Challenge 16: Advice

58. Discuss the most important piece of advice you have ever received and explain its effect on your life.

We have all heard it, many times, I might add. I even remember reading a story when I was little that gave the same advice I heard from numerous people. It is about a woman who leaves her baby with her pet mongoose as she goes to work in the farm. When she returns, she sees that the mongoose has blood stains on its mouth. Concluding that it must have killed the baby, the woman beats the mongoose to death. She rushes into her bedroom, where she finds her baby sound asleep with a dead snake lying on the ground.

After reading the story, I remember thinking how incredible stupid it was of the woman to rush into making such a hasty conclusion. I also remember thinking that I, being the egoistic person I was, was never going to make such an absurd mistake. I promised myself that I was always going to think before I leaped. Then it happened.

It was just the usual French class where my teacher would greet us politely, and we would start talking in French. In the beginning, we talked about our day, the weather, and other less important stuff before actually moving into the plan for the day. This particular French class, a boy was supposed to do an oral presentation. He was late, as usual, so the teacher asked us about the classes we had before French. She asked me what I had, and I said English. She asked me if I was in AP English or AS English. I told her that I was in the AP class. Then, her next question interrupted the rhythm of the class.

She asked me what the difference was. Of course, I knew that students who were struggling with English were usually in the AS class. However, what I said next didn't come out exactly the way I wanted it to. Now, for the benefit of the reader, and to avoid humiliation, I am going to skip my reply, but you can probably imagine what it was.

After I said what I shouldn't have said, without thinking much about it because I was in a particularly good mood that day, the class fell silent. Then, my teacher looked at me with great big eyes that seem to have magnified in the split of a second. Her mouth formed an oval as she sucked in a short breath, as did the rest of the class.

I stopped for a moment and realized what hurtful and insulting words had escaped my mouth. I immediately took back any offence, though I couldn't, and told the class that I was sorry and that it didn't come out the way I wanted it too. Some giggled, but we moved on after that, and by the end of the class, no one remembered what had happened.

As for me, throughout the whole class and through the day, I felt a big black hole emerging at my chest and eating up my insides. I felt guilty, extremely guilty. Even though nobody from the AS class was in my class, I still realized how rude it would have been of me to say something so blunt. I had always pictured myself to be collected and careful of what I said and did. However, that incident really forced my eyes open and I realized how I could hurt other's feelings if I wasn't careful with my words. I realized how important it was that I follow the advice that I have heard so many times that it seems almost meaningless: think before you speak.

Challenge 15: Adjectives

60. Select three adjectives that describe you and explain.

Simple question, but difficult to answer. People say a lot of different things about me. Some say I have a kind heart, others say I am too naïve, many say that I have a good sense of humor (although slightly strange at times), and also that I can be a little demanding at times. This is coming from people I know quite well, so I guess it is all true. As for me, there are certain things that I think of myself as.

I can be very childish. Yes, maybe your average teenager is not like that, but I am, especially when I am around my mother. Being in a boarding school builds an independent character inside you who does not rely on other people anymore. However, when I am around my mother or my family in general, that childishness buried deep inside me suddenly arises as my emotions start to amplify. My mother gets especially irritated when I ask her to feed me, giving her my pleading face. My mother takes one good look at me, and with a smile on her face, says, “I can’t understand if you are sixteen-years-old or sixteen-months-old! Even your brother can feed himself now, and he is only three!” I do get a little embarrassed by that fact, but I do not care because I know I can act the way I do because she is my mother and is older than me. Silly things make me cry, like when I hit my toe real hard or bang my foot somewhere. For some odd reason, I cannot bear to be scolded by my teachers, when instead, I should be talking back. I think.

I would also describe myself as being lazy, the typical kind of lazy. During weekends, I live on my bed, literally. I sleep till 11 a.m, wake up soon after, wash up, eat breakfast, and continue my T.V. series from last night. Then, I sit in the same position, for hours on end, browsing the net for hours, and not all of it is useless, I assure you. I do actually check the news and try to be informed, as living in Mussoorie is like living under a rock because we are so isolated. My roommate sometimes gets a little frustrated, so she tell me to move around a bit and exercise; I just offer her some chips. I feel guilty after some time, so I stop the movie marathon and try to read a few pages of the book that I am supposed to finish by the end of the week. I can also be lazy when it comes to finishing up my work. I leave it till Sunday evening and stay up till 12 a.m. doing my work. I hate myself for that, so each Saturday, I try to do as much work as I can so that it won't be piled up. And, in my defense, the week really wears me out so a little break is necessary.

Despite these negative aspects (as you may consider) of my personality, I would also call myself sensitive. This trait can be a positive and as well as a negative thing. When somebody angers me, the dislike for the person is magnified in my heart. Though I am poor at expressing my discomfort, the anger is there. When someone lies to me on my face, I feel confused because I do not know why they are doing such a thing. When I am watching a movie, and it becomes really sad as the daughter bids goodbye to her dying father, tears swell in my eyes and I start crying. When a child out in the street, with just a dirty vest on, begs me for money, compassion gets the best of me. When my friends say something hateful to me, be it a joke or not, it still hurts my feelings and I feel horrible. When a teacher scold me for being incompetent, I can get hurt easily. Despite these emotions, this is who I am and I am proud to be me.

