Constructive criticism and feedback will be GREATLY appreciated.
*if you edit mine, i'll edit back. :)
An idea or experience, you have had that you find intellectually engaging.
Last summer, I had the amazing opportunity to visit Israel with my high school friends, AP Comparative Politics teacher, and my United States History teacher. Many months prior to the trip, I did all I could do to know about Israel from every aspect: I bought multiple guide books, practiced my Hebrew and Arabic, and read the Lemon Tree, a novel impartially written captured the Arab and Jew perspective in the heart of the Middle East. I was prepared to gain an intellectually stimulating experience of a lifetime.
This occurred when our group was able to tour the West Bank. Passports in hand, one by one, we stepped towards the Foreigner booth. I flashed my United States passport and found myself staring at a Palestinian woman in traditional clothes with a newborn strapped to her back. Beads of sweat dripped down her face; her dark eyes flashed a look of hatred that said, "You Americans." After the tour of the West Bank, we returned to our cool air-conditioned bus and sat down on soft clothed seats. Peering through a tainted window to the Palestinians on the other side, I could not forget the woman's dejected and exhausted eyes. She was telling me to do something, almost pleading, underneath her abhorrence for me as an American. She has affected me to make every decision as a World citizen rather than an American. I recognize that my opportunities given to me as an American are unattainable privileges for others, but I have also come to realize the need to seize these opportunities and advocate for those who do not have the rights or the means to do so themselves.
*if you edit mine, i'll edit back. :)
An idea or experience, you have had that you find intellectually engaging.
Last summer, I had the amazing opportunity to visit Israel with my high school friends, AP Comparative Politics teacher, and my United States History teacher. Many months prior to the trip, I did all I could do to know about Israel from every aspect: I bought multiple guide books, practiced my Hebrew and Arabic, and read the Lemon Tree, a novel impartially written captured the Arab and Jew perspective in the heart of the Middle East. I was prepared to gain an intellectually stimulating experience of a lifetime.
This occurred when our group was able to tour the West Bank. Passports in hand, one by one, we stepped towards the Foreigner booth. I flashed my United States passport and found myself staring at a Palestinian woman in traditional clothes with a newborn strapped to her back. Beads of sweat dripped down her face; her dark eyes flashed a look of hatred that said, "You Americans." After the tour of the West Bank, we returned to our cool air-conditioned bus and sat down on soft clothed seats. Peering through a tainted window to the Palestinians on the other side, I could not forget the woman's dejected and exhausted eyes. She was telling me to do something, almost pleading, underneath her abhorrence for me as an American. She has affected me to make every decision as a World citizen rather than an American. I recognize that my opportunities given to me as an American are unattainable privileges for others, but I have also come to realize the need to seize these opportunities and advocate for those who do not have the rights or the means to do so themselves.
