My birthday…

As I am writing this blog, I am a few seconds a way from becoming 21 years old. In fact, I just turned 21 right now. Happy Birthday… lol

Tuesday the 10^th is my birthday. I am very happy that finally, I am 21yeas old. I believe the biggest birthdays are 16 and 21 because at 16 you can drive, and at 21 you become a mature, responsible, and grown man.

In my country, Afghanistan, people do not celebrate their birthdays. As a matter of fact, majority of the people do not exactly know what day they were born. For example, if you ask someone, “When is your birthday?” he or she will respond back with “I am 45 years old.” Generally, a large percent of the people know how old they are, but they do not know what day they were born.

On the other hand, my dad wrote down our birthdays when we were born. Many thanks to him! So, we all know our birthdays, but still, we do not celebrate it back in Afghanistan. However, since I came to America, I realized that celebration of birthday is a big thing in this culture. In fact, last year, my friends took me to a restaurant and we all had so much fun. Overall, I enjoyed celebrating it.

But, I have not planned anything for tomorrow yet because my friends did not let me to do so. As soon as I was like, hey guys let’s go out and eat tomorrow, they would say “Sal, don’t worry about it. Just relax.” I believe they have planned something for me; however, I do not know exactly what’s going on.

So, if anything special happens tomorrow, I will let you guys posted about it.

Till then,

God be with you

Last night while writing a paper for my Urban Politics class, I hoped for a snow day tomorrow so I can get some sleep. It was around 2 in the morning while I was still busy writing the paper. I know it is my own fault because I procrastinated. But to be honest with you, I was extremely busy with other stuff that couldn’t find a chance to write the paper.

Anyhow, I finished the paper and emailed it to my professor. I have an early morning class on Wednesdays. So, when I woke up around 7 AM this morning, I had already received a message from Walsh University Emergency Alert System that school is cancelled today. Wow, I was so happy. I went back to bed and woke up very late.

The situation outside was crazy. The streets were frozen; therefore, they canceled almost all the meetings. I would say, it was the first time that I saw this much snow. Luckily, the maintenance stuff at Walsh were busy the whole day cleaning up the sidewalks so we can walk to the cafeteria without any problem. Thanks to them.

It was a good day to catch up with homework, cleaning, laundry, etc. I had some free time this afternoon, so I decided to watch a great movie called, The Great Debater. I really liked the movie because I learned a lot from it. “Who is the judge? The judge is God. Why is he God? Because he decides who wins or losses, not my opponent. Who is your opponent? He does not exist. Why does he not exist? Because he is merely a dissenting voice to the truth I speak.” Very meaningful! Thanks to Walsh library that has all these wonderful movies available for students to watch without any fee.

The Ball Drop experience:

The winter break was just fantastic. I went to New York to spend the Christmas with an American host family. Due to the fact that we do not celebrate Christmas in my country Afghanistan, it was a great experience for me to see all these love, care, and happiness on everyone’s face. Decorating the Christmas tree, singing Christmas songs, watching Christmas movies, and hoping to see Mr. Santa, were some of the things I did during the break. Overall, it was really fun to see all the families are back together and enjoying the moments of happiness together.

Right after the Christmas day, I went to Brooklyn, New York to spend the new years there. In fact, my friend and I had already planned to go and experience the Ball Drop in Times Square with over a million people. During the week which I spent in NYC, I got a chance to try different kinds of food, including Afghan, Arab, and Russian food. I was really missing Afghan food since I came to America, due to the fact that there are no Afghani restaurant in Canton, Ohio. Thus, it was a good chance for me to eat my hometown food again.

On New Years Eve, we decided to go to Times Square to experience the biggest ball drop in the world. The weather was extremely cold. In order to get to the front row, and the closest to the stage, we had to go there early during the day. Therefore, my friend, Mohammad and I went there around 12:30 afternoon. Basically, we were standing up, and waiting on the same spot for almost 12 hours until the ball drop. We didn’t eat or drink anything because we didn’t want to go to the bathroom. Once you left your spot, you could not get back there. After the ball drop, I barley could walk because my knees were sore. In the beginning it was snowing, and after that the weather dropped down to 0 F. The weather was cold and windy. Honestly, a few times, I decided to go back home. I thought I would not be able to do it, but I managed to stay in that cold and see a couple of celebrities, take good pictures, be on TV, and experience the Ball Drop.

