my grandmother's life truly influenced mine

Prompt...
Indicate a person who has had a significant influence on you, and describe that influence.

I never realized how much my grandmother's life truly influenced mine until recently. When I was a young boy my grandmother used to babysit me every day. As a child, I was very curious, and my grandmother supported my curiosity. I would often roam around her backyard, picking and prodding at the grass, searching for bugs. I truly enjoyed the freedom I had in her backyard. However, it was not until we left the yard and entered the kitchen that I really became excited.

My grandmother's cabinets were often filled with everything and anything a young boy would want to make a mess with. However, she was not scared at all of what I might do with the contents of her cabinets; she let me make all the mess I wanted. On one specific occasion, I vividly remember the first time I mixed vinegar and baking soda. I had taken an entire bottle of vinegar and added it to an entire box of baking soda. The result of this combination was devastating to my grandmother's kitchen but not to my grandmother. Instead of scolding me for my actions, she supported them. She understood my curiosity and my obsession for understanding how things worked.

The encouragement that my grandmother gave me greatly affected my interests in chemistry today. As I grew older, she continued to facilitate my curiosity by encouraging me to think on my own. Whenever I asked a question about something she would always tell me she did not know the answer. Consequently, I would have to find out the answer for myself. Looking back, she blatantly knew many of the answers to my questions, but instead of simply telling me the answer each time, she chose to let me figure them out by myself. With this, my curiosity continued to develop.

I certainly have come a long way from mixing vinegar and baking soda on her kitchen floor. My current interests in chemistry are expressed vividly in one of my hobbies, reef keeping, which involves the replication of the natural reef biome in a glass tank. A vast knowledge of chemical sciences is important to ensure the tank's water parameters and climate emulates that of a natural reef biome. The regular mixing of chemicals to add to a tank is required to maintain pristine water conditions. Yes, I still do get to mix baking soda and vinegar, which are essential components needed to imitate natural reef conditions. I have been reef keeping now for about six years and my interests in chemistry have grown even stronger over the past six years. I truly owe the root of this development to one person, my grandmother.

Without her unique support, I never would have developed such a passion for understanding the world around me. My grandmother truly has been a large influence in my life.

Well, I was just wondering if someone could tell me what they thought of this essay... what does it tell you about me? :D any errors?

Thank in advance,
Donal.

obsession with understanding

Your essay tells me that you intend to read chemistry, you're a very curious and fun person and that you're passionate.

:) good luck

thanks

your essay tells me that you have a deep interest in chemistry (shown by your reef keeping), you are very active (rather than passive, you WANT to have your questions answered), and that you are very passionate (because you've stuck with reef keeping for 6 years and because you want to further chemistry, which seems to be your academic passion)

your essay tells me that you are a very interesting and a fun person...and you have an interest in chemistry :)
Good Luck!!!!!!

This sentence is brilliant:

The result of this combination was devastating to my grandmother's kitchen but not to my grandmother.

Nice job! I found no errors...

thanks! this really helps, your input is appreciated!