Undergraduate / What motivates me? I love CHOCOLATES!!-- Common App prompt 1 [3]

When I told my teacher chocolate is my motivation, he laughed. What he failed to see is the power behind every bite. All chocolate shares the soul ingredient, cocoa, however, with the right amount of processing, every piece presents a unique flavor. With the perfect balance of bitterness and sweetness, one tastes delicacy and elegance. As one takes a bite, the scent of coca explodes from their palates. The array of chocolates in stores appears as dark brown squares, but that special kind is the impulse to fall in love, the sweet encouragement, and the energizer to keep up the hard work. Everyone has a special kind of chocolate. I found mine in film.

Initially, bland and flavorless, the chocolate I tried to make lack personality. I struggled with self-expression. Grammar and spellings appeared as cages, which locked up my thoughts and manipulated me into saying things I didn't mean. By the time I figured out grammar, I forgot my original sentence. Write and rewrite, spell, past tense, present tense, mind, please work! Writing for me was plain suffering. My fear of writing hindered me from having a voice.

Until I was introduced to filmmaking. With amazement, I created a special flavor of my own. Exploring the issue of identity, "Disillusion" was my first successful the short film. A girl, who lost herself in comics and fantasies, fell hard into reality. Stirred up the cream with the cocoa, I blended personal emotion into the bland teenage drama. Heating the mixture, I added conflicts, effects, and contrasts. Then, I add sprinkles of salt and sugar, and some secret ingredients. Lastly, the editing, like milk, smoothened the plot and added texture to the film. After I presented my video to the whole class, the girl in front of me turned around and said she got tears in her eyes. For the first time, I did not shiver when I share something personal. Holding on to the feeling of satisfaction, I became more dedicated. When I watch a movie, instead of just enjoying the story and the special effects, I focused on the plot, the symbol, the filming angles, the acting, and the editing. I made sure my skills are adequate in expressing my belief and portraying my vision. On paper, I often lost my voice, yet in front of a camera, I was heard.

When one starts eating chocolate, one cannot resist the temptation to take another bite. After I learned how to make them, I became addicted. Filmmaking shaped my future plans. Exploring current social fallbacks, I broadened my perspective. Trying to address current events through my videos, I started to evaluate the different sides behind every conflict. After digging into problems and decisions, I learned to pay attention to emotions and human interactions. Trying to analyze human psychology behind every intention, I became a more caring and sympathetic person. While most people see film as an escape from the real world, movies turned my dream into reality.

Chocolate motivates me. Holding on to the taste, I improved as a chocolatier. Instead for my own indulgence, I want to share the special flavor with the world. After watching too much Discovery Channel, I dreamed of going to Ethiopia. After sponsoring a child for World Vision, I found a reason to visit and a story to tell. With my skills as a filmmaker, I can document the beauty of the country and the story of its people. Right now that dream is not feasible. But one cannot underestimate the power of chocolate. A single bean can make an explosion. I hope someday my films will compel people, even those in third world conditions, to become their own chocolatiers.