Undergraduate / UC 1: My world is a fishbowl [4]

Here is a tentative draft of my essay in response to the prompt:
Describe the world you come from- for example, your family, community or school- and tell us how your world has shaped your dreams and aspirations.

I'm afraid my points may be unclear and the ending could be somewhat stronger. Any edits and tips are appreciated. Thank you!

My world is a fishbowl. The glass is bounded with what my parents have taught me. "Always be humble, and move forward with your head held high," they said. Aside from this, I knew very little. As a child, I had always looked through the glass, at a bigger world. When I grew older, the bowl grew with me. Ever since its slow and steady change I began to realize that there was an ocean out there, waiting for me.

In my youth, I felt as simple as a fish. Mindlessly going with the flow of events, my presence neither added nor subtracted to my surroundings. I merely enjoyed the sceneries. I remember observing that mostly everyone lived in adherence to a status quo, indistinguishable from the rest. Ironically, I was the same. I lived behind a set of glass walls like everyone else, only aware of what was present before me, unable to see or act further than what I know.

Mine was an oriental themed bowl, decorated with cultural tales of adventures, morals, and love. Consequently, I grew up to be extremely idealistic and grimaced at the thought of conformity; I wanted an adventure of my own. Yet, I was so small and there was nowhere to go; aside taking up piano and ballet, my life was in a habitual pattern.

When my parents divorced, the scenery changed. There was no longer a familiar home to return to or a familiar language to speak in. I wasn't scared, but I couldn't deny that I was a little sad. Everything was different. The people, the food, and the culture took some time getting used to, and I had a new family. It was my first taste of change, but the love we had for one another always remained a constant. It took some self sacrifice to keep both families functional as I often traveled back and forth from the States to Japan. I did not mind in the least, I was diadromous fish that enjoyed the migration between the varied waters.

Time went on, and with it came knowledge. My small confinement suddenly turned into a spacious aquarium that was high school. The world of speech and debate, model United Nations, chess, karate, books, and photography suddenly became a permanent aspect of my character. There were moments when the water turned cloudy with uncertainty and self-doubt as I drifted through new crowds and faces. Luckily, the support I received from my family was kept me going through disheartening failures and awkward faux pas. With their help, I happily learned that teamwork and friendship were just as invaluable as knowledge.

Then, the summer of my sophomore year came. I saw the beauty of Europe: the strong personalities in France, the temperamental weather of England, the lush mountains of Switzerland, and the piquant meals of Italy were all something that I never encountered before. The world kept on changing. Like a new born babe taking its breath for the very first time, I needed more. I was no longer content in my little bowl; I wanted to know what was beyond the glass, and resolved to stretch the boundaries until I couldn't see where it began or ended. Though I know that my surroundings will expand naturally in time as it had before, I wanted to use my own power to expand my own horizons since anticipation often found me restless. I desired for a world that was as vast and deep as the ocean, all encompassing with life's various aspects.

My ever-changing world led me to dream of its infinite possibilities. I wanted to travel and truly appreciate all that is offered in life. Witnessing the wonders of nature, meeting new people, seeing our history as mankind, and their architectural accomplishments would be the magical adventure I always sought for. Thus, I aspire to work in the field of international relations, so that I may freely swim without limit, while making a change of my own.

Undergraduate / UC2: Falling in love with Fictional Men [4]

Hello, I finally gotten my second UC prompt, which asks: Tell us about a personal quality or experience that is important to you. What about this quality makes you proud and how does it relate to the person you are?

I'm afraid this one may be more vague than my last. Any edits/tips are appreciated. Thank you!

"No cause is lost if there is but one fool left to fight for it."

At that moment, I fell completely and inexplicably in love. Most would argue that almost all of Orlando Bloom's fan would share my sentiments due to his good looks and popularity. Yet, I was never drawn to his physical attraction before, albeit being handsome is an excellent quality to have, there are more pressing attributes I prefer to engage. You see, after watching Pirates: At World's End, I was not infatuated Orlando Bloom; I was taken with his character, William Turner because his words crystallized the essence of his nature, and I found it beautiful. Here was a man who was willing to literally fight against death to save a father who abandoned his family, simply because it was the right thing to do.

One of my personal qualities (quirks?) is that I place a huge emphasis on the value of morals, hence my tendency to fall in love with fictional men more often than tangible ones. Scripted, a character becomes an idea himself, representing his morals and concepts through varied acts of valor, kindness, or integrity that seems so natural, yet so rare. Thus, in movies and books, a character embodies a certain ideal or principle, displaying an unwavering resolve for a cause that exemplifies the true meaning of humanity. I fall in love with the concepts more than the man himself.

Being human is to vividly feel our passions while mediating them with reasoning. A healthy balance of both results in the creation and value of morals, commonly expressed through the way a person's eyes would light or dim with their emotions or the way their voice would tighten in rage in the moment of righteous anger.

