Salman Al-Mutawa


 

Salman Al-Mutawa

Don't do it. During my second year studying in the US, I decided to experience the holidays in America for the first time. I wouldn't return to Kuwait to spend time with my family. Instead, I would stay here and experience the culture during Christmastime and New Year's.

I had forgotten two things, or maybe I was misguided by the media. The first was that Americans and Europeans spend the holidays with their families, and seeing as I do not have any family in America, I would not be having the holiday "experience". Instead, I spent that time eating Chinese food, because those restaurants were the only ones that were open.

The second thing I forgot was how beautiful Kuwait is during the winter - the cool weather and camping culture was something that I did not appreciate until I missed it.

Watching my family and friends enjoy their breaks in the desert with their loved ones only made my stay in the United States more mundane. And guess what? Most of my friends in the US at the time were Khaleejis, so who did I spend time with? No one. Why? Because they were all in Kuwait enjoying campfires.

Another factor that I did not take into consideration was the change of environment returning to your family provides you. During a study break, your mind and body rest from the stress of being in an institution. However, I have found that remaining close to the environment that you are taking the break from makes it more difficult to completely cut that part out of your subconscious, even for a little while.

As a result, most students who do not travel during the break do not get to hit that "refresh" button. In some cases, and this has happened to me, the following semester felt twice as exhausting as a normal semester, because I did not have that sense of complete disconnect from my surroundings.

So, if you are still on the edge about returning home for the New Year's break and need to decide, let me do it for you. Book your ticket now. Shoo. Enjoy your family and loved ones - your apartment isn't going to go anywhere. It'll be waiting for you exactly the way you left it come January 2018.

By Salman Al Mutawa

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