My Experience In My Life

Growing up I had a good life. I lived with my brother, sister, and both of my parents together as a good family. My parents really taught me how to be respectful and responsible. I was lucky to have them as good influences in my life. I am not one to disrespect anyone unless they have done me wrong. I grew up caring about school and always wanting to perform well and anything that I do. There were many challenges and events that helped me become the person I am today. One of which is when my family and I had the opportunity to visit our home country, Zimbabwe.

Almost a year ago, August 2016 was one of the most exciting times of My life. I was a recent high school graduate and that past March I had been accepted into the Faculty of Education at the UoW in Manitoba. So, august was a busy month for me, basically everyday I hung out with my friends watched every single YouTube video related to college, and began packing up my room for the move from Dartmouth NS to Winnipeg MB. I had previously already picked my courses for the 2016/1017 year and now I was looking up textbooks and looking up my professors on rate my professor .com, highly recommend. my whole senior year of HS I was so excited to be moving and taking this new ‘chapter in my life. September couldn’t come fast enough. The end of august came and I had packed up and left my home, and my family. The journey to Winnipeg was thrilling and tiring, but I landed safely and I walked out to my auntie Robyn waiting for me, she had come with her sister, my Auntie Leslie (more on her later *eye roll emoji*) they helped me load the truck and off we were to see my new home, well my room. I was about to begin my dorm life, in Lions Manor floor 4. My aunts helped me unpack something’s, but later left me to settle. Which was fine by me, I was so excited to make this room mine. I had posters and pictures and cute bedding. It only took me the rest of the week to fully unpack and mesh with how small my room was.

Every moment of accomplishment is success and there is one event in my life that stands out above the rest. I stood waiting in the psychiatric ward of the hospital, awaiting my father’s embrace. I was eager, but not ready to see him after months of waiting and wondering. Nevertheless, my palms were sweaty, arms crossed, unwelcoming to the unknown. This was the first hospital that allowed me to visit my father as a 12 year old because of safety regulations. My heart sunk as I walked into this unfamiliar place. I immediately noticed the eerie aura of the place. The walls were lifeless with no sign of photographs or memories--just a blank canvas of gray. It saddened me that this is where he was staying everyday without an escape. I saw people struggling with serious mental illness: bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and clinical depression. It was a shock to see my father amongst patients who were clearly mentally ill. Despite my unrest with this new reality, I have found an undeniable interest in medicine and health after seeing my dad be prescribed many combinations of medicine trying to find the one that would counteract his mental illness.

I grew up in a small town called Buttonwillow, which had four streets and was so tiny that everybody knew each other and possibly knew about each other. I wouldn't describe it as a town full of crime but it did have many "bad" people. I didn't live on the great side of town so I heard cops almost every other night, but it was normal for me growing up and I didn't think much of it because I knew I was okay. My family only consisted of my three older sisters, my mom, and I, until later my mom met my step-father and so then came three more children. I was the middle child so I was the outcast.

Until I was about nine years old, I never felt uncomfortable about myself. Sure I had funny glasses, large frizzy hair, and a smile which stretched just a tad too wide, but it was just who I was. Fourth grade seemed to be the pivotal moment where the issues started which would later go on to shape the rest of my life. It started off innocently enough. Who do you like, do you want to go shopping, can I paint your nails, etc. I would respond simply. I don’t like anyone, I don’t want to go shopping, no I don’t want you to paint my nails. I had no idea then, but these were not the answers people expected me to give. They wanted to know which boy I liked, when we were going to go shopping, and how I wanted my nails painted. Shortly I found myself spending most of my time alone. I didn’t understand it. What was wrong with me? Why did I not like doing the things other girls liked doing? I feared the answers that I might give, so those questions went largely unanswered.

After my dad passed, my life took a turn. My family was falling apart and I was just a little child at the time. I felt as if I was drifting at sea all alone. My mom had to work twice as for our family to thrive and me and my brother, Allen, had to give up our childhood belongings to attend school. I started to see my mom less often than I used to and that made me go through a depression phase.

It is not too long ago that I decided to become a pharmacist. I lived in South Korea most of my life. Back then, I had no idea what I wanted to be other than thinking about immigrate to the United States. I had chance to visit my uncle’s college graduation when I was a little boy and I only dreamed about living in the U.S ever afterward. For example, I decided to go to nursing school simply because there are more chances to move to the U.S as a nurse. The problem was I did not do well in terms of academic performance because I only thought about how to move to the U.S. Additionally, I admitted to hospital couple of times because of a pneumothorax so my gpa bottomed out.

