Tell us about a personal quality, talent, accomplishment, contribution or experience that is important to you. What about this quality or accomplishment makes you proud and how does it relate to the person you are?
On the façade, a city covered the concrete, lustrous glass skyscrapers loomed overhead, the cars zoomed by, and men in suits talked through their blackberries, but in heart of the city lies cultural diversity and roots in the western American cultivation. The Discovery of Gold in the 1900's, and the Counter-culture movement in the 2000's have surely molded this city into what it has become today. Forty-niners may have abandon the rivers, but gold is still plentiful. Not under the clear, glistening streams, but in the core of San Francisco.
The weeks leading up to our mission to San Francisco were one of confusion and conflicts. What could I possibly do to change their lives? After all they ended up on the streets through their misfortunes and bad decisions. What could serving the misfortunate possibly teach me? Upon reading a book "Hole in the Gospel" by Richard Stearns, my conflicts also arose. Even if I help how would they react? They were all on the streets for a reason. What good would I find in these broken people? Then came august 8th, as I slammed the door as I closed to my eye and hoped for the best. From then on we were at 80 mph without a breath to stop.
As I walked the streets of downtown San Francisco across from a Westfield shopping mall, a man's face shone like a bright yellow hue " Barry" was a middle aged African American man, slightly unshaven with speckles of white and gray hair across his face. On an empty bucket and a sandwich in hand, He greeted everyone among his presence, shirking off the smug faces of those who ignored him. " It's important to me to make others smile, they might have had a bad day and I could cheer them up," he said. I've looked to myself, could this be the reason for this trip?
I have seen homeless before, their hopes hiding under the dark bags under their eyes, their despair hiding in the pockets of their overcoats. But seeing this lustrous gold face was what really caught my attention. Honestly, I didn't want to talk to him. I wasn't ready to have my life changed, to have my comfortable mindset ripped from me. As I trudged nervously, heart pounding, across the street, I wanted this to be over quick. But a joyous and reassuring tone, the first words he spoke were "Hello there! How are you doing?" My face lit up as I realize that everything would be different now.
Having my doors shoved open; I was forced to eat my own words. As dirty and trashy he looked, he was the most civil man I've met. Under the yellow teeth, dusty face, and tattered clothes was an ordinary man, just like me. My personal reason for coming on the trip wasn't for a life-changing experience, a complete eye-opener, but to reinforce my pessimism and judgment. But this trip gave me more than I have asked for. It had reshaped my goal and concepts that will reshape my future. Adults and teachers have taught it to me, but it took 400 miles and a week, to realize what I already knew but did not apply, "Don't judge a book by its cover." Throughout the years of studying , did we really learn concepts like "don't judge a book by its cover?" We blindly study and learn all these topics and skills, but never learned how to use them. It took a real experience to bring application into this idea. Finally understanding this familiar adage brought real utilization to its meaning.
In the end, I discovered gold. Not the physical or priceless gold you may find on the ground, but the Gold you find in people's hearts. As I looked out the window of the Jet-Black Chrysler, overlooking the hue of the yellow wheat fields of central California, I realized there is more than meets the eye. That inside every person is another far more beautiful, more valuable than vanity itself. This gold sure did not make me many times richer that I was before, but it did fill my heart with moral prosperity that will last me until the end of time.
Forty-niners may have abandoned the rivers, but gold is still plentiful -- not under the clear, glistening streams, but in the core of San Francisco.----I had to put these 2 sentences together or one of them would have been an incomplete sentence.
The weeks leading up to our mission to San Francisco were one full of confusion and conflicts.
With an empty bucket and a sandwich in hand, he...
As I trudged nervously, heart pounding, across the street, I wanted this to be over quickly .
But a joyous and
Capitalization, punctuation:
...we really learn concepts like, "Don't judge a book by its cover."
In the end, I discovered gold. It was not the physical or priceless...
:-)
Your vision for this essay is beautiful and it sounds like you went through a wonderful life changing experience. I also like how you talk about the themes of yellow in his face and in the wheat.
and the Counter-culture movement in the 2000's1960's
You could change "As dirty and trashy" to other words like: unbathed, unkempt, grimy, grubby, grungy, etc to paint a better picture.
a bright yellow hue. "Barry"
My personal reason for coming on the trip wasn't for a life-changing experience or a complete eye-opener,
On a side note, maybe instead of saying something like "to reinforce my pessimism and judgement" you could put a more positive spin on it. Like you were hoping to find an experience like this one with Barry, but highly doubted it. But if that isn't true, of course don't put that in.
