Posts by kman

kman

Sep 5, 2012

Undergraduate / UC prompt#1; I loathed going to the doctors, fearing they would harm me [3]

prompt #1 states, "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."

Do I cover the question?

The doors opened and I started walking down the hall towards the pediatrician center for my six month check-up. As a young kid, I loathed going to the doctors, fearing they would harm me but now as a young adult I enjoyed going to the department. Funny thing is it only took me one visit to realize how becoming a doctor was my zeal.

I was fifteen and there again for a regular check-up, but as I was reading my book I observed a girl, around the age of seven or eight years old. She was sitting on a chair next to her mother weeping about how the doctor would hurt her and how she didn't want to go inside. The mother caught sight of me staring and apologized for the uproar her daughter was creating and I smiled and went back to reading. But as the girl kept crying, my mind kept wandering to my past when I was just like the little girl, frightened to meet a doctor. I placed my book aside, walked up to the little girl, and went down on my knees until I was face to face with her. I grabbed her hand understandingly and said with a smile, "Hey don't worry, I know doctors can be scary but they won't hurt you. In fact, if you show them how brave of a princess you are, they'll give you a sticker when you're done," knowing they would give her a sticker no matter what.

"Really? You promise?" said the girl wiping away the last of her tears.
The nurse came out, "Rebecca".
"Time to go in Rebecca," said the mother.
The girl was still facing me with her little palms in mine waiting for my answer. I looked in her eyes, watching the faith she had my words becoming desperate. "I promise," I said with the most sincere voice I had. Rebecca smiled, nodded her head, and went in the doctor's room without the slightest fear.

After twenty minutes, Rebecca came back out. But instead of just following her mom out, she ran up to me and hugged me. I hugged her back and went on my knees again. "See I told you it wouldn't hurt. And look now, you can tell all your friends you were a brave princess," I said pointing to her sticker.

She looked down at her sticker and looked back at me and said "Thank-you," with a smile that showed how grateful and happy she was. Then she chased after her mom and said "Look mommy, I'm a brave princess."

After the interaction with Rebecca, I realized how much I loved being around little kids and how I wanted to help them. The interaction with Rebecca showed me how compassion and ability to create a bond with people could go a long way.

kman

Sep 24, 2012

Undergraduate / UC prompt#1; I loathed going to the doctors, fearing they would harm me [3]

Thanks for your comment. I have rewritten it different way. Please review let me know my spelling and grammatical mistakes.

Many people think that by living in another country, one would lose connections with their native culture. This is not true in case. I was raised in the United States; I have always stayed connected with my Indian culture as well as add parts of American culture into my life. With this combination came my aspiration of helping kids as well as increasing ways to help the people living in my community; the world has shaped me, my confidence, ambitions, and my outlook on life. My world, filled with energy, diverse peer interaction and diverse human relations, has helped me identify my dream of becoming a doctor.

My first interaction with the festival called Diwali was ten years ago, when my parents celebrated it in India. Diwali, where people from all age groups participate, also share and express love, joy and happiness. I learned how the 'diyas' (lamps) represent the end of the negative aromas through knowledge.

My Indian culture taught me how diyas (little clay pots) were lighted all around the neighborhood and how it was a festival where family will get together. As my family gathered together, I noticed one family did not have any divas lighted in their house. My American culture that taught me how to be generous and kind to those who do not have the same pleasures as I have, made me to take one of the diyas from the front and walk over to give the family. I gave it to the little kid watching other houses being decorated and all of a sudden his face glittered up with joy. This face showed me how Diwali was not just about getting rid of the negativities around us, but also spreading our love, joys, and happiness with others. It also showed me how children's smiles put a smile on my face. This enhanced my communication and collaboration skills. Conversing with these diverse personalities allowed me to explore the various qualities in others and absorb their positive qualities, while abandoning the negative ones.

Soon my trip was over and return to US, but I do not want to stop celebrating and helping others. I learned how even here in the USA, Diwali is celebrated in religious center, called a temple. Ever since the smile the kid gave to me, each year I go to the temple on Diwali to not only celebrate the festival but also distribute the diyas to each child I see there (usually around 10). Distributing the diyas also gave me the skill of communication as my bonds grew with my interactions. As it instilled within me the confidence and clarity to be self-driven and perform such humanitarian and selfless work. This also provided a platform for natural inclination toward great listener, communication, caring, give respect and strong relationship building, all these qualities are essential to become an ideal doctor.

These activities and experiences, collectively forming my world, have provoked my ambition to become a doctor. Certainly, this knowledge and skill will serve as a base from which I can fulfill my ambition and achieve my dream.