Challenge 14: X

135. Find x. (University of Chicago)

X exists.

X can be found in the tears of a child.

X can be found in the tensed shoulders of a worried mother.

X can be found in the fabrics of a sweater.

X can be found in the pebbles of a bank.

X can be found in the caps of water bottles.

X can be found buried in the soil.

X can be found in the enamel of our teeth.

X can be found on the sharp lead of a pencil.

X can be found in the words of a book.

X can be found in the many layers of a tree trunk.

X can be found in the bright lining of the clouds.

X can be found on the weathered soles of our shoes.

X can be found in the yellow light of the bulb.

X can be found in the steep high school ramp.

X can be found in the weak chairs of the classroom.

X can be found on the rows of shelves of the library.

X can be found on the blur ink of a stamp.

X can be found in the uncomfortable toilet seat.

X can be found on the tall concrete steps.

X can be found on the wooden pegs.

X can be found on the creaky doors of my locker.

X can be found on a long, green pole.

X can be found in the conformed rows of wooden seats.

X can be found in the black and white keys of a piano.

X can be found in an isolated art room.

X can be found on the green fences of the school.

X can be found on the strange doors of strange people.

X can be found on the dark, paved roads.

X can be found along the green hillside.

X can be found in the colorful rows of shops.

X can be found on the tasty soup of a restaurant.

X can be found on the cheap sunglasses they sell by the roadside.

X can be found on a not-very-scary Pharaoh’s Wheel.

X can be found on the winding path of a journey.

X can be found in the stuffy compartments of a train.

X can be found in the atmosphere of an air-conditioned hotel.

X can be found in the two, black suitcases.

X can be found in the newly-renovated veranda of a home.

X can be found in the blue family car.

X can be found in the welcoming room of your parents.

X can be found on the toys from your childhood.

X can be found in the eleven-year-old tree outside your house.

X can be found in the tiny shop that never shuts down.

X can be found in the faces of my old friends.

X can be found in the movement of the wind chimes.

X can be found under the warm blanket.

X can be found in my dirty laundry.

X can be found in old, familiar storage room.

X can be found everywhere, as you might have noticed.

So what is X? Well, that is something that still is a mystery to me. X is unknown, and I cannot be sure as to what it is. However, there is one thing that I know for sure: X exists. It lives in all the things that are associated to me: the things I touch, I smell, I fell, I taste, I see, or I remember. X is the memories I make, the things I won’t forget. Maybe I will never be able to put a finger and tell you confidently that I have found X, but I can assure you that X exists. It is around me, all the time, because I know that it is a part of me. So don’t worry because even though I haven’t found X yet, I won’t stop looking.

Challenge 13: Experience

30. Evaluate a significant experience or achievement that has special meaning to you. (Harvard)

It was mid-June, during the holidays, and I was sleepy. I got up late, stayed up late, and tried to do something productive with my life. My mother, seeing the depressed state I was in, decided to take me out for a movie. She promised me that she would also help me choose a dress of the school dance. I was quite excited, I admit. I got dressed and we both left for the mall. The mall is a busy one as it was just build around what feels like a year ago. We went from shop to shop, trying to find he perfect dress. Then, we went to a shop that we visited quite often.

It was a pink shop, and my sister and I often buy our clothes from there. As I entered, I felt the cool air from the air conditioner brush my face. I liked the atmosphere. We started rummaging through the racks of dresses. Soon enough, I was in the changing room, trying on one dress after another. It took some time, and I could see that the lady who was assisting us didn't look so pleased about the mess I was making.

Soon enough, my mother found the dress. It was a tight, fitting, black dress with an animal-print off-shoulder. When I first looked at it, I had my doubts. It didn't look like the kind I would wear. Still, my mother insisted that I try it on. So, I went back into the changing room to change. Now, let me tell you a little secret, and believe me, this is true for many teenagers like me: during vacations, not matter how hard I try not to, I seem to just expand. Yes, my stomach explodes and lets not even get into the love-handles. It is quite horrific, I have to admit. Anyway, I slipped the dress on. I had a little hard time getting it through my head, but once I was in it, I looked at myself in the long mirror. I didn't look particularly great. The side deposits, as someone later called them, showed and I felt very conscience in that dress.

I came out of the changing room slowly and called my mother. She looked at me from head to toe and said, "Nanu, I think you look amazing! This is just the dress for you." She looked extremely happy.

I replied, pointing to my sides, "Aa, the dress is fine. But don't know think it looks slightly odd?"

"No, no. Not at all," she said. She turned around to the lady and said, "Excuse me, uh, yes, we will be taking this dress. Please pack it."

