Doom, misery, and torture. Those were the thoughts and predictions that ran through my head after my parents gave us the news. Hearing those words from the ears of a seventh-grader translated into the meaning that my life was over. My parents had just condemned us to the worst fate any hormone-pumped pre-teen could have imagined: we were moving. Not just moving though, really moving, moving halfway across the world to the most unthinkable place imaginable: Japan.
Though I bawled and whined and sulked for the entirety of a way-too-long plane ride, my mood took a dramatic turn as soon I stepped off the plane. Surrounded by so much new in such a short time, I was instantly hooked. I eagerly bombarded my dad: What’s this? Where are we going?Are they really eating that? But more unexpected than my change of feelings, for some reason, that incredible curiosity I first had towards the sights and sounds of a new country translated into my new schoolwork as well. Language classes became less like classes and more like opportunities for me to somehow decipher the code that surrounded me everywhere I went. I had a passion for the language, and the more and more I decoded it, the more and more this passion spread to other disciplines. Suddenly, science seemed meaningful, math seemed applicable, and history seemed relevant. Through learning Japanese, I learned that by drawing real life connections from seemingly lifeless facts, I could enjoy learning, and that is a gift I will always be grateful for.
In addition to that transformation, within days of being thrown into a major metropolis, my barely-adolescent self was unexpectedly on its own. Little did I know I had long left behind the days of being carted around in a minivan by my mother, and I was about to be hazed into the bustling world of public transportation. Millions of commuters ride Tokyo’s trains and busses everyday, and I was about to become one of them. Though daunting at first, I quickly got the hang of it and learned to love the efficiency and reliability of public transit that was vastly superior to that of my mom’s chauffeur service. However, all of the commutes to swim practice and the walks to school and the train rides to see friends did more than just teach me how to maneuver throughout a city independently, they taught me how to be independent. Though I was just thirteen, I learned how to manage tickets, schedules, time, and money on my own, without the help of others. Because of this, I have gained the invaluable capability to thrive in independence and can now consistently handle my own studies, time, job, and money effectively.
More than discovering my love for learning and independence, I was given an experience only few can claim their own. At an early age, I was given a gift that many do not receive until years of life have blessed them with the wisdom that comes with age. During my two years in Japan, I learned more than just a new language and a new way of life; it’s the little things and the little experiences that I’ve encountered that make me who I am. It’s my passion for the intricate art of Japanese tea ceremony and how it symbolizes everything the Japanese people stand for. It’s how I learned to show my appreciation for the more experienced and aged by humbly bowing to any of my elders. It’s my friends, the Japanese schoolchildren that work harder than any American student I have ever met, spending hours and hours at prep schools after the school day has already ended, just to bring honor to their family name. Through learning how to live another culture, I‘ve learned how to live life. I have had the privilege of being exposed to two, vastly different cultures that have enabled me to interweave two different sets of values and goals into my own. Because of my two years spent in this foreign country, I have been changed. I believe that experiences and how we react to them shape who we are, and simply put, without the experience of living in Japan, I would not be the person I am today. I would not be the overachiever, the aspiring tri-linguist, the independent spirit, or the optimist. Without this experience, I would not be me.
suggestions? constructive criticism? if YOU were brown university, would you let me in? :)
love! ♥
Wait, are Brown's prompts for 2010 available online already?
ReplyDeleteAt the end of the paragraph about learning to be independent (from "Though daunting at first" onwards) there are too many long sentences in a row. Maybe if you broke some of those down into smaller bits they'd be easier to read.
Overall good job! Brown would totally accept you.
I. Am. So. Jealous.
ReplyDeleteBut yeah, it looks really good. As Alex said, there was a spot in the middle where the sentences get a bit long, but breaking those up a little should help.
If I were Brown, I would definitely let you in! : )