Undergraduate /
"It's a dangerous place"; UC Common App/ World I come from [13]
Here's the revised draft with the conclusion.Hope you guys can help me strengthen it! Any comments will be very appreciated :)
We were closing towards the gates now. I stepped out, expecting to hear the familiar flow of Arabic in the air. I was used to the busy morning commotion, and I wondered why everything felt so still. There was a strange sound in the distance, of a language I had never heard before. Like a rush, more sounds descended across the air: Russian, Japanese, French, more languages than I could count. It never occurred to me at that instant, that this was the start of a new life for me. I stood there, my initial fear turning into an urge to understand the words, and the stories of those who spoke them.
Our family members and friends were convinced that the new international school was bound to change me. "How could a girl so young grow among such conflicting view points", they reasoned, "without getting confused about what's right or wrong?" "She will have no guidance, no link with our culture", my aunt said. She paused, trying to conjure the words, "she will break apart someday... "
I lived my entire life in the Middle East, but the boundaries of my world do not stop there. The diversity that surrounded me led me to realize that the world contains so many secrets, and everything around me sparked questions I tried to answer. My friend Shuriti would mention her last holiday in India and my mind would run wild imagining the way it feels to walk in the streets of Calcutta or be amidst the exotic music of a festival; One question would lead to another until I find myself searching for the history of Indian festivals, what they mean and what they signify. I would be moved to try Asian food my friend's mother made, to learn some Russian and Chinese words with pride, for within them I was learning exclusive feelings of a culture. I would watch the Lebanese dabka performance and wonder how such a dance originated.
I kept asking questions, finding within every answer an understanding and appreciation of different perspectives. However, the more I learnt about different cultures, the more I became drawn to learn about my own heritage. I could see what was distinct about the Egyptian way of life: the feel of an Egyptian wedding, the intricate method of preparing food, and the hospitable nature of Egyptian people. I fell in love with Egyptian literature and writers like Naguib Mahfouz. While Arabic in our school was only a second language, I strived to surpass that level and spent many days after school ameliorating my Arabic writing skills.
I was inspired by my heritage to write, and I began to compose poems and stories that my friends eyed with disbelief. "I never knew Arabic was so beautiful" they said after I translated the words. They too wanted to comprehend the history behind that language. At a family meeting, after I read one of my Arabic poems, my family looked with incredulity.
"Come and sit beside me, for I was a poet too." My aunt said, with tears in her eyes. That day, I managed to dispel stereotypes about diversity.
My world led me to find my own voice. It led me to realize that those who leave a mark are not afraid of being different. Because I grew between worlds so radical, I am not afraid of being the first at anything I do. I have a determination to find the answers, an unquenchable thirst for knowledge that brings me here: to a place where I can begin not with answers but with questions, where I will bring my own color along.
