For A-Plus Writer

1

Haggi

Abdullah Haggi

English 1010-090

Shelly Halling

November 13,2015

Portfolio

Study Abroad

My childhood was creepy for many reasons such as my skin color and my accent are different to my friends and my school class mats, because of that I was like to play video games such as PlayStation, Xbox, and other video games. When I was 16 years old specifically in the first year of the high school, my friend Yazeed and I were thinking about studying abroad. He was thinking about studying in the U.K, and I was thinking about studying in the U.S. we had a many goals we would like to achieve when we study abroad, such as, meet new friends, learn about a new culture, and learn a new language. He was thinking about studying Civil Engineering and I was thinking about Business. We asked our parents about this idea, my father agreed to me to study in U.S, but Yazeed father disagreed with this idea for many reasons, including being scared for him to go to different country. I was excited about that but at the same time I was sad for my friend. I started to get ready to study abroad. I also, asked my father and my friends about a good university in U.S, and I found Utah State University a good choice for my major. Finally I arrived in U.S, and studied the first level in the Intensive English Language Institute (IELI) at Utah State University (USU). I changed my major to Computer Science because I love the technology. That was the best year and half year of my life because of many reasons such as, living in different country alone.

When I was 12 years old until I was 16 years old I liked to stay alone in my room and did not talk to any body such as my family, my friends, and my neighbors. Let me tall you my story, my mother from Syria and my father from Saudi Arabia, so my skin color is white like my mother family, my hair is brown like my mother family, and my accent was mix between Saudi accent and Syrian accent, so I was a little different look to my brothers and I was different to my friends In my school in Saudi Arabia. I heard some racist words from them about my skin color and my look. So that why I was like to stay alone. My family was scared to me, and always asked me to go out with them but always I said “No I want to stay in my room” I had many of the video games such as PlayStation and Xbox, so I was addicted to play video gams and stayed for 10 hours continual. That was bad for my health, bad for my back, bad for my eyes because of light and bad for my ears because the headphones. There are many of my friends have hearing less and they have a low vision because the light of the TV is so shining. So when I have 16 years old I was thinking about what I did and what I did to my body, also about my father suggestion. So I started to change my self to better and start to talk with other people, hangout with my family and have a new friend. My family was happy for me and for what I did to change my self. That was my bad moments and memory of my life because I didn’t take care to my body and my brain.

As I mention above, when I was in the high school in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, my friend and I were thinking to study abroad but in different country he wanted to study civil engineering in U.K because he likes the British culture and I wanted to study business major in U.S because I like the American culture and American life. So we asked our parents about our ideas to study abroad. My father agreed with this idea but Yazeed father’s disagreed with that, because his father was scared for Yazeed to study abroad, also Yazeed he is the eldest son in his family so that is why his father disagreed. I was so exited and happy to study abroad, but at the same time I was sad for my friend because he cannot study in U.K. However, I started to look at the universities in the U.S. and what the good choice for my major business. I sent all my documents to the USU Admissions department for the acceptance letter. Also, I sent my passport to the U.S. embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for get the student Visa. Finally, in November 2013 I got my acceptance letter and my passport with the visa. Moreover, I searched for anyone In Logan to help me to find an apartment I can live in. I found a page on Facebook website called Saudi student club at Utah State University (SSCAUSU). So I sent an email for them about looking for anyone can help me. I received an answer from them that said “ welcome to USU and we will help you with anything you need. Also, we will be in the airport to take you to Logan and your apartment.” So I sent all the apartment specifications and sent my ticket to them to they can know when I will arrive. When I received that email I thought I was ready to leave my family and my country. That moment was really sad to me because I will leave my family for five years. On December 13, 2013 tow days before my flight I lost my passport and couldn’t find it, so I was so sad, mad, and nervous. So I just searched about my passport in my house, my friends’ houses and everywhere. In that time I lost hope to go. On day before I was thinking about places that I did not search in it and I remember that I did not search in my car, so I just opened my car and looking to my back seat and found my passport. I was so happy to find my passport. On December 15, 2013 I arrived to U.S. and at the airport I found one of the Saudi club waiting to take me to Logan City, and he was happy and respectable. So I can not forget their help when I arrived to U.S.

On January 5, 2014 I tested the language test at IELI program. Than I received the score and got the first level of the program, because I did not have a good English to I can start studying my major. I met new friends in the IELI program from different countries, for example, from Dominican Republic, China, Japan and other countries. The first day of the school was on January 6, 2014. I met the professors in the school and they was really respected me and welcomed me. In that time I was scared because I thought every body would laugh at me because I don’t speak English well. So my professor Jim Bame he helped me with that problem and told me “If you will staying scared, you will not learn anything. So be confident of yourself and start take off that fear from inside your brain” Day after day I learned something new and speak with out any fear. I cannot forget what the professor Jim did for me. When I was in the IELI program the professor gave us a lot of information about the majors at USU and told us everything about the majors in the USU. I was thinking about Computer Science because I like the technology and everything new in the technology world, such as phone, computers and cameras. I asked my professors about that major. They helped me and gave me everything I need to know about that major. So I changed my major to Computer Science. On May 5, 2015 I was finished with the IELI program and start studying my major.

I have studied at IELI program for one and a half years (18 months). That year and half was my best experience in my life because I got a lot of experience. I learned a new language, meet new friends, and learned self-reliance. I was alone with out any member of my family but I met friends they are like my brothers and my family, they helped me a lot and we had and still have fun and trust between each other. May God bless my friends.

My real life started when I was 16 years old. It was time to be a man and its time to think what I will be in the future. I left family and my country, studying at the U.S, learned new language, have many experience and self-reliance, met friends who I can trust, and met professors who change my life for the better. I never can forget those people in my life. I do not regret the moment that I decided to study abroad.