Ever since I came to Canada I’ve always really admired the beauty of buildings, and I’ve always had a strong aspiration to become some sort of designer. I remember being at the top of the twin towers when I was little. I felt the weirdest sensation in my legs. They were tingling – my body was telling me to get the hell out of that situation. But in actuality – I had no fear of heights. I was inspired by the fact that, even after their death, the people who designed these buildings continue to provide people with such an unexplainable feeling or thought. I wasn’t sure what academic opportunities I was supposed to pursue for such a profession, especially when the path to get there wasn’t really clear to me or to my parents.
A long time ago, my mom jokingly mentioned to me that since I was the oldest child I was basically the family’s crash test dummy. I was always the first one to go through situations, and my family would learn from my experiences and adopt these lessons for my little brother and sister. And this is true - I had missed many opportunities, such as the French Immersion and the IB programmes, simply because as newcomers we did not know about them.
I even had to stay an extra year in high school to take all the required courses necessary to apply for University. But it seems that I’ve been lucky so far, as I’ve managed do what was needed to progress.
Today, I find myself back in the same situation; deciding what to do after University is not quite as simple as trying to figure out what courses to take in high school. It’s a scary thought that maybe I might not be so lucky this time and make a mistake that is irreversible.
But perhaps it was the challenges of being a frontrunner that allowed me to become so proficient in finding my own path. Perhaps I wasn’t even a frontrunner to begin with.
Maybe this is what life is all about – that risk comes with every choice, and that uncertainty will always be present.
But there is one thing I can always count on – my family will always be there if ever I crash.