The water was its normal warm temperature as the sun blazed over it. A coconut tree leaned over making a reflection on the water, and the lake looked as fresh as a newborn baby from a distance. I gathered the fishing equipment, which was heavy for an 11 year old, and headed toward the lake. The lake is part of the land my dad owns in Bangladesh, so it took a minute to get there. As I was getting closer to the lake, herds of cows and sheep suddenly appeared and shrieked in terror, making me jump. I skidded pass them as quickly as possible as I could hear my heart racing and feel the sweat dripping from the side of my face. I was out of breath and I felt like I was stuck inside a box. I looked up to find my dad and sister sitting on the freshly cemented bench waiting patiently as if I had not just ran like I was frightened to death. My dad asked, "What took you so long?"

"The herds of cows and sheep were attacking me." I sarcastically answered. "Very funny," he said, as I saw my sister smirking in the corner of her face.

I took out the fishing pole that suited me best. My dad commenced teaching me how to catch a fish. It was a time consuming process. At first, it was subtle, then a fish took the bait. I was impatient and at the same time terrified because I felt like I was going to be pulled into the water. My dad continuously instructed me about how to pull the fishing pole out. I was getting so frustrated at the fish that I wanted to jump inside and grab one, but I wouldn't be able to do that because I couldn’t swim. My little sister made snarky comments about how I couldn’t catch a fish. I had no patience left and my dad told me to calm down. He said it was okay to get frustrated because it was my first time doing it. My dad told me to breathe whenever I got impatient, so I tried doing that. I went through the steps my dad told me. I pulled the fishing pole over my head and splashed it into the water. I waited patiently and quietly. My dad and my sister sat in an utter silence as if they were in a library. I was trying to avoid the screeching sounds of the birds. My palms were sweating on the fishing pole. A few seconds later, my fishing pole was viciously tugged. My dad said, "Pull it out with all the strength you have." I did what my dad told me to do and I pulled the fishing pole as hard as I can backwards. I felt like my muscles were splitting into two pieces. Not knowing what I was doing, I fell backwards on my back and hit myself on the ground. The fish landed directly on my chest. It was squirming around and felt like a spider on me. I thought I wouldn't have caught a fish this big, and its eyes stared directly at me. My dad grabbed the fish and put it on the floor. I got up from the ground and he said to me, "You see, if you have the patience, greater things will happen." I had a grin that lit up my dad's face for teaching me how to be patient and how to catch a fish. I told my dad I wanted to come back to Bangladesh to learn to do something new again.

This furry, yellow bee started buzzing around my head and I started to sway my hands back and forth in an attempt to get rid of it. My sister said, “You know how ridiculous you look right now.” My dad started laughing, which made me laugh and we all just started chuckling together.