Aydin Reyhan
Back and Forth
My life has had its ups and downs over the years and I am actually thankful for both. If the bad and good things did not occur, I would not be who I am today. God has been there to spare me and give me an inexplicable amount of joy. This story is not being written for the hell of it. It’s supposed to have meaning.
It’s July 11, 2001. My best friend Ish was riding his bike alongside me near Valley National Bank which was a 1 minute ride from my house. As we were crossing the street, he sped up just a bit. Being the daring child that I was, I began to pedal at a much quicker pace.
I rode extremely quickly towards two parked cars and then squeezed in between them. However, I did not realize that there was a Land Rover traveling at 25 mph as I was riding near the giant vehicle? Next thing I knew, my bike was underneath the front ties, and my body was on top of the car. My knee also cracked the front left head light.
After about twenty seconds, I looked around and saw many people coming to my aid. I was shocked, confused, and still somewhat dazed after what had just happened. Ish was shocked and right by my side as another young man our age escaped from the passenger side of the SUV that just ruined my day. He was a class mate of mine and the driver of the vehicle was his mother. It was shock, fear, agony, and coincidence all in one.
It’s May 22, 2010. I arrived at the stadium, with goose bumps all over my body, not allowing me to relax. The stadium was full of spectators and the excitement amongst everyone was obvious. It was the first time I ever had the chance to see my beloved Turkey play an international soccer match. It was truly an honor to be attending this event.
Four of my friends made the trip with me to the match. Only four of us are Turkish, with the other being Guatemalan. He agreed to attend the match since I invited him. Everyone enjoyed the match, as it was truly exciting.
I was screaming in fear and pain as the people around me repeatedly asked me like parrots if I was alright. Finally, Ish ran to my house to inform my mother. After hearing the news, she sprinted down the driveway and across the street, not even caring about any cars that could have potentially injured her. Once hearing about that, my fear and pain became even worse.
She arrived at the scene discussing what had happened with the driver and checked to see if I was alright. The lady and my mother were both crying as none could believe what had just happened. At first, I was extremely angry at myself at what just occurred because I should have though twice before doing so. However, I did learn a valuable lesson.
The fans began chanting the beautiful songs of both sides. The Czech Republic was our opponent on the day and they played very well. The most exciting moment of the match arrived when Turkish wonder kid Arda Turan began opened the scoring with a slick shot past the opposing goal keeper. This brought about a beautiful roar.
Fans to my left and right jumped out of their seats screaming at the top of their lungs, but none were as loud as I was. My favorite player had just scored a goal and Turkey led 1-0. It was a beautiful moment.
Stunningly, since I was afraid of going to the hospital, I stood up and began limping towards my house. The ambulance along with every other spectator was shocked that I was actually able to walk. At that moment, God was the one to thank for that blessing.
After a bit of treatment at a chiropractor, the swelling in my knee went down drastically so it wasn’t as bad any more. Two days after the accident, on July 13, my family, friends, and I all celebrated my 13th birthday. Two days after that on July 15, my parents sent me to Turkey to learn more about my religion, Islam.
Three events, each two days apart, made my summer a whirlwind of an adventure. There was happiness, fear, and excitement all throughout. Those are three dates I will never, ever forget.
At half-time, Edgar (one of my friends) and I went to buy some food and drinks for the second half. The line was a bit long so the game did already begin while we were waiting.
All of a sudden, I heard a bunch of screaming from inside the stadium. Turkey’s Nihat Kahveci had increased our lead to 2-0 and immediately I began jumping for joy and hugged Edgar. It was a fairy tale unfolding in front of my eyes.
The game would end 2-1 to the Turks. My friends all looked at me and smiled as it was truly a remarkable experience. This event marked one of the happiest moments of my entire life.
The accident made me thankful to God for sparing my life. The Turkish victory made me thankful to God for allowing us to win in my first ever attendance. Both events made me who I am today.
Hey,
ReplyDeleteI like the two events you chose to write about: the tragedy/miracle of your accident and the thrill of the soccer match. I also like your use of the two dates for the two events—it gave me a timeframe.
Your sentence “The fans began chanting the beautiful songs of both sides” is my favorite. I like that you use the words “both sides” instead of something like “the two teams.” (A random comment, but that sentence sounds really good!)
I like the imagery of screaming in your piece as well, which I think you talked about using in class. I can feel how much these two events mean to you. And since I can already sense how you feel, you may not need to write about it in your first and last paragraphs. Your story itself already gets your point across successfully.
I liked the way your story flowed between segments--it took the reader (or at least me) a few words to realize they were in a different place. It was interesting to see how two seemingly opposite events can both be life changing and bring you to the same conclusion.
ReplyDeleteThis is very nit-picky, but there were two moments where the wording seemed... not as on point as the rest of the piece. "extremely quickly" describing the car, I feel like you have done more to make us feel the danger. Also "could have potentially" talking about the cars seemed redundant.