The World of Go-Carting - Essay Example

I was born in a small village, A’ali, in Bahrain. I would say it was unique growing up in a village that had the same as I did. I was the secondchild of my parents. I was always a carefree and independent child. I remember my mother, Fatima, fretting over the various cuts and bruises that I started getting due to my “explorations” around the house. I was just 2 years old when I stuck a fork into the electric switch just to see what the tiny holes for. Needless to say not only did I get the “shock of my life”, but consequently was also followed around by my mother ever step I took. My love for excitement and trying out new things led me to delve into the world of go-carting; I was four when I made my own go-cart with the help of my father, and eight when I competed in a professional race. I was so proud that day, dressed up in a racer’s outfit and rearing to go. As soon as he saw me in the uniform, my elder brother Ali started laughing and did not stop making fun of me all day long, even after the race had ended. Hussain and Manar, my younger brother and sister, were, however, awestruck at how nice their elder brother looked, and even though I did not win that race, both of them treated me like a hero the whole week after the race. However, I would say that throughout my childhood my parents were my biggest fans. I remember my father taking time off of his busy schedule just to accompany me to go go-carting. He is the CEO of a family run business of construction, and has been, and still is, a very busy man. He and my mother used to be there at all the events I ever competed in. My mother used to ensure that all of us were present at all significant events of each other’s lives. We never missed each other’s birthdays or school plays. Once my father had a very important meeting with his clients in the afternoon and my sister’s school play was on the same evening. My father’s meeting ran a little late, and we thought that he would miss it; to our surprise we saw our father walking in the school auditorium at the exact time the play was to begin. We later found out that he ended the meeting before time and lost the contract with the clients. He said that it was a small price to pay considering what mom would have done to him had he missed the play. Just five minutes away from our house were the famous ancient burial mounds that comprise the oldest historical graveyard in the world. Inspired by the stories I had read about the famous pyramids of Egypt and the treasure they contained, I used to go there often with my younger brother Hussain tagging along. We used to take something to eat from the fridge and sneak out on our own, two explorers in search of our treasure. One day, we tried so hard to find the hidden treasure that we were soon exhausted, so we fell asleep there, only to wake up late in the evening. Shamefacedly, we went towards our home, knowing we were in trouble. When we reached our house, we saw cars lined up in the drive way and all the lights switched on inside the house. We sneaked inside the house, making sure we made no noise, however, as soon as we entered the house, we were greeted by a loud exclamation by Jaddee, our grandfather, who rushed towards us and embraced us. Then he turned around and shouted towards the living room, “The boys are fine, praise to God”. All of a sudden a swarm of relatives rushed in, with our mom in the lead. I thought we were in for a beating, which, though threatened, had never before happened, in our lives; Hussain was so scared that he started crying. To our surprise our mother hugged us and started crying. It was much later, after the commotion had died that we learned that our parents thought we had gone missing, and had also gone to the police to help find us. It was with a lot of embarrassment that we told them what actually had happened, though we did not get punished for it. It was around this time that my father decided to get us horses, something not uncommon in the Arab world. We already had three dogs that we really liked and played with most of the day, however, it was not until my father took us to show the horses that I felt I had found my true calling in life. I was obsessed with the horse riding from the get go, not only did I learn how to ride a horse really quickly, I became so adept at it that soon I could also perform jumps and other difficult maneuvers. At the crack of dawn, I would wake up and make my way to the stables where Haroon my favorite horse was already up, waiting for me to come. I would first take him to the water and then bridle him, and then both of us would go for a ride around the village. The feeling I got riding on the horse with the wind in my hair is simply indescribable. On weekends we often used to go fishing and water skiing. My brother Ali was the best at fishing and always caught the biggest fish, Hussain and I, however, were more interested in the water sports. Fishing, to us, was boring as it took a lot of time, though we did participate as our father really liked to fish and we loved spending time with him and listening to him tell us stories. There are moments when I really miss my childhood and wish I could go back to those days when my biggest worry was if the weather was pleasant enough for me to go riding or not. However, in the words of my father, the real joy of childhood is enjoyed while reminiscing about it, and so I reminisce and I always end up having a smile on my face. Read More