12. Tell us about the neighborhood that you grew up in and how it helped shape you into the kind of person you are today. (Yale and University of Chicago)
When I was between the ages of 5 to 10, I knew my father as the "man who worked in the United Nations." I didn't know what he did, I didn't know what his aim was ... all I knew was that he was a man who worked with villagers and a man who traveled a lot. I was 5 when I moved to Dhaka, Bangladesh. I spend four years there, studying for kindergarten to third grade. I did my pre-school in Kathmandu, Nepal, in a school called Mickey's International if any of you were wondering. Funny name, I know. But after the four years that my family and I spent in Bangladesh, were the end of seven years my father spent there. After realizing that he wanted to go back to school, he gave my mom a decision as to whether she wanted to bring the family and herself to the United States with him. My dad was not going to give the opportunity of studying in Maxwell, at Syracuse University, in Syracuse, New York. According to my dad, it was an extremely good school which was part of a good, well known university.
So, we moved to Syracuse, New York until my father finished college. That was two years. My sister and I went to school and my mom went to college as well. She said, "why not?" My parents then decided that should make the most of our time in the States and travel the country. So, we moved to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where my dad's younger brother lived. My sister and I went to school there, and my parents explored. I would call that stay, perhaps, an extended holiday.
As the conditions of Nepal were not so habitable for students, my father decided that my sister and I apply to Woodstock. Though reluctant at first, we agreed. And here we are ... still, after 5 years. I am quite surprised. I've moved around so much, I thought I wasn't going to be in this school more than two or three years.
I've lived in many different types of neighborhoods. I've lived in a Muslim community, I've lived near the south of a city where African Americans live, I've lived in a quite suburban neighborhood, and I've lived in a constricted, enclosed neighborhood called Woodstock. I used to think moving around all the time was a bad thing. But I've come to realize that the amount of traveling that I've done, though not much, has shaped me into a culturally educated person. I know enough things about different environments to fit in without any problems. I feel that I can be respectful to many cultures and many traditions. I understand the complexity that comes with a Muslim community, but I also understand the freedom that comes with an environment in the United States. But most of all, I know how to make the most of the fruitfulness that comes with both.
Number of Words: 494
When I was between the ages of 5 to 10, I knew my father as the "man who worked in the United Nations." I didn't know what he did, I didn't know what his aim was ... all I knew was that he was a man who worked with villagers and a man who traveled a lot. I was 5 when I moved to Dhaka, Bangladesh. I spend four years there, studying for kindergarten to third grade. I did my pre-school in Kathmandu, Nepal, in a school called Mickey's International if any of you were wondering. Funny name, I know. But after the four years that my family and I spent in Bangladesh, were the end of seven years my father spent there. After realizing that he wanted to go back to school, he gave my mom a decision as to whether she wanted to bring the family and herself to the United States with him. My dad was not going to give the opportunity of studying in Maxwell, at Syracuse University, in Syracuse, New York. According to my dad, it was an extremely good school which was part of a good, well known university.
So, we moved to Syracuse, New York until my father finished college. That was two years. My sister and I went to school and my mom went to college as well. She said, "why not?" My parents then decided that should make the most of our time in the States and travel the country. So, we moved to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where my dad's younger brother lived. My sister and I went to school there, and my parents explored. I would call that stay, perhaps, an extended holiday.
As the conditions of Nepal were not so habitable for students, my father decided that my sister and I apply to Woodstock. Though reluctant at first, we agreed. And here we are ... still, after 5 years. I am quite surprised. I've moved around so much, I thought I wasn't going to be in this school more than two or three years.
I've lived in many different types of neighborhoods. I've lived in a Muslim community, I've lived near the south of a city where African Americans live, I've lived in a quite suburban neighborhood, and I've lived in a constricted, enclosed neighborhood called Woodstock. I used to think moving around all the time was a bad thing. But I've come to realize that the amount of traveling that I've done, though not much, has shaped me into a culturally educated person. I know enough things about different environments to fit in without any problems. I feel that I can be respectful to many cultures and many traditions. I understand the complexity that comes with a Muslim community, but I also understand the freedom that comes with an environment in the United States. But most of all, I know how to make the most of the fruitfulness that comes with both.
Number of Words: 494
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