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| Shabbir, Yesser and I :) |
It was a bit of a mission to convince my parents to let me travel alone to a different place for a whole day but with the help of my relatives assuring them that it was completely safe and them being the awesome parents that they are, they let me go. ‘Excited’ is an understatement of how I felt about going. Since I had arrived in London I was itching to go on the trains and buses on my own to see how I would do. I absolutely love being independent and having an opportunity to test myself in a new city was a pretty big deal. The journey there was a bit frustrating because I kept getting told that there would be just one train that would take me straight there but I kept having to switch anyway. Eventually though, I found myself in Canterbury West, Kent. I knew we’d have an awesome time but when you’ve never meet someone in person, you just get really curious as to how it’ll be. Obviously though, it was better than I expected. Him being the person he is, I felt completely at ease and soon I had forgotten that it was our first time meeting in person. It felt like we’d hung out a million times before. Some of his friends joined us and we all hung out for a bit, eating and shopping and I have to say, I’m definitely impressed with the group of people he has surrounded himself with. All of them are such fantastic people and were so incredibly nice and welcoming that I felt right at home.
I had quite an experience at one point though, Shabbir being such a bad influence in all. You see, I've been doing shisha/hookah for about a year and a half now, not a lot but just once in a while but I've never in all that time ever had a head rush or felt dizzy or had any effect whatsoever other than coughing a little bit if I've had too much. But this time...oh this was different. Not only did I get so dizzy that I couldn't walk to the kitchen right, my legs felt weird, my stomach hurt and I just felt like I got hit by a bus or something. The fact that he himself made it got me thinking he might've put something in it you know! Haha nah just playing but the shisha here definitely is a lot stronger than what I’ve had back in the states. And since we can't drink and all, strong shisha is as bad as we can get! Oh and not only did I get introduced to 'special shisha' (which makes it sound a lot worse than it was), I also learned how to cover the fire alarm in the house so the smoke doesn't set it off! Good lessons I'm learning here ;)
Anyway, the shisha effects combined with the super long day got me to stay the night in Kent with some of Shabbir's school friends (all girls, don't worry!). I’m so glad I did stay because it ended up being the highlight of my trip there. Before I went to the girls' house to sleep, Shabbir, his friend Yesser (yes sir!) and I spent hours just chilling and talking about god knows what. From Islamic discussions to politics to British slang to making fun of the American aka me! Oh and special shout out to Yesser: you my new friend, are absolutely awesome to talk to. I rarely get so comfortable with someone I’ve just met but I have to say, you have that gift. I’m really going to miss hanging out with you and I truly do hope we keep in touch! Oh, and I’m only saying such nice things cos I feel like I insulted you a little too much there and I know how sensitive you are and all, so I thought this would make you feel better ;)
Before I left to go back to London the next afternoon, Shabbir took me to the cathedral in Canterbury which is basically the head of the church of England. All the arch bishops were buried there and it’s just so breathtakingly beautiful with the stained glass and stone walls. With one last walk through the main street of Kent, I was back at the train station saying bye to this amazing friend that is so incredibly lucky to have known me! Haha nah I’m joking. Well…kind of :P Seriously though, I thought it was awesome just knowing him but being able to hang out was such a great experience and I really hope we get to do it again soon - don’t forget Kilimanjaro Shabbir!
Anyway, the shisha effects combined with the super long day got me to stay the night in Kent with some of Shabbir's school friends (all girls, don't worry!). I’m so glad I did stay because it ended up being the highlight of my trip there. Before I went to the girls' house to sleep, Shabbir, his friend Yesser (yes sir!) and I spent hours just chilling and talking about god knows what. From Islamic discussions to politics to British slang to making fun of the American aka me! Oh and special shout out to Yesser: you my new friend, are absolutely awesome to talk to. I rarely get so comfortable with someone I’ve just met but I have to say, you have that gift. I’m really going to miss hanging out with you and I truly do hope we keep in touch! Oh, and I’m only saying such nice things cos I feel like I insulted you a little too much there and I know how sensitive you are and all, so I thought this would make you feel better ;)
Before I left to go back to London the next afternoon, Shabbir took me to the cathedral in Canterbury which is basically the head of the church of England. All the arch bishops were buried there and it’s just so breathtakingly beautiful with the stained glass and stone walls. With one last walk through the main street of Kent, I was back at the train station saying bye to this amazing friend that is so incredibly lucky to have known me! Haha nah I’m joking. Well…kind of :P Seriously though, I thought it was awesome just knowing him but being able to hang out was such a great experience and I really hope we get to do it again soon - don’t forget Kilimanjaro Shabbir!
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