Asked by sillything
Does it answer the question, is it dull? Is it to serious Does the story make sense, do the connections make sense? What kind of person do you think I am after reading this? Would you accept me to your college? Be mean guys, please.. I know it’s really choppy but I’m not sure how to fix it, suggestions? I’d really appreciate it! Discuss an issue or topic that you once thought you knew for certain but that you have since learned to question. Reflect on the meaning for you of this transformation. It was the August before my senior year and here I was, frantically flapping at the water. Earlier that week my friends and I had decided to go water tubing in the Shenandoah River, our last big adventure before the end of the summer. For some reason, I couldn't get my tube to move and my friends were moving down the river farther and farther away from me. I tried using my hands to propel myself forward. One of my friends called out to me from up ahead, "Stop trying to hard!" Yes, what a marvelous idea, let me stop trying so I can fall further behind. "Are you kidding?" I croaked back, my throat parched from the heat. I was frustrated because I was turning 18 in two months and this was supposed to be my last taste of childhood. So far, it wasn't going well. My friends were now half a mile away, disappearing behind the two cliffs up ahead. The cliffs bulged out over the river and cut of the line of sight to the river past the cliffs. My friend called back, "Well it's not as if your approach is working," and disappeared behind the curtain of rock. She had a point, so I rested my head on the side of the inflatable tube and let one of my hands graze the water. Sure enough, the current picked up my tube and pretty soon I was bopping along at a pleasant speed. What an appropriate metaphor for my life. You would think that I would have learned by now that nature and life in general can’t be sped up or slowed down. It’s best to not struggle against it. The warm sun lulled me into a lazy, euphoric state. I no longer cared about catching up with my friends and for the first time, I looked around at my setting. Dark green trees grew on the slopes on either side of the river and there were jagged rocks along the shore. How long did it take the river to carve out this valley? It occurred to me that if I had still been struggling against the current and worrying about trying to keep pace with my friends, I would have never seen the beauty around me. I was so blissfully happy, with the rays of the sun above me and the cold water below me. The last time I had been this happy was when I was when I was three. I had no inhibitions back then. No understanding of money, the future, jobs or anything else that defines adulthood. The only thing I understood was my life at that exact moment. This was also around the time when people started asking me what I wanted to be when I grew up. “Nothing,” I told them, “I’m not going to grow up.” Clearly, that was not the right answer. “Everyone grows up Sneha,” my Mommy would explain, “it’ll happen sooner than you think.” As for the job question, I’m not sure why they bothered asking. It’s as if every parent of East-Indian decent receives a card when they have a child; what will your baby be when he/she grows up? a)Engineer b)Doctor My parents chose B, and so I was raised in the world of science. I loved science and learning in general. I absorbed new ideas quickly and was at the top of my class in 1st grade. I could grasp the concept of negative numbers when my classmates were still exploring the mysteries of division. “She’s a genius,” my teacher remarked. My parents couldn’t have been prouder. However, I was developing a passion for history and music as well. So, my parents put me into a private school that focused mainly on math and science. “It’s for your own good,” my dad told me, “You need to concentrate on your career.” I asked him why. “Because,” he explained, “the more energy you put into your future the more money you’ll make and the happier you’ll be.” So I believed that if I was a good doctor, then I would have money and would be happy for life. Eventually, I moved to America. Here, I was required to learn about art, history and music. I also started learning dance and fell in love with it. I did plies while waiting in line and Jazz walked to the dinner table. I quit before I reached 6th grade. It was “taking time away from my studies.” I wasn’t happy about it, but I believed it would pay off in the future. All that really mattered was the future. In middle school I started playing the flute. In all honesty, I hated it. My sound was airy and not at all like the sound of professional players. But, I stuck with it. I would look good on my medical school application. Meanwhile, my parents were moving us into bigger and bigger houses until we moved into the one we live in today. However, the wealthier my fa