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What If I went to Turkey for undergraduate program…

 

WHAT IF 

What if I went to Turkey for undergraduate program…
What I see in the reality which takes turn to a new possibility is that I have got my national identity card and leaving to get my passport from the office. My dad took me to the place. While standing on the other side of the road, I expected to cross it easily but what I saw was my dad guarding me while crossing to the other end of the road. It irritated me a little knowing that in some days I will be on my own, apart from my family. We collected my passport and went back home. Just a night before, I saw my mom folding my clothes as tears rolled down her eyes. I made her sit for a while and asked what was bothering her. I was sure of what I expected to be the answer. And the only reason to her answer was their habit of being overprotective about me. My whole night spent thinking hard about how my parents will be able to manage the stress of not being there for me to ensure my safety and needs. It is heart warming to have such caring parents but on the other hand it gets annoying. As I closed my eyes, my nostalgia hit up. If I had to go to a local university like rest of my friends, a whole new imagination on an exciting chapter of my life would have come before my eyes. But instead, I saw all the past memories that I created with the people that I was going to leave behind. I could only take 4 hours of sleep and headed to the airport with an army of my family, paternal and maternal relatives. 





While bidding farewell, I knew that my dad will not confront the moment just like the way he did not on my sister’s farewell at her wedding. I could see him taking care of my luggage and handbags avoiding eye contact from me. After walking towards the entrance, my mom held me from the back and embraced me tightly. I could feel her tears soaking my shirt. I took my luggage from dad and gave him a long hug. The fact that he was not crying even though he missed me already, made me cry and I did not leave him till I felt better. After boarding, I got myself seated on a window seat in the airplane. As the plane took off, I tilted my head on the other side and caught glance of an old stranger sitting beside me, I tilted my head back to the window. As I saw the lights of Karachi fading below the clouds my feelings of excitement changed to nervousness and fear of being left alone. I asked for water and tried to feel better on time because I knew that it was not because of flight or any medical reasons. The only reason was me being habitual to the bubble of safety my parents created over the years. I realized that I would have to learn a lot apart from my university.


 

As I landed in Istanbul and stepped out of the airport, my parents’ instructions started roaming in my head. I got a cab, turned on google maps and asked him to take me to Beykent Universitesi. As I went there, I found it hard to communicate with people in Turkish. After getting embarrassed almost everywhere because of my lack of exposure and dealing, I reached the dorm where I had to live. While waiting for my name to be registered I sat on the bench in the corridor. I could feel all of my energy disappearing and my head started spinning recalling all the embarrassing moments I faced some hours ago. With the typical feelings of excitement on studying in Turkey supressing my bitter reality I did not expect to feel like running away just on the day I arrived. All of a sudden, I felt like a loser and my insecurities started giving me headache. I entered my room and saw an Indian girl chewing gum sitting on the couch. I thanked God for giving me a roommate whom I could understand and communicate with better. After setting up my stuff we had a wholesome conversation and I confessed how nervous and helpless I felt there. She comforted and told me that we were in the same boat. The fact that I was not alone made me feel better and empowered us to be a motivation for each other. As the days passed by, we felt like we were no more strangers to Istanbul. Together we were able to fit into Turkish and people belonging to other cultures. From the day we became each other’s strength we considered each other as each other’s mirror. There I found my flaws, my hopes and dreams that came into life once again.




CLASS EXERCISE

What if I went to Turkey for undergraduate program….
I could not apply for Turkey. What if I went to Turkey. I would have faced many difficulties as I was not prepared to live independently. Because of new place, new people from diverse backgrounds I might have not performed well at first, which could affect my performance. I would not be as close to my parents as I am now. But after some time, I would have adjusted and made friends with different backgrounds. My social approach would have been diverse.

The negative consequence would have been that I might have lost fluency in English as Turkish is preferred in their education as well. Maybe I would have regretted later on for applying somewhere else where my degree would be more worthy.




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