The past is my setting
The challenges in my past made me determined.
When I was young my parents divorced and I lived with my grandparents.
My grandparents gave me love but I was still sad because I couldn’t get love from my parents.
Me: “I need to think positive and be determined because I don’t have parents”
I wanted to have parents just like my friends in my government school.
Me: “I don’t have parents”
My friends: “Oh really? I think you should try to learn hard.”
When my friends said these things I felt a bit disappointed because they just said ‘try to learn hard’ but did not give other ideas to support me.
Me: “Oh thank you. Let’s play now.”
About one year later, when I was in grade 4, I had an accident while I was riding my bike with my really close friend Sokchea.
Me: “Oh friend! Help me! I am bleeding now!”
Sokchea: “I will go to tell your grandparents()”
me “Yes please go now!”
My grandma came and took me home.
Grandma: “Are you okay?”
I did not say anything because I cried and felt hurt.
When I arrived home I changed my clothes and ate rice.
One hour later the man who rode the moto that crashed with me came
Man: “I am sorry that I crashed into her. Please accept my apologies. Here is some money.”
Grandpa: “ It is okay. You don’t need to give the money to me. You can go
home now.”
Man “Thank you.)”
Grandpa said to me: “Next time you need to be careful, OK?”
The next year, when I was in grade 5 , one bus stopped at my school. There were a lot of people who came out and went into all the classes.
One lady come into my class. She was little with brown skin, and she tied her hair with a lot of rubber. Her hight was around 155 cm and her face looked really strong.
“Hello students, my name is Reksmey. I come from the Liger Learning Center.”
“In this class who are the smart and clever students? Raise your hand.”
Then I raised my hand with two friends in my class.
Reksmey: “The students who raised their hands, please follow me”
So I followed her and I took the test in that day with a lot of friends that learned in other classes.
When I did the test I was really lucky because mom Nou came and looked at my work.
Mom Nou: “Can you look at this question again?”
So when I saw that it was wrong I did it again.
After we all finished the test my teacher Sienak told us the results. Sienak is the one teacher who taught grade 5.
Sienak: “Samady, tomorrow you will go to do the next round of tests with Seyha at another school”
The next day Seyha and I went to do the test at one school call Phoom Tnol. This school is where my friend Seyha studied. He came to Liger with me too.
I started to do the test with my friends and with students from Phoom Tnol school.
Seyha: “Samady, can you help me when I do the test?” she asked.
Me: “ I think I can not help you because this is a test.)”
When we did the test she always looked at me and wanted me to help her. However I said nothing and did the test.
“Why does she like to look at my paper? It is a test!” I thought in my mind and turned back to do the test.
Maybe one hour later I saw a boy named Seyha come and do the test. He did not go to my school but he is a smart student. Bong Mary and Bong Navin were the women that gave the test to us and they worked in Liger. Bong Mary was taller than Bong Navin. She has long hair and she is the staff that works on how we live in Liger and how to solve a problem when students have a problem. For Bong Navin she was the director’s assistant. It means she worked on contacting people. If students went on a trip, she will called to our family and speak about it.
Bong Mary: “I think ( ) should call Seyha to come to do the test.”
When we all finished the test we waited for the results.
Bong Mary, Navin: “The students who passed the test are Seyha and Samady.”
So I was really happy and I went home with Bong Mary and Bong Navin.
In the bus Bong Mary asked me some questions.
Bong Mary: “Do you want to go to Liger school?”
Me “I don’t know yet. Let me think about it.”
Bong Mary: “So it means you don’t want to go? You don’t need to go!” She joked and laughed.
Me “No, I want to go but I need to wait for my grandparents to discuss.”
When I arrived home Bong Mary and Bong Navin talked with my grandparents about Liger school.
Bong Mary “We come from Liger school in Phnom Penh. We are traveling in a few provinces to take the clever students to go to learn in Liger school. Samady passed the test so she can go to Liger school.”
My grandma turned to look at my grandpa.
Grandma “What do you think grandpa?”
Grandpa “Is your school good?” My grandpa ask Bong Mary
Bong Mary “In Liger there are a lot of subjects to learn, there are a swimming
pool, a library, foreign teachers and khmer teachers.There are also houses for the children to live in.”
Bong Mary explained to my grandparents carefully about Liger school.
Grandpa “I think she can go because she can learn at the good school and in our family me and my wife won’t have to spend a lot of money to support her learning.”
After I found out that I could go to Liger school I was really happy.
Bong Mary “Thank you for letting her go to our school. I will tell you the date
that she will come to Liger for three days to take a look. The date is on 12th, June, 2012”.
My grandparents agreed and Bong Mary drove the bus to another place with bong Navin.
The day came for me to go to Liger and I was happy to learn there.
Me “ Wow this school is so beautiful. It have a swimming pool, trees, flowers
around the buildings, and ( ) sport court.” I said happily. I felt very luck to come
be there.
Two years later, in March, at dinner time, my teacher named Jeff came into the dining room where we were eating our dinner.
Jeff “ Everyone, I have something to talk to all of you about”.
Jeff “In my country there is a PI day to represent the whole Pi number. In math you all know the Pi number, right? It is 3.14 right?”
