My Dad had once been in prison; Texas AM / Impact Person

Write an essay in which you tell us about someone who has made an impact on your life and explain how and why this person is important to you.

It was a humid night of the rain season in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam and the plane from Idaho just landed. I quickly got my baggage then walked out of the gate. I could not find my family from hundreds of eyes looking at the door I just walked passed. A man ran at me. My heart skipped a beat. He hugged and kissed me gently on the cheek. He is Ba Hung, my Dad. I hugged him and I knew, "I am home."

"Tell me about Ba Hung's life", I asked my Mom one day. "He, himself, will tell you when the time comes!" The night before I left Vietnam to study in America, my Dad and I had a conversation. "I was in prison for a year, economic crime." I still remember that night clearly in my mind. I was shocked, my Dad's image collapsed. He decided to share his story before I left for the States because he wanted to use his own life as most precious lesson that I've ever learned. He had failed to the deepest place on Earth that it could take him a lifetime to stand tall and recover, not to mention success in life. However, he did it in 20 years. "You will succeed if you can stand up after failure and there is no reason that you cannot not stand up, because I did it once."

Last summer, I booked a long flight back to Vietnam with three transits at Seattle, Vancouver and Hong Kong. It was a very different itinerary because usually, airlines will fly direct from the States to main Asian cities. Yet I was eager to see different airports and the culture itself. However, I was stuck at Seattle Airport because I did not have the required visa to transit at Vancouver Airport. I was crashed at the check-in counter because I will have to miss the rest of my flights returning home that I have been waiting for a year. I called My Dad and he said, "Remember what I told you the night before you left? I will leave this for you to solve!" I was frustrated hearing that from my Dad, but he started to see me as an adult. At 2 A.M., I sprinted through Seattle International Airport with two massive baggage on hand; I took the light rail to the International terminal, and booked a brand new flight to Vietnam just 32 minutes from departure.

I did not solve the problem myself because my Dad was in the back and gave me the chance to be independent. He always told me "There is no greater lesson than lessons from life." However, I see my Dad as my greatest lesson because his life is a lesson that I need to learn.

I could not find my family from hundreds of eyes looking at the door I just walked passed.
You could also say it like this: "Hundreds of eyes were staring at the door I walked through, as I scanned the crowd for my family."

"I was in prison for a year, it was economic crime."

I was shocked, my Dad's image collapsed.
You could say this: "I was shocked that my father's perfect image was actually tarnished."

He had failed to the deepest place on Earth that it could take him a lifetime to stand tall and recover, not to mention success in life.

I think that "deepest place on Earth" doesn't sound quite right here... he never really meant any harm or hurt anyone, right?

I was crashedstuck at the check-in counter because I will have to miss the rest of my return flights returning home.that I have been waiting for a year.

You may want to add a little quip at the end, something philosophical, that represents the meaning of your story.

Thank you for your comments. It's been very very helpful. For the deepest place on Earth, I just meant that it is very hard for a prisoner to come back and succeed in life. Yet my Dad got out of prison and became successful. And yeah, he never really harm anyone. How should I fix that to sound like it's the worst part of his life?

And do you think my essay answer the prompt?
Thank you

Here's my adding to the conclusion:

At the airport, he told me "I could call the travel agency and booked the ticket. However, I wanted to give you a chance to live your life and to have you solve your own problems." After that "failure", I have grown up and my father was right, there is always a solution when I stay strong after failure. As my Dad always told me, "There is no greater lesson than lessons from life", he is truly the greatest lesson because his life is a lesson that I need to learn.

What do you think? Is it better?

Anybody please give me some critical comments. Thank you

that's a great story on the impact of a person on you. and unusual story too


do you want to add some details
like "the minute hand on my watch pointed closer and even closer to that hour. " "I found myself stop and ask every man and woman in the uniform whether he or she knows what I should do" something like that to beef up the thing

hope that helps

cheers

That's exacly what I need. Thank you so much. Any other comments? Do you think I answer the prompt?

nguyensybach

HAHA glad that helped.


after this sentence do you want to add a sentence like "I did not quite understand, but I know what father meant very soon"

merry christmas

can you help me with the Lao village essay? thanks