We packed it, paid, and left as soon as possible because the movie was about to start. Then, throughout the whole movie, I couldn't stop thinking about the dress. It was clouding my mind and I couldn't see past it. As we exited the cinema hall, I asked my mother something I shouldn't have asked.

"Mamu, lets go back and change the dress. There is something that I really don't like about it. Anyway, I liked the flower-print better," I said.

My mother stopped walking. Her eyes were raging with fire. "Nanu. This is your problem. You cannot decide anything for yourself. You just have to keep thinking and thinking again and changing your decisions. Just stick with what you have. Don't have such an unsure mind. It really frustrates me to have to listen to you, and it certainly does you no good."

As she said this, tears of helplessness flooded my eyes. Ever since I was a kid, I hated whenever my mother scolded me. As I angrily wiped them away, I replied, "It is not my fault! I told you I didn't want it!"

What happened after that is not important. But, what is important is that I learned a lesson that day. I understood something about myself that I should have discovered long before. Firstly, I should listen to my mother because I really did end up wearing that dress and looking great, as my friends said. Secondly, I understood what she meant and I knew that she was absolutely correct: I really was pathetic that way because I couldn't stick to my decisions. I cannot be absolutely sure of what I choose. That is my problem, and till today, I am trying to work towards fixing it.

Challenge 12: Memories

96. Look through old family photos and pull out a few that remind you of important times or significant moments. (Remember that the impact of a moment is what makes it significant. A hike through the woods can sometimes be more significant than a birthday.) Choose one of these "Kodak Moments" to describe and explain its significance to you. Speak about the photograph and your feelings about what you see in it.

When I was five, my family moved to Cambodia. My father had just gotten a job in the United Nations, and we were planning to stay in Cambodia for a year or two. I was pulled out of school for the time being, and because I was required to continue my schooling, I came back to Nepal soon after. My sister, not much younger than me, was three years old when we first moved. While we were in Cambodia together, we made many memories. I was small back then, so these memories are not so fresh in my head, but there are some that particularly stand out.

I remember when we went to the zoo once, and my father wanted my sister to stand in front of a cage with a small bear in it so that he could take a picture of her. My sister was very terrified and started screaming: “I am scared that the bear will eat my butt from the back!" It was very cute!

Then once, we went to the beach. It was the first time that I ever saw such a great amount of water. I pulled at my mother's sleeves, and she asked me what was wrong. I looked at her with eyes full of wonder, and said, "Mamu, who spilled so much water here?" My parents still laugh about it every time is comes up in our conversations.

Another time, when I was playing with the pebbles outside our home, our driver, who lived in the small room outside the house, came up to me and offered me fried frogs and snakes. I was terrified, I screamed, and with tears gushing out of my eyes, I ran into the house.

In the same house, I remember the first time I saw my mother's drawings. She drew a grape vine and a big wolf sleeping underneath it. I remember thinking how good she was and that I wanted to be just as good.

However, these are just little fragments of memories left with me from my time in Cambodia. The thing that made it so great was my sister. She loved to play pranks on me and would make me cry quite often. Though I often got irritated by her, I loved her, and I still do. When I look at the photography above, I understand how much my sister means to me. She is smarter than me, brighter than me, and has a much better personality. She gets excited every time I return home and saves up her money in order to buy me presents. She cares for me, and what is more is that I can feel how important I am in her life. Sometimes, I feel selfish and ignorant because I do not pay attention to her and all the things that she goes on and on about. However, ultimately, we are going to ride on the same bike throughout our lives, caring and looking out for each other as we enjoy our time together. I know that maybe she won't always be looking into the camera, knowing what is happening, as she has a curious mind, but I will just go on smiling and being happy to have such a great sister like her.

Challenge 11: Spending a Day

46. If you had a day to spend as you wish, how would you use your time? (Carleton College)

The winter sun would peek through the gaps of my curtains, bouncing off the bare walls of my room and creeping beneath my eyelids. I would lie awake for sometime, thinking about the things that I would be doing. A smile would play on my lips, and despite the cold atmosphere, I would jump right out of bed and get ready for a calm, yet exciting day. Without waking anyone up, I would sneak out of the dorm and take a long stroll outside. I would walk along Lover’s Lane, playing with the pebbles at my feet and absorbing the greenness of my surroundings. I would walk through Ridge Wood field and start making my way up to New Road. I would catch a local bus going somewhere, anywhere. I would let it take me to where it wants to go. I would enjoy the view of the beautiful hills and the endless, paved roads in front of me. I would let the light wind brush my cheeks and play with my hair. I would close my eyes and fall asleep for a while.

