The cherished memories of my life in the USA are imbued with a profound sense of nostalgia, evoking a flood of emotions that transport me back to a different era—a time so vivid and heartfelt that it brings tears of joy to my eyes.

I recall the sweetness of our first group Iftar at the newly established Islamic Society of Colorado Springs, or the peculiar yet endearing moment when the car behind me gently kissed my bumper on a black-iced road, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. I remember the elderly man who, without hesitation, stepped out of his car to help push mine when I ran out of gas, and the mechanic who fixed my friend's car in under five minutes, refusing payment and quipping, "Get out of here!" with a grin. And who could forget the soccer match against the Air Force team, where one player threatened, "I can't wait to blow a missile in your ass!"? Truly, those were the golden days.

But the pinnacle of nostalgia lies in the déjà vu of December 31st, New Year's Eve, when the entire city transformed into a ghost town. Shops closed early, even the shelves of 7-Eleven stood barren, reminiscent of a Wild West store. Meanwhile, our fridges mirrored this emptiness, gleaming and void of sustenance—not even a loaf of bread remained. Necessity bred creativity, and so we devised a plan.

"Taiseer, our Saudi friend, is out of town, and I believe there's a chicken in his freezer," our director of intelligence announced.

Thus, the cabinet of hungry men convened an emergency meeting, strategized a mission impossible, and assigned it to our Ninja Camels. Their task: to liberate an American chicken from our friend's freezer.

The Ninja Camels returned in record time, mission accomplished, clutching a frozen chicken.

"We didn’t have to break the window, as planned. It was open," they reported.

"Yee-haw!" one of us exclaimed in triumph.

We cooked the chicken while it was still defrosting, savoring every bite with smiles on our faces. One of the Ninja Camels couldn’t help but smirk, basking in the glory of our audacious feat.

Such memories are inimitable, irreplaceable, and impossible to replicate. They are the kind that stir the soul and bring tears of joy, a testament to the beauty of friendship and the adventures of youth.

To my dear friends: Stay as beautiful as usual.