Everyone “Yes!”
Jeff: “I have an idea about this. On March 14 in Liger we will have a big Pi day. It means that each house will choose two people to compete. How to compete is that you need to remember 400 digits of the Pi number, but if you can not remember that many, you can just try to remember as much as you can”
Everyone was very excited
students: “Wow”
Jeff: “I already typed up the Pi number and I will send it to you all. Okay? It happened on Friday, so you have 5 more days to remember the Pi number. You all get it?”
students: “yes”
When we all ate dinner finished we went back to our houses and discuss together.
Theara “Who would like to do this?”
Makara “We should choose the people who remember a lot because we need to
remember 400 digits of the PI number.”
Me “ I think I can do it. Can I do it?”
Rathanak “Just try it as much as you can”
Every day I looked at the PI number and tried to remember it. I studied this Pi number with Sythong.
Friday is came and it was Pi day. In the morning under the house, before we went to school, I felt nervous and happy because it was my first time to compete with the Pi number.
Me “I can only remember 200 digits! What can I do?” I said
Soliday “It is okay! 200 digits is a lot, you know”
Me “But what if other people that compete with me they can remember more than
me?”
Rithy “I think it is good that you can remember 200 digits of the number. Don’t
worry about the Other students. If we do not win it is okay. But try it as best as you can”
So in the afternoon me and Sythong started to compete with the other houses. Jeff was the teacher who listened to me and Sythong say PI numbers.
Jeff: “are you ready girls?”
Sythong and me “Yes”
Me, Sythong, Jeff and our family members went down stairs and stood near one jack fruit tree by the path that we use to walk to school to read the PI numbers.
Jeff: “Who starts? ”
Sythong: “me”
When Sythong finished reading it was my turn. Before I started I went quiet and started to think in my mind
Me thinking: “I need to be determined and not scared or afraid. I can do it even
if it is hard for me and even if it is my first time.”
Jeff: “Now are you ready Samady?” he asked
Me: “yes” I whispered
Jeff: “lets start”
I began and my friends started to cheer for me. I stood near the jack fruit tree and my friends is standing in front of me.
My friends: “Try it! Try your best! Please be determined. Be strong and slow.”
They gave me a strong cheer and some of them was quiet because they ( ) afraid that I will recite wrong Pi numbers.
I felt shaky and nervous. At that time I was a little angry because it was
hard for me to think of more PI numbers.
Me: “I know, don’t make me confused, okay” I spoke loudly to them.
Sopor: “Don’t interrupt her. I think she need time to think”.
Then I read the Pi numbers. I could remember just 113 of them because I was nervous and felt scared to recite it. My legs were so shake. My face was sad and I felt discouraged because I think other house will win.
Jeff: “It is amazing Samady that you can read 113 numbers of PI!. I am really
impressed. Don’t be sad, okay,” He said
Me: “Thank you Jeff,” I whispered
So when everyone finished we went into the assembly room and waited for the results.
Jeff: “How do you feel everyone?”
Friend: “scared!”
Other: “butterflies in the stomach!”
Another: “Exited!”
Jeff: “let me tell you the result”
Jeff: “The fourth place is…. Visal.”
Everyone: “ hoo, hoo”
Jeff: “The third place is… Sythong.”
Everyone: “hoo, wow! hoo.”
Jeff: “Samnang could remember 100 digits of Pi numbers” He explained.
When he said this already he spoke very fast and loud to everyone.
Jeff: “But Samady can remember 113 digits of Pi numbers” he declared.
Everyone: “hoo, hoo, hoo”
I jumped up. That time I felt excited and my house cheered, and clapped their hands for me.
me: “Yeah!”
Caroline: “Samady come here to take the PI cookie,” She called to me.
Me: “Okay!” I went up and everyone was clapped their hand.
everyone: “yeah, hoo”
I took some pictures with Caroline and the Pi cookie because she made that PI cookie. The PI cookie was made from apple. It was sweet and sour.
I took the PI cookie to eat with my house members.
Theara: “I thought our house would not win,” he said
Samnang G: “I was a little afraid that our house would not win but now our
house won.
We all were happy and enjoyed the PI cookie and I was really happy and so proud of myself that I could make my house happy.
The paragraph: All of the challenges in my childhood made me feel determined. They made me strong to face the challenge in my life now. Even though it is hard for me, I can be calm and not be scared. Remember in the story? I felt scared when I was ready to recite the Pi numbers, but then I thought it was easy. If I think it is easy, it will be easy, but if I think it is hard, it will be hard for me.
I can do everything because I feel strong and think positive. For me, most of the time I get stressed and angry easily. I should practice to be calm.
When I had the accident with the moto, I knew it was lucky for me because I had a friend to help me. Even when my parents divorced and went away from me, I still had my grandparents to take care of me and give love to me.
When I did the test to come to Liger, it was my chance to tell myself that I could do it. If I passed the test I could had a good future and I will change my family and my country to be a better place. During the Pi contest, even though I won, I was still thinking about the other houses. Sometimes we lose and sometimes we win. People isn’t not always perfect. If I lose today, I will win next time. If I win today, next time I will practice more and more.
The end.