My childhood days were the best days of my life. Remembering it still makes me smile and yearn for those days. I spent my childhood in the desert and on the beaches of Kuwait.
As you know, the climate of the desert is harsh. It's very hot in summer and too cold in winter. We had air-conditioners everywhere, even in the kitchen. Sometimes the temperature will rise up to 45 c in summer and fall as low as -3 c in winter. In winter, we put heaters on. If you have lived in Gulf countries you would know.
The days when school was off, my younger brother and I would wake up early in the morning and run outside to watch the rising sun and scenic beach. We lived near the beach and loved the golden sand on the beach, which was as clear as glass, and the sea, which reflected the colors of the sky. We loved collecting shells of different colors and shapes along the beach.
Those were carefree days. We were not worried about the future. We lived in the present and took it all as it was. We felt the message sunlight brought every morning, of hope and happiness in our lives. We would run and play in the sand for hours and make castles on the beach which would be washed away by tides as soon as it was built. Then we would start building a new one.
There was only one tree near our home and we loved it. It was very rare to see flowers growing in the desert. We had plastic ones at home. Mom used to decorate her home with plastic flowers.
All my birthdays were celebrated.
Once, on my birthday, my father gifted me a potted plant. We loved it. It was an indoor plant with a few large leaves coming out of a thick stem. It came with caring instructions which we followed. We had to water it only twice a week.
Our neighbours were Palestinian. Their daughter was my friend. I still remember her name was Amani. We played with her toys. Her mom would cook delicious Palestinian foods which she shared with us and we loved. I still remember rice and minced meat folded in grape leaves and cooked on a slow heat in tomato sauce. We had lots of other friends too, belonging to different ethnicities, but we didn't feel any difference.
There was a small tuck shop in front of our school. It had lots of different chocolates and candies. We used to go to that shop which was laden with all delicacies in beautiful wraps which we loved. We bought something, everyday at our off time.
Every evening we went to a nearby park. We played on swings and slides while our parents sat on a bench in front of us and watched us play.
Behind the park was a big electronics market. My father loved window shopping. We went to the electronics market frequently, and he would love to buy the latest gadgets, which were being invented in the 90s. That was the time when lots of new inventions took place and revolutionized the future world.
We lost it all one day! Iraq captured Kuwait and people had to flee to save themselves. It was a hard journey, lots of casualties happened. There was fire everywhere. Lots of people starved to death, especially small children. We traveled by road for many days and, traveling through 3 countries, we got back to Pakistan. It was the most tragic event in history which we have witnessed.
We lost our childhood days and the toys we played with are left in the sand. Our house and car were taken by them. They took everything. I still wonder what they get from war? Don't they care about the sufferings of the people they are responsible for? How can they be so insensitive? I know there is no answer to these questions, which I still wonder about.
I can keep writing and my memories will never stop. I wish I could visit there someday and see the streets where we spent our merry days. I know it will never be the same, because once lost it never comes back. It's the most precious treasure to me and also a never-ending grief. I can never get back those carefree days and everything we had once.
Life will go on bringing new challenges every day. We have to live in the present and enjoy the life we have which we will crave in the future, because all will be lost in dust one day. Only memories remain.
