Connection To Place
My paternal grandfather, an engineer and wine-lover, told me what makes a wine great is the taste of it's unique terroir - soil, gradient, and weather.
We are all influenced by our environment. Certainly, one would expect that I am a product of Cambridge. The social diversity of Cambridge, the people I've met, and the feel of its neighborhoods have all contributed subliminally to my identity.
Unlike wine, however, people are influenced by multiple places. My father is American and my Mom is from Italy. Born in Milan, I am a dual-citizen.
My time in Italy has been marked only by fleeting summer vacations, and I do not speak the language well. Yet, Italy enchants me largely through memories of my family and stories my mom has told me. At my family's house in Santa Margherita, I remember playing cards with my grandfather in the shade under the fig trees when I was little. In Milan, whenever I see kids playing soccer on the street I am tempted to wonder how my life would've been different had my parents decided to raise me in Italy.
But, I've lived in Cambridge for almost all of my life.
Any winemaker would admit that, although incredibly important, terroir only leaves a small trace in wine. Similarly, the places that influence us greatly need not be the places where we have spent the most time.
This is a really good start. I am not sure about the word limit on this essay, but I feel like this essay doesn't answer the question fully. From what I understand, the question asks how connection to place influences your experience. How has Cambridge contributed to your identity? How has Italy contributed to your identity?
*Cambridge is somewhat repetitive in the beginning
*"and my mom is Italian" rather than she is from Italy; it matches the previous statement of your dad being American.
At my family's house in Santa Margherita, I remember playing cards with my grandfather in the shade under the fig trees when I was little.
-Switch the sentence around to start with "I remember..."
Great essay! Powerful idea.
Love your essay! I agree with sidbush, but you could probably change the sentence from "My father is American and my Mom is from Italy" to "My father is America and my mother, Italian." You don't need to repeat the "is". And saying "mother" instead of "mom" is more consistent since you already used "father", but there's no harm in changing them both to mom and dad. :)
i like how you tied wine into your life.
the concluding sentence seems like it needs a but, for ex. Similarly, the places that influence us greatly need not be the places where we have spent the most time, but where...(insert how places do influence you then if not by time)
bowdoin is a great school, good luck!
I like how you tied in the wine at the end of the essay it helps add power but also helps to tie the whole essay together. I especially like the last sentence of your essay. Great job.
I love your first sentence; it's very intriguing. But you might want to add a bit more to the final sentence to finish off the tie-in.
Any winemaker would admit that, although incredibly important, terroir only leaves a small trace in wine. Similarly, the places that influence us greatly need not be the places where we have spent the most time.
^I would make it specific, and mention Italy once again.
Good luck with everything, and thanks for your help with my essay!