When I am awake again, I would look outside the window and see the overgrown trees of a beautiful forest. I would ask the driver to drop me there, without asking for the name of the place. He would give me a confused expression while I pay for the trip. I would step out of the bus and wait by the side of the road till the bus would take a turn and disappear from sight. I would sigh and start walking along the road. Then I would notice a trail leading off to the side and follow that trail. I would walk through the forest, observing the flowers dancing by the path, listening to the flow of the stream somewhere close by, taking in the fragrance of the soil, tasting the sweetness of the air, and feeling the calmness provided by the nature around me. I would find the clear stream in the midst of the forest. I would lie on the ground, enjoying the softness of the grass beneath me. I would listen to the river and the gushing of the wind. I would not speak a word. Then, I would get up and make my way back to the road.

I would start panicking. I would dig into my pockets and find my cell phone. I would check for signal. As I see no signal on the phone, my heart would skip a few beats. My eyes would become wide and alarmed. I would sit by the road and start crying. I would wait till somebody reports me missing and they would come looking for me. I would wipe away my tears and chuckle to myself at my absurdity.

Challenge 10: Advice

6. If you were to look back on your high school years, what advice would you give to someone beginning their high school career? (Simmons)

Even though I have been in high school for only two years, there are many things that I have already learned. The following list consists of some of the thing that I think newcomers in high school should be aware of before starting their high school careers.

1. Control the amount of tuck you eat; there is always plenty of junk food available, but you should always restrain yourself when it’s necessary.

2. Sweeping your room will be extremely frustrating: the broom will not reach all the ridiculous corners, under the beds, and between the furniture. Be prepared to discover spiders and end up with bleeding fingers by the time you have completed the task.

3. Don’t spend all your time watching movies. The freedom that it seems to ignite is not the whole story because the next day, a grumpy you will return to dorms feeling guilty of having watched a horror movie instead of completing your notes for Ms. Leon.

4. Read. As the work piles up, the time you used to spend reading, if you did spend any, will be taken away. Make time to read and build your vocabulary.

5. Be yourself. Don’t pretend to be somebody else, because as someone said, “everyone else is taken.”

6. Take part in sports, in the musical, and other extracurricular activities. It will help you develop as a person and help you build your personality and character.

7. Listen to good music. Music will help you ease away the stress and pressure from your teachers. It will calm you down.

8. Be prepared to fail. Though middle school was easy, high school is not the same. There are going to be many times where you are going to fail despite how much effort you put into something. You just have to make something out of your mistake and move on.

9. Make good friends because you will need them. They will be your pillars of support as you go through tough times of high school, like academic stress or painful break-ups.

10. Don’t be afraid to stand out. There will come many opportunities for you to stand out and show-off your talents; it is just a matter of choosing to embrace it or not.

11. Memorize stuff. You will learn so much content, especially in history, that if you don’t review and even memorize the things you learn, you will forget them.

12. Be prepared to meet teachers who will be absolutely useless. Yes, they will just stand in front of the class with a book in their hands and will literally read everything right out of the text. No explanations at all. You will be responsible to make the effort to understand the materials yourself.

13. Be careful in the locker areas. After the end of each period, they get extremely crowded and if will be unimaginably impossible to get to your next class. Also, be ready to have your head banged in the locker or your face shoved by an enormous elbow.

14. Spend time in the library. It has a really calm and quiet atmosphere (most of the time anyways) that will allow you to read and discover celebrated works of literature that will come handy later on in your junior and senior years.

15. Read the news every day. I know that in middle school, it is easy to live life under a rock, but in high school, it is important that you know your current events and what is happening in the world. Many of your classes will require you to discuss and understand current affairs.

16. Celebrate your birthdays. It may seem childish for you to celebrate your seventeenth birthday, but trust me, you will want to enjoy every moment of it with your friends.

17. Buy your camera. Capture precious moments because, sixty years from now, you will want to flip back to your high school years and think of the great times you spent.

Challenge 9: Photograph

28. Attach a small photograph of something important to you and explain its significance. (Stanford)

Winnie the Pooh, Pinocchio, Aladdin, Ariel, Bambi, Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Tom and Jerry, the three little pigs, Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Tinker Bell, and the list goes on and on. As I kid, I always the thought the logo read "Disnep" instead of "Disney." I always wondered how anybody could make such a silly mistake, because back then, my life, like many others my age, revolved around Disney.

Earlier, I was talking to somebody and was telling him about the new Disney movie, Tangled. I asked him if he had watched it already and he gave me a confused face and said, "Disney movies are for kids. I stopped watching Disney after I was eleven." First, when he said this, I was shocked: How can anybody stop watching and enjoying Disney movies? And then, I felt pity for him. I felt pity because I could not imagine how horrible it must be to stop feeling thrill while watching Disney . I felt sorry for him because he had just lost an important part of his childhood, a part that made it so much more beautiful!

As for my childhood, my father was off traveling and working in foreign countries while I attended school in Nepal. Whenever he would return from his travels, he would always bring us tons of foreign chocolates. Each time he returned, both my sister and I would be really excited and ready to welcome him back home. It wasn't only the chocolates that made his return more exciting that it was. Each time he would come back home, he would buy us lots of Disney movies. Even today, Bambi, one of the cartoons we would watch regularly, is our favorite one; sometimes randomly in the lazy mornings, my father barges into the room, delightfully screaming, "Hiyyyya Bambi! Wake up! Come on, Bambi!"