Despite the various academic successes I've had, none of them gives me greater joys than the art of philosophy. Man is nothing without his values, for then he would end up as a mere repetition of motions. Without a cause, our life would be just as empty as our satisfaction. I am proud of this quality, because it gives me personal conviction that I speak the truth during the Lincoln Douglas debates, which deals with arguing the true meaning of morals and how they properly apply to any given scenario. My favorite philosophers: John Locke, Jean Jacques Rousseau, and Ralph Waldo Emerson may be able to define ambiguous emotions and concepts into words, but I on the other hand, have an innate feel for them, and fall in love with beautiful thoughts.

Undergraduate / UC2: Multilingualism (I just need a yay or a nay for the red parts) [3]

Very tentative 4th try at the prompt: Tell us about a personal quality or experience that is important to you, how does it relate to the person you are.

Note: I'm thinking of cutting out the stuff in red because I can only write about 450 words on this one, but am quite fond of them. Please let me know what you think.

I'm also afraid that my focus when from all my experiences in languages in general to Spanish. Maybe it's better if I kind laundry list my experience with each language?

Suggestions and edits are appreciated.

Thank you.

Dove, Dů, Donde, Saan, Doko, Where

Survival one-oh-one for when I travel, I thought.

I was constantly surrounded by languages. Japanese, English, Spanish Tagalog, Hindi, Italian, and French were some of the ones I was familiar with, since I had friends and family of these nationalities teach me a phrase or two during social events. Maybe my love of languages was innate, as my mother was once an ambassador's representative in the Philippines and can converse in roughly seven languages.

Being raised partially in Japan and America, as well as having a cultural loving Filipino mother made for a multilingual home. I also had close friends who speak Spanish, Hindi, Italian, and French, so I made myself familiar with a few of their phrases during social events. I even found a passing interest in Latin.

I had survived just fine visiting the various countries of Europe, I even picked up some German from a friendly bartender in Switzerland. While enjoying my virgin appletini, I sat entranced by his tales of travels, learning nine languages by the age of twenty-four so that he could do odd jobs to support his family and kids. I laugh as I remember the uproar I caused amongst the teachers, losing track of time and running back frantically to the hotel at midnight.

I was proud in my lingual abilities. I had a pocket full of phrases for almost all the countries I held interest in. When I became a Junior the following year, however, that confidence came crashing.

I got a C in Spanish level four.

For someone who despised Bs, I was shell shocked. The vocabulary was right and the grammar was decent, yet my teacher continually docked me off for the little articles and accents even the natural born Spanish speakers made. From using flash cards to Spanish for Dummies, I religiously studied to fill the scattered gaps in my knowledge to no avail. Those Cs kept on appearing, with occasional spurts of Bs, I despaired that she only counted a few verbal and written tests in our grade, rather than crediting any of the meticulously checked homework I did. I obsessed over that class and soon neglected my presidential duties as book club president, and stopped going to debate practices entirely. It was nearly impossible to get an A from her.

Then one day, I helped out on the Halloween arts and crafts night at the city library. A little kid stood before me, lost on what to do despite my attempts to show him how to construct a q-tip skeleton on paper. I was equally as puzzled until I head a voice fire off in Spanish across the room, delving into a fast paced instruction on how to construct a pumpkin shaped masked to a parent.

Oh. He doesn't speak English. I realized.

I was baffled, how do I explain how to make a skeleton out of q-tips and glue to a five year old? Hesitant, I looked around. "Do you want to put on little hands?" my partner asked a little girl while pointing at the skeleton.

Taking a breath, I tried softly, "Quieres poner las manitas?", and to my surprise the boy nodded his head. I learned from then on, that simplicity is the key.

Languages are more than mere words structured in grammatical rules. They allow us to truly understand each other by providing invaluable means to rely our feelings and thoughts. Now I practice Spanish like I practice Japanese. I watch soap operas.

Der Frieden, La Paix, Paz, Pace, Heiwa, Peace

I aim to be multilingual.

Undergraduate / "I love languages" - Multilingualism [5]

Uc Prompt: Describe a personal quality and how it relates to the person you are.

I know this has a lot of grammatical errors, and I think I need to cut it down by 200 words ;A;
Also maybe this sounds too much like a describe your world essay.

Help?

I am constantly surrounded by different languages.

During the summer, I would tell my father "ohayo" after I awake from a pleasant sleep, since it will be one of the few times I get greet him good morning as my visits to Japan are usually short-lived. When I get back home, I'd ask my mother "kumusta ka" to see how she has been in my long trip of absence, or ask my step dad if he "liked the souvenirs I got him". Hence, speaking in Japanese, Tagalog, and English comes naturally to me, as Asian blood runs through my veins and the American culture through my heart. Each tongue represents a unique aspect of who I am, because I represent the different concept and ideals of each these nationalities.

