It was a cool, breezy October afternoon, just a mere week away from Halloween. Ahlam, a young ten-year-old girl, hopped off her school bus and cheerfully bounded down the street toward her house. As Ahlam skipped down the street, she could see the familiar iron gates stretching along the side of the house as if protecting it. She opened the gate and let herself into a place that truly made her happy: home. Although the house was huge, there was a coziness about it that she couldn't describe. Ahlam was okay with that though, she liked having the feeling to herself.
Ahlam entered the big, stone house and climbed up the grand staircase to the living room. The whole house was designed to look as if you were in a Moroccan home. There were embroidered rugs in all of the rooms and colorful tiles on the walls. Ahlam made her way towards her mother sitting at the big glass table working on another project of hers. “Booooo!” Ahlam was so startled that she could’ve sworn her heart flew up to her throat. Behind her, Hope, her fifteen-year-old sister, was on the ground laughing. Her face was tomato red and she was gasping for breath.
“You always fall for it,” said Hope, the laughter receding from her face.
“ Yeah, well, you really should come up with something different, or is that the only thing your little brain can come up with,” Ahlam taunted.
“You sure do have a big mouth for such a small child, ” Hope countered.
“Enough,” their mother said gently before Ahlam could reply.
The girls’ mother, Nadia, was a photographer and an artist that cared deeply about her daughters. She was seated at the table with only a blank piece of paper and a pencil, but soon she would be in her studio with her canvas and paint, making another masterpiece. Nadia looked royal sitting in a regal position with her legs crossed and her hands folded on her lap. Their mother fit the role of a princess perfectly, she had high cheekbones and long, wavy brown hair to go with it. Her eyes were a soft hazel color with an array of freckles sprayed across her face.
“You really should stop arguing and teasing so often,” their mother said, but she knew that they wouldn’t change their attitudes toward each other. They were siblings after all.
Hope snickered. She would never stop teasing her sister, it was too much fun.
“Ahlam,” their mother continued, “before I forget, a letter came in the mail for you. It is from your friend Alexis,” Nadia handed the letter to her daughter. She then grabbed her paper and pencil and went upstairs to her studio.
“Don’t forget to do your homework,” called their mother and disappeared around the corner.
Ahlam sprinted up the stairs, her letter in hand. Once she got into her room, she closed the door, threw her bag down, and scrambled onto her bed. This was the first time she had ever received a letter (besides the ones you get from the hospital when it’s your your birthday) and she was super excited. What could it possibly say? Ahlam carefully opened the envelope and pulled out the letter. It had a spooky design, black with cobwebs along the edges and a pumpkin in the middle. Inside it said that she was invited to a Halloween party next weekend. Ahlam never went trick-or-treating and never dressed up for Halloween because she didn’t celebrate it, but surely she would be allowed to dress up this year because of the invite.
“ I’ll tell them during supper,” thought Ahlam.
By the time her dad came home from work, Ahlam had finished her homework and was setting the table with Hope, while their mom was finishing up in the kitchen. After everything was ready, everyone sat at the table and began to eat. Today Nadia had prepared couscous and tea, biscuits, and a special moroccan desert called mille feuille for afterwards.
“How was work?” Nadia asked her husband, Ryan.
“It went well.” Ryan was a Professor at the Penn State Main Campus; he taught French there.
“Hey, Mom, Dad can I go to Alexis’s Halloween Party? She sent me a letter inviting me,” asked Ahlam.
“No, you may not Ahlam, remember we do not celebrate Halloween,” replied Nadia.
“But everyone else does, why can’t we? My friends get to wear costumes of characters from different movies. I want to do that too. I don’t want to be left out,” replied Ahlam.
“It’s not a part of our culture, honey. There are certain things we do and don’t do because we are Muslim,” said Ryan.
“What is a culture?” asked Ahlam.
“ Culture is your religion, where you live, where you come from, it’s what you eat, and what you wear. Your culture is what makes you, you. You are Muslim, so you don’t celebrate Halloween, and you have to understand that. Your culture is your personality and identity, sweetie, and you don’t have to change your culture because someone else doesn’t have the same one.”