Along with the return of my father, Disney also brought various lessons and messages that means a lot to me, even today. Winnie the Pooh taught me how important friends are. Ariel taught me that sometimes you will do some things that you are going to regret, but happiness will dawn in the end (at least in fairy tales). Cinderella taught me that there are people who will try to pull you down, but you just have to keep struggling till you get what you want. Peter Pan made me believe that I could fly (that didn't end too well). But along with these lessons, there came a message: it was okay to have a super-imagination. I understood that animals could not speak, that humans could not touch the sky, that there was no flying carpet or a genie who granted wishes. However, these realizations did not break my heart or crush my imagination. I could freely dream about flying, about living in a chocolate house, about singing underwater, and about have little rat friends. Disney enhanced my creativity and, as one may call it, freedom of imagining.

Bibliography: http://farm1.static.flickr.com/86/238814336_c98d003a25.jpg

Challenge 8: Embarassing Moment

Tell us about the most embarrassing moment of your life. (Santa Clara University)

One winter morning, as I were sitting in the balcony of our home, enjoying all the warmth I could get, my sister came and stood next to me and started giggling. I looked at her, asked her why she was being so annoying, didn't even wait for an answer and just continued to face the sun with my eyes shut. She continued laughing under her hands. Again, I asked her , seriously this time, why she was bothering me. Then, she said, "Mamu just told me about something you used to do when you were little. I bet even you don't know about it." This grabbed my attention: she knew something about me that even I didn't know. I made my scary-sister-face and demanded," Sanu, you better tell me what it is or else I'll tell Mamu that you made me drink your share of the milk today."

As I said this, her eyes widened, and she started pleading me: "No, no! Please don't do that. Okay, I will tell you what she said, just don't tell Mamu about the milk."

I nodded, keeping my face expressionless.

"The thing is," she said, "I don't know if you will be able to handle it yourself." She giggled some more and added, "We were talking about you in the kitchen earlier, and Mamu let slip that you used to eat ants when you were little. Just pick them up one after another and pop them into your mouth!"

I turned red in the face, turned around, and left with my sister's evil laugh still ringing in my ears. I went to my mother who was sitting there, watching my brother play, and humming to herself. I glared at her and asked, "Mamu! How can you say such an embarrassing thing to Sa when you know she is going to tease me forever?"

My mother just looked at me, smiled, and calmly replied, "You girls are sisters. This is how its meant to be. You get to tease and joke around with her and she gets to do the same to you . Don't be too upset about it, Na."

What my mother did that day was something that kept me mad for quite a while. I refused to talk to her the whole day, angry at her for telling my sister about such an embarrassing thing. My sister, on the other hand, tortured me the whole day and continuously called me an "ant-eater." She still teases me all the time, but the good thing is even I know some really embarrassing moments from her side. But, more on that later.

Challenge 7: Outrage

1. What outrages you? (Wake Forest)

I am human. I cannot always control my emotions and the way I express them. I can be funny if I want to. I can be understanding when my friends need me. I can be attentive if something interests me. I can laugh till I have to pee. I can cry if I see someone else (whether it be in a movie or in real-life) crying. I can feel guilty if I do something wrong. However, with tearful eyes, I can be angry too.

I get angry when I drop something in the narrow space between my cupboard and bed, and as I try to get it out, I hurt myself. As tears of pain swell up in my eyes, I try to stop the flood of swear words rushing out of my mouth.

I get angry when people don't listen. I try to say something important, something worth hearing, but they just go on and on about how their lives are so miserable and pathetic. I shut my mouth, turn around, and leave.

I get angry when people keep talking to me while I am trying to get some work done. They don't understand that I have a deadline to meet. I look at them, nod a few times, and try my best to politely tell them that I have something important to do.

I get angry when I cannot put the thread through the needle. When I try to push it against the needle, if bends another way and refuses to go through the hole. I cut the tip out and try again, or give it to somebody who can do it better.

I get angry when I have to go to the toilet to pee after I am warm and comfortable under my covers. I swear at my darn biological emergencies and either try to sleep it off or grudgingly drag myself to the bathroom.

I get angry when I see people, who can walk and talk perfectly, just walk by the woman who has got not legs and has to move around on a square piece of wood with wheels. I shut my eyes, send my prayers to whoever is receiving them, dig out some change from my pockets, and drop them in her thin hands.

I get angry when people chuck their plastic bottles down the khud because they claim that they are too lazy to drop in into the trash can. I try to talk some sense into them, but more than that, I myself avoid throwing trash into the wilderness, in hopes of being a good role-model.

I get angry when even dorm parents leave all the lights turned-on in the toilets so that it will be easier for us to use the toilet if we need it at night. I usually wait till the dorm parents disappear and silently turn off all the lights except one.

