Who am I? An Essay

My name is Bal Gin, I am seventeen years old, and I am married. I was born and raised in Memphis, TN. My parents are from Palestine. My religion is Islam, and to be honest, I am a proud Muslim. In Islam, my name, Bal or Bilquis, means the Queen of Sheba. In my family, we believe the name is associated with people who have a deep inner desire to serve humanity and to serve others. Since I was young, my core value of existence has been to help people improve their quality of life in all aspects. I was born into a family of eight, four boys and four girls. During my childhood, my siblings and I used not to get along with each other. However, this is not the case today; we have become close and always helping each other.

My family has been my anchor, as much as I have friends, I believe friends at times are like seasons, today they are here, and tomorrow they are gone, but a family will never leave. I am the only child whose dreams and wishes have been relatively easy over the past years. Although I have achieved many things in life, my life has not been such easy. I have met some life challenges, which I have overcome with the help of peers and parents.

I have had numerous goals in life, among them has been to become a Nurse Practitioner. I set this goal at the age of fourteen, which was driven by my intention to help the needy. Deep down, I feel that it is my responsibility to serve and care for patients and society in general. I firmly believe that the impact of caring for someone will bring me a sense of purpose and personal fulfilment. My choice of this profession was inspired by my mother, who is also a Nurse Practitioner. Despite the numerous struggles that she has undergone, she has managed to raise eight children, teach Arabic and practice her profession to the fullest. In my opinion, my passion for this profession would best complement my natural abilities and enable me to follow in my mother’s footsteps.

At this age I have a greater understanding of life, the various challenges that one undergoes are meant to make them stronger and build their abilities. Personally, I have struggled with weight problems all my life despite all my efforts to try and lose it. Moreover, my extended family has had problems which they kept dragging me into. At first, I failed to understand why, but with time, I created a better understanding that I am equipped with problem-solving abilities. I highly value the opportunities that I have had in my life, some year’s back I started volunteering at the mosque. This work has given me great socializing opportunities and the chance to help other people.

In conclusion, I am thankful for the life I have, especially compared to the people in Syria. The war has deprived them the basic needs of life not to mention the numerous lives lost, and this reason I have vowed to help others. A simple smile may change someone’s life. That is why I am always confident and smiling. I aim to maintain a positive mindset and, by so doing, am sure to overcome various life challenges despite the current life happenings.