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 ...