justbelieve
Aug 14, 2015
Undergraduate / I look back at my 'misfortune' and smile. One of the prompts in Texas application. [2]
Is this essay too personal/ is the topic too typical? Do I even answer the question?
It's for one of the prompts in apply texas:
Describe a circumstance, obstacle or conflict in your life, and the skills and resources you used to resolve it. Did it change you? If so, how?
**the topic is typical, but I was trying to see if I could somehow make it work. I also want to completely stray from a victimizing tone as is the case in the typical divorce/obstacle essays. Let me know if there's anything I should cut out, rephrase...if I should fix the tone or anything at all. THANKS SO MUCH! YOU ROCK.**
Oh, and most importantly, do I even answer the question?? What did you learn about me?
I still smile when I think back on all my Saturday mornings a few years ago. My dad would make his trademark breakfast, which included the main entrée of "chorizo con huevo" ("pork sausage and egg" doesn't do this Mexican delectability justice), the beans that almost looked as perfect as they tasted, and his famous "papas con bacon". Each and every time I enjoyed a forkful, I'd plead with my dad to open up a restaurant- it was simply unfair, I believed, to not share this miracle of a breakfast with the world. Among the other topics that would come up at the table was my dad's talk of work, followed by my mother's praise. "When you two grow up, find a man like your father," she would say to my sister and me. Then she'd turn towards my brother, "Learn from your father."
I would smile because I felt so fortunate, so at peace and happy, as I sat, observed, listened, and laughed as my dad would tell one of his corny jokes. My mom would laugh too, even though she'd heard them all countless times before. These were my favorite moments, surrounded by my four favorite beings, my family. I felt even more fortunate in that I was among the few of my friends in middle school whose parents weren't divorced.
One morning, the summer before my freshman year, irony came knocking at my door. It came in the form of an "accidental" phone call to my mother, in which she overheard my dad and his secretary making plans to take their three little ones to San Antonio. Three. All of which we knew very well. And that same morning, I woke up to the wailing of my mom, brother, and sister outside my doorway. My brother, in between sobs, managed to spurt out "dad" and "kids" and I knew, instantly, what he meant.
So, why do I smile when I think back on all those Saturday mornings? Well, for one, conversations at the table now are a bit different. "When you two grow up, find a man that won't do what your father did to me," she says to my sister and me. Then she turns towards my brother, "Learn from your father's mistakes." Second of all, I smile because I thought this 'conflict', my parent's separation and all that followed, would be one of my greatest misfortunes. Divorce was bad, I thought. Divorce left kids depressed, troubled, traumatized, or at least that's what I had picked up from one too many movies. Yet, now I look back and I smile. This 'conflict', this 'misfortune', I've realized now, through just a slight change in my perception, has come to be one of my greatest fortunes.
Following that summer morning, days and nights I spent by my mother's side, with open ears and arms. I listened when she needed to be heard, I hugged her when she needed to be comforted. My mom and I became, for lack of better words, inseparable. She became my best friend. And the bond we share today, a bond that formed from the break of another, is one that I wouldn't trade for the world. The same goes for my brother and my sister, who I admire with the proudest eyes. As for my dad, you'd think I'd think him a different person. But, he remains the same dad to me, the same hard-working dad I've known all my life. Only now I understand certain things, and now I'm able to really know and talk to my dad, and for that I'm fortunate. Who knew a separation could bring this much unity? In addition to strengthened bonds, as a result of that summer morning, I actually began to excel in school. At the time when I started high school, my parents were still in the 'argument phase', and my way of 'avoiding' these became school. While my brother grew closer to his friends and my sister immersed herself into her sport, I, literally, made school my life. Any time of the day after school, you would find me in my room trying to understand and memorize two to three Anatomy chapters or in the kitchen re-doing my Calculus homework to prepare for an upcoming exam, or on the computer, watching videos to try to comprehend some chemistry concept. School became my life, grades became my problems, so that there was little attention or worry I could give to anything else. And after the three years that followed, the hard work, I can say, paid off.
Not only did this 'misfortune' [and my reaction to it ]bring me closer to my family, and steer me into a studious lifestyle, but I learned a lot of lessons. Most obviously, from witnessing my mom's emotional pain, certain moral principles and qualities have been engrained into my mind and have become of utmost importance in my life, including loyalty and trust. From knowing my dad, I've also learned to keep an open, nonjudgmental mind. My dad has made mistakes in his life, but those mistakes don't define him completely as a person. In certain aspects, such as the way he's worked and continues to work every strenuously every day to provide for us, my dad is more of a role model to me than anybody out there. And lastly, I've learned, life definitely has its surprises, but it's how you choose to view and react to them that counts. And that is why, today, I look back at my 'misfortune' and smile.
