Memoir+-+Rimyland

@memoir

English Rimyland Rezko Period 3 11/14/11

Who are you?

“Fifteen hours left, “ I yelled out to my mother. Then, I kept counting down out loud, “fourteen hours, thirteen hours, twelve hours, eleven hours, ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, and three!” I then stopped counting down when I got to the last two hours. I panicked, because I wanted to know if Syria had changed over the past four years. For example my house, my dad’s store, and more importantly my cousins. Those last two hours went by as if they were ten hours.

The airplane went around in circles then slowly landed. I was so thankful leaving the airplane, because every three seats had their own air condition. The problem with that was so many people had the air conditioning on and I was shivering most of the flight. Getting inside the airport and leaving was a disaster because it was so crowded with people holding up signs looking for their relative, friends, and family members. My family and I were trying to find the exit to the airport and that took us about one hour and fourteen five minutes. You are probably wondering why would it take us such a long time to find the exit, it’s easy. Well it was not because there were a lot of doors that said Exit on them and they led to many different places, so we were not going to actually try every single gate. So then we started asking some people about witch door was the exit out of the airport. We asked a tall, bold man in his fifty’s wearing a Disneyworld shirt, where the Exit was and he hesitated for a moment and said, “Uh… down the hall, first door to the left.” It made sense why he hesitated because after when we found the actual exit by the help of the security that man worked on the other side of the airport. The nice thing was that man at least tried helping us.

When we exited the airport we saw my uncle and some of my cousins. I especially was in a big shock because at first I did not know my uncle or my cousins. My uncle had got older with slightly white hair and my cousins were all tall and looking all different like if they were not the same people. We kind of got to meet each other bu since we were in a hurry we only got to say,” Hi how are you.” Then we gathered our luggage and headed to our car. Everything had changed even the cars were different, back four years ago they were small vans that would only fit eight people and now they are big buses that can fit twenty to thirteen people. An eight hour drive was tiring although what made time pass by so quickly was that we got some over views of Damascus at night and It was beautiful with its lights. Later my back was so sore and my legs were crumpled next to the window and I felt as if I was not going to walk on my legs ever again. Hour by hour passed by and we arrived to my house in Hasaka and it was eight thirteen A.M. we got our luggage into our house.

Then my family and I meet my youngest cousins in my family. When we left to come to America they were only eleven months old and two years old. That was really a boomer because at that point they did not remember me and I did not know them either. How would you feel to not know your cousins? Then my family and I sat at my uncles’ house Ate breakfast and sat a little bite then we headed to my grandparents’ house. When I got to my grandparents’ house there was so much people that I kept on rubbing my eyes because I could not tell where any of my family was in that big crowd. That was the biggest crowd I had seen when I entered Hasaka, there was about fifteen to sixteen people and I only knew ten of them and they were my uncles, and my ants. The rest were my cousins, neighbors, and friends. For some reason I felt as if the places and houses were getting smaller than what I was imaging them like. Also, I felt as if everyone was way much older then I imagined them like.

Time was flying by so fast that it was already ten P.M. My relatives and family had a small get together to meet each other. We started talking and minute by minute we got to know each other a little better. There was Hala, Amanee, Esa, Noor, Husam, Kinan, Ehab, Minther, Fadi, Fadi, Ferash, Zaina, Klorea, Monar, Manalle, Florea Hanna, and so many more cousins. The shocking part was we did not have many things in common, for example my cousin Hala we always got into arguments and fits (I always won), she was so loud and she always caused trouble. Now she never get into arguments and she got along with everyone just fine, she is so quiet and never makes problems. I kind of liked the new Hala but that meant I wsas going to be bored most of the time. We were in the same grade level and it was fun because we helped each other, only when my family moved to America I got held back one year because of my age. Getting to know my cousins more was fun because we started saying jokes about my cousins that were there and about their past like when my cousin accidently put salt in the tea instead of sugar. Joke by joke we knew each other better and got conferrable saying anything in front of each other. Then when my family and I were about to leave to go home my uncle got up and said,” do not leave you must have dinner with us. I actually liked the idea and I wanted to say okay, but there was only one thing that made me say no and that was because I was shy and I hardly knew them.

I went to my house and it was so different then my house in America because it was a three story building with a huge backyard that had a mini small home. We started unpacking our luggage and by the time we finished we were tired. So then my sisters and I just went to sleep without eating since the morning. I slept in and did not realize the time that it was twelve P.M. that would be considered way too late in Syria because they had their lunch at one or two P.M. maximum, were here in America my family eats lunch whenever we all meet. Day by day time past by faster and faster like it was a blink of an eye. Meeting new people and relatives that I had no idea who they were made me sad and even mad at myself because after four years I did not remembering who most of my relatives were.

Coming towards the end of my vacation in Syria I got tired of people asking me the same questions over and over, “Do you remember me?”

I responded, “Sorry no!” Then they start telling me about themselves and who they are. So then I decided to skip all of that and the next time I meet someone new and they ask me the same question I just say ,”Ooh yea of coarse I remember you.”

After my arrival to Syria by one month it was my cousins’ birthday and she did a party and by that time I knew all of my cousins and relatives so I had a blast. Two weeks later it was time for my family and me to come back to our school, cousins, friends, and relatives in America. I never had so much sadness in me saying good bye! Then tears went down like a faucet braking and flowing in all directions. The last day was and is and will always be a bad memory. I was having a blast with my cousins but I still had to say Goodbye!!