Undergraduate / Moroccan citizen willing to serve those less fortunate - transition from childhood to adulthood [4]

Common app essay on transition from childhood to adulthood prompt

The word limit is 650 but this essay is slightly over 700 some ways to reduce the word count would be very helpful

Once again, I woke up to the sound of a sports car driving by. It was the third one that had passed in about an hour. So many cars drive by my house that it became part of my morning routine. My friends seemed to enjoy it more than I did; they tried to guess the car brands and their destinations. My friends would always inquire if these luxurious cars were as common in other Moroccan cities and I would say yes. They always mentioned that their dream was to own a fancy car. My answer was always the same: everything is achievable with hard work. My parents always taught us that success is always difficult especially when one starts from scratch but dedication and hard work make every dream come true. I was skeptical.


Ifrane is a very wealthy city perched on the rocky hillside of the Middle Atlas Mountains in Morocco. It is a very famous ski resort where people of different nationalities spend their winter break Fifteen years ago, King Hassan II decided, with the help of a Saudi prince, to build an American school and university in Ifrane. This university and school are very expensive and only the richest families in the country can afford it. A few families, including my own, benefit from financial aid and are able to attend as well. The university students make up a huge population of the city. Their being wealthy allows them to own the sports cars I wake up to every morning.


Consequently, I grew up thinking all Moroccans have a high standard of living- every one could afford nice cars. I thought that people all over the country had enough money to pay for luxuries: the latest Ferrari, jewelry, designer clothes etc. I was well aware that there was an underprivileged population in Morocco, but I always deemed it to be a minority. Growing up, I always thought about my bright future. What would I grow up to be? An engineer with a Lamborghini, a businessman with a Dolce and Gabbana collection, a Cabinet minister with an expensive Rolex, etc... I associated all my ambitions with materialistic possessions. In retrospect, I am saddened by the superficiality of my dreams. 


What I did not know when I dreamed, was that Ifrane was very different from other cities. As I grew older, I realized that Ifrane was a bubble, sheltered from the harsh Moroccan reality. I took it upon myself to travel and discover the rest of the country with the NGO Hand in Hand. My travels shocked me and I discovered the true face of my country. .However, one particular experience really opened my eyes. One Saturday, while picking up garbage in a forest nearby, I met a poor farmer and conversed with him for a short while. I found out that he knew nothing about Ferraris or Gucci. As we sat there on a tree trunk, I brought out the pizza I had brought for lunch and told him that we could share. What shocked me is that h had no idea what a pizza was. While I was trying to explain to him that pizza is an Italian snack that, thanks to globalization, is eaten all over the world, i realized that he didn't really seem to care or know where Italy exactly was. This sudden insight that fell upon me really opened my eyes because i was no longer the naive little boy who chased after sports cars, memorizing every brand; I had become a person who finally understood what happiness truly is. Seeing that this farmer was perfectly content with what little he had I came to understand that Ifrane was not the typical city but rather the exception: I found the lavish life style provided by the small ski resort nowhere else. As I experienced the poverty, hunger and misery of others, I felt alienated and different. I have never realized how blessed I was. Upon my return to Ifrane, I decided that I wanted to get involved with my country. I did not want to be an engineer with a Lamborghini nor a Cabinet minister with a Rolex but a Moroccan citizen willing to serve those less fortunate than him