Finally, I would like to say that it was one of the most fun things that I have ever done in my life, and I am sure that I WILL NEVER DO IT AGAIN. Although, I had a great time in NYC, let me tell you that I missed Walsh everyday. I was counting days to get back to school, see friends, and meet new professors and students.

It’s good to be back…

On Thursday night, Walsh basketball team played against Ohio State’s team. The game was at 7 PM at Ohio State University. Thus, a group of my friends and I got together and drove to Columbus. It is approximately two hours away from North Canton. After arriving at Ohio State University, I was amazed to see that many people are going to watch this game. It was very hard to find a parking lot due to the fact that Ohio State is like a big city. The university is located in downtown. I don’t want to be rude, but I did not feel that I was on a university campus. It was very hard for me to tell whether it was a university or just downtown Columbus. There were too many cars going around. The traffic was awful. Unfortunately, the Columbus Crew soccer team was playing at the same time too, so it made it even harder to drive around easily. Finally, by the time we entered the basketball COURT, the game has already been started.

Walsh was doing pretty good in the first half. We had a decent number of fans both Walsh students and families and friends to support the team. However, compare to Ohio State’s fans, we were not that big. Obviously, Ohio State is one of the biggest universities in the United States; as well, it was a home game, so it made it much easier for them to have more fans. Overall, even though we lost, our team did a pretty good job. Just for the record, the Ohio State’s basketball team is in division one of NCAA, while Walsh is in NAIA.

After the game, we decided to go eat in Columbus. Since most of the restaurants were closed because it was after 9 PM, we ended up at Buffalo Wild Wings. It was not good as the one here in North Canton. Overall, it was a great night visiting Columbus, watching a fantastic game, eating wings, and being together.

I know its kind of late now to write about Halloween because it was last weekend. However, Ive had the most fun during Halloween. It was one of the best weekends of this year. Due to the fact that we do not have Halloween in my country Afghanistan, it was a very strange and twisted experience for me to dress up in weird costumes. I have never seen so many characters in one room before!! On Friday night, I was invited to a friend’s house who hosted a Halloween party. Everyone was supposed to wear a costume. After alot of brain storming, I finally decided to dress up as a mummy. When I first entered the house, nobody knew who I was because my eyes were the only features visible. To be honest with you, I looked like a person who just came out of a terrible accident. Overall, it was a very fun night and everybody was happy with my costume. Actually, my costume was rated the best costume that night. By looking at the picture below, you would understand what I am talking about.

The Real Mummy

On Saturday night, I was invited to another Halloween party off campus. Two of my friends and I dressed up as camouflage soldiers. We painted our faces with green, brown, and black colors and then went to the party. It was UNBELIEVABLY crowded with different creative and weird characters such as, Jesus, Hot Dog, Baby, etc. In the beginning, people over there did not recognize me because the paint on my face. However, everyone was amazed to see me in such a costume. I really looked like a true soldier who just came out of battle. Finally, we left the party around midnight and went back to Walsh.

Mohamad - Me - Shehab

Thank you

“There is no way to peace, peace is the way.” A. J. Muste

International dinner is the biggest event of Walsh University’s international club. It is an annual event that usually takes place in September or October. This year, we had the biggest and the best dinner ever. It took place in Barrett Business Center on Sunday night. Over 200 hundred people, including students, professors, and family members attended and enjoyed the magnificent food from around the world, as well as the entertainment that was prepared and performed by the club members.

The food for dinner was mostly cooked by the international students; however, we had some dishes that were prepared by other club members, staff, and professors. All the entertainment was planned, prepared, and performed by the members of the club.

