11 years, 7 months, 14 days

It's quite a sad fate of all immigrant Arabs, when they choose a "sister" country. Where you can spend your whole life, get born, live and die and you're still considered a "Foreigner". How demeaning!

I don't mean Kuwait in particular by the way, I mean all the countries that would take your years of suffering and decades of dedication and service and return the favor with a simple: Thank you, you have 14 days to leave the country.

Worse, there are generations who live in these countries who consider themselves a higher class of human beings. They are the elite, the chosen ones, the Mowateneen, the pure blooded locals. They deserve this life, it's their natural born right.

In genetics, when there isn't a lot of diversity in any animal, most scientists will tell you that such a species is on the extinction list. For many reason, countries are very much like that. Ones who continue to grow and flourish are the ones who are open for new blood to join their gene pool. For new elements to voluntarily come and dissolve in their melting pot.

Today, I heard some interesting words about America. How it is a country that is not built on an ethnicity, race, color or religion. It's a country that's built on people sharing the same ideals. Now excuse me, but if that isn't a noble enough cause, I don't know what is.

Part of me still holds my allegiances near and dear to my heart. I'm not letting those down and I will not give them up. Luckily, I don't have to.

As a free person, at least in the eyes of this nation, nothing has changed in me. I might be a little lighter with the weight of the cultural shackles off my back.

For me, this is the end of this journey. The beginning of a new one... How will the future look like? That's anyone's guess. What is certain is that choices we make today, will shape that future.