The day I met President Bush

The year was 2001 and Sahal was just eight years old when he got the enviable opportunity of visiting the White House and getting to meet a person his parents often told him was the most powerful man in the world.

"Actually, initially it was my sister Sereen who received the invitation from her Girl Scouts leader,'' says Sahal, in a telephone interview from his home in Virginia. "But since she was over the age limit, this opportunity fell into my lap.
"When I first heard about my good luck, I was a bit scared because I had often heard mom and dad refer to Bush as "the most powerful man in the world", Sahal says.

That year, the White House was celebrating the spirit of
Ramadan with local Muslim youth. On December 17, 2001, around 20 students of various nationalities gathered at a convention centre in Washington.

As with any other boy his age, the excitement began the moment he sat in the station wagon that was to take the group to the White House."We entered through the south grounds. I remember the lush green lawns and the magnificent fountains.

"The security personnel screened all our stuff before we entered the main building. It was just like at the airport. There were lots of security guards around. We were asked to wait in a room which I later came to know was the Diplomatic Reception Room. Some officials briefed us on how
and where to stand when meeting the president.

A few minutes later I could hear cameras clicking and flashes going off. I turned around and there he was! I felt overwhelmed by his presence but soon I realised that he looked just like he did on TV."

After talking to the press who had also assembled there for a few minutes, Bush approached the amazed children who had gathered around him in a group. "He was very cheerful and put all of us at ease quickly.

He talked about how everybody was similar in spite of the differences in gender and religion," says Sahal. Then he wanted to know who in the group practiced the Ramadan fast. I raised my hand enthusiastically.

He talked to all of us in turn. He asked me what we did for Eid. I explained that I went to pray at the convention centre with my family. There would be thousands of other Muslims there. We wore new clothes and the children got money from elders."

The whole session lasted about half an hour. After Bush said goodbye to us, we were given refreshments. I distinctly remember the wide variety of chocolates and the apple juice," says Sahal. "Now that the meeting was over and I was a bit more relaxed, I noticed the amazing wallpaper of the room. It showed Niagara and many places from across the US. In 5th grade I learned that this was the famous Zubr et Cie wallpaper. The grandeur of the whole place was awesome."

The children were also presented with a White House gift set which included a US flag. Sahal, who still cherishes the memory of that visit to the White House, says, "For a long time after the visit, people would ask me about the great experience. That was when it struck me as something out of the ordinary. I almost felt like a celebrity!"

– As told to Zenifer Khaleel, a freelance writer based in Abu Dhabi