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A few years ago, before my brother and I were about to start sixth form, my mother rigorously attempted to persuade us to return to the UK and complete our studies at a boarding school.
At that time, my mother believed this would be best for us and she had her fair share of reasons why it would be beneficial to leave everything behind and complete our schooling ‘back home’.
It was around the time when the unrest was at its peak and it greatly threatened our education. But the most prominent reason my mother believed we should return was so that we would get accustomed to the UK way of life, which would ultimately prepare us for the independent university lifestyle that awaited us, and, in her words, make us more ‘street wise’.
In the end, my brother and I simply refused to go. The idea of leaving our comfortable lifestyles here and start anew at one of the most important times of our lives seemed absurd. But the idea of leaving our friends behind was the key factor which made us want to stay.
Now, with only a few months left before we leave for university, I have started contemplating the positives of what boarding school would have taught me.
I will admit that I am fairly naive when it comes to public transport in the UK and having never moved out of Bahrain, I have never before been in a situation where I have had to make new friends. These skills, which people of my age take for granted, are alien to me.
My brother and I are now in a situation where we are about to go, unprepared, to live in a country that is almost completely alien to us, a situation I know we are not alone in.
*Editor’s note: What advice can readers give Megan? Write to editor@gulfweekly.com and we will publish a selection of your letters.