Is this essay too personal/ is the topic too typical? Do I even answer the question?
It's for one of the prompts in apply texas:
Describe a circumstance, obstacle or conflict in your life, and the skills and resources you used to resolve it. Did it change you? If so, how?
**the topic is typical, but I was trying to see if I could somehow make it work. I also want to completely stray from a victimizing tone as is the case in the typical divorce/obstacle essays. Let me know if there's anything I should cut out, rephrase...if I should fix the tone or anything at all. THANKS SO MUCH! YOU ROCK.**
Oh, and most importantly, do I even answer the question?? What did you learn about me?
I still smile when I think back on all my Saturday mornings a few years ago. My dad would make his trademark breakfast, which included the main entrée of "chorizo con huevo" ("pork sausage and egg" doesn't do this Mexican delectability justice), the beans that almost looked as perfect as they tasted, and his famous "papas con bacon". Each and every time I enjoyed a forkful, I'd plead with my dad to open up a restaurant- it was simply unfair, I believed, to not share this miracle of a breakfast with the world. Among the other topics that would come up at the table was my dad's talk of work, followed by my mother's praise. "When you two grow up, find a man like your father," she would say to my sister and me. Then she'd turn towards my brother, "Learn from your father."
I would smile because I felt so fortunate, so at peace and happy, as I sat, observed, listened, and laughed as my dad would tell one of his corny jokes. My mom would laugh too, even though she'd heard them all countless times before. These were my favorite moments, surrounded by my four favorite beings, my family. I felt even more fortunate in that I was among the few of my friends in middle school whose parents weren't divorced.
One morning, the summer before my freshman year, irony came knocking at my door. It came in the form of an "accidental" phone call to my mother, in which she overheard my dad and his secretary making plans to take their three little ones to San Antonio. Three. All of which we knew very well. And that same morning, I woke up to the wailing of my mom, brother, and sister outside my doorway. My brother, in between sobs, managed to spurt out "dad" and "kids" and I knew, instantly, what he meant.
So, why do I smile when I think back on all those Saturday mornings? Well, for one, conversations at the table now are a bit different. "When you two grow up, find a man that won't do what your father did to me," she says to my sister and me. Then she turns towards my brother, "Learn from your father's mistakes." Second of all, I smile because I thought this 'conflict', my parent's separation and all that followed, would be one of my greatest misfortunes. Divorce was bad, I thought. Divorce left kids depressed, troubled, traumatized, or at least that's what I had picked up from one too many movies. Yet, now I look back and I smile. This 'conflict', this 'misfortune', I've realized now, through just a slight change in my perception, has come to be one of my greatest fortunes.
Following that summer morning, days and nights I spent by my mother's side, with open ears and arms. I listened when she needed to be heard, I hugged her when she needed to be comforted. My mom and I became, for lack of better words, inseparable. She became my best friend. And the bond we share today, a bond that formed from the break of another, is one that I wouldn't trade for the world. The same goes for my brother and my sister, who I admire with the proudest eyes. As for my dad, you'd think I'd think him a different person. But, he remains the same dad to me, the same hard-working dad I've known all my life. Only now I understand certain things, and now I'm able to really know and talk to my dad, and for that I'm fortunate. Who knew a separation could bring this much unity? In addition to strengthened bonds, as a result of that summer morning, I actually began to excel in school. At the time when I started high school, my parents were still in the 'argument phase', and my way of 'avoiding' these became school. While my brother grew closer to his friends and my sister immersed herself into her sport, I, literally, made school my life. Any time of the day after school, you would find me in my room trying to understand and memorize two to three Anatomy chapters or in the kitchen re-doing my Calculus homework to prepare for an upcoming exam, or on the computer, watching videos to try to comprehend some chemistry concept. School became my life, grades became my problems, so that there was little attention or worry I could give to anything else. And after the three years that followed, the hard work, I can say, paid off.
Not only did this 'misfortune' [and my reaction to it ]bring me closer to my family, and steer me into a studious lifestyle, but I learned a lot of lessons. Most obviously, from witnessing my mom's emotional pain, certain moral principles and qualities have been engrained into my mind and have become of utmost importance in my life, including loyalty and trust. From knowing my dad, I've also learned to keep an open, nonjudgmental mind. My dad has made mistakes in his life, but those mistakes don't define him completely as a person. In certain aspects, such as the way he's worked and continues to work every strenuously every day to provide for us, my dad is more of a role model to me than anybody out there. And lastly, I've learned, life definitely has its surprises, but it's how you choose to view and react to them that counts. And that is why, today, I look back at my 'misfortune' and smile.