A special thanks to all the GROUDN CREW.

Even though school starts next week, I will not be taking classes except for one on Tuesday nights. I am going to Rome for my fall semester. I will depart Ohio on October 17^th and return back to Cleveland on January 6th. I am extremely excited and happy to be part of Rome experience. Besides experiencing Italy while getting 12 credit hours, I will be able to travel and see some other parts of Europe. In addition, visiting my brother in Netherlands whom I have not seen for nearly 12 years makes this trip even more exciting. I will surely update you of my experiences from Europe!

Overall, I am happy school is starting next week. It is always good to see students “Friends” back on campus. “A campus with no student is like a garden with no flowers.” I would like to take this opportunity and welcome back all students on campus and wish you good luck as you are starting your school year this coming Monday.

Good luck!

Regards,

Today, I had my last two finals. I was extremely happy after I finished my finance test, due to the fact that I did really good in it. Overall, this week was very busy and tiresome. I had not slept for almost 65 hours. I know it sounds crazy, but it is true.

Since early morning on Tuesday up to late afternoon on Thursday I was awake. I had been drinking coffee and Energy drink full of caffeine for the last two days in order to stay awake. I know it is not good for you to stay awake for that long and drink that much caffeine, but I had no other alternative. In fact, it was very hard to do so; however, it was worthed as I did pretty good in all my finals.

One thing that I would like to mention here is that, I deserved to stay awake for that long and suffer because I should have been ready for my finals way before the finals week. “Procrastination and laziness dragged me to the valley of sleeplessness.” Waiting up to the last minute to study, is not a wise thing to do.

It was only last Sunday night when I seriously started to study. In addition to six finals, I also had a presentation and a career packet due for my English class. Thankfully, I managed to achieve my goal by doing very good in all my tests, even though I cost me a lot: (Being a wake for more than 60 hours). I learned from my mistake; therefore, in the future, I will make sure that I study before the finals week. Overall, this semester had been fun and full of surprises. I had some of the best news of my life in this semester. With no doubt one of my favorites!

I usually take 18 credit hours. Indeed, I have to take as many credit hours as I can in order to graduate with three majors in 4 years. I know, it sounds bazaar, three majors in four years, but that’s what I am going to do. Due to the fact that I have been taking 18 credit hours each semester, the chance of graduating in four years with three majors has been a lot easier for me compare to other students. Thus, I decided to go for it.

For sure, after today, I am one step closer to the bright and successful future I have ever dreamed of. Everyday passes, I tell myself, what have I learned today that will help me be a better person? I believe we should all learn from each moment of our lives because that moment will never come back. Hence, I did what ever I could during the last semester, to experience and learn something new and better.

I would like to say congratulation to those who graduate in two days officially, and I hope they all achieve their dreams. This Sunday is the graduation ceremony at Walsh. I will have to assist people in setting up the stage and other stuff. Thank God we are going to have a beautiful sunny day. The weather is going to be up in 70 or 80s. Since that I am going to stay on campus during the summer, I will make sure to keep you
posted regarding the activities and events that will take place on campus.

Regards,

“Keep chasing your dreams; you will catch them eventually”

Today was both scary and beautiful simultaneously. I know it sounds unrealistic, but let me explain why.

As we all know, it was one of the most beautiful day of the year so far. The weather was absolutely gorgeous. No wind, no cold, no cloud! What a great a combination. It felt so good to go walk around the campus. The beautiful smiles on people’s face as they look up the sky and the stripling sun shines upon you and wishes you a good day were some of the characteristics of today.

In addition, the Saint Patrick’s day, contributed a lot to the creation of this beautiful day. A large group of students were fashioned by a green outfit or at least something green. The cafeteria staff, especially my favorite cook “Chief” Greg made such a wonderful lunch and dinner. It consisted of chicken, corn beef, rice, green beans, and some “Irish Sauce”. The perfectly made lunch created an olfactory and gustatory sensation.

On the other hand, today, I had an extremely difficult test. It was the second test of my finance class. With English being the third language of mine, grasping and comprehending of such financial glossary and statements are flinty. Last night, I was studying until 3 in the morning; at the same time, keeping myself hydrated with the caffeinated beverages. Luckily, I did really well in my test. Thanks to the hard work of the energy drinks that kept me up last night.

Finally, I would rate today, as the best day of this year so far.

Spring Break/Washington DC

I apologize for not being able to write for a long time.

So, last week we had spring break. A few days before the break, the department of governement and foreign affairs had a trip to Washington DC. The purpose of the trip was to have an experience of the Washington DC. We left Walsh around 4 PM on Wednesday and arrived in DC late night. More than 30 students plus three proffessors were in this trip. During the three days that we stayed there, we visited the White House, the Capitol, the Supreme Court, the International Monetary Fund and some other official places.

During the trip, we had the chance to meet some of the alumni from Walsh University. It was very nice to see them successful in Washington DC. Their insight and advice helped me and my collegues a lot. Thanks to all of them

Overall, the trip was a fantastic experience for me and all other students. Despite of visiting all these cool places, we had the chance of making good contacts that will help us in the future.

A speciall thank to Dr Koop Berry who arranged this trip for the students.