Esraa Alkhateeb, Grade 12
UWC Mostar

Since I was a kid, one of the things that always scared me are the sea and the pools. Although I like to swim in pools, I was pretty sure that if swam without a swimming wheel I would drown. Until I went on that family trip. On that day when I forgot to bring my swimmer weel and wanted to swim very badly. I decided to give it a shot without the swimming wheel. It for sure was not as easy nor as fast as I sound when I now remember it. I could swim for the first time, alone and without any help from anyone. I was very young back then and did not see the full picture as I do now.

It May be a small and not important story. But I really learned a lot from it. I learned that you can only imagine how strong you are if you are in a difficult situation.

I now use this technique in many situations. If I am scared of something, I just force myself to face it. And it always works. Humans do really have good coping skills, I think that is one of the greatest blessings I will always be grateful for.