Undergraduate / NYU Supplement- What intrigues you? Kenyan People [5]

Any feedback and suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

It only took one walk through Nairobi, Kenya, to steal my heart, but five months later I was still in love.
Within one block of each other sit five of the most powerful governing bodies in the world: the UN along with the US, Saudi, Iranian, and Canadian embassies. In the middle of Earth's greatest power and wealth, I stood in muddy streets filled with the poorest of the poor. I could not, and still do not, understand how the two classes could morally coexist.

The city is populated by diplomats, rich Kenyans, UN workers, missionaires, Indian businessmen, British settlers, and refuegges. Amongst the diversity, the poor Kenyan class gets left behind.

I could hire a driver for the day and pay him 1500 shillings, about 18 dollars. I was dumbfounded trying to comphrehend how someone could live off that. Despite the lack of wealth, I was left speechless by the Kenyan's resiliance. How could families who have so little and communites desperate for water be so happy?

Their unconditional joy amazes me. I'm left in disbelief and admiration when I consider my housekeepers who served me wholeheartedly. For having so little, the Kenyan people gave me so much.

On the flipside, how can the upperclasses accept it? When I drove by a child sleeping on the street or walked passed a distressed mother my heart broke. I have yet to grasp how someone could accept the poverty as permanent- and not feel obligated to bring change.

Undergraduate / 'teenagers will cross the ocean' - risk you have taken and its impact [3]

Essay for the Common Application. I'm four words over- so any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
The word count limit is 500 words.

Peering over the edge, I held my breath as my heart skipped a beat and my stomach dropped. The fifty-foot jagged bluff continued into the depths of the water. "One, two, three." I lifted my toes off the security of the rock and plummeted towards the water. This dive was a success, but it does not always end that way. It is often the risks when you wipe-out and have to regroup- that challenge your character and help you become you. Succeeding may be good, but risking it all and failing was the best thing that happened to me.

My first life jump was moving halfway across the world to Kenya for five months, when I was fifteen, as an exchange student and aid-worker. Living in a completely different culture turned my life around, and no longer was I satisfied living for myself. The risk paid off and I was motivated to bring my experiences back to America. I wanted to always serve others, whether it was in the middle of Africa or the halls of my high school. I have often heard that American teenagers do not care about others around the world, but I refused to believe that.

Fueled by my new motivation, I was back on top of the cliff and ready for my next jump. But this time, I failed. I risked my time, grades, energy, and heart to lead a group of teenagers to Kenya for two weeks. Someone once told me that I would not succeed until I wanted success as much as I wanted to breathe. This trip was my air. It was far more than a mission trip. The main purpose was to educate, inspire, and motivate change among those who encountered life in a third world country. I wanted them to see what I saw and feel what I felt. I called it the Kenya Vision Trip, emphasizing the vision of transforming an American generation. It was formed around my belief that when a generation says, "not only do we have the ability and the right to change the world, but we also have the responsibility to do so," things can be drastically impacted in a positive way.

When the participant numbers dwindled and financial sponsors fell through I swallowed my pride. It took time, and was about as easy as chewing and swallowing sandpaper. And even though it hurt, I grew. I learned that failure is not fatal, but only if I choose to climb back up. I have accepted that the trip was not meant for the summer of 2011, but I still believe that one day the Kenya Vision Trip will transform thousands of lives. Twenty teenagers will cross the ocean and come back sharing their life-changing experiences with those around them.

I risked it all leaping off the edge. I received nothing I originally wanted, but everything I needed. The plummet to the water was risky and difficult, but I am still swimming, and ready to climb up my next cliff.