To start off, I thought it would be useful to let others know why I wanted to take part in the Bridge Year Program in the first place. Because that was actually a question on the rather lengthy(very,very long) application, I felt that it would be good to post the essay that I used to answer that very question on the application. While I was trying to complete my application, I had absolutely no idea how to express my want to be accepted into the program. I knew why I wanted to go, but I couldn't put it into words, so I decided to write down everything I thought as I thought it(granted, I had to pause for a few brief moments as my fingers caught up to my rambling mind) and this was somewhat what resulted, with the exception of a few initial grammar and spelling errors. Hope you enjoy!
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Articulate my reasons for applying to Bridge Year? Hmm, well what can I say? I know why I want to be a part of the program, but how do I say it? How do I let them know that this is an opportunity I could only dream about without sounding as cliché as I just did. I’m sure that everyone who applies will say roughly the same thing. How do I stand out amongst all the applicants?
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Articulate my reasons for applying to Bridge Year? Hmm, well what can I say? I know why I want to be a part of the program, but how do I say it? How do I let them know that this is an opportunity I could only dream about without sounding as cliché as I just did. I’m sure that everyone who applies will say roughly the same thing. How do I stand out amongst all the applicants?
How can I tell them that I would love to stop fantasizing over Youtube videos like Yong An’s “Three Inches of Heaven” and actually see and hear an erhu being played for the first time? How can I tell them I’ve watched Mohabbatein’s “Soni, Soni” about nine times in the past three or four hours without sounding a bit, what’s the word, crazy? Do I even have an English playlist? I think I might, somewhere.
Maybe I can tell them that I would like the opportunity to dedicate myself to a cause and to the bettering of the lives of other people. Now I sound like a Miss Universe contestant. How can I say I want to learn selflessness without being so blatant? Still, I really do want to help. I want to say I contributed to a water harvesting projecting in Yunnan province or maybe taught some English to little kids in India or Senegal. Maybe those kids can teach me some Chinese or Hindi or Wolof.
Maybe I can tell them that I would like the opportunity to dedicate myself to a cause and to the bettering of the lives of other people. Now I sound like a Miss Universe contestant. How can I say I want to learn selflessness without being so blatant? Still, I really do want to help. I want to say I contributed to a water harvesting projecting in Yunnan province or maybe taught some English to little kids in India or Senegal. Maybe those kids can teach me some Chinese or Hindi or Wolof.
Is it too general to say that I want to learn how to be a member of the global community? Sure, the US is home to a large percentage of all the world’s different peoples, but how often can I interact with them as I would like? I want to form lasting relationships with people I may not be able to meet here or play some charades with people I can’t speak with fluidly. How difficult would that be? Would our shared humanity be enough to allow understanding even if we came from different worlds? What exactly does it mean to be human? How different does a different upbringing really make us? Great, now I’m just getting philosophical.
Even just the fact that I can take a year off to recover from those four years of nerve-wrecking high school sounds appealing. I would have a few more months to ponder about my future, what I’m going to major in, what I’ll do with a degree, or wait, I could also use the extra time to learn to play my dizi or practice enough to impress people with my abacus. It would be such a different experience to be able to learn without the pressure of grades looming over you. I would no longer have to plan my schedule for some Chinese calligraphy or some Indian dancing. I would be able to do it as part of the experience. For once, I could learn solely for the sake of learning. Wow, that sounds selfish. Didn’t I just talk about learning selflessness? Well, that’s a problem.
How long has it been? Two hours? Four hours? A couple of days, maybe? Ok, maybe not. Still though, I can’t seem to think of how to say what I want to say. Maybe, I just need some songs from Mohabbatein. “Soni, Soni” is a possibility. Think, Luis, think. Well, maybe the words will come to me eventually. Maybe.
Even just the fact that I can take a year off to recover from those four years of nerve-wrecking high school sounds appealing. I would have a few more months to ponder about my future, what I’m going to major in, what I’ll do with a degree, or wait, I could also use the extra time to learn to play my dizi or practice enough to impress people with my abacus. It would be such a different experience to be able to learn without the pressure of grades looming over you. I would no longer have to plan my schedule for some Chinese calligraphy or some Indian dancing. I would be able to do it as part of the experience. For once, I could learn solely for the sake of learning. Wow, that sounds selfish. Didn’t I just talk about learning selflessness? Well, that’s a problem.
How long has it been? Two hours? Four hours? A couple of days, maybe? Ok, maybe not. Still though, I can’t seem to think of how to say what I want to say. Maybe, I just need some songs from Mohabbatein. “Soni, Soni” is a possibility. Think, Luis, think. Well, maybe the words will come to me eventually. Maybe.
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