These are all the things that outrage me. They may seem childish, pointless, and inscrutable, but hey, I'm human.

Challenge 6: Food

1. The subject of food is never far from our minds here in College Admissions. It is a topic of serious conversation this year on campus, too, with the publication of a book called The Hungry Soul: Eating and the Perfecting of our Nature, by Leon Kass, M.D., a Chicago faculty member who teaches in the College. The book takes a philosophical look at what food, eating, and table manners have to tell us about our human estate. Compose an essay about a memorable meal you have eaten. We are especially interested in the details: the occasion, your company at this meal, its physical setting, the kinds of foods you ate, or their preparation. (University of Chicago)

Food: something that we eat every single day because we have always been taught to. But there is more to food than just eating. The comfort and satisfaction that one gets from enjoying different foods is pleasurably inscrutable. To my family, food is an important part of our culture and way of life. I am from Nepal, and unlike for most people around me, our way of eating is different. Especially when I came to Woodstock School, my friends would talk about these dishes and cuisines that were completely foreign to me. I tried to learn as much I could, but of course, home food always meant something more to me.

It was the middle of holidays when my patriotic father, who loves taking us out to new restaurants and wants us to “discover the beauty of our beloved nation,” suggested that we go outside to eat that Friday afternoon. I was all for it; I had been bored out of my bones all day and a dinner out sounded really good. My mother was up for it too, but hearing the description from my father, she was a little doubtful: he claimed that although the restaurant was a typical Nepali one, where they served typical Nepali food, the time, the visit, and the money was all worth it.

When my parents, my sister, and I arrived, at the entrance, there was a woman standing by the door, draped in bright red and green national attire, her hands, with mehendi painted on them, joined together to welcome us into the restaurant. We met our waiter for the evening shortly after, and he showed us to our seats in the balcony. From the balcony, you could see two big tables down below and the foreigners who were happily feasting away. The red and gold curtains that covered the walls and windows looked magnificent in the soft, yellow light. Just in front of the two long tables sat a small, wooden stage. On the corner of the stage sat a party of men, also dressed in the Nepali national clothes, holding traditional musical instruments: the bansuri (flute), the madal and the damaru (kinds of hand drums), and the Nepali Sarangi (a string instrument).

My brother had not accompanied us to dinner, so the four seats were perfect. We made ourselves comfortable while the waiter bought us the menu. As I skimmed through it, I saw that they had listed all the meals and dishes that we regularly ate at home. I followed the little dots leading up to the price, and that is when I got a small shock: Rs. 1500 for a Thali. (Let me enlighten you here for a minute. A thali is chicken or mutton, rice, yellow dal, spinach, two or three types of vegetables, and two different kinds of acchar or pickle all served together on a big thal, a big brass plate that usually is 40cm in diameter.) I should repeat to you that this is what we eat almost every day at home. When I pointed this out to my mother sitting beside me, her eyes widened scarily, reflecting off the light from the candle lit on the table. She looked at my father and made a disgusted face.

“I came here thinking that you were going to show your children something new, but this is what you want us to spend money on: something that we eat every day?” my mom asked furiously, shaking her head.

My father looked a little upset, but he added, “Look, it not just for the food. Every night they have a cultural dance here. And I just wanted the kids to see this because nowadays they seem so engrossed in their own worlds that they are not paying attention to the little details around them.”

My mom stared at him for a little longer, sighed, and went back to reading the menu. I snickered at my father who had a smile playing at his lips, and threw a quick wink at me.

When the waiter arrived to take our order, we did end up ordering four thalis. As we waited, the waiter served my parents with raksi, which is a traditional Tibetan and Nepali alcoholic drink. My father, happy to have his way, drank. And I mean drank.

As we ate to our hearts content (because it is like a buffet where you can eat as much as you like), the host on stage announced that it was time for the performances. We all turned towards the stage, and the performances began: one after the other, a couple or two would come up, and sing and dance to Nepali folk songs (and some of them, I am proud to say, I could easily sing along with). Under the stage lights, they looked magnificent and beautiful, gracefully swinging to the music made by the various instruments on stange. I watched happily, feeling lucky to be there that night.

As we returned home in the car, I thought about what an evening it had been. It helped me realize what an excellent culture I come from and how much I have to be proud of. Although the food was something I was extremely familiar with, the atmosphere, together with performances, gave me a new sense of patriotism as well as a realization: there was too much in my motherland that I still had to discover.

Challenge 5: Something Important

Write about something that is important to you. (Hope College)

Everybody wants to be successful in life. And to every different person, success can mean different things: wealth, power, popularity, graduation from Harvard, a house in the Caribbean, or a diploma in music. To me, success means only one thing: happiness. Yes, happiness is the key to living life and the ultimate goal that I am striving for. Once I am happy, then all that I have been striving for gets meaning. I realized what happiness means to me one day, in the winter of 2010-2011.

