Tonight is the Oscars! Last year at this time, I was lucky enough to attend the 2013 Oscars with my aunt and her husband. It was an amazing experience that I am so lucky to have had.

I have always wanted to write down my experience, but have never had a chance. So here I am sitting down and writing down my whole story. My uncle’s documentary was nominated for Best Documentary for his film “5 Broken Cameras.” While it ultimately did not win the Oscar, but I think it brought much needed attention to the Palestinian cause.

I got to dress up and wear a beautiful gown.

Here we are arriving to the red carpet:

Here we are on the Red Carpet. My aunt wore a traditional Palestinian thobe. 

Of course all Oscar nominees and “important” people sit close to the stage, while the other people sit further back. I sat in the balcony with producers, agents and some behind-the-scenes crew. Oddly enough, the girl sitting in front of me was the lead actress in a movie nominated for Best Foreign Film. I also sat next to a man who was a producer for the winning short film. Here are some images of the actual event.

I have to be completely honest, I am probably the biggest Ben Affleck fan out there. I have been a huge fan since I was about 12 years old, so I had a goal of not leaving without meeting him or taking a picture with him. Of course Argo winning the Best Picture award was amazing to me.

My little cousin Gibreel was feeling very tired after the event, so my aunt and uncle decided to go back to the hotel. My uncle ran up to the Governor’s Ball very quickly to say hi to a couple of his friends and I saw Amy Adams walk right by and stare right through me as if I didn’t exist.  Ang Lee on the other hand, approached me and asked for me one of the many programs I was holding. I had to tell him they were not all mine, and the moment he walked away I just kept thinking “OH MY GOD!! I JUST SAID NO TO ANG LEE!!” I feel very bad, obviously he wanted a program as a souvenir on his Oscar-winning night, and I told him no! While waiting for my uncle to come back from the party, Bradley Cooper walked down the stairs and looked right at me. Unlike Amy Adams, he actually smiled at me. He was clearly acknowledging Gibreel and me because no one else was standing there. I appreciated that he was such a nice person and could at least smile, while Amy Adams made it seem as if I was beneath her.

When my uncle finally came back, my aunt asked him to give me the 2nd ticket to the Governor’s Ball. As I mentioned, I HAD to meet Ben Affleck before I left. It had been a goal of mine since I was 12 years old. As I climbed the escalators, the first person I saw was none other than Uncle Jesse himself, John Stamos. I attended the after-party alone, and with no phone battery unfortunately. As I climbed the escalators, the first person I saw was none other than Uncle Jesse himself, John Stamos. I was able to find a party worker who took my phone into the production room to charge it, but that took quite a while. I grabbed some delicious food including Pop-Rocks filled chocolate sticks, Oscar-shaped chocolate bars and different cakes and sweets.

As I walked through the party, I saw John Travolta, Helena Bonham Carter sitting at a table talking to her husband Tim Burton, Daniel Radcliffe signing autographs, Joseph Gordon Levitt, Michael Moore and even sat and listened to Adele talk about how excited she was about her Oscar. I had seen Ben Affleck, Oscar in hand, with his wife Jennifer Garner on one side of him and George Clooney on the other. They were being swarmed by a crowd of at least 10 people deep, so I thought I would get my phone ready to take a photo and go wait for him by the door. After all, the Governor’s Ball is only the first stop for many celebs.

I found someone to grab me my phone and went back to where the Affleck’s had been standing. I did not see them there, but figured they could be getting ready to leave. I went to awkwardly stand by the door and wait. The security guard started a conversation with him, so I told him that I was hovering so I could meet Ben Affleck. He told me that he heard they had already left. OH NO! I had missed my chance. I then decided I would follow the group of people getting ready to leave in case they were still there. I had no luck as they were long gone by that time, but I did see Daniel Radcliffe preparing to leave with his mother so I stood my ground. I love Harry Potter and have been reading the books since I was seventh grade.

I stopped Daniel on his way out and told him that I had been awkwardly waiting so I could meet him. I explained that I was a very big fan and thought he was great. He was very sweet and told me how I had made his day! I also mentioned that my friend Shatha was a big fan, and he said “Well tell Shedla I said ‘H!'” It genuinely shocked me that someone could be that humble and kind, even though he was such a big star. I would soon find out that not everyone is that way.

My next stop was Joseph Gordon Levitt. Here I am waiting for him to finish his interview. Start the video at :48, and you will seem walking around.

Joseph was talking to a group of people and I approached them. One of his friends turned to me and  introduced himself and asked me how I enjoyed the night. I also told him that I was was hoping to meet Joseph and he introduced me. Joseph said hello and then completely blew me off. While his friend continued to chat with me. The party had started to empty at that point, so I decided it was time to go home. My uncle’s co-director was there, but not ready to leave yet, so I decided I would just catch a cab back. I walked to the cab station a block away and headed back to my hotel where I know my mom was waiting for me. As I arrived at the hotel and was waiting for an elevator, I looked up at the TV, there was Joseph’s friend who had been talking to me! He is the editor for Entertainment Weekly!

I am so happy to have gotten a chance to have this once-in-a-lifetime experience. I know that I was very lucky as “regular” people never have a chance to go to Hollywood’s Biggest Night. I am definitely disappointed I did not get to meet Ben Affleck and that Joseph Gordon Levitt is not as humble as he seems on TV, but he’s an actor – it is his job to deceive us.