Hey guys! Here's my essay for NYU. The prompt was to describe a dramatic event that happened in my life and how it changed the perception or myself or someone close to me. Please know that English isn't my fist language and I have a lack of strong vocabulary, but please tell me what you think and corrections!
thanks :)
Right when my mother picked up the phone, I knew something was wrong. The voice from the other side of the line told me that this was a call for an important family issue. After my mom slowly put down the phone, I immediately went up to her and asked what happened. "Your grandma got into a car accident, she's at the hospital emergency room right now." My mother turned around and walked away. She was crying.
I didn't get the chance to grow up near my grandmother, because our family had to move from Taiwan to Vietnam when I was only six. In my memories, she would hold my tiny hand and walk around the park near my house, spending a beautiful afternoon together. Even though I was little, I knew I could depend on my grandmother when I needed someone. Since I only get to see her during summer and winter breaks, I treasured every moment with grandma. I had a foolish dream once and told her: "Grandma, when I grow up, I want to build a house for you near mine so I won't have to travel this far to visit you!". She looked at me with a smile on her face, and gave me a tender tap on my head.
I wanted to achieve many goals in my life for my grandmother: become a great architect, travel around the world with her, memories that I wanted to make up for the times I lost during my childhood. Sadly, this motivation slowly faded away as I grew up. No longer was I this innocent and naive boy, but a teenager who rather faces all the problems alone. After years away from my grandmother, each visit became less passionate, excited, and our interaction wasn't as active as before.
The day my grandmother got into the car accident, she was immediately sent into the emergency room. From my uncle's description on the phone, I almost believed that I would lose my grandma. The car was completely distorted, she was stuck in it and got pulled out by force. Her bottom half's nerves were harmed, the doctor said that it was highly possible that she wouldn't be able to stand back on her feet again. Also, her throat was damaged in the accident.
On my way to the hospital during my visit to Taiwan, I was nervous. I didn't know how I would react when I see grandma. The scene shocked me: she was lying on the bed, with a big tube inserted into her throat as air supply. I slowly walked toward this fragile patient. My grandma tried to use her little bit of energy to raise her hand and touch my head. Even though she couldn't talk, I saw a smile on her face, the same way how she looked at me years ago when I told her my foolish dream. I could no longer hold it and tears burst into my eyes. I cried because all my childhood memories came back. I cried because I almost lost the most important person in my life. I cried because I missed my grandma.
Suddenly, I realized how fragile life is. With all the great work that our society has done in the world, no one really paid attention to each individual life. Even the most powerful person could easily die from a simple car accident, as all the other ordinary people can. I found out how important it is for me to treasure every moment that I have, so I can live my day to the fullest. As I grew up, I started to take this sacred creation of God for granted. I wasted my valuable time on unnecessary attractions such as video games, Internet, instead of going out and experiencing the world. Looking at my grandmother's close experience to death, I learned a lot from myself. I started to regret for the times I lost with her, wishing that we could have our memories back. I realized how selfish I was for the past few years. Times when my grandmother tried to help me in a difficult situation but I coldly rejected her suggestion. Times when she tried to make me smile but I simply walked away. These awful moments appeared in my mind when I looked at grandma. It seemed like she knew what I was thinking. She pulled me close, and whispered in my ears with a voice that I could barely hear: "Be strong, take good care of yourself".
This summer, my grandmother made a huge progress from being unable to move her body to walking slowly on her feet now. Even though I don't understand why this dramatic accident has to happen to grandma, but I surely learned a lot from it. It took me almost ten years to realize how important my grandmother is, and the work that she has done for me. The accident has taught me to live everyday to the fullest, and stop wasting valuable time to achieve my goal. The dream that I once promised grandma isn't foolish; I will do it and show her that I'm strong.
Great story and language. English is also not my first language, so i can relate to how hard it can be to write such an essay. One suggestion is that after that life changing experience, and taking you 10 years to realize the importance of your grandma, what have you done to improve yourself , how have you lived everyday to the fullest?
Maybe that might make it a bit more real in a sense of there is proof to the improvement you have made.
