Hello, I'm currently a student at NYU and I'm hoping to go abroad to one of the "Special Programs" offered through the school, one being 35mm filmmaking in Prague, Television Production with BBC or Screenwriting in London.
Here are our choice of prompts to choose from:
Choose 1 of the 3 following quotations to respond to in essay form. Your statement must be a minimum of 500 words and a maximum of 1500 words.
"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness." -Mark Twain
"One's destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things." -Henry Miller
"Travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living." -Miriam Beard
I chose prompt number two. Please let me know your feedback and any necessary revisions I need to make. This is very much appreciated.
"One's destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things." -Henry Miller
I'm glad to be the first generation American in my family. That may sound odd, but because of this aspect of myself, I greatly benefitted in terms of my upbringing and my ability to experience different cultures that I otherwise would have never known. My family grew up in Croatia, which was then part of Yugoslavia. Sensing instability of the country and because my father was going abroad as part of his post doc, my parents came to the United States. While the homeland wars in the Balkans occurred, my parents settled in College Station, Texas, where I was born and subsequently raised. Because of the outcome of those wars, my parents were able to stay in Texas and work freely. Growing up in this small and conservative Texas town, I would have had a drastically different impression of the world if my parents had not taken me abroad to Croatia and other destinations as much as they did.
When I was old enough, and when the conflicts declined, my parents made sure that I visited their home country. It was crucial that I learned where my lineage came from. It was also necessary to travel abroad, otherwise it would have been difficult learning the importance of family considering the rest of them still live there. Every year, I see how dedicated my parents are, planning out all their vacation time to visit every summer, giving relatives gifts and supporting them in any way they can even while being overseas.
Objectively speaking, going abroad for the first time is always a shocking experience- being immersed in culture with the people, food, language, architecture, lifestyle, etc. It's all a lot to take, and my experience was no different. Gradually though, I had learned to adjust and live as the locals did. While there I take daily walks around the city, go to the fresh produce market in the square, partake in fishing with my grandfather, swimming with some friends and sitting in a café with my grandmother watching the people go by every morning. It's honestly the best way to fully enjoy Croatia. The same can be said of my other abroad experiences; without seeing and understanding the way people live in a country, the trip could very easily become frustrating and isolating.
And while Croatia is a wonderful country, another important reason for going there nearly every summer was the need to understand all of the country's good qualities as well as the bad. Croatia is beautiful, but there's a lot holding it back from having the potential I know it has. Growing older, I realize now how badly the homeland wars affected the country. And being more aware of this, I became extremely disappointed to see that not much has been done to improve. Much of the country has either stayed the same or stagnated since. It's funny because Croatians are a passionate people (sometimes too passionate), but oftentimes I see them become either uncaring or indifferent when it comes time to step up and actually do something. I think a great portion of this sentiment though is through a cynicism that's developed in an area that's suffered so much devastation. The people think nothing will actually improve, because not much has in the twenty or so years since the war, so why try? Until that mindset changes, Croatia will never even come close to it's greatest potential.
I know I'm speaking so much about this one country but like the Croatian people, I am a passionate person just the same. Going abroad and living in this one place repeatedly most every summer has allowed me to truly experience Croatia for the country it is. I am both proud, and expect better of this country. I now have a stronger connection to my family because I know I can't see them most of the year. I have learned so many new things as well; I have learned some of the language, learned to love the food, learned to fish and drive a boat, and most importantly, I learned to live as a local in an unfamiliar country. Croatia is now my second home, but it has also become my first love. I have hope that when it joins the European Union, Croatia will have a new, more positive outlook on the future - one that will rally them to become the more prosperous country I know it can be.
Many of the people I got to know back home in Texas had never ventured outside of the state. Though Texas is fairly large in itself, many of my friends, and oftentimes their parents as well, have a generally skewed interpretation of America, and a poor perception of the world. My parents made a point to have me experience numerous cultures while growing up, throughout North America and Europe. I knew that I didn't want to end up going to college in the same town that I lived in, like 90% of the students in my high school graduating class. My parents, even though they work at the college in my hometown, didn't want that for me either. I eventually chose going to New York, which reminds me so much of Zagreb, Croatia's capital, in many ways. And now that I'm studying at New York University, I see a great opportunity to study abroad with some of the best institutions in Europe. Whether it is filmmaking in Prague, television production and screenwriting in London, or anywhere else I may end up going, I will be fully immersed in a country, much like Croatia, and experiencing it the way it should be.
