Undergraduate /
Common App Long Essay about immigration and global community [7]
Revised version: (thanks for the help dixiej):
I looked out the window to see that I was roughly 30,000 feet above the ocean. A few hours earlier, my mom told me to pack my things because we were headed to the United States to live with my dad. At first, I was neither afraid nor surprised. After all, my family was always moving because of my father's job; since birth, I have lived in over ten different houses. The United States, however, was much bigger than any other place I had lived, so was obviously a little nervous. So as I sat, looking down at the majestic ocean, I pondered over life in America. As the small dingy apartments and familiar language of my world disappeared, I wondered how I would fit in to this new community. Would I be able to understand teachers? Would I make new friends? While the plane descended, I caught my first glimpse of my new country and these questions raced through my head. Green marshes, long straight roads, and lavish bridges covered the land below. The differences between India and New Jersey were stark and the contrast did nothing to calm my nerves. For the first time in my life, I was legitimately afraid.
Then, as I came out of the terminal, I saw a strange sight. The airport was filled with many different types of people. There were Caucasians, Africans, Asians and even some Indians walking around without a second thought to each other. I heard people talking with Cockney accents, others talking in Mandarin, or was it Japanese? These people must have been scared like me when they first arrived, yet they seemed comfortable now. Realizing that they probably overcame the same fears I was feeling, settled my nerves. After all, deep down we are all the same-human.
On my first day of school, I was again reminded of the cultural diversity present in America. I sat next to a Chinese boy in class, and even my teacher was African American. At my old school, everyone spoke the same language, and of course they were all Indian. Before my first day ended, I managed to find a fellow Indian during recess. I greeted him in Hindi, but he answered with a perplexed look; he had no idea what I was saying. Looking back, maybe it was naïve of me to expect that he also knew the language.
As I learned English, and gained confidence, my circle of friends grew. At lunch, I sat with a Japanese boy, a Polish girl, and the Indian kid I met at recess. We shared our lunches, and thus tried different cuisines. While I still don't like sushi, I could never thank my Polish friend enough for introducing me to Kielbasa sausages! Obviously, food is not the only benefit of having such diverse friends; my friend's parents taught me a lot about their cultures whenever I visited. For example, I learned how to make origami structures, as well as about Kimono (Japanese clothing) and how it differs for married and unmarried women.
While at first I was nervous, I eventually embraced America's multiculturalism and have learned much about the world in the process. As a result of immigrating to America, I learned that while we might all come from different places we are still one global community.
