Essay of Foresight

Safdar Abbas
ERP ID - 05973

I grew up on the peaceful side of a bustling city, where people from all corners of Asia, and the world at large, come to live a life of wealth and comfort. Jeddah, my home since birth, is a highly-populated city which is a quiet and dull place to live in. Contradictory as it may seem, this city is different by its social environment. There are no political affairs open to the public and the system is monarchical. If one was to walk around in the afternoon, he/she would know what ‘dead air’ means. Almost everybody, especially the foreigners live private lives and the people enjoy luxury and prosperity.
A unique thing about Jeddah is the availability of a number of boards of education which are set up by the embassies of the respective countries. These institutes aim for the betterment of students from both Arab and foreign backgrounds. I had the privilege of attending a school which was known for its growth in academic levels in the Gulf region. The unfortunate part was that the higher education was unfeasible for most students. I spent a very stable childhood and consistently achieved good grades in all subjects. My results were a fallacy I held to prove myself a student of progress and I didn't realize I was wrong until I entered college. My college was one of much higher standards and the students were good in keeping a balance among academics, social and extra-curricular activities. There were events in which a lot of focus was on talent and credentials than just giving everyone a chance. A few years have passed since I came to know that the world will always ask for more, as you want more, when you grow older. The time for college graduation came and I knew how delicate my position was for a student of high standards. The days were getting shorter as I prepared to maintain by subject grades and select the school for my higher education. I had in mind that I had failed to meet my parents’ criteria of getting all As to go somewhere else abroad, otherwise I would have to attend school in Pakistan. My graduation days were near now and when I saw that fork in the road up ahead in my life, I chose reputation instead of growth.

At the end of my stay at Saudi Arabia, ‘as a child’, my friends and I spent the last days partying hard so that we forget the past days of struggle but that didn’t keep me from thinking how much I lost in the previous few years. I always wanted to be consistent and stay progressive like most of us imagine ourselves to be but somewhere, I lacked the ability to be one of the best students there is. I shortlisted reputed institutes and analyzed which ones balanced their curriculum and other activities well. I won’t deny admitting that I wanted to secure myself a place where I can organize myself and learn from the renowned people around as time was, and is short and there is a lot to gain. I just did not want to lose something or fall behind.

Today, I can at least say I am somewhere away from the peaceful Arab influence only to return one day and give back to those who might go through the same; I’m in a place where I will think and do better. I always felt I had an identity problem and knew what people I really belonged to, but there were obstacles every other day when I was to be with those who I did not have to be with. I did not discriminate but rather took the ‘free hand’ environment of the institute to keep away from the wrong persons and made choices to land up with the right people, only to learn, share and progress.