MERRY XMAS! HO HO HO

SILENT NIGHT, HOLY NIGHT
ALL IS CALM, ALL IS BRIGHT

Today was christmas day. Since, my family doesn't celebrate christmas I was left to find my own ingenious ways to celebrate the festive season. What did I do? I decided to get down to something that I find very frustrating and difficult to do and try to avoid doing: researching colleges and applying! I surfed a few sites but gave up in despondency and confusion. It seems that I've done everything in a way that makes the application process even more difficult than it is. International student, private student, wasted years and many more things. Where do I go for the forms that need to be filled by teachers? How do I account for missing years? And then there is the matter of financial aid and visa status. On top of that, I don't meet some requirements for admission and then the deadlines are already here. It's all enough to drive me crazy. I threw myself on my bed in despair as it seems that I'm too incapable to handle the process alone and I have no idea how to sort through this maze.


In the evening I went to an american family's home. There house was decked with festive decorations both inside and outside. Their whole family was there and christmas carols could be heard in the background. There were so many savoury baked goodies to tantalise my jaded tastebuds. The whole atmosphere was of light-hearted merriment. I really felt the festive atmosphere. I chatted with the family.

The one thing I don't like about being here is that it always seems as if people consider me really different just because I'm from Pakistan. People keep on saying things that shows that sense of being considered an outsider even when I don't feel like one. Like, "You speak english very well." "Do you know who Britney Spears is?" "It must be really hard for you to understand our cultural references." These type of utterances show that they think that I'm from a whole different world (and demonstrate their ignorance) when I'm still reeling from the shock that I don't feel much of a difference between Pakistan and USA materially or culturally. Yes, there are differences (lots of them) but not to such a degree that I would feel lost in this culture.

Deck the halls with boughs of holly
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Tis the season to be jolly,
Fa la la la la, la la la la.