Hookah Dreams in the Dairy Land
HoboHookah Bringing Together Friends, Old and New
Spending the past week and a half in the Dairy Land has been a legendary adventure. For one thing, I got to spend time at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, from whence the great minds behind the HoboHookah hail. While there, I had the good fortune of visiting our old friend and Hobocans Happy Hour star, “Versa” Kyle. We threw a wild party and smoked some delicious Pumpkin Pie Starbuzz Shisha. A friend even taught us a new trick of blowing hookah smoke into a soap-water-dipped paper towel cardboard tube. Pretty rad!
But what really set this trip apart from the rest was the AIESEC conference that I attended while I was down there. AIESEC is a non-for-profit youth organization that allows students the chance to participate in cultural exchange through internships abroad. During the conference, there are sessions during the day in which members plan the future of the organization and parties at night to let loose and meet people from around the country.
This summer, there are 11 interns from the Middle East, specifically Oman, Qatar, and Bahrain, living and working in the UnitedFor most of them, it’s their first time outside of the Middle East, let alone in the US. All were in attendance at this conference.One that struck me the most was Ghassan, a Lebanese Christian living in Oman. Not only were his comments on the political and social situations in Lebanon and in Oman insightful and thought provoking, but he was willing to stay up until the wee hours of the night (about 530AM!) every night to answer my questions. I have never met a person of a more drastically different background than mine be so open-minded and understanding.
One thing that is ever-present in an international youth setting is the hookah. It helps bring people together and break the ice of socializing. And, indeed, it was the HoboHookah that first brought Ghassan and I into conversation. He had never seen a hookah of this caliber and versatility, and I was more than eager to share. Another day, another dream being lived – all thanks to the HoboHookah.
Join the Circle