Not sure if my parents were aware I stayed out very late that first night in Paris

On our first day in Paris, Nisa and I wanted to stay out until dark so everyone else went back ahead of us. When we had enough sightseeing, we headed back to camp from Place du Trocadero via the Metro station there.

Inside the station, we were greeted with salam from his really tall guy who to me looked like Zinadine Zidane. And he chatted with us because he was just happy to see Muslim ladies wearing a proper hijab. He was a student in Paris and stayed with his uncle's family who owned a patisserie store.

I didn't really remember what we talked about, but I still remember standing there the three of us chatting because his English wasn't that good and he could only converse in French or Arabic. So Nisa talked to him in French and I talked in Arabic, and the two of us translated each other. It made me realize how cool Nisa was with her prowess in French and how humbled I was that Arabic language surely united all Muslims in the world.

Nisa asked him where was he from. He told us to guess.

"It's.. aah I forgot where Zidane was from.." I raked my brain aloud while Nisa guessed a whole bunch of nations which he denied (and I denied as well, I have this habit of preventing people from answering when I know the answer is wrong.)

"Oh! You're Algerian, right?"

"Correct," his side smile then really made the whole Zidane-resemblance thing more obvious. "How did you guess?"

"You look like Zinadine Zidane," I answered proudly. His course facial features I mean. The long structured face, roughened pearl-coloured skin and his lack of hair. But he's young. We then discussed the then Algerian-Egyptian dispute over some football cup.

We excused ourselves because it was getting late. I don't remember his name but wherever he is I pray he is well and under God's care.

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It's World Cup season again. The Zionist attacked the Palestinians during the last time the world was hyped with football and the news of it went sideways with all the gungho over the sport. Amazing how human is easily manipulated by our selective ignorance.

This is our struggle to become better Muslims. It's either succeed or die trying.