Undergraduate / Geerd Diercksen, Essay A: some one who has made an impact in your life [7]

Personal Essay 1
Write an essay in which you tell us about someone who has made an impact on your life and explain how and why this person is important to you.

i need some feedback! Btw im applying UT to study history!

Plenty of people have made an impact on my life, but I will never forget Geerd Diercksen. He used to work with my father as his advisor at the Max-Planck-Institute for Astrophysics in Garching, Germany. But apart from work, they have been good friends for many years. He was there when I was in my mother's belly. He had come to Venezuela for a conference and once it was over my parents took him and his wife touring all over the country. He is the kind of man who loves traveling and learning about other cultures and because of this, he is exactly the kind of person that I want to be.

It wasn't until I was nine that I met him in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. We were headed for a chemistry symposium in the small town of Caxambu, but before doing so, we spent some time in Rio to do a little sight-seeing. He insisted we walk along the very long coast of the city, and though we hesitated at first, at the end it was worthwhile. The beaches, with their pearl white sand and clear blue water, were absolutely stunning. At one point he dared me to race him. Now it is important to mention that at the time he was over 60 years old. Against all odds, he beat me, he won!

Our next encounter was two years later in Germany. We spent the whole summer there mainly on the outskirts of Munich, in Garching. My mom and I traveled all over Munich while my father worked at the Institute, but they gave him two weeks off during which Geerd took us to the Alps in Austria. After five hours on the road, we finally arrived at the small town of Lech. We got accommodated at our pretty little inn and what we thought would be an evening of peace and quiet, was actually our first try at hiking up a mountain. The next three days were more of the same. I recall one particular mountain we climbed. It was definitely our longest hike. The whole time Geerd delighted us with his stories of his trips all over the globe: Japan, India, Canada, Australia, Morocco, most of Central and South America, all of Europe, etc. I listened intently at all his stories, fascinated with every single one.

The hike got really arduous when the mountain got steeper. Then all conversation ceased and our focus went primarily to the hike. What always makes me chuckle is thinking about Geerd, almost 70 years old, way ahead of us, and at the very back, huddled together and gasping for air, my parents. My mom ended up with two black fingernails and 10 pounds less. That is another aspect of him I have always admired. He showed me that age doesn't have to be an impediment; one can continue enjoying life until the very end.

Of Diercksen I will forever remember Ipanema, the Alps and his fascinating stories. I know my great interest in the world and its cultures begun when I met him, and if I am to get accepted at the University of Texas at Austin in the department of History, I'll have him to thank for.