The day after I finished high school seemed like a new life will begin. A life that is full of responsibilities, challenges, difficulties, and problems. Now is the time that I should depend on myself. The date was 6th June 2012, I was eighteen years old with absolutely no knowledge about what will happen in the near future. In my country, Saudi Arabia, before you go to any university, you should have two tests. One of them you take it during your studies in the high school and its test your capabilities in mathematics and the Arabic language.
The second test, you take it after the final exams and its test you in five different subjects you took it in the high school mathematics, chemistry, physics, biology, and the English language. Then the university will take the mean of your results and then it will decide that if you were accepted or rejected. Two weeks later, I got my three results and it were amazing that day was the happiest day in my life, not just because I saw my wonderful results, but also my mother and my father were convivial and they were proud of me. We had a family party inside our home.
My sister gave a wristwatch; my brother gave me a new perfume; my mother gave me an iPhone; and my father gave me a laptop. I thanked them all. It was cloudy day, when my mother told me “Mohammad, now where do you want to continue your studies? Do you want to study abroad? Or you want to continue in Saudi Arabia? Do whatever you want, I am not going to tell what you should do. I do not want to affect your choice. ” I was distracted because I do not want to feel homesick, but I want to be independent. We were living in the capital city, Riyadh, and my father asked me “Mohammad, what is your choice? My choice was studying in my country, but not in the capital city where my family is.
I preferred to study in the East Coast of Saudi Arabia. Because I will be near to my family and I will be independent, I killed two birds with one stone. Most student’s first day at university is the most stressful day of their lives because they do not know what to expect or they do not want to go through an embarrassing situations. King Fahad University of Petroleum and Minerals, KFUPM, the best and the hardest university in the Middle East.
It is located in Dhahran city. The date was 1st September 2012, when the university starts, I had more than thirty hours in the week in my first semester. My subjects were the English language, Mathematics, Introduction to the university studies, Physics, Physical education, and Computer science. Everything was perfect, until I had my first major test in Mathematics, Algebra, I was shocked about my result, and I got 40%. After this major I had another major test, Physics, also I got an unsatisfactory result. I was feeling frustrated.
I ended my first semester, with falling in two subjects Mathematics and the English language, I got D in the Physics. I was disappointed and I wanted to quit, but my mother and my father supported me and they told me you have another chance and you can do it. The vacation was just one week and the second semester will start. I should take the English language and Mathematics again with other subjects. I was peppy and I will do my best to pass. I wanted my family to be proud of me that is my goal in the past; in the present; and in the future.
The date was 2nd February 2013, when the second semester starts. I was doing well in all my subjects which was the English language, Mathematics, Chemistry, and Mechanical engineering, especially in Mathematics. Until the finals came, I was unquiet, I did well in my finals, but when I saw the results, I was flabbergasted. I could not believe it, I did not pass the English language again and I have only one chance to pass it in the summer. I decided to quit KFUPM university, my mother and my father supported me also and they asked me “now what do you want to do?
Studying in different university or in different country? ” My choice was studying abroad in the USA, because I have friends and they will help me their also I wanted to travel outside my country to be more open minded. Because my grades from the school were excellent, my country gave a scholarship to study in USA. At the beginning, I wanted to go to ELS in Murfreesboro, Tennessee because my friends are there, but the education ministry in my country declared that the ELS school is barred due to the numerous Saudi students in the school.
So, I chose EF Santa Barbara in California. The date was 10th January 2014 when I arrived to the city, I was alone. Now I will live with a new family; different culture; and different language. Would they be mean? Would I will be able to understand their accent? These were the main concerns for me. I was in a different country, thousands of miles away from my family and I felt homesick, but I got used to my new American host family. I had an idea to go to my friends in Murfreesboro, it was to 5. 5 or higher in IELTS test to join Middle Tennessee State University, MTSU.
The date was 1st April 2014, when I got my IELTS’s result and it was 5. 5 exactly. Immediately I called one of my friends to help me to get the full admission from the university and he did. After I got the I-20, I went back to my country. In 14th August 2014, I want to Murfreesboro Tennessee to join MTSU and continue my studies there. My major is accounting like my father. Now I feel I can rely on myself a lot, I know how to manage my time and my money. Thanks to my mother and to my father and my goal is to let you proud of me.
