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An American First!

Razan Cook Small

By Razan Alaqil, YES 2014-2015, Saudi Arabia, hosted by FLAG in Marion, NC

The person who almost left the States seven months ago because of dogs, was actually volunteering today as a waitress to save them. Major changes in our lives have small details that shape the different paths that we decide to take and experience in our normal days. We never know how a massive fear would turn into a source of joy once we undergo it with courage and faith. Terror of dogs was the biggest and first problem that faced me in the US, but today proved that my fear was a lesson consisting of several different chapters. Each chapter had a story that taught me something different, and each time I would appreciate the fact that it took me seventeen years to pet a dog. 

After a suggestion from my friend who's a member of our school's Friends For Animals club, we decided to volunteer together at 7:30 a.m. on a Saturday to help the animals. I was personally surprised with my ability to wake up that early and serve people at a restaurant for the first time in my life! That was definitely a true American experience, and I learned so much. People in the morning are either cheerful or very grumpy. They eat their food slowly and enjoy their morning. That morning seemed like a movie scene for me. I was taking orders, going to the kitchen, and returning to the tables with food. The time flew by very fast, but the fun that I personally had was unreal, because the whole idea of volunteering that Saturday was a last minute decision.

After we finished volunteering, we went to the Hunger Games' District 12 set. I felt like I was in a movie while I was serving people breakfast at a true American restaurant. Yet when we arrived to the set and saw Peeta's bakery, I was convinced that I really was in a movie. With all of its ups and downs, it is like the movie of my life. Its scenes are very realistic, and it's actors are very natural.

I had the feeling that no life can ever be measured with a set value, because as we walked through the houses where Katniss Everdeen survived and became a hero by believing in herself and her abilities, I realized how each exchange student will have a great story to tell at the end of June. My International friends are the stars of my movie. We are creating strong bridges of friendships between our countries just by laughing, eating, and living each day together. 

History isn't always right when it states that great people are dead. Our present forgets that greatness is found everywhere, between laughter and crying, smiles and tears, hugs and love, old and young. That Saturday is an exceptional day because I discovered that my ability to give doesn't only involve people, and I'm proud to tell my mom and dad that their middle child volunteered to help animals today. I went to the Hunger Games set and lived every moment for my sisters because I remember every time we watched the movies together.

I cooked crepes and flipped them in a pan with a French girl who turned out to be a great chef, then showed off my cooking skills in front of two nations: Russia and Kyrgyzstan.  

I came back home, to a place that I really call "home," to three dogs, a cat, and a great family. In my biology class, I've been studying about how cells adapt in new environments, and I realized at the end of the chapter that my adaptation to Marion, NC was smooth with a lot of new experiences involved. This year is my movie, and I'll just go ahead and play every part of it. The joy of the known once it was exposed to me added a great feeling to my heart.  Dream big, speak up, and travel.


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