Perseverance Leads to Dreams Fulfilled
An Essay by Farhad
I am Farhad, but my friends call me “Afghan.” My mother calls me “Clergy Khudadad” which means “Gift of God” in Dari. My father calls me “Farhad Kunjikaw” meaning “curious” in Dari. I was born in 1996 in the beautiful village of Temran in Kitti, a District of Daykundi province that is located west of famous Bamiyan province in Afghanistan.
My father taught me my initial lessons at home, then sent me to Temran High School. I can remember those days vividly and, honestly, I do not have sweet memories from those times because I was the smallest student in the class. Other students who were bigger than me tried to bully me into doing their homework and helping them on exams. When I would not agree to help, they would fight me. Our school was not the usual kind of school. There were no responsible teachers. There was also no building. The students just sat under a warm tent or in nonstandard rooms.
However, when I was not in school and at home, life was really amazing for me. Helping my mom and dad do work around the house, farming, going to the mountain to gather wood used for cooking, going to the river and swimming with my peers in cold water was really enjoyable. This all continued until 9th grade when I left Temran High School and went to agriculture high school in Nili, in the center of my province and about five hours by car from my home. I left my parents and experienced a new life with different students from different parts of Daykundi province. Generally, I showed my talent in this school and I got the first position until graduation. For the first time, I started studying extra books and comprehended a wider world.
In 2014, when I was in 12th grade at the agriculture high school, I was determined to pass the nationwide kankor exam. I took a private course for kankor prep. I discovered that I was weak in sciences and math, but an accident changed my future. I fell in love with a talented girl who is right now studying medical science at Kabul University. Because of this love, I competed with her to get a higher score than her. Although I did not succeed, our competition pushed me forward and I passed the kankor exam successfully.
After passing the kankor exam and scoring 283 out of 360, I succeed at the University of Bamiyan. I have seen huge positive changes in myself from my first day of coming to Bamiyan. My traditional thoughts are changed and I think globally. I have kept first position at the university from my first year until now, my fourth year. Thanks to the university I have improved my English and computer skills, as well as my management and leadership talents.
I still have many dreams. I want to pass the TOEFL exam successfully and achieve a Fulbright scholarship and study international relations. I will persevere until I achieve all my goals.