The holidays started with a blast, and I was looking forward to every bit of it. Yes, my parents wanted me to be fruitful of my time after the first week, soI did push myself into some intellectual activity every day. But most of all, I really enjoyed getting in touch with my extended family and finding out what my cousins had been up to.

Then one day, tragedy struck. Though our family had known that it was bound to happen in the coming weeks, we were still shocked. My great grandmother, Krishnamaya Adhikari, had passed away. She was ninety-nine years old, healthy, lively, and as caring as always. I had visited her a few days before her death. Though she always needed to be reminded of who I am, the smile that spread across her face was gentle, calm, and thoughtful. Her eyes would twinkle with delight every time she saw her great grandchildren, though she could not remember their names or faces. Because of her inability to remember, I felt sympathy towards her and could not imagine how difficult life must be for her.

When my family of five heard the news about her death, we immediately went to see her away from my uncle’s house, where she had breathed her last breath. As I got a look at her corpse, I was ashamed. I was ashamed, not because I had not been there to see her leave, but because of the pity I had felt for her. Her face, as she lay there, stripped of life, still held a sense calmness and satisfaction. She looked like she had left the world with happiness filling every inch of her fragile and worn-out body. She went in peace, knowing that she had left behind a great, united family, who would always care and look out for each other. Her death brought home long-lost friends, the whole family, and together, we celebrated her life. Her way of living showed us what happiness could be like.

Lastly, my father, being himself, created a Facebook page dedicated to my great grandmother. He posted many pictures of her and underneath, wrote a very famous Sanskrit saying: “When you were born, you cried while the world rejoiced. Live your life in such a way that when you die, the world cries while you rejoice.”

Challenge 4: Own Question

19. Write you own essay question and answer it. (Kalamazoo College/93)

How much do I know?

Every day, I go to school. Every day, I want to learn something new. Every day, I hope that I will be swept off my feet by some incredible discovery. I have a hunger for knowledge. I have been learning and discovering from the day I was born. I have learned to walk, talk, run, play, skip, hop, read, write, observe, and express. These things did not just come to me; they took time. Over the course of seventeen years, I have learned to speak and understand four different languages: Nepali, English, French, and Hindi. I have learned about the Industrial Revolution, cellular respiration, the Periodic Table, gravity and acceleration, perfect roots, literary devices, the vanishing point, and notes and rhythms. But the things I know are just a tiny fraction of what is still out there. I go to bed every night, looking forward to tomorrow because I know that I will get to learn about something new, something I didn’t know before, and something that I will store in my memory. That is why I am curious, I ask questions, and I wonder. Why? Why is something the way it is? I ask these questions because I want to know more. I want to be blown away by knowledge. There are many, many things that I need to figure out, to make sure I understand so that I can feel satisfied. The things I don’t know will not lessen in number with age. With the speed at which our world is developing, new things to learn are going to emerge like the leaves on a naked tree after every winter. The things I can learn and discover will not decrease. And these things are waiting to be discover by me, as I hope to extend the frontiers of my limited knowledge a little more. Every day, I get a little closer to the end, but I want to make sure I can absorb as much knowledge as possible, so that when I reach the end, I will be satisfied, and I will know that I have done everything in my power to make the most of what this world has offered. Because what I don’t know is unlimited.

Challenge 3: A Day in My Life

38. If you could go back and change one day in your life, what would you change and why? (Santa Clara University)

I am eleven years old. I wake up to the ringing of my alarm clock and I look out the window to see the sun slowly creeping into the sky. It is an exciting day for me because it is the first time I am going out with my friends, without my parents. I race for the bathroom as I see my little sister dragging herself out of bed. I take a short shower, change into a pair of shorts and a top, and head down to the kitchen. My helper hands me a warm glass of milk and I drain it down in an instant; excitement gets the best of me.

My mother, eyes filled with amusement, enters the kitchen, chuckling to herself. A little embarrassed, I tell her how delighted I am to watch a movie with my friends. Of course, she then goes on to remind me to take her cell phone and be on my best behavior while I am out. I nod politely, completely unaware of the event that was shortly going to follow.

It is after breakfast, half an hour before my dai will drop me off to my friend’s house. I stand in front of the mirror, the excitement of a fifth grader gleaming on my face, making sure my hair looks okay. Then, I fantasize about the things we will do: watch a movie and eat at a restaurant, things that feel adult-like. Then it strikes me: what about money? My friend told me that her mom would give her enough for the three of us, but I still feel like I need to pay for my part. I had already asked my mother, but she denied it and said that we would not need more than what was provided. What I did next is something I am not proud of, even today.

I sneak into my parents’ bedroom. There is a small drawer next to the bed where my mom keeps all her change. I carefully open the drawer, stick my hand inside, grab a handful of notes, shut the drawer, and dash out of the room, praying that nobody saw me. Then, it is time to leave. As I wave goodbye to my mother, I feel the guilt creep up inside me, pinching at my stomach. I feel terrible, and sick.

