Aren't we all the same

by Suleiman Afzal (Pakistan)

I didn't expect to find Pakistan

I was 12 when I last saw Fukuoka tower from my airplane window while leaving the city. I had a feeling back then that I will be back and here I was. I can proudly hold accountable an exchange program in Japan, which goes by the name of Asian Pacific Children's Convention, for being the basis of whatever I have achieved as of yet. But that's another story to tell, so let's get back to it. I remember only bits and pieces of my trip back when I was a junior Ambassador in 2012. A few kids from different countries running around and doing dumb things.It was all blurry. However, In 2019 I had the honor to, once again, represent my country in the convention as a Peace Ambassador. I was exhilarated to be there, meet people from all works of life and go to a place which I adore. That being said, I was a little scared. I had lived all my life in an Islamic state which was famous for nothing but guns and bombs. Even if we ignore that how was I going to befriend people who differ from me in color, traditions, culture, language, religion. But we are in the 21st century and people don't care about that right? If only our hearts could reason. I reached Japan on the evening of 14th July. I started chatting with the American Peace Ambassador, who I met at the airport, on our ride from the airport to the camp and to my surprise we had the same taste in music. We reached the camp around 11 had some snacks and went into the bath, the clock struck 12 and I turned 18 while sitting in a hot pool with 3 other naked dudes, Communal bathing, maybe the only thing I don't love about the Japanese culture. We went to bed, the next morning we had to wake up early for breakfast. After having breakfast we went for a stretch where I met other Peace Ambassadors we had a chat but back to some activities. The fear of alienation was still there. We didn't really have a meaningful conversation until the next night, we were all having fun a little earlier danced and do stuff that tanagers do and so we were sitting in a hut around 1 a.m when I said something which I, myself was relieved to hear: "this all seems so .......... familiar". Then I summoned up my courage to tell them what I had been thinking before the event and I was surprised when most of them responded by saying that they felt the same. Now I had heard the saying that we all are the children of the same god but at that moment I realized how true these words were. That trip and that company felt like home and I never could've imagined that I would feel that way. The days went by and finally 27th July, the day we were all departing, came. I would be unable to describe what I felt at that point due to the lack of words but the thought that how some people get so close to you in such a few days left me in Aw. Well, then we came back and went on with our lives but to this day whenever we talk it feels like I'm chatting with my next-door neighbor because that trip made me believe that if it wasn't for the man-made borders we'd all be the same.