Childhood Diaspora
Today was a very exciting day for me. I was browsing facebook as I usually do when I am bored and out of no where I decided to search for this girl I knew in Elementary school in Saudi Arabia. I search for lots of people to see what they are up to in life. So I was in KSA till grade 6. So that was 15 years ago! I am really bad with names, but I remembered this girl for two reasons; we were minority in the class and she is Lebanese, and two, she is blond with blue eyes. Gorgeous girl. So out of curiosity I search for her last name in facebook. To my luck, I found someone that was blond and blue eyed and lived in Lebanon now. I didn’t want to add her to my friend’s list until I was sure. So I asked her a simple question, “Did you live in KSA when you were little? In Ryadh?” She replied after a couple of hours of me asking that and she said yes! I told her the exact school name and she said, “I remember you. You look familiar. You still have those same cheeks.”
That phrase brought me joy and happiness! I couldn’t believe it. Someone from such a long forgotten past remembered me. She didn’t avoid or pretend or forgot me. She said she knew. She remembered. She couldn’t believe it. We were 11! And now 26 and such a world apart! She wanted to talk to me more and added me to msn. Life changed so much, but how can you forget people you knew when you were little? Just simple life. Simple Childhood. I missed it so much. I was taken away from it so quickly without consideration.
After the gulf war many of us foreigners as they called us either went back to our homelands or found somewhere else to go. This is life’s reality. We all took a different path in life.
What brought me more joy that she remembered, she was curious, and wanted to talk more. She wanted to see me again! I was happy for once. I felt that a 15 year time period have vanished from my head. I had a 15 year empty gap in my head. Amnesia of this hard and horrible life. It was all forgotten and I felt I never lived it. I felt I was still a child and we were kids talking again. For a few moments I was happy. More than happy and filled with joy and laughter.
I just wished all day I was a child again. Just innocent and not have to think about anything in life. What made me happier that she is a week younger than me and also a Capricorn. That was double joy to me! Capricorns find each other; even a world apart.
The strange part was, that I wished I still lived in the Arab world. I did miss it, but only for those simple reasons. A simple childhood that I forgot and I remembered again. I wished I was still there, to grow up there and not here in these strange lands. I wish I just didn’t have to leave and just live in my own land. No matter how long I live here and no matter what any of you think of me, I am not a western girl. I am more Arab than anything, but I hide it and don’t want to appear so for a few personal reasons. However, I will never deny who I am. I just want to just go back to these simple joyful days. Just to go back and relive the life I was meant to live.
I wish destiny didn’t play its role and we made our own fate and decided everything in this life. To not let others decide it for us. Not anyone but us. 
Every time I am sad and reminiscing the past, I remember this song from the movie Anastasia. Listen to the words carefully for this song “Once Upon a December”. You will realize then why I chose it and how sad life has been. Just remembering things brings a person inner joy.
Far away, long ago.
Glowing dim as an ember.
Things my heart used to know.
Things that it yearns to remember.
And a song someone sings.
Once upon a December.
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I have a somewhat similar experience.. Except mine was WAY too weird and so out of whack to have such a crazy coincidence and thing happen to me. Long story short, we lived in Abu Dhabi until 1991 when we were also kicked out (after living there for roughly 10 years). We were Iraq foreigners which made it even worst. We had our immigration papers to Canada ready and decided to move to Mississauga. My parents decided to enroll me in the local elementary public school in Mississauga about a month after when we arrived (I think it was Grade 5 or 6.. can’t remember), anyways.. first day of school I noticed a really familiar face of a girl who I knew back when I was in Abu Dhabi. I vaguely remembered she was Lebanese with blonde curly hair. I didn’t say anything for a couple of days as I was still kinda shell shocked from a) moving into a brand new country in such short notice and b) seeing someone familiar who I grew up with thousands of miles away in the same country, city, and public school as me! She had a friend who approached me a couple of days afterwards and asked “did you ever live in Abu Dhabi and go to (name of private school)?” and I said “Yes..” A couple of weeks passed by and school was over for the summer and I never saw her again. I didn’t even know or think to ask her name or approach her either.
So yeah.. That is the most positive and crazy incident/moment I remember related to our move to Canada. Things happened rather quickly for us when we were in Abu Dhabi when we got the notice to get the hell out.. I remember leaving a lot of my personal belongings back in Abu Dhabi to be thrown out/abandoned (like my skateboard! I was the only kid in Abu Dhabi who probably had a skateboard back then!). I still wonder what my best friend(s) think happened to me and what eventually happened to them, as I never got to say goodbye either. I just thought we were going on a REALLY long vacation to Canada and we would eventually come back to Abu Dhabi. Fast forward today (15 years later) and I still miss them and the fun times I had growing up in Abu Dhabi.
I think we Capricorns (born Dec 29, 1981!) have the weirdest and craziest things happen to us. I’ve served as a juror for jury duty before, so now I just have to wait
until I get struck by lighting
-Saad (sorry for the long post!)
wow saad,
your life is so similar to mine.. that was quite interesting to read and I am glad you related to my story. I think there are so many of us who have lived a similar childhood. I am glad you shared.
wow…lucky u two..i wish i would run into one of my childhood friends…few years after we came to canada my mom (of all people) ran into a friend from grade school back in lebanon…that was cool..hey im a capricorn and nothing interesting ever happens to me!:(
Is it me.. or there are far too many Capricorns that view my website!
I’m a cancer.
Hey by the way: What was it like living in KSA?
KSA is a very conservative but beautiful land. I was in the capital and it was gorgeous. Yes there are plenty of rules and disciplines, but life there s different. You feel the close culture and people around you and some how you feel safe and happy. Many people don’t like it because it is so conservative. I didn’t mind it. I just feel safer than being here.