When I'm in Japan, I feel more emotional about the words spoken to me. It takes fewer phrases to relate to people, and the dramas I watch can have me crying harder than I ever could for English films. I eventually learned that it was because the Japanese language utilized the right side of the brain. I am proud that I could use an artistic tongue that held such an emotional depth. My father certainly has this trait of creativity in creating multiple businesses that deals with everything from cars to restaurants, and I can see some of this imagination in myself.

I am family-oriented due to my Filipino side. A Filipino family should be defined as a tight-knit group that extends further and deeper than blood, always accepting and friendly towards all who they meet. I often find myself at parties with many unfamiliar "uncles" and "aunts" whom I have never met, but they instantly treat me as if they've known me for years. Everyone is always concerned with my health, and likes to make sure that I'm well fed. My mother embodies this warm culture, and passes it on through me.

My English culture is just as important, as it melts all the other nationalities into one common language. Living in California, it was inevitable that I learned conversational Spanish, because then I wouldn't be able to "jajaja" with my friends. I ended up learning Telegu from my best friend, since she's practically my soul sister. She'd often make fun of my accent when I say "Dhanyavaadaalu!", or thanks, for helping me out with my homework. Sometimes, I would memorize the lyrics of a Mandarin song from an anime show I watch and recite it for my piano teacher.

I love language so much that I ended up learning survival phrases in Italian, French, and German over the summer I went to Europe. I found it empowering to have the ability to communicate with anyone, and understand what thought or emotion they were trying to relay to me. I love this part of myself because with every phrase I learn, I become a new person. As I speak the words of each culture, I become a part of them, and they, a part of me.

Awkward last sentence. Really bad use of diction, I'm sorry. It was rushed. Suggestions?

Undergraduate / UC2: Accepting others [3]

Hello. I wrote 6 different topic essays for this prompt because i over think things. Since all my new ones are just hollow ramblings, I'm going to put my original one that I made a year ago up and see if that's any good.

Comments on the thought of the essay in general is appreciated.

UC Prompt 2: Describe a quality of yourself and how it relates to who you are.

Despite having a horrendous understanding of my character and its merits, I do value my ability of accepting others. It's slightly different from compassion or being nonjudgmental, whether I also hold these qualities depends on the circumstances, but regardless, I always accept a person for who they are. For example, I may come to a conclusion that a person may be too self centered or perhaps even unpleasant, but rather than rejecting or condemning them, I try to understand their background and just acknowledge it as their current state of self. It's no use evaluating or forming biased opinions, people are just people, and sometimes they deserve the benefit of the doubt.

This particular quality does not make me proud necessarily, my accomplishments in forensics, sciences, and politics may induce temporary pride in terms of accomplishment, but I believe those to be shallow qualities to describe who I am. Personally, I value knowledge and intelligence, but that is not how I gauge a person's worth. There are many instances where I am far from intelligent, so I chose a quality that would most likely remain the same throughout the years. It reflects my value of humanity, and it describes my idealistic view of a world where there are less harsh criticisms for which people are. People always make mistakes, but their true worth lies deeper than their beliefs, words, and actions. It lies in their humanity and their ability to care. Such extreme ideals cannot be explained simpler than that.

Undergraduate / UC2: The piano, a song in many different ways [2]

Ok, I think I'm going to with this one after much deliberation. the 2nd attempt of my 6 tries at the UC prompt 2: describe a talent and how it relates to who you are.

Einstein once said "Try not to be a man of success, but a man of value". That is why my greatest accomplishment has nothing to do with winning a regional debate tournament or being recognized as an advanced member of the model united nations, but having the ability to play the piano. I value the enjoyment I get from playing songs over my academic achievements because it allows me to express who I am. The piano taught me how to live.

One can learn how to play the piano in different ways. A person may watch others and mimic their movements to produce a melody, like how a child may live in accordance to their parents. Or one could sit and tinker with the keys until the right pitches are produced, creating a personal style without guidance or knowledge. The majority, however, uses the traditional method by learning the theories and applying them on the keys with time and practice.

My method integrates all three methods. It reflects on who I am as a person, because I choose to find my own way in life. I would learn from my mistakes, but would not repeat the ones others made before me. I am proud of this strength and individuality, because this was not always the case. At first, my playing was soft and timid as I took judgments to the heart. Now, I am not afraid to raise volume and display my emotions for all to hear.

When I press upon the weighted keys, it's more than playing a score of notes. I release my feelings without restraint or worries; this is the only place where I'm always true to myself. I could play the same song countless of times and show different emotions with each round. If I'm happy, for example, one can tell despite the song being as melancholy as Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata" or as sorrowful as Evanescence's "Hello". I believe that the pieces I play to express my soul will give comfort or inspiration to those who hear it. Sharing them in concerts is one of my greatest joys.