I was 18. I woke up that day to my whole family sitting in my parents' bedroom looking at the TV expectantly. It was the day high school grades were announced in Kuwait, including mine.

I stood there with my messy bed hair, groggily making my way to join everyone, eyes half-closed and my morning voice all cracked.

I glance at the TV and there was the usual event where the minister of education is calling people who ranked top 5 on Kuwait. I sleepily wonder why my family even watches this. Not like we know anyone who scores that high.

Our telephone rings, my father answers and the next thing I know my father is covering the phone with his hand and whispering to me with eyes full of excitement “Salma !!! It's the minister”.

My hazy eyes shoot wide open… wait what?

They shove the phone in my hand, urging me “Yalla yalla Roddy!!” (Come on come on answer the phone)

I'm dead flustered and the phone feels like it will slip out of my hand.

I summon every inch of calmness and act collected.

Me:- Hello?

A manly voice:- hello Salma. This is the minister of education.

Me:- um er .. okay?

my family laughs uncontrollably in the background whispering how much of an idiot I'm sounding.

I look at the TV. And oh god this isn't a prank. My name is on TV. The same voice on there is the on the phone with me.

Him:- Salma you scored ^$&#*; this much in high school which puts you in the top 5 ranking students in Kuwait for the year.

I can hear fireworks in my brain and this dude is talking so many serious things at once that my sleepy, dumbfounded brain can hardly grasp it.

Him:- Congratulations Salma. Would you like to say something?

Me:- um.. thanks for calling?.

My family proceeds giggling in the background and finally this nerve-wracking call ended.

Next thing I know everyone is jumping on me shouting “Congraaaats!!!”. The phone calls shower me and my social media accounts are exploding. All this while I was thinking “I need to brush my teeth damn it!”.

My family enjoyed spending that night making fun of how I answered. “thank you for calling? Really Salma? That's all you could come up with?”. “The girl after you was jumping and screaming with enthusiasm for god's sake!”. And they specifically enjoyed replaying the video they recorded of me being stupid on the phone and laughing while watching it.

Anyhow, I've never gotten any phone call that took me aback this much nor flipped my day upside down like this. Fun times.