I was feeding my horses when I received the message that changed my life. That message was from a scholarship program in Oman that said that I received an international scholarship. My name is Al-Waleed, and I’m 18. In the next few lines, you will get to know a bit more about me.
I grew up in fairly large family, at least by Canadian standards. My parents have seven children: Khaloud, 26, Safia, 24, Maria, 22, Mohammed, 21, me, Ghazwa, 14 and Ali, 10. My dream was to study somewhere outside my home country. Not because I didn’t like it, but because I wanted to travel to different countries, and get to know the outside world more. I was lucky enough to be a part of a scholarship program that was funded by one of the biggest companies in my country. After fulfilling the requirements, I was able to earn that scholarship and be here. This scholarship has made it possible for me to be sitting at my desk now, in Fulford Preparatory College, and for you to be reading these words.
Living in Merrickville is different than Oman. For example, my city back home has around 220,000 people; Merrickville is much, much smaller. And yet, I find the small town of Merrickville to be charming in its own unique ways. It’s quiet and the people are friendly. It’s a great place to live because it is so beautiful. Sohar, my city in Oman, is much bigger. The weather is usually hot and it’s located right beside the Oman sea.
While Sohar and Merrickville are different, they are both beautiful places that I am happy to have lived in. My travels have led me to meet many people and to know different cultures and perspectives. I am happy that I have had the opportunity to spend two years in this small town; I will remember this time fondly as I continue my travels around the world.