Of course, when I came back, she had discovered that some of the money was missing and knew it was me. She asked me straightforwardly if I had taken the money, but with shame, I said no. I avoided her eyes. She ignored my answer, sighed, and called my sister. She sat both of us down and told us that we should never lie to her, but always be truthful. She said that she trusted us and that she didn’t want that to change.

That was the first time I ever lied to my mother. Now, as a teenager, I still carry that guilt with me; when I think about what I did that summer, I feel ashamed. I feel pity for the eleven-year-old me who could not own up to her wrongdoing. And this is why I want to go back to that day and look my mother into her eyes and admit to my mistake, even though she already knew. I would tell her that I was utterly sorry, and that I would never make this mistake again. However, that incident made me want to be a better person. It made me want to be a daughter whom my mother could trust. So maybe, it is better left alone because I really did learn an everlasting lesson.

Challenge 2: Character of a Literary Work

80. Describe how the character of a literary work you have read recently has made a lasting impression on you. (College of Notre Dame of Maryland)

I felt like I was too old to read the book for the first time, but I understood that if I didn’t read it now, with the perspective of an adolescent, it would not mean the same to me ten years from now. So then, I grabbed the book from my father’s collection of fiction from his college days, and made myself comfortable on my bed. I had the heart to finish it in one go because I had heard that it was a really engaging novel. Alice in Wonderland: the novel about which my friend used to talk endlessly. So I started reading, walking through Alice’s adventures in Wonderland, discovering the characters she met, and enjoying every bit of the classic fiction. After I finished the book, I was satisfied. However, a certain quote stood out from the whole story and really made me think. My friend had talked about it earlier, but I never really gave much thought to it. It was something that the Cheshire cat told Alice when she asked him which way to go: “That depends a good deal on where you want to get to” (Lewis Carroll). When Alice tells him she does not “much care where,” he says, “Then it doesn't matter which way you go” (Lewis Carroll). The cat’s explanation really opened my eyes. It struck me that whatever lies ahead of me is not absolute or for me to figure out. From where I am, I can see a sea of endless opportunities and experiences, new friends to be made, new places to be visited, and new memories to be created. There is no way I can know what is coming for me, but when it does, I will be on my toes, ready for it to come punch me in the face and let me discover the beauty of living.

Challenge 1: Experiences as a teenager

43. Explain how your experiences as a teenager significantly differ from those of your friends. Include comparisons. (University of Puget Sound)

At the age of twelve, I was admitted to Woodstock School. I had never been in a boarding school before, and the years ahead of me felt like giant boulders I had to overcome. However, as I started adjusting to the sea of foreign faces, I made friends. They were everything I had at school because home was far away and I only got to see my family during the holidays. I shared everything with my friends and wanted to keep them as close to me as possible. However, I soon discovered that our choices were not always similar. Many of the things they prioritized did not mean anything to me. In grade seven, one of my closet friends got a boyfriend, and well, things started to change. Instead of the late nights we spent talking about just anything, she was busy on the phone with her boyfriend, giggling away. I did not understand why it was so important to have a love relationship with a boy when we were so young! Then came high school, which is still another roller coaster. My friends started doing things that I had always opposed, like smoking cigarettes and drinking. When I discussed the severity of their actions with my closer friends, even they shrugged, placed a hand on my shoulder, and told me that now there was nothing wrong with doing these things. Now I understand that these are choices I have to make, keeping in mind the future that lies ahead of me like a blank, white page, ready to be written on. Seventy years from now, I do not want to be the granny who tells her grandchildren about the time she got drunk in a bar, vomited out the window, and woke up in an abandoned trash can. However, I do want to be the granny who teaches her grandchildren to live life in a way that they will not regret.

Article 1

Boy murdered 'for being a Gypsy' by BBC

Published: 17th November, 2003

Accessed: 18th October, 2011

Summary: A 14-year-old boy, by the name of Johnny Delaney, was found with severe head injuries, in Ellesmere Port in May 2003. He died shortly after reaching the hospital. Two 16-year-old boys on trial were believed to have assaulted him because “he was ‘only’ a Gypsy,” and they admitted that by assaulting him, Johnny “got what he deserved because he was a Gypsy.” Witnesses claim to have seen the two boys kick and stamp Delaney on the head. Delaney belonged to a travelling community based in Ellesmere Port, who had been victimized by the teen group that the two 16-year-olds belonged to. The two boys admitted kicking Johnny, but they did not believe that they had caused his death. Some officials believed that the root of this incident was racial prejudice.

Response:

This incident reflects the consequences of being different from the community one lives in. It shows that society decides if an individual fits or does not fit into society; if it thinks that somebody does not fit in, society will make sure that person is gotten rid of, regardless of the method. In this article, the boy is bullied and killed for being someone that the two elder boys did not think should be accepted into their community. This article connects to the novel One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, by Ken Kesey. In the novel, McMurphy is a significant character because