An Adventure to NYC
Plus, Afghanistan Beats Australia in Cricket!
A couple of days ago, we went to New York. We went by car, so the ride was about 4 or 5 hours long. Since we could get hungry, my Mom packed some fruit for us to eat, and we also had some snacks so we didn’t have to stop for food or drinks. He talks to us, sometimes, about serious stuff. And he makes us laugh. When we arrived, we went to my uncle’s house, where my cousins showed us the new PlayStation (PS) PS5 they got! Even after seeing the PS5, which is my favorite and I am good at it, I was thinking about something else: the cricket match between Afghanistan and Australia.
We all sat in my uncle’s living room and watched the game together. We were overjoyed when Afghanistan beat Australia for the first time in our cricket team’s history! It felt like a huge victory, not just for the cricket team but for all Afghans. We celebrated, feeling proud and connected to our homeland despite being so far away.
My uncle walked in the next day and told us to put something on because we were going to a beach. For some reason, all of us kids wanted to stay home and perhaps play PS5, but our parents said we had to go with them. When we got to the beach, this lady sitting on a chair yelled at us, “You can’t just walk on the beach! You must buy a bracelet!” My Dad was on the phone, talking to someone so he couldn't see her.
“She had an attitude!” I exclaimed.
My Dad was like, “Yeah” she did!”
I felt that if we were not brown and didn’t like refugees, she might have acted differently because she did act differently with white people!
We vacated the beach, got our bracelets, and came back. We couldn't go too far because my Dad said, “The “way the water comes at you is the exact way it will take you in if you are too deep.” In other words, “You can’t swim the way you can't want! But we understood he was concerned about our safety, and we respected it.
We swam in the freezing cold!
After the beach, we went back home, where I showed my magic in playing PS5 to my oldest brother, Taha, who thinks he is a champion in soccer. I played FIFA against him, and I beat him by 2 points! Then, my Dad told us we had to explore the city of New York.
While walking in Times Square, we saw these two ladies who were naked in public! I closed my eyes as fast as I could! I told my Dad, “Don’t those women feel ashamed of themselves?”
“It is their choice, and everyone must choose when wearing clothes. It's like eating: Eat what you like and don’t eat what you don't like. You eat a little sometimes and a lot sometimes. You wear what you want and wear less or more sometimes. Never judge people based on their clothing, race, religion, color, language, etc.” said my Dad.
Another adventurous moment was seeing a rocket launch to the moon on one of the big screens. I enthusiastically showed it to everyone, saying, “I will be in one “of them one day!” After that, our “last adventure was eating ice cream at a New York City McDonald’s!
My trip to NYC was filled with memorable moments and important lessons. One of the best parts was watching Afghanistan win against Australia in cricket for the first time. We were so happy and proud! It made me feel close to my homeland.
However, the trip also had some challenging parts. At the beach, a rude lady said we couldn't go in without bracelets. I felt like she treated us badly because we were brown and looked like refugees. It made me feel sad and angry to see such apparent racism.
I also learned about respecting personal choices. When I saw naked women in public, I asked my Dad why they weren't ashamed. He said everyone has the right to choose how they dress, just like we decide what we like to eat. He told me not to judge people by their clothing, race, religion, color, or language. This made me think a lot about being kind and respectful to everyone.
Finally, I saw a rocket launch to the moon on a big screen in New York. It was amazing! I told everyone that one day, I would be in one of those rockets. It made me feel excited and sure about my dream of becoming the first Afghan American astronaut.
 | A guest post by
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I went to New York when I was 11. It was so exciting for me! I also saw several women wearing things that shocked me, and this was a long time ago. I had trouble being in a big city because I grew up in very different desert town, with a lot of wide open skies. I was a little frightened by what I saw- but my dad was with me, so it was OK.
I am glad you had fun, and learned some important things. You are smarter now than I was when I was your age!
New York City is amazing. Also, a little weird. I certainly thought so when I was 10. Still do.