Education was my Escape

Education is one of the most important factors in life. It is used to mitigate any of the challenges faced. The knowledge that is attained through education helps open a lot of great doors of opportunities. It paves your path towards independence and stability. It does not only financially but on a personal level; you will be wiser in terms of decision making. Also, it will help make your dreams a reality.

I can totally say that education was and is still my cause. It is one of the things I highly support and believe in its amazing power of shaping lives because it has definitely shaped mine. Ever since I was a kid, I loved school and appreciated the fact that my parents made sure I receive the best education. I come from a middle-class family, my mother is a teacher in a public school and my dad is a retired employee. 

They made sure that they save for me and my brother's school fees. It was expensive back in the time since we studied at one of the best private schools in Tripoli; if not Libya. I enrolled late in my school, I was only in third grade so I had to make double the effort to catch up. I had both Libyan and foreign teachers. I had British, Indian, Libyan-Americans and Libyan-British, Egyptians, and Palestinians. As they say, the best of both worlds.  

I felt a huge responsibility since my parents were saving from their wages in order to pay for my education, let alone, paying for other expenses. Although I was young, year after year, I kept telling myself that I will make them proud and grow up to support them. I will work hard to make sure I do as promised. On the other hand, there was the school life, I studied with students who traveled every summer and enrolled in summer clubs and programs. I spent summer plainly; I stayed home, visited relatives every once in a while, went to the beach sometimes, and so. I remember that I once lied when one of my classmates asked me where I spent summer.

"The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true education. ". - Martin Luther 

King, Jr.

A few years later, when I was in grade seven, my parents decided to put all of their savings in building a house of our own. We used to live in an apartment ever since I was born so, it was finally the time to live in a house. My parents began to put the first block of their dream house in reality. However, they had some financial problems so they decided to sell the apartment that we lived so they would be able to finish up with the house building. It wasn't an easy goodbye but life goes on. My father used some of that money in renting a cheaper apartment so we can temporarily live in.

He had to sell his car too so he used one of a relative's car. I was still in school and I was still doing great in assignments and exams. We were barely living back then because we practically had nothing of our own. However, I woke up every morning with a smile on my face and acted as if I owned the world.

No one in school knew how I was living at that time. At least I was able to forget a little while I was at school. In our rental apartment, we didn't have so much furniture and we couldn't afford to buy any since it was not ours. I shared a room with my younger brother; we used our beds' mats to sleep on and tried to make our bedroom like a proper one. All of our belongings were stacked in boxes. We made it feel like home.

Throughout the entire situation, education was my escape. It was the only thing that made me feel alive and hopeful. I could study for hours and never get tired. It was the only thing I could think of, it actually kept me sane. I remember telling myself every time before I go to bed is that I need to study hard to be able to make my dreams come true and help my parents in times of despair, just like these times.

Throughout that year, I was able to come second to school after years of fighting and then I was able to come first throughout high school. Because of the hard work I put, I was selected to participate in Space Camp 2010. Only then, I knew that it paid off eventually. I became richer with the knowledge and wisdom I gained from education. Lastly, my family and I moved to our house, our home where we finally felt right. I could see my parents' sacrifice when I first stepped in the house. Although we didn't have complete furniture; I could even sleep on the floor as long as it is ours. 

I learned how to completely depend on myself and I began to work right after I graduated from high school, I was only 18. I realized that all of the escape I did for years was for me to finally rely on my own and be able to be the independent woman I always wanted to be. I have been covering my own expenses throughout college years until this moment. I am now able to support my parents, especially my siblings whom I see myself in. 

What I am trying to say is that whatever circumstances you go through in life, never underestimate the power of education. You can still work hard towards your goals as long as you have the determination to do so. Once you believe in the power of education, you will become unstoppable. Even though I am still on my way but I owe it all to education which made me the person I am today.