Today, people in our country are used to a very competitive lifestyle. With the rising cost of living, it is a big problem for the majority of our country to survive for a month on hard-earned money. With that life crisis, people do different things to win their dreams. Some people work very hard and pass the school entrance exams with the highest marks.(Sri Lanka Latest News)
Others go abroad to live a better life. They do all these things to live happily. With the intention of attaining happiness someday. We heard about a wonderful person who faced a cut-off that he had missed after many years.
He is a 40-year-old man named Nalin Darshan Wijetunga, a resident of Matara Uyanwatta area. He first faced the A-level examination 20 years ago in 2002. That is from the stream of mathematics. Nalin was able to pass only two subjects at that time. But he did not give up. He wanted to pass the high-level examination with flying colours and apply for the green card lottery that selects deserving people from different countries for permanent residence in the United States.
He decided to sit the A-level exam again in 2022, after 20 years, because passing the A-level exam is also a special qualification to apply for the green card lottery. This time, he had appeared for advanced level under the art stream. Accordingly, the subjects he chose were Sinhala, Journalism and Political Science. According to the recently released A-level results, Nalin obtained a ‘C’ pass in Sinhala subject and Journalism subject, and an ‘S’ pass in Political Science subject. The speciality of this result is that he covered the syllabus of the exam in a very short period of 18 days.
Nalin Darshana Wijetunga is a loving father of two sons and a daughter and an alumnus of Matara Rahul College. His wife works as a doctor in Matara General Hospital.
Nalin commented on his commitment to achieving his goal.
The reason for writing the exam is to complete one of the qualifications required to apply for a green card. There was no way to apply without that basic qualification. In 2002, I passed the advanced-level examination and passed both subjects. Our eldest son’s dream is to go to America. He has been reading about Elon Musk since his childhood. Our relatives are in Australia and New Zealand.
But my son wants to go to America. So we looked for a way to go to America. If the green card lottery is drawn, the family can go there. Both of us in the family can apply, so the chances are high. I thought that in order to apply, I had to pass the advanced-level exam. So before applying for the exam, I tried to study through YouTube. Then I thought I could do something.
There is a deputy principal who is our relative. He said that the applications have been accepted now, but he will find out exactly tomorrow and tell me. He called me the next day and said there was still a chance, to bring the ID. Accordingly, after going there, he prepared the necessary things. He also asked why I was doing the advanced-level exam again. I then explained.
After that, I went to Matara and bought three past-exam question-and-answer books for all three subjects. Looking at them, I realized that it was difficult. But I didn’t give up. Even when I go to sleep, I upload a YouTube video related to the exam. He wakes up again at one to two in the night. At that time, you will be asked to do the rest of the video you watched. Many people helped me to get this result. My wife was attending to the children’s school work as I was studying.
The minimum qualification required to apply for the Green Card Lottery is to have passed all three A-level subjects. Now I can apply because I have that qualification. Whether or not I win from it is another matter. Even though I didn’t get a green card, this victory is the biggest victory in my life.’ Nalin said with overwhelming happiness.
This is how the doctor wife of Mr Nalin Darshanage, who won this challenge, expressed her happiness about her husband’s exam success.
He has a great desire to go to a foreign country. That is why there was a need to apply for a green card. A friend of his had said that he should pass A/L for that. He also said that there are many videos related to the exam on social media networks, there are even tutorials on how to do them, and you can watch them and sit the exam. That’s why I contributed more to the housework and helped my husband with his exams. I went to bring the children home after school. He was given the freedom to study for his exam. He prepared for the exam within 18 days.
We got married through a love affair. He was doing business. Even at that time, if he had been interested in this, he would have reached a good place like me in terms of education and career. One must have the need to work dedicatedly to achieve one’s goal. If you think positively and focus on it, if you try not to think of age as a barrier, you can succeed in life….’
The elder son of Mr Nalin Darshana Wijetunga also commented on his father’s skills.
‘Dad has a good character. If he wants to do something, he will definitely do it as soon as possible. That’s why I know that even if it’s two days instead of 18 days, he will study to the maximum for those two days. What we want to say to someone who is taking an exam is to work hard to get the best results no matter how short the time we have. There is no question that the result was low. But we have to try.
I love to go to America. The main reason for that is that it is the best country in the world to do business. As a country with a number one economy, there are great business opportunities there. Dad didn’t take any time for it because he was studying. Whenever possible, a recording was played while doing other work. He devoted himself so much to the exam. Today, he has received the results of that commitment…’
A father’s love is a wonderful feeling. A father makes endless sacrifices for his children. Fathers make sacrifices for their children and family sometimes without even thinking about their own lives. This father also won this victory for the happiness of his children, for the sake of his children’s education, with the noble aim of bringing joy to the lives of his children’s wives.
In fact, when it becomes a family, there can be compatibility and incompatibility. It is a common doctrine for all. But more important is living happily. That is the example from Mr Nalin Darshana Wijetunga’s family.
We often say the saying, ‘if there is a will there is a way’?’ If you have the courage and work hard, overcoming any challenge will not be difficult. Instead of worrying about unattainable things in life, we should strive to achieve those things. We wish from the bottom of our hearts that their American dream, which is the expectation of everyone in this beautiful nest, will come true.
