Hello, everyone! My name is Kiera. We all are aware of the great impact that
the internet has had on our lives nowadays. It has changed my life dramatically as well. I wanna tell you now about the most awful
truth that was revealed to me on the internet. I was born into a family of two amazing historians
and archaeologists, who were really into their work. We've always lived out of suitcases and trunks
because my parents took part in excavations all over the world. It was amazing to move from one ancient cultural
place to another and to learn about new people, their culture, their language, and their history. Of course it was hard to get used to a new
home, school, and lifestyle, and deep inside I hoped we would settle somewhere one day. And besides, I never had those normal things
that most kids my age had and used every day. We never had a TV or the internet. In some places we couldn't even use our phones
because there was no service, but it never actually bothered me much. I always used to think that I had a very happy
childhood. But everything changed one day. We lived in a small village in India, and
my parents were working day and night. They would leave early in the morning and
come back home very late. Once my mother came back alone. She looked really worried and nervous and
she told to me that my dad had set off on an extremely important business trip and that
she would have to join him soon, and that I couldn't go with them. I was going to be staying with my grandparents. She said we were leaving immediately and that
I had to go pack as quickly as I could. Shock didn't even begin to describe it all. Nothing like that had ever happened before. We flew out on a red-eye to Austin, the city
where my grandma and grandpa lived. Sure, I was excited to see my grandparents,
but even though my mom had tried to persuade me that everything was OK, I still had some
worries. I had a wonderful time at grandma and grandpa's,
but my mom literally left the same day that we had arrived. She promised that they would come for me in
two weeks, but it never happened. My grandparents told me that mom and dad had
to work on something really important and they would be coming a little later than they
had expected. And also my grandma said that my parents'
business trip was not a reason for me to lie around all day. She told me that my parents had wanted me
to go to boarding school. That was really frightening! I have never gone to a big, modern school
in a big American city! But I tried to persuade myself that it was
just going to be a new gripping experience. So, I waved goodbye and set off for boarding
school. It turned out to be so unusual and strange
at first. The school was enormous and there were electronic
displays everywhere. All my classmates were always staring at their
phones or discussing subjects that I couldn't even have a conversation about. I would often hear giggles behind my back
when I tried to study on the computer in the library or when I asked some stupid questions
about the things that are pretty common in the modern world. I wished they would ask about African tribal
customs or ask me to speak Mandarin Chinese. The only person I managed to make friends
with was Olivia, my roommate. She was so amazed by the fact that I'd spent
my whole life away from the civilized world. She would ask me questions all night long,
to the point that we both were sleepy before our lessons the next day. But she also tried to get me involved in everything
that was going on at school and to make me more... modern. She helped me with all the devices and told
me which was more important – she even taught me how to use the internet. My parents have always been pretty conservative
and told me that there was nothing special about it. They encouraged me to read books instead. But I felt like a completely new world had
opened up for me. I could look up any information there to learn
anything that I wanted. I started to spend a lot of time on the internet,
I made new friends, and became part of my school community. Time was going by, but I still had not heard
from my parents. I never even spoke to Olivia about them until
it was time for our holiday break. She told me she was going to spend her holidays
in the mountains with her parents and asked me: “Where are you going, Kiera? Where are your mom and dad going to take you
this time?" I burst into tears and told her the whole
story. But Olivia didn't seem to be discouraged. She said: "Come on, we've got the internet! If your parents are famous archaeologists,
we can easily find them! Let's look it up there!" So, we went to the library and started the
search. And it didn't take long. We managed to find tons articles about the
projects my parents had worked on previously, but there was no information about what they
were doing now. But then... I came across some forum where archaeologists
were discussing a bunch of possible issues, professional or otherwise. And there were mom and dad's accounts there
as well! But for some reason they were blocked. I kept searching and finally I found a theme
where archaeologists were discussing a recent incident of theft in... India! I clicked on the link with a shaking hand
and saw my parents' pictures! The words "theft," "ancient relics," and "arrested"
occurred in every message. My parents, my mom and dad, were not on an
incredibly important business trip, they were in prison because they had stolen some ancient
Indian relics. I could hardly believe my eyes. Olivia was sitting next to me, stunned. It took me some time to start breathing again,
to make myself stand up and call my grandma. My grandparents knew from day one what had
happened, from the day of my father's arrest. It was my grandma who insisted on my coming
to Austin. Soon after, my mom was arrested as an accomplice,
as well. Grandma persuaded her not to tell me the bitter
truth for as long as possible. And it was so painful, because the only thing
I wanted was to see my parents again. I begged my grandparents to let me visit them. And after a little while, they agreed. It was so awkward to see my mom and dad wearing
those orange suits and to not be able to take their hands and get them out of that horrible
place. There were a lot of tears, apologies, and
remorse, and there was nothing we could do, but wait... five years for my dad and three
years for my mom. I will be an adult by that time. I have to admit that I was really angry with
my parents at first. I would never have expected them do anything
like this. They destroyed their own lives and mine too. It took me a lot of time to find the strength
to forgive them. It's been almost three years now and I am
looking forward to seeing my dear mother again. I know it's going to be hard for her, for
all of us, but we have to pay for our mistakes and to be held responsible for the things
we do. Have your parents ever made an unjustifiable
mistake? Have you forgiven them? I would also be happy to read your stories. It would be great to know if you've watched
this video and know mine. We all need to stick together and to stay
strong for ourselves and our family.
