Welcome Challenges On the morning of November 10th 2011, I woke in a hospital bed suffering from a Caesarean procedure, but there was something more painful at that time, which was my thinking about what would be next. There were only two months until the first semester final exams of my senior year in high school. Who would help me take care of my baby while I needed to complete my notes and study? Would it be possible to acquire a good enough score to get into my dream university? Besides that, would focusing on my studies negatively affect my performance as a wife and as a mother? I took a deep breath and told myself "Do what you can do, Eman." I made a plan to keep myself from falling behind as I recovered in the hospital. I asked my five best friends to do me a favor, to each take notes on my five academic subjects and clarify any of my questions. They did a great job. My mom, of course, did a great job too. She was the number two care giver for my baby and cared for me during my recovery. And I never forget the emotional support from my husband, who believed that my GPA would increase after I got married while most of the people around me expected the opposite! |
I worked hard every day. Even while recovering from the surgery, I studied math, chemistry and physics whenever I could. Once I went back to school, I started to study thoroughly. The day of my final exams came, and I went in knowing that whatever results I received, I had worked my hardest and experienced the support of my family and community. When I received my score, I saw that I had earned a 4.0 GPA! I was very happy that I had made my family so proud of me. Being a mother at a young age gives me a lot of values that have changed the way I think. It made me feel more responsible for the future of all children around the world, and it made me more diligent, enabling me to learn self-control under difficult situations. Once, my husband wondered aloud how I could work efficiently when suffering from hardship while he could not. I am now a more balanced person who succeed in all of life’s aspects because I can stay focused and positive, not distracted by challenges. I learned that there is a power inside everyone that can’t be discovered until we face challenges. If there were only one sentence I could write, it would be “Come in, challenges, I am ready.” |