Since I’ve been in Saudi Arabia my parents have always treated me like a child. I’ve been allowed to take minimal risks in life. I believe this took away a significant learning experience from my childhood. Children should be allowed to make mistakes and learn from the mistakes on their own. I was never allowed to drive without supervision. I wasn’t allowed to wear shorts in public. I wasn’t even allowed to play football along the beach. None of these things were things that were legally restricted; they were all just slightly frowned upon. Despite the frown, all Saudi’s did them. As I grew up I began to realize why my parents were slightly harsh on how I acted in public. It’s because in Saudi Arabia, we were a minority. The expatriet community was treated horribly by the general public. Arabians seem to carry an ego, inflated by their status of wealth, that makes them feel like they are better than us. They feel like they are doing us a huge favor by letting us work in their nation, which they might be. But without us they are nothing. For the past few decades Saudi Arabia has had a high non literacy rate. Their people have been living off the wealth of their families for years. We, the exapts, have been working hard to extract their oils, expand their industries, and economically improve their nation. Despite all this, we are still disposables to them. In any situation, the Saudi is right, the expat is wrong. In a way they show patriotism through unjust and immoral decisions. It is unfortunate that they have to protect their people this way. So being ristricted in how I act in public was an important caution that my parents took, and I undestand that now. If I messed up once, we couldve been kicked out. No one wouldve known, and honestly no one would have cared.

The parent teacher organization here at ISG Jubail is hosting a scholarship program to help students pay for testbooks and cover other small costs in university; All seniors were allowed to participate in this competition. I decided to give it a try and sat down to write. After reading the prompt: ” How did your International school experience impact your choice in college and career?” I really got to thinking about my life as an international student. I spent my entire life in Saudi Arabia. I know every street in Jubail like the back of my hand. I’ve grown up with the same peers, same teachers, same neighbors, same house for the last 18 years. I don’t know life away from here, however, I can’t stay here forever, and I know that. I want this to be my home, but its not. I feel like it is my home, because its everything I have, but I dont belong. I don’t recieve any benifits. I don’t speak the common tongue. I’m never considered a priority. I could be asked to leave at any moment. So how did an international school experience my choice in university? It made me realize that I have to find myself a home. I think that I explained my deep love for Saudi Arabia and my longing for a home in a succinct yet comprehensive manner in my essay.

How did your International school experience impact your choice in college and career?

I long to belong. I long to feel safe and secure. I long to have a place to go to at the end of a hard day of work, a place to go when in search of love or comfort, a place to go when lost. A home. But, where is home?

I’ve spent a little over eighteen years in the sandbox. From my first birthday to my high school graduation, all of my memories reside in Jubail, a vast majority of which are associated with ISG Jubail. I joined the ISG community at the age of six years old. The first day of first grade, I was seated at a blue rectangular table. My spelling partner sat right across from me; he was an Indonesian twin. To my right sat a pale-skinned American boy with freckles, who was a humble yet extraordinary basketball player. The most hilarious child with light brown hair and light green eyes, a Palestinian national, sat to my left. Only minutes into my first day of elementary school, I was surrounded by a diverse range of individuals. Associating with a multicultural group of students, at a young age, opened my mind to the mannerisms and expectations of distinct cultures. Having to incorporate every individual’s best interest in my actions and decisions enhanced my critical thinking, negotiation, and communication skills. 

Being in ISG Jubail has provided me with limitless leadership opportunities. My ability to considerately make decisions in favor of a diverse group has helped me thrive as a leader. I developed a love for the comprehensive consideration of factors, the puzzle of satisfying a group which shares a restrictive level of interests. Through the various projects and conversations, I indulged in the lifestyles of my peers to better understand their motives and objectives as well as to just experience something new. Every conversation with a classmate influenced me. Not owning a solid cultural identity has always opened my mind and allowed me to embrace people from all walks of life. Lacking a cultural identity lets me have the best of multiple worlds. 

My name is Hassan Imran. I was born in Pakistan, but I’m not Pakistani. Despite all the love and passion I show for the nation, Saudi Arabia is not, and will never be, my home. I don’t speak the common language. I don’t dress in a thobe. I don’t celebrate their traditions. I lack a sense of security here; at any moment I can be asked to leave the kingdom. I belong neither here, nor there. It is with this insecurity that I have decided to move back to Pakistan. A land where I can fit in, and be treated like family. A land that shares my interests and inherited lifestyle. In a quest to maintain a similar educational atmosphere, I have applied to a school with a significant number of international applicants, the Lahore School of Management Sciences (LUMS). I’ll finally belong.

This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right.

You’re going to publish a post today. Don’t worry about how your blog looks. Don’t worry if you haven’t given it a name yet, or you’re feeling overwhelmed. Just click the “New Post” button, and tell us why you’re here.

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The post can be short or long, a personal intro to your life or a bloggy mission statement, a manifesto for the future or a simple outline of your the types of things you hope to publish.

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• Why are you blogging publicly, rather than keeping a personal journal?
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You’re not locked into any of this; one of the wonderful things about blogs is how they constantly evolve as we learn, grow, and interact with one another — but it’s good to know where and why you started, and articulating your goals may just give you a few other post ideas.

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