After a short introduction, we had a world prayer in eight different languages including English. Right after the prayer, people started heading to the “international buffet.” I cooked “Afghanistan Chicken Kebab.” I marinated the chicken one night before with yogurt, vinegar, saffron water, and many more ingredients. Almost everyone was extremely happy with our buffet. We tagged the dishes with the name of the dish as well as the country of origin. I remember, while I was going around the tables and talking to people, a few asked me about the recipe of my food. Overall, everyone liked the food and enjoyed the dinner.

A few minutes before the dinner

After eating all this delicious food, it was time for some fun.

We started our entertainment part with a song from Nigeria. Our International students as well as our American students showed an exceptional amount of interest in the entertainment section. We had songs, presentations, and dances from different parts of the world. Finally, I would like to say that it was the best international dinner ever. I have received many calls and emails from friends, teachers, and students telling me how good and fun the dinner was. I hope we can have a better dinner with more food and more entertainment next year.

“There is no way to peace, peace is the way.” A. J. Muste

On Monday morning, around 8:00 AM we left for Niagara Falls in two big vans. We arrived there at 2:00 PM. After leaving our stuff at the hotel, we headed to the panoramic falls. Luckily, our hotel was a few minutes away from the falls. The weather was absolutely gorgeous. After taking group pictures, we went down to ride the Maid of the Mist. Everyone was wearing ponchos…. “Blue Garbage Bags.” The Mist was refreshing. I felt the power of nature, and I would say that it was a very wet and wild experience.

Next, we went to the Cave of the Winds.J The weather was getting cooler. This time, they gave us Yellow Trash Bags with spongy sandals. I kept the sandals as souvenirs. We walked up and down the stairs until we got really close to the falls. The closets place to the falls was called “The Hurricane Deck.” There is no way that you go up there and come back dry. My jeans were soaked. Thankfully the Trash Bag “Poncho” saved me.

We all headed back to the hotel to change and get ready for dinner. The funny part was that we went to this restaurant and ordered food. After half an hour, the waitress came back to our table and said, “We are sorry, we ran out of chicken.” What? Are you kidding me? I was super hungry, but I had no other option. So, we had to wait almost another hour until they went to the store, bought chicken, and cooked for us. But guess what? … We all got free drinks. So, I think it was not too bad. I believe that was one of the unforgettable moments of the trip.

After dinner, my friend and I decided to walk around the city. While walking, we reached the Canadian border. I can’t believe I was a few steps away from the border. I was almost in Canada. J The weather was very nice, so we decided to go back to the falls. At night, the falls were really beautiful because they had all these beam lights around them. We took pictures and went back to the hotel.

The Panoramic Falls

Next morning, after eating breakfast, we said BYE L to the falls and headed back to Walsh. On the way, we stopped by an outlet mall. It was my first time going to an outlet mall. Most of the students bought stuff for themselves or their families. After a long drive, we arrived at Walsh around 6 PM. Overall, it was one of the most memorable trips ever. I never forget the falls, and I hope I go there another time.

Finally, it is about time!!! We should have had “Life at Walsh University Blog” a long time ago.

It is unbelievable how the semester is going by so fast. We have already had our midterms. Last two weeks were very tough because of all the stress and late night studying for the midterms. Fortunately, I did a pretty good job in my tests.

Now is the time to have some outdoor fun before the winter season starts. Today is the last day before fall break. While every one is excited to go home, visit friends, or just have fun for a few days, we have planned a trip to Niagara Falls with the international club. Over twenty internationals and American students have signed up to go.

I am very excited to see Niagara Falls for the first time. I hope the weather will be nice just like it was for the past few days. In fact, I have heard many good things about Niagara Falls; therefore, I make sure to have my camera with me to take pictures and send them to my family and friends back home. I will share my experience of Niagara Falls adventure with you next week when I get back.

Since this is my first blog, I don’t want to take up your time by writing too much. Be on the look out for some exciting stuff next week.

Horraaaaaayyy … ROAD TRIP TO NIAGARA FALLS…