Dubai

In the United Arab Emirates, a town on the coast known for its amazing and outlandish architecture. This was not what Dubai was to me though. We were sent to Dubai while I lived in Kuwait for the fear of invasion from Iraq. This was a more than a 3rd grader could take in. Even worse, my father could not join us in evacuating because he had to stay and work. Not even a year after we moved to the Middle East we were faced with this adversity. Luckily Dubai was as beautiful and amazing as you see on television and the internet. The buildings, the ocean and mass amount of stores was overwhelming (which was great to take our mind off real life). About a week later we were allowed TO RETURN home, nothing had happened and everyone was safe but it was a very scary and real week. This was truly the moment I realized were not in Texas anymore

Kuwait

A little country in the Middle East that is known for one thing, oil. Kuwait is where I called "home" for three years of my life. I moved to Kuwait when I was in the 3rd grade and lived there through the 5th grade. During my time, there is one night that stands out the most. It had been planned that we would be going into the desert to camp and cookout. Little did i know cooking out involved going to the market and buying live chickens and watching their heads get cut off. This was only the beginning of a very different day. After that we went deep into the desert and set up tents in the blazing sun, we cooked and had a great day with friends. The night came along which i thought would be as hot as the day. I was wrong. With no blanket for myself I froze all night. It was a day and a night filled with new experiences and a lot of culture shock, but it was a lot of fun and a learning experience.

Idalou, TX

The place that I was born into this world, therefore the first place I have ever been. A tiny town located in the Texas panhandle, surrounded by nothing but cotton fields and football stadiums (it really is exactly what you think it is). With a population of 2,000 people and only a single stoplight, it is a town worth seeing. Or at least I think so. A town where most of my family still lives to this day in the houses that I grew up in, making memories playing in an old tire full of sand and fishing with my grandfather. This is the place that I hope to end up one day like the rest of my family. This is the most important place that I have been, this is home.