Name: Ali, Mahmoud Fares

BALIC 076 Sec 1

Date: 05/31/2016
Portfolio Assignment:
A Turning Point
Learning how to read is interesting, but the way I started my reading journey is absolutely
marvelous. It started when my mum was trying to make me different from everyone else. She
used to read for me, but I was disinterested because I loved to play with my friends rather than
wasting my time listening to what I considered to be nonsense. At first, she tried to convince me
that reading a newspaper or a magazine is helpful for me but I was stubborn. She noticed that I
spent a lot of time watching Mazinger and Grendizer which, for me, meant action and
excitement. She was very smart, and one day she came home and told me I have a surprise for
you. I thought it would be a toy but it turned out to be a magazine. As a matter of fact, I was
frustrated and angry; nonetheless, she put it on my desk and left. Then, I noticed that the
magazine cover had a familiar character whose name I couldnt remember. As I said, I was
stubborn but I couldnt help it. Reluctantly, I went to my mum and asked her about the name of
that character, but she pretended that she couldnt remember. After two hours, my father came
home and I asked him to help me but on one condition: not to tell my mum. Accordingly, he
called one of his friends, who was fond of comics, and borrowed two of his. For my surprise,
after eleven years, my parents told me that it was all planned! For their surprise, I was still
watching cartoons and reading comics. Consequently, at the age of eighteen, I realized that day
was a turning point in my life.