Describe the world you come from - for example, your family, community or school - and tell us how your world has shaped your dreams and aspirations.
If I were to choose one word to describe my family, it would be obsessed. The thing about living in an Indian family is that there is constantly an unrealistic emphasis on grades and school work. I rarely hear about how well I have already done, but instead I hear about what I could do to improve. I have ecstatically brought home many an award only to hear about how I could have done better had I just applied myself more. The worst part of being in high school in this situation is that now all I hear about is how "so-and-so's kid got accepted at Berkeley" or "did you know he got into Davis?" The main emphasis is always on where you end up, not enjoying how you got there. This has somewhat changed me in that I now am rarely satisfied. I can study hard and do my best for an 85 on a test and I'll actually be embarrassed at the score. If I have a 91 in a class I no longer think of it as "Sweet, I got an A!" but rather "Wow that's looking pretty close to a B, I should get that up". It's bad in the sense that it always keeps me preoccupied (even if it's subconsciously) on my grades and how I'm doing. It's good in that it allows me to strive forward and if I see something wrong I can always buckle down and do my best to fix the problem.
Mainly, I view life as a long winding road. Of course there are the bumps, cracks, and potholes we hear everyone talk about with this metaphor; but I feel there is something more. I see myself as a vehicle, a bus perhaps, on this road. So far along my journey I've picked some people up, and I've dropped some off... all that's left of the others is just the saddening image of their empty seat. All the while I've kept moving forward, I have not stopped. But, it seems that no matter how fast I am going, or how efficiently I do things, I'm always driving to the tune of the backseat driver. In their eyes, I can never seem to go fast enough; never seem to be efficient enough. This mindset keeps me ever accelerating; always going faster. Along this long road, there have been many little hiccups. There are times when I feel like I'm running out of gas, "running on fumes" per say. Other times when something on the side of the road looks so interesting I just want to stop, or perhaps go backwards just to satisfy the need. It's required a bit of fine tuning, but I have managed a vague sense of balance amidst all the chaos. All my experiences along this road have made me more of a well-rounded person. I have learned how to manage speed bumps and how to get the most fuel efficiency. An oil change is no longer a problem, because I can easily adapt to my surroundings. Perhaps the most important lesson if all is just learning that despite all the background noise and all the stress involved on this trip, that sometimes it's best to just sit back and enjoy the ride. It surprises me to find that many of the other cars on the road are in some kind of dire rush; they just don't seem to recognize when to take a small break. Let the engine cool off, overheating is the last thing one needs at this point. Don't misconstrue it though; there are times when a break just isn't in the cards, that's where the balance comes into play. All in all, these tricks and maneuvers I have picked up have ultimately done me good in getting where I'm going, while not making it a complete bore getting there. The roads of life I have already traveled will help me reach that special "road less traveled" we all strive for.
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