“Still there are times I am bewildered by each mile I have travelled, each meal I have eaten, each person I have known, each room in which I’ve slept. As ordinary as it all appears, there are times when it is beyond my imagination.”

Finally, were here, just getting off the plane me, Chris, and Jacob and a bunch of other kids and adults I did not know well some of them I did but I was too distracted by everything around me to care about who else was getting off. All I cared about was that we were there and the long trip was over. I got off the plane and started looking around me and I could see the water, the trees, and the heat was so bad. It felt like we were walking around and seeing the people there and it was so different unlike anything I had seen before everyone looked happy and without a care in the world. There were people walking around with drinks and smiling and laughing and from that point on I knew it was going to be a good trip.

I was born in Pakistan but I have lived in the U.S most of my life. When I came to the United States I was two years old. I have gone back to Pakistan only a few times, but my most recent visit was in 2012 when I had just finished 8th grade.

My life, or perhaps in the manner that I perceive it, has been overwhelmingly filled with enlightening and repressive circumstances that could have been averted, but all in all, makes up one's destiny. These events intricately tailored me into a young man that grew conscientious of the detrimental behavior of “acting before thinking” and into the realm of “thinking before acting". What I would soon come to understand was that through sheer patience, and trial-and-error it instilled within me new insights to learn from and that the most triumphant moments in my life began at the crossroads of unknowingness, a decision to stay in mediocrity, or the pursuit towards personal greatness- thus the decision had to be met.

It was a very sunny Tuesday morning on summer vacation. I woke up took a shower, got dressed, brushed my teeth and ate breakfast with my dad. We then went on our way to the Colorado Rapids stadium in Denver. This was a very important day for me and my team because it was our very first showing up to Soccer state finals. I was so nervous that I couldn’t hold my water bottle, my dad noticed that I was shaking a lot so he tried getting me out of the thought about the first game of state finals by talking to me about trucks. Trucks are what I love besides soccer, so he asked me, “What kind of truck are you going to want?”, I was lost and didn’t know how to answer that question because I thought he would never asked that question in my life. I then answered, “A 1 cabin Chevy Silverado’’, but that still couldn’t get the thought out about my first state final game. “I’ll make you a deal, if you win the first game I will get you the truck by the end of your summer vacation.” I was so happy to hear that but still nervous. I told him “Deal”, with a smile on my face. Finally, we arrive in Denver and stopped at a gas station on our way to the Rapids stadium to get some water for my game. As we’re driving down the freeway, I see the Rapids stadium and my heartbeat starts rising even more and more the closer we get.

My life was seemingly perfect. Both of my siblings went to college to pursue their dreams. My mom worked hard and supported me through anything I did and my dad served in the National Guard. My dad retired from the National Guard just a fews years ago after serving for 27 years. When I was growing up he was my hero. We lived in a big house with endless acres for us to ride my dirt bikes, go four wheeling, and hunt on. I loved to be outdoors and active whenever I could. It was a place where I could be myself and run free. The best part of being outdoors though, was being able to share it with family. My favorite part was our own little farm. It was the most exciting thing a child could have in his backyard. We owned five beef cows and

Blood poured out onto the shower floor, mixing with the water to spiral down the drain. I stared at the large amounts of blood, shocked to realize it was streaming out of ME. It was not long before I screamed for my parents. The definition of “death-defying” experience varies depending on the person and the situation. To this day, I have yet to live through an actual one, however, for a few minutes when I was seven years old, I thought death could be right around the corner. This experience changed my personal worldview. I saw the world more carefully from then on out, specifically the soap dish in showers. I also felt mentally and physically tougher, having survived what I perceived to be a “near death” experience. In the same token, however, I became prideful and jealous. No matter the actual severity of the event, a perceived “near death” experience will make an imprint on your mind and will change you as a person.

My first semester as a college student is coming to an end. I remember moving in, scared of making friends and starting a new adventure. I remember wandering around like a lost sheep attempting to find the classrooms I would spend the next few months in. All this seems like it happened forever ago, but in reality, it was just three short months ago. Mid-semester, I recall beginning to countdown the weeks left. And now here I am. I made it.