Please help me edit my gap year essay. Any suggestion or comment will be appreciated.
Ever since I can remember I have always been a student. I started school at 2 and a half years old and for fourteen more years, being a student was the only identity I had. So, when I finished high school, I had a difficult time trying to understand if my capabilities were limited to the walls of the classroom. I had been involved in activities in my school, but these activities never gave me the option to explore all my interests and curiosities. I never knew where my true passion lied and I had no idea what subject I wanted to study. I decided to take a gap year to do some volunteering work and travel.
I started my gap year by challenging what I feared most: death. I bungee jumped off a 160m high bridge. Gathering courage to free-fall from the high bridge has made me realize anything is possible if you have the desire and the will to do it. After that, I looked up some organizations I could work for. I volunteered to teach at a special school for differently abled children. Getting to work with children with special needs has taught me to be more patient and compassionate. Shortly after my time in the special school, I participated in the International Volunteer Exchange Program conducted by a local Eco- foundation. As part of the program, I, along with my school friends, worked with Swiss students to build a playground and a home for underprivileged orphaned children. This experience has changed my thoughts on how I perceived other cultures and has developed my teamwork skills.
I was making the most out of my gap year and I didn't want to stop there. I decided to volunteer as a teacher in the only free school in Nepal. This required me to go to remote areas of Nepal and teach English. This was an enlightening experience for me. I had never been out of the comforts of Kathmandu, so I was shocked to find out that life outside the capital was very different and difficult. Getting to stay in the village for six weeks helped me better understand the life that existed for people who lived there. I was appalled by the incapability of our ineffectual government. Due to lack of infrastructure, education and health facilities, it was very difficult for the people to even survive. I was inspired to contribute to improve the present condition in the rural areas myself. This whole experience has influenced my decision in selecting Economics and Political Science as subjects I want to study and in aspiring to be the person I one day, hope to be.
I have also been working for Volunteer Nepal for around five months now and this entire experience has helped me grow as an individual. I got to meet people from around the world, share stories and make countless memories. I have gotten to travel and I have learnt to be more responsible for my actions. Being a part of a multicultural community, where everyone respected each other's opinions and principles, has helped me gain a global perspective.
The past year and a half has changed my life beyond belief. Each experience has had a profound impact on me, whether it was digging the ground to make playground for children or teaching students under a classroom that had bamboo and hay for roof, and beautiful mountains for background. Had I started school straight after I finished high school, I would have never had these transcending experiences that shaped me into the person I am today. Getting to volunteer and travel inside my country has made me aware of the true Nepal that exists outside textbooks and travel brochures. And now it is very clear to me the subjects I want to study and the things I want to accomplish.
Ever since I can remember I have always been a student. I started school at 2 and a half years old and for fourteen more years, being a student was the only identity I had. So, when I finished high school, I had a difficult time trying to understand if my capabilities were limited to the walls of the classroom. I had been involved in activities in my school, but these activities never gave me the option to explore all my interests and curiosities. I never knew where my true passion lied and I had no idea what subject I wanted to study. I decided to take a gap year to do some volunteering work and travel.
I started my gap year by challenging what I feared most: death. I bungee jumped off a 160m high bridge. Gathering courage to free-fall from the high bridge has made me realize anything is possible if you have the desire and the will to do it. After that, I looked up some organizations I could work for. I volunteered to teach at a special school for differently abled children. Getting to work with children with special needs has taught me to be more patient and compassionate. Shortly after my time in the special school, I participated in the International Volunteer Exchange Program conducted by a local Eco- foundation. As part of the program, I, along with my school friends, worked with Swiss students to build a playground and a home for underprivileged orphaned children. This experience has changed my thoughts on how I perceived other cultures and has developed my teamwork skills.
I was making the most out of my gap year and I didn't want to stop there. I decided to volunteer as a teacher in the only free school in Nepal. This required me to go to remote areas of Nepal and teach English. This was an enlightening experience for me. I had never been out of the comforts of Kathmandu, so I was shocked to find out that life outside the capital was very different and difficult. Getting to stay in the village for six weeks helped me better understand the life that existed for people who lived there. I was appalled by the incapability of our ineffectual government. Due to lack of infrastructure, education and health facilities, it was very difficult for the people to even survive. I was inspired to contribute to improve the present condition in the rural areas myself. This whole experience has influenced my decision in selecting Economics and Political Science as subjects I want to study and in aspiring to be the person I one day, hope to be.
I have also been working for Volunteer Nepal for around five months now and this entire experience has helped me grow as an individual. I got to meet people from around the world, share stories and make countless memories. I have gotten to travel and I have learnt to be more responsible for my actions. Being a part of a multicultural community, where everyone respected each other's opinions and principles, has helped me gain a global perspective.
The past year and a half has changed my life beyond belief. Each experience has had a profound impact on me, whether it was digging the ground to make playground for children or teaching students under a classroom that had bamboo and hay for roof, and beautiful mountains for background. Had I started school straight after I finished high school, I would have never had these transcending experiences that shaped me into the person I am today. Getting to volunteer and travel inside my country has made me aware of the true Nepal that exists outside textbooks and travel brochures. And now it is very clear to me the subjects I want to study and the things I want to accomplish.