“ I understand now. I am proud to have my culture. I am proud to be Ahlam Tarik.”
Ahlam entered the big, stone house and climbed up the grand staircase to the living room. The whole house was designed to look as if you were in a Moroccan home. There were embroidered rugs in all of the rooms and colorful tiles on the walls. Ahlam made her way towards her mother sitting at the big glass table working on another project of hers. “Booooo!” Ahlam was so startled that she could’ve sworn her heart flew up to her throat. Behind her, Hope, her fifteen-year-old sister, was on the ground laughing. Her face was tomato red and she was gasping for breath.
“You always fall for it,” said Hope, the laughter receding from her face.
“ Yeah, well, you really should come up with something different, or is that the only thing your little brain can come up with,” Ahlam taunted.
“You sure do have a big mouth for such a small child, ” Hope countered.
“Enough,” their mother said gently before Ahlam could reply.
The girls’ mother, Nadia, was a photographer and an artist that cared deeply about her daughters. She was seated at the table with only a blank piece of paper and a pencil, but soon she would be in her studio with her canvas and paint, making another masterpiece. Nadia looked royal sitting in a regal position with her legs crossed and her hands folded on her lap. Their mother fit the role of a princess perfectly, she had high cheekbones and long, wavy brown hair to go with it. Her eyes were a soft hazel color with an array of freckles sprayed across her face.
“You really should stop arguing and teasing so often,” their mother said, but she knew that they wouldn’t change their attitudes toward each other. They were siblings after all.
Hope snickered. She would never stop teasing her sister, it was too much fun.
“Ahlam,” their mother continued, “before I forget, a letter came in the mail for you. It is from your friend Alexis,” Nadia handed the letter to her daughter. She then grabbed her paper and pencil and went upstairs to her studio.
“Don’t forget to do your homework,” called their mother and disappeared around the corner.
Ahlam sprinted up the stairs, her letter in hand. Once she got into her room, she closed the door, threw her bag down, and scrambled onto her bed. This was the first time she had ever received a letter (besides the ones you get from the hospital when it’s your your birthday) and she was super excited. What could it possibly say? Ahlam carefully opened the envelope and pulled out the letter. It had a spooky design, black with cobwebs along the edges and a pumpkin in the middle. Inside it said that she was invited to a Halloween party next weekend. Ahlam never went trick-or-treating and never dressed up for Halloween because she didn’t celebrate it, but surely she would be allowed to dress up this year because of the invite.
“ I’ll tell them during supper,” thought Ahlam.
By the time her dad came home from work, Ahlam had finished her homework and was setting the table with Hope, while their mom was finishing up in the kitchen. After everything was ready, everyone sat at the table and began to eat. Today Nadia had prepared couscous and tea, biscuits, and a special moroccan desert called mille feuille for afterwards.
“How was work?” Nadia asked her husband, Ryan.
“It went well.” Ryan was a Professor at the Penn State Main Campus; he taught French there.
“Hey, Mom, Dad can I go to Alexis’s Halloween Party? She sent me a letter inviting me,” asked Ahlam.
“No, you may not Ahlam, remember we do not celebrate Halloween,” replied Nadia.
“But everyone else does, why can’t we? My friends get to wear costumes of characters from different movies. I want to do that too. I don’t want to be left out,” replied Ahlam.
“It’s not a part of our culture, honey. There are certain things we do and don’t do because we are Muslim,” said Ryan.
“What is a culture?” asked Ahlam.
“ Culture is your religion, where you live, where you come from, it’s what you eat, and what you wear. Your culture is what makes you, you. You are Muslim, so you don’t celebrate Halloween, and you have to understand that. Your culture is your personality and identity, sweetie, and you don’t have to change your culture because someone else doesn’t have the same one.”
“ I understand now. I am proud to have my culture. I am proud to be Ahlam Tarik.”