As I walk away and wave my family and friends good bye I am afraid my heart will break in two and I will drown in my tears. I have been dreading this moment for so long that my body and mind is tired, I am exhausted. I feel emptiness inside and as my plane takes off I look out the window and everything becomes smaller and farther away. I am leaving everything that is dear to me and going to an unfamiliar land. However, in the back of my mind I know that this is all worth the suffering because in America I will be presented with the best education and many opportunities, something that I would not be able to get at home.
The country where I am from, Kazakhstan, is really poor and most of the people dream of going somewhere abroad and get an education that they desire. Unfortunately, not everyone can afford it so they try to get an education in their home universities. However, since the government does not have enough money to provide universities, you can imagine what sort of education students get. Many of them have no access to computers or libraries. There is also a lack of qualified teachers since the salary is so low it is hilarious. The average salary is ranging from $40 to $100 per month. What is even worse, not everyone can get accepted even into these universities because to get admitted one has to pass an entrance exam and if one does not, he has to wait for another year to take it again. In addition, there is no such thing as financial aid or scholarships so even smart but poor kids cannot attend a university. I am fortunate that my parents were able to send me to study in the United States and I am really aware of the opportunity I got. What is really shocking for me is that here so many people take it for granted. They do not take an advantage of having so many good places to attend without a necessity to leave even their own neighborhoods whereas people in other countries are dying to get this opportunity.