A Winter Day From My childhood

Life moves so fast that we hardly get time to look back at our lives of a few years ago.Today i feel like missing my childhood winters to see the winter we are having here.Those were some nice days :peaceful ,lovely and memorable.I have spent my childhood in a small valley Chitral of Pakistan.It is a cold place , and in winters the white sky falls on it.we used to get 1-2 feet of snow.My day would start watching TV with my family because we could not get out of the house due to that much snow.I would be lying under the heat table ,(a traditional way we use to heat ourselves) and may be teasing my younger brother Hasnain .My younger brother never liked to wake up early neither me .I would wait till my mom or Dad call "Erum " get up !Enough of sleep now." I would behave as if i woke up just now and would stretch my self out.I hated taking bath in that cold so i would just take the hot water and throw water in my face to get fresh.
My Mom was regular in morning prayers but she never forced us to go with her because no one would want to kill their child in that cold .Our praying place (Jamat Khana) would be quite far from my house but inspite of that my mom was regular but i never dared to go out in that cold for prayers .
After my mom would return from prayers she would serve us breakfast .Our usual breakfast would be tea,chappati (kind of traditional bread) ,egg,or other traditional stuff.After breakfast i would love to spent my time sitting in the rooms under the heat table.I had to read or at least pretend to be reading some books because my Dad would read some books sitting in the same room.Hasnain had the skill to escape from that room but I ,the poor young girl, was supposed to be in the room so that dad doesn't feel that we were not interested in studies .
I also had my good times when it would be time for my dad to take a nap.As soon as dad would start snoring ,it was time for me to get out of the room .My dad would not allow me because he did not want me to get sick in that cold. But i didn't care i just wanted to get out of the room and have fun with snow .Me and my some friends and Hasnain would love cleaning the pathways and hitting each other with snow balls.
I still remember going to a steep place near my house to get the joy of slide and laughing and hitting each other with snow.
I would then get all wet clothed back home, some time got scolded but i never cared after all i had a fun day .And then i would rush towards the kitchen to make myself dry .what i would do is tell my mom but she would just laugh and hug me and help me to get dry .I didn't tell my dad as he would start saying that you are definitely going to get sick now .So before my dad sees me drying process would be going on .
So the short day of winter would would get dark after having all that fun .Then i would go to prayers to (Jamat khana) .But coming back from prayers i don't know why but i would fall and slip the most.I could see Hasnain giggling back there and i would hardly control my anger.After reaching home the dinner would be served .I loved rice and i still do now .The day we had rice for dinner every one would say "Its Eid (A famous festival of happiness  ) for Erum We would always have a delicious dinner because my mom was really a good cook and still i enjoy her cooked foods.After having dinner we would watch some tv shows or have family discussions over various topics .I would always love to hear them and very carefully .
Those were the old good days! I look back ,take a deep breath and wish i could just rewind it all ,but Alas!Past is passed.It is my first winter which i am spending without my family.I do miss the winters and fun over there .Oh how i miss my childhood winters.It is truly said that in childhood every one is a king.
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Experience as an Exchange student in the United States

 MY EXCHANGE EXPERIENCE IN UNITED STATES
My name is Erum Shah. I am an exchange student from Pakistan for this year .I came here through a scholarship called the Kennedy Lugar Youth Exchange Study Progrmae ( KL-YES). This scholarship is sponsored by department of state and is for teenagers between 15 to 17 years in the countries such as middle east and Asia.
Through this scholarship i am being able to live here for one whole year ,attend a high school and live with a loving host family .
It has been almost 5 months since i came here and my experience has been great .I learnt a lot within this period .I have got a loving host family .And experiencing the differences between my country and united states .Though these differences are great and i have learnt so many new things .
I would like to share some differences between my country and here :
First of all in Pakistan i used to live in the northern region which is a land of high mountains and cold weather .But here in Annapolis (USA) its totally different ,there are no high mountains nor that cold but i like it here as well .In my country our national language is Urdu and here it is English quite a big difference.
Lets come to some small differences, in my country the driving seat is on the right side but here it is left side .When i first came here  i used to go always to the right sideof the car  then i would realize no that is driving seat . :D..My host mom would ask me" Are you gonna drive"? And i am like hahah no sorry .
And in my country all the light switches are being on when you switch down but here its the opposite.
I think the biggest difference is schools here and back in my country .In my country schools system is totally different ,we don't need to change classes for different subjects instead teachers changes the classes .We sit all the day with the same kids in the class and have class intervals of only 40 minutes but here every thing is so opposite .
We have proper school uniforms and i don't it here which is a good thing and i like it .
I think being an exchange student is the most fun and nice experience in the life of a teenager .Being an exchange student one is able to see the similarities and differences between two countries their culture and a lot more .And this is the best year of my life .
This was my first blog ever hope you liked  it and i will try to improve it more .

Thanks
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