Funny that my first entry is a goodbye? Yea, I think so too. But anyways...
Originally, this entry was written out on notebook paper on September 7th, 2009 at 3:42am. I had just gotten back from a good friend's house. His name is Haben. Before he came to Cedar Rapids to go to school, he lived in England but he's originally from Ethiopia. Most of the friends that frequent Haben's house are the same sort of people. Foreign kids going to college in America. There is Ibraham, Haben's roommate. A quiet, respectful young man. There is Mandela, a crazy fun goofball. There's Shedrak, who thinks he's a G, wearing a flat bill baseball hat and "kicks" all the time, he's a cool cat. Then we have Suhaib and Muris, two guys from around here. Muris went to Kennedy, and Suhaib went to Wash. They're pretty cool guys. Then Jenny, from Sweden. She's gorgeous, and her personality makes her absolutely beautiful. Next is Adam and Ashley, an adorable brother-sister duo. Finally, there is Youmna, Adam and Ashley's cousin from Senegal, Africa.
Youmna, 15, visited for the summer. When she first arrived, she barely spoke English. Her native language was French, and since Adam was the only one of us who was fluent, he did all the translating for the first week or so. Youmna caught on quickly though, and before long she was cracking sarcastic jokes at us, in English! She was adorable, and we all accepted her right away. The whole summer was our group, hanging out at Haben and Ibraham's and going to the beach. We were family, and that apartment at Kirkwood was our home. I've never met a more accepting group of people. If you were friends with one of us, you were friends with us all. I truly believe this summer was the most memorable of all my summers, and i owe it all to that amazing group of people.
That night, our last night really together with Youmna, we got her over there, just for one last time. When everyone was finally there, and the cake was all decorated, we sat Youmna down on the couch. Inevitably, the slow clap began. Then out came the cake, with everyone cheering. We set it down on the table in front of her, and her eyes filled with tears. She hid her face in her hands, and in the small living room packed with all her friends, she cried. The tears rolled down her cheeks, and you could see in her eyes that it was a sad cry, because she was leaving, but still a happy cry because she knows how much we love her and will miss her. Then out came the card, filled with many I love you's, and all the funny things she said, along with promised trips to Africa, one of which was from me of course. And as she cried, i had to bite my lip and turn away, fighting the tears welling up in my own eyes.
For a few more hours, we did the usual. We played music and sang along, took pictures, and laughed until our stomachs hurt. We had some cake and made our last memories of this unforgettable summer. All too soon, it came time to go. There were hugs all around, and i hid in the corner, making sure I was last. Finally, she came to me. I choked on my "I'm going to miss you" as the tears began to fall. I held my friend for what may be the very last time, although i hope not, and together we cried.
I remember laying on the beach. I asked Youmna, "When do you have to go back?" and she said, "In September." I remember thinking, "oh, that's a million years away." And now look, its today. I said the whole time at the going away party, "I'm coming to Africa. No really, I am. I'm coming to visit you, I'm serious." Maybe some day I will. I sure hope so, because I'd like to think of this as a "see you lat
er", because no one likes goodbyes.
Originally, this entry was written out on notebook paper on September 7th, 2009 at 3:42am. I had just gotten back from a good friend's house. His name is Haben. Before he came to Cedar Rapids to go to school, he lived in England but he's originally from Ethiopia. Most of the friends that frequent Haben's house are the same sort of people. Foreign kids going to college in America. There is Ibraham, Haben's roommate. A quiet, respectful young man. There is Mandela, a crazy fun goofball. There's Shedrak, who thinks he's a G, wearing a flat bill baseball hat and "kicks" all the time, he's a cool cat. Then we have Suhaib and Muris, two guys from around here. Muris went to Kennedy, and Suhaib went to Wash. They're pretty cool guys. Then Jenny, from Sweden. She's gorgeous, and her personality makes her absolutely beautiful. Next is Adam and Ashley, an adorable brother-sister duo. Finally, there is Youmna, Adam and Ashley's cousin from Senegal, Africa.
Youmna, 15, visited for the summer. When she first arrived, she barely spoke English. Her native language was French, and since Adam was the only one of us who was fluent, he did all the translating for the first week or so. Youmna caught on quickly though, and before long she was cracking sarcastic jokes at us, in English! She was adorable, and we all accepted her right away. The whole summer was our group, hanging out at Haben and Ibraham's and going to the beach. We were family, and that apartment at Kirkwood was our home. I've never met a more accepting group of people. If you were friends with one of us, you were friends with us all. I truly believe this summer was the most memorable of all my summers, and i owe it all to that amazing group of people.
That night, our last night really together with Youmna, we got her over there, just for one last time. When everyone was finally there, and the cake was all decorated, we sat Youmna down on the couch. Inevitably, the slow clap began. Then out came the cake, with everyone cheering. We set it down on the table in front of her, and her eyes filled with tears. She hid her face in her hands, and in the small living room packed with all her friends, she cried. The tears rolled down her cheeks, and you could see in her eyes that it was a sad cry, because she was leaving, but still a happy cry because she knows how much we love her and will miss her. Then out came the card, filled with many I love you's, and all the funny things she said, along with promised trips to Africa, one of which was from me of course. And as she cried, i had to bite my lip and turn away, fighting the tears welling up in my own eyes.
For a few more hours, we did the usual. We played music and sang along, took pictures, and laughed until our stomachs hurt. We had some cake and made our last memories of this unforgettable summer. All too soon, it came time to go. There were hugs all around, and i hid in the corner, making sure I was last. Finally, she came to me. I choked on my "I'm going to miss you" as the tears began to fall. I held my friend for what may be the very last time, although i hope not, and together we cried.
I remember laying on the beach. I asked Youmna, "When do you have to go back?" and she said, "In September." I remember thinking, "oh, that's a million years away." And now look, its today. I said the whole time at the going away party, "I'm coming to Africa. No really, I am. I'm coming to visit you, I'm serious." Maybe some day I will. I sure hope so, because I'd like to think of this as a "see you lat
er", because no one likes goodbyes.
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