When I was 13, I changed school for the first time in my life. It was a difficult period for me because it took time to make friends with my classmates and get used to new teachers, although I've always loved going out and meeting new people. Time passed and I finally felt at ease with my new classmates. One day my parents told me that they would move to Africa for their jobs. And it felt like a bolt from the blue. We are moving to Africa! I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Uncertainty and fear of change began to haunt me. What if I cannot find friends there? What if I won`t be able to study in French? All these thoughts made me panic… And I said to my parents that I didn't want to change my environment and get out of my comfort zone. My parents said that I was no longer a child and that I had to make a final decision myself. I was frustrated. What happens if I stay? What should I do? I tried to answer myself what could be an advantage of going to Africa. I still wanted to see the world, I realized that if I stay, nothing new would happen in my life. I decided to go with my parents, and it was the best decision I've ever made. When I was a kid, I loved to discover new things and was never afraid of adventures. I remembered how breathtaking was to open new microworlds and decided to give myself a chance to get a new experience. On September 19, 2019, we landed at Bangui Airport. Bangui is an extremely poor city in the Central African Republic. At that moment I was overwhelmed with feelings of joy and excitement because my life would be completely different from the life I lived before. I will never forget my first day at school when all the students looked at me with surprise and tried to talk to me, but I didn't understand any of them. I've never been paid so much attention. It felt pleasant and awkward simultaneously. Local people were very kind and cheerful. It made a big impression on me; I did not understand how people can be happy when they are so poor. No money, no entertainment, no internet, they hardly found their daily food. To a 14-year-old teenager accustomed to living in a comfortable apartment with a heating and water supply system, their life seemed like a nightmare. It was hard to realize that I would live for a long time without any shopping centers, entertainment, and cafes and most importantly with no access to the Internet. Sometimes I wanted to return to Kazakhstan, back to my country, but there was no way back. That's how my life in Africa began. Everyday life without social networks and my favorite desserts. The girls at school despised me. They hated white people, and all my attempts to make friends with them were in vain. I didn't understand the language they spoke and could not find any friends among them for half a year. I missed my country and old friends and, of course, Kazakh food. Before coming to Africa, I didn't believe that teenagers could have such problems as depression, anxiety, and apathy. All this happened to me in ninth grade. So, I had personal reasons to get interested in this topic. Why do teenagers have these problems? What is the main reason for this kind of mental condition? Having delved into this topic once, I couldn't stop. I had a lot of free time, and I started reading books on psychology and education. Amina, who always hated reading, became a bookworm! I thought about how I could live without reading books before because there was so much knowledge and emotion in them. It seemed to me that a life I had lived before was empty. Reading psychological books helped me to determine what was happening to me. I contemplated how to be on good terms with my classmates and realized that I should use a different approach to them. Back in history, South Africa was a colony of France. French people who came to their country as occupants insulted and beat locals. Since then, many South Africans have been prejudiced against white people. That was the main reason for the misunderstanding between my classmates and me. We cannot change the past, but we can change the present and influence the future. Local girls considered me an enemy, and I decided to get closer to them and tried to give them small gifts. Yes, it turned out that such simple things can change people's attitudes. My classmates began to talk to me and once even took my part when students from other schools bullied me. Our relationship improved and I felt comfortable with them. I realized that I want to become a teacher and develop professionally in this field. After all, the solution to all my troubles was exactly the right approach. From my early childhood, I dreamed about studying abroad and took small steps to achieve my goal. I wanted to pursue constant self-development, surround myself with positive people, and study what really interests me. I found that Houston is an ideal place to study and build a career. Houston is a megalopolis and one of the most developed states. The North American University is a one of the top universities with highly qualified academic staff. It would be a great honor for me to attend lectures in this university. In the future, I want to give professional help and advice to teenagers who experience similar problems as I did. I also want to show the right direction to people who need educational and psychological help. I believe that through academic and practical experience obtained in the community of multicultural students at North American University with your help I will be able to implement my professional goals.

When I was 13, I changed school for the first time in my life. It was a difficult period for me because it took time to make friends with my classmates and get used to new teachers, although I've always loved going out and meeting new people. Time passed and I finally felt at ease with my new classmates. One day my parents told me that they would move to Africa for their jobs. And it felt like a bolt from the blue. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Uncertainty and fear of change began to haunt me. What if I cannot find friends there? What if I won`t be able to study in French? All these thoughts made me panic… And I said to my parents that I didn't want to change my environment and get out of my comfort zone. My parents said that I was no longer a child and that I had to make a final decision myself. I was frustrated. What happens if I stay? What should I do? I tried to answer myself what could be an advantage of going to Africa. I still wanted to see the world, I realized that if I stay, nothing new would happen in my life. I decided to go with my parents, and it was the best decision I've ever made. When I was a kid, I loved to discover new things and was never afraid of adventures. I remembered how breathtaking was to open new microworlds and decided to give myself a chance to get a new experience. On September 19, 2019, we landed at Bangui Airport. Local people were very kind and cheerful. It made a big impression on me; I did not understand how people can be happy when they are so poor. No money, no entertainment, no internet, they hardly found their daily food. To a 14-year-old teenager accustomed to living in a comfortable apartment with a heating and water supply system, their life seemed like a nightmare. The girls at school despised me. They hated Asian people and all my attempts to make friends with them were in vain. I didn't understand the language they spoke and could not find any friends among them for half a year.I contemplated how to be on good terms with my classmates and realized that I should use a different approach to them. Then at the age of seventeen I started a college in Houston in North American university. Being an international student in the USA in search of better career opportunities, there are some issues affecting international students like academic difficulties, cultural challenges. Moving from a country known for its diverse culture to a different country altogether, you are going to be left dazed. You will be amongst people who do not understand your culture and because of this, you might feel out of place. Their lifestyle differs from yours in terms of food, habits, choice of clothes, attitude and many such things. Living in the U.S. is definitely expensive and you would have to think twice before buying anything. Even a chocolate ice-cream is going to cost a lot when I compare its cost in my country. However, I had a experience before as an international student I didn’t face too much difficulties. On the opposite people here are polite and always try to help. From my early childhood, I dreamed about studying abroad and took small steps to achieve my goal. I wanted to pursue constant self-development, surround myself with positive people, and study what really interests me.