Declamation Final

Farah Zureikat

Block E/Ms Shariffa

March 17th 2024

I stand before you today to dive into a powerful force that lingers within us,
tugging at the strings wrapped around our hearts and minds. A force that influences
the present, shapes our memories and relentlessly pulls us to the past. The force of
nostalgia.

They haven't invented time travel yet, but for now this is enough. It has the
remarkable ability to transport us back in time. Times where we were filled with
joy, warmth, simplicity. It is the longing for the past, its bittersweet. It can take you
back in time to an earlier time where little mattered, where your endless worries
haven't caught up with you, where all you were was happy. Joyful. Serene. But it
can also take you back to the worst moments of your life. Moments of heartbreak.
Moments of grief. Moments of sadness. Emotions that defined our past. “The only
things that mattered were in the past. And what mattered the most in the past was
how she and baba came to be married, that “black day” she called it… Her story
was mine too, it bound us, turned us into one, “two halves of the same soul, two
pages of the same book” when Suleiman says this he felt as in his mother's
memories and experiences became his. Nostalgia can also bind you to the people
around you. To the people you love.

Nostalgia is a never-ending echo whispering the tales of yesterday. Emotions that

vibrate through the corridors of our soul. Always active. Always there in the back
of your mind.

In a world that's constantly changing. Growing. Evolving. A world that's unstable.

Unpredictable. Nostalgia acts as a comforting blanket, wrapping you up in times
that have passed. The embrace of cherished memories.
It takes us back to simpler times. when life seemed less complicated and the world
felt more innocent.

Or as Suleiman would say, “I longed for how things had been. We would by now
still be sitting on the floor in the sitting room, playing cards, drinking tea. … I
would roll on the floor laughing as they argued.” as he travels back in time to
before his life drowned in complication.

Do you ever think back? Back to the smell of freshly baked cookies, your favorite
childhood song, old photographs, innocent laughter, the embrace of your mother,
family gatherings. nostalgia has the power to evoke a flood of emotions that
connect us to our past selves.

For me, it connects me to my childhood. It takes me back to a time of innocent

laughter and peace of mind. No worries. No responsibilities. It reminds me of
every Christmas night I spent with my cousins and every Christmas morning
rushing to take a peek at my present before my family wakes up. It reminds me of
every palm Sunday we would get ready and head to the church dressed up with
bright smiles on our faces. It reminds me of summer camp with my friends. My
yearly ballet shows since I was 3. It reminds me of my first dog. It reminds me of
my past self. My old school. And every single time I traveled up until today.
Engraved into my memories.

It takes me back to days when I explored the world with wide-eyed curiosity, and
an unlimited imagination. to the laughter that filled the streets, and to the simple
joys of being with friends. It reminds of every friday enjoying a barbeque with my
family, It reminds me of my mom's warm hugs, the happiness of family
get-togethers, and the feeling of safety that only childhood can bring.

In embracing nostalgia, we not only respect our past but also celebrate our
humanity. Its a reminder of how memories shape who we are today. Every single
experience you've had since the day you were born has shaped who you are today.
Every smile. Every tear. So, you have to welcome nostalgia instead of pushing it
away. Many think of it as a weakness, as living in the past. But its a strength on our
journey through life, because it embraces us with comfort and connection

What it taught me is that time flies. It makes me fully embrace and appreciate
every moment, and not to take anything for advantage. Because a current
experience becomes a distant memory.