Here are our choice of prompts to choose from:
Choose 1 of the 3 following quotations to respond to in essay form. Your statement must be a minimum of 500 words and a maximum of 1500 words.
"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness." -Mark Twain
"One's destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things." -Henry Miller
"Travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living." -Miriam Beard
I chose prompt number two. Please let me know your feedback and any necessary revisions I need to make. This is very much appreciated.
"One's destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things." -Henry Miller
I'm glad to be the first generation American in my family. That may sound odd, but because of this aspect of myself, I greatly benefitted in terms of my upbringing and my ability to experience different cultures that I otherwise would have never known. My family grew up in Croatia, which was then part of Yugoslavia. Sensing instability of the country and because my father was going abroad as part of his post doc, my parents came to the United States. While the homeland wars in the Balkans occurred, my parents settled in College Station, Texas, where I was born and subsequently raised. Because of the outcome of those wars, my parents were able to stay in Texas and work freely. Growing up in this small and conservative Texas town, I would have had a drastically different impression of the world if my parents had not taken me abroad to Croatia and other destinations as much as they did.
When I was old enough, and when the conflicts declined, my parents made sure that I visited their home country. It was crucial that I learned where my lineage came from. It was also necessary to travel abroad, otherwise it would have been difficult learning the importance of family considering the rest of them still live there. Every year, I see how dedicated my parents are, planning out all their vacation time to visit every summer, giving relatives gifts and supporting them in any way they can even while being overseas.
Objectively speaking, going abroad for the first time is always a shocking experience- being immersed in culture with the people, food, language, architecture, lifestyle, etc. It's all a lot to take, and my experience was no different. Gradually though, I had learned to adjust and live as the locals did. While there I take daily walks around the city, go to the fresh produce market in the square, partake in fishing with my grandfather, swimming with some friends and sitting in a café with my grandmother watching the people go by every morning. It's honestly the best way to fully enjoy Croatia. The same can be said of my other abroad experiences; without seeing and understanding the way people live in a country, the trip could very easily become frustrating and isolating.
And while Croatia is a wonderful country, another important reason for going there nearly every summer was the need to understand all of the country's good qualities as well as the bad. Croatia is beautiful, but there's a lot holding it back from having the potential I know it has. Growing older, I realize now how badly the homeland wars affected the country. And being more aware of this, I became extremely disappointed to see that not much has been done to improve. Much of the country has either stayed the same or stagnated since. It's funny because Croatians are a passionate people (sometimes too passionate), but oftentimes I see them become either uncaring or indifferent when it comes time to step up and actually do something. I think a great portion of this sentiment though is through a cynicism that's developed in an area that's suffered so much devastation. The people think nothing will actually improve, because not much has in the twenty or so years since the war, so why try? Until that mindset changes, Croatia will never even come close to it's greatest potential.
I know I'm speaking so much about this one country but like the Croatian people, I am a passionate person just the same. Going abroad and living in this one place repeatedly most every summer has allowed me to truly experience Croatia for the country it is. I am both proud, and expect better of this country. I now have a stronger connection to my family because I know I can't see them most of the year. I have learned so many new things as well; I have learned some of the language, learned to love the food, learned to fish and drive a boat, and most importantly, I learned to live as a local in an unfamiliar country. Croatia is now my second home, but it has also become my first love. I have hope that when it joins the European Union, Croatia will have a new, more positive outlook on the future - one that will rally them to become the more prosperous country I know it can be.
Many of the people I got to know back home in Texas had never ventured outside of the state. Though Texas is fairly large in itself, many of my friends, and oftentimes their parents as well, have a generally skewed interpretation of America, and a poor perception of the world. My parents made a point to have me experience numerous cultures while growing up, throughout North America and Europe. I knew that I didn't want to end up going to college in the same town that I lived in, like 90% of the students in my high school graduating class. My parents, even though they work at the college in my hometown, didn't want that for me either. I eventually chose going to New York, which reminds me so much of Zagreb, Croatia's capital, in many ways. And now that I'm studying at New York University, I see a great opportunity to study abroad with some of the best institutions in Europe. Whether it is filmmaking in Prague, television production and screenwriting in London, or anywhere else I may end up going, I will be fully immersed in a country, much like Croatia, and experiencing it the way it should be.
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