Zarina 1

Zarina Barotova

James Johnson

English 120.1V0

August 07, 2021

My Father’s Meaningful Phrases

As Marcus Tullius said, “A room without books is like a body without a soul” I have this

quote framed and sitting at my desk. Since I was young, I have been interested in reading

fictional books and learning foreign languages such as English. The place where I could nurture

my love of reading was in our library at our home. It was a special place for my father as well,

and I can still see him sitting in our library, looking out the window, but returning to the book he

was reading. Since that time, I have been interested in reading books. What I achieved so far in

my life is because of my father. Some advice from my dad changed my whole life.

My father is a very determined man. He plays a significant role in my entire life. I

remember so important event that happened in my life. When I was in school, I used to go to

extra classes to prepare for the college exam. I did not have free time to play with my friends or

even go to some parties I was invited to. It was July; I had to take the exam on August 1st, which

was only a month away. My excitement grew as the exam approached. In my country,

Uzbekistan, entrance exams to all universities and colleges are held on the same day, once a year,

on August first.

Finally, examination day was here. I woke up very early that day and started preparing for

the exam, dressed in my beautiful clothes. Although I was very nervous before the exam, I tried

not to let my parents know it. My parents went to the exam to support me; they prayed before the
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exam and wished me good luck. The exam lasted three hours, during which I had to answer

questions from three subjects. My parents waited outside until the end of the exam. While the

test was over, the wait was not; the result would not be available until the next day. Finally, the

exam answers also came out, and the employee who announced the test results started telling the

result. He called the students one by one to his room to privately give each student the results of

the exam. When I entered the room, I was nervous.

With a heavy heart, the results of the exam were what I had foreseen. I had failed the exam,

and I had a low score. I could not stop my tears. On that day, the sky was covered with dark

clouds, and it was raining very hard. It was raining for me as if the world was shedding its tears

for me. I was so depressed that I didn’t even know how to get home. I got home in a hurry and

told my parents I had failed the exam. After that, I lost my self-confidence and lost interest in

life. Unfortunately, I didn’t want to meet with my friend or go to my friend’s birthday parties.

Not only my interest in studying, but my interest in life also faded. A month passed in that way.

One day my dad knocked on my door and asked permission to enter my room. When he

came in and sat on the edge of my bed where I was lying and said, ‘’Daughter, there are so many

obstacles and challenges in a person’s life. These obstacles are given to test a person to see if the

person can withstand every obstacle or exam he encounters along the way and loses hope. If he

loses his confidence, he will not be able to achieve the desired results he wants.” These words

from my father helped me realize that I should never lose hope and realize that I always had to

move forward. From that day, I started preparing for the exam again. So I trained for another

year, but this time I prepared much harder than the previous year.

Finally, on August 1st, the day of the exam, all the prospective students woke up in the

morning and prepared to take the exam, including me. We set off to go to the exam; the roads
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were full of cars that morning as if all the cars were rushing to the exam. It was as if the sun was

shining just for me. I enjoyed the sunlight while driving in the car and thought about good things.

A few minutes later, we reached the exam; again, my parents always blessed me and wished me

good luck. Before entering the exam, my father repeated those phrases which he told me earlier. I

gained more self-confidence and entered the exam in a good mood. During the three hours, I

answered all the questions which were given from three subjects. Finally, the exam was over, and

I came out from there; my parents were waiting and were interested in how the exam went. And I

told them the exam went well. We went back home because the exam result would be ready the

next day. The next morning was beautiful as I drove to campus to get my exam result. Finally,

the administration announced the exam answers. I was delighted that I had been accepted to the

Technological Institute. I would rush home to share my joy with my family. As soon as I got

home, I told my family that good news, and they were just as happy as I was. Then my father

said,’’ You see, if you try, you will achieve everything you want, so never despair.’’

My father is still in Uzbekistan reading in his library. When I am at home in my own library,

reading my own favorite books, or when I am studying for a chemistry exam, his words still

encourage me “to achieve the results I want.” So after I graduated from the Technological

Institute, my educational journey changed courses when I came to the United States to study. My

father’s advice continues to guide me, and even if I face obstacles, my father’s advice gives me

hope.