Meet the NYLC Students: Illia Lopez

Students in the Post Advanced Level at NYLC Jackson Heights do essay writing as a part of their practice for the TOEFL Exam. One of our students was asked to “describe a time when you couldn’t do your normal routine”. Here's his heartfelt essay.

Ten years ago, when I was in high school, I used to play a lot of sports, like basketball, water polo, soccer and volleyball, but the sport I liked the most was definitely soccer. If my memory is right, we had won all the tournaments already, but there was still remaining the final of the soccer championship, which was going to be the following day.

In the days before the match I was able to keep myself safe and available until something happened. While we were training, one of my teammates, accidentally, pushed me down and broke my leg!! In that moment while I was falling down and my leg was breaking, I was in darkness. I felt tiny and fragile as though everybody were bigger than me and I would not know how to protect myself from them. I knew I could not face this important match I was preparing for. When I realized that, my eyes filled up and tears streamed down my face as a waterfall in a river.

The match day I could not even go to school to take classes. I felt awful and weak. I did not want to see anyone, not even my parents or friends. I got a lot of supporting messages from my friends but I ignored them. That day went by really slowly. I spent the whole day in my bed watching the ceiling, thinking about the match I was missing when my mom came and hugged me. At the beginning that was weird, because I was not expecting that, but then I felt safe and loved. There is no doubt. Mothers are super heroes. 

Love you mom ️