My U.S. Memoir: I tasted the United States and its Society-Third Part

by Mahdi Mala Abdulla

MEPIs and their host families gather to gether
for a group picture on the farewell day in Wausua

It was February 17^th, 2011 when I was nominated for the MEPI. I was in Barcelona on that day attending the GSMA Conference, The World Wide Mobile Conference, based on the Department of the State. I was so excited about that and couldn’t be happier. From that time until I arrived to the United States on June 22nd, 2011, I asked hundreds of questions from several people, read several articles and watched several movies to gain some knowledge about the American society before I got there. I had several questions that I didn’t have answer for at that time. So, I threw several questions such as, how should I act, where should I go, where should I never go in the United States to several people whom I expected that had answers for my questions. I derived all these questions from the eyes of media and the movies like the American Pie. The answers that I got for these questions were almost exactly the same as what the media and these types of movies said. The words, “Americans are cold and unfriendly,” and “America is a dangerous society,” were the words that always completed the answers for my questions. However, what was the outcome of these answers? How much those people were right about the American society?

It was 10 pm when we landed in the JFK airport. Because we missed a flight because of the whether, we had to stay within the airport for the rest of night. We spent about 12 and half hours on the plane until we arrived from Amman to New York, so we were crazingly tired. We felt very dizzy that showed we never slept for about a week. People could tell that we were too drunk and each had a gallon of beer when we walk. Despite of that terrible situation, the Time Square and Central Park were the two places where I was dying to go and take a picture in. some of my friends already made their mind and decided to go. I thought they were crazy. I told them if you were trying to go there, it is just like you were trying to “play with fire.” They asked me a lot to go with them, but I refused and told them,” Are you Kidding me?” and “Haven’t you heard about how dangerous this society is.” I briefly talked about what I have heard about the American society to convince them in order to stay within the airport and never go out. However, not all of them were agree with me. Out of several students in the group, only a few number of them decided to stay, and the others just went out without having anything to be worry about. I asked those who were with me in the airport to pray for those who went out. We were pretty sure that they would never be safe and get back without problems. Having forbid, we expected to get really bad news about them every single moment. It was about 2:30 am when they came back to the airport. Their faces were shining just like the moon when it is on its 14^th. The words, “You guys missed a lot. You should’ve come with us. We had a lot of fun,” were the words that they buried us with. I was almost died when they showed me the pictures that they took in the Central Park and Time Square. I couldn’t stop my tears, and my eyes were like some one put a big onion on them. I had a conversation with myself and gave thousands of shit to the media and those movies that stopped me from going out and turning one of my favorite dreams into reality. From that time on, I was convinced that the sources I chose and people whom I asked to understand how the American society was look like were both wrong. Therefore, by the time we left JFK airport and headed to Washington DC, I had decided to completely remove those bad and terrible word that I have heard about that society and its people.

Washington DC, the Place Where I Had the Real Taste of Life

On June 22nd 2011, it was about the noon time when we arrived to Washington DC.  The Double Tree Hotel, where a place that combined about eighty MEPI participants all over the Middle East and North African countries. Almost all of us introduced to each other very warmly. We were very excited to be each other in away that each of the participants felt like achieved one of their best dreams that have been waiting for a long time. You could see nothing, but smile and excitement on the face of every single member of the group. Personally, it was a day when I felt like to be no where, but heaven. I was so impatient to check in to the hotel and go for a walk. Omer Salem, a Kurdish guy from Kirkuk, was chosen to be my roommate. At the firs time when we met, we both hated each other. I felt he was so introvert, and he thought I felt like to be superior. Expectedly, we got to be the best and most close friend very only after one or two days. Happily, Omer was exactly the one of those types of people whom I always enjoyed to be with. I learnt a lot from him. We always discussed very serious topics about life when we were walking together. We always could figure out the best solutions for anything we discussed.

Later on, I explained Omer what were my expectations about the American society. We were kind of “on the same boat.” Therefore, we always observed the things and events around us very patiently. We both decided to deeply understand what type of the American society was and what type of people were. The words, “One can never understand how nice Americans are until he or she leaves with them,” were the words that we both were agree with to describe that society and its people. We both were convinced that almost all the rumors that were said about the American society and its people via medias and movies were wrong. Provably, we were both convinced that the Americans were the nicest and most friendly people around the world.

The offers that those people provided us were unbelievable. I experienced several events that were just cultural shocks for me in good ways. It is just rare in several societies to go to people and ask them if they need before they would be asked. However, the Americans did that very respectfully. Several times happened to us when we were walking on the streets and observed the map to find somewhere around DC, people came to us and helped even before we asked them. It was just nice to talk to those people for the most beautiful and respectful ways of how they communicate. I, personally, always would love to ask them questions and have conversation with them since they had the best manner of speech. They were very carious about whom they talk to. More to the point, I was afraid to ask anyone to take a picture of me since I experienced some European societies where they even didn’t look at you when you asked them for that offer. I was in Germany once, I asked a lot of people to take a picture of me, and they looked at you in a very strange and dangerous way that was like they were watching scare movies. Unlike those societies, Americans were very easy to be friend with. They were the friendliest people I have ever seen. They not only took pictures of you, but, some times, came on the picture with you, too. Several of them not only took pictures or answer the questions that asked them but also started conversations with you and asked if we needed anything else. The most beautiful time when I was there was the moment when I had conversations with the Americans. I will never forget them. Over the three weeks that I spent in Washington DC, the people I saw were almost all good, friendly, and nice. I was afraid to be acted negatively because of the color of my skin, hair, and my eyes. However, those people specially respected me and put me in a special position. They proved me that they loved me regardless of what types of characteristics I had. This is not only me who experienced these good people; one could hear exactly the same words as mine from almost all of the members of the group to describe the Americans. Furthermore, one might assert that it was only DC where those types of people lived. However, it was not the only place where I based my argument on. I made several friends who went to the other States there and described the societies where they live much nicer than I did. Similarly, I have heard nothing, but good things from them when they talked to me about those Americans whom they lived with. Last but not least, the families who hosted me and my friends in Wausua in the State of Wisconsin completely proved us that they are the nicest people in the world. The words, “Hey people! No matter that you are Muslims, we, Americans love you. No matter that you have dark skins, brown eyes, and black hairs, we, Americans never hate you,” were the words that one could always hear from those families and people whom we lived with in Wausua.

 I will keep the lovely readers updated what we, MEPI Georgetwoners,  did when we were in Wausua and lived with those lovely families. You will know who those families were and how did behave us for a week when we were hosted by them in the forthcoming days if I had a chance to survive.

 Finally, I would love to say that if America was a type of food, it would be my favorite food and would try every single day for the sake of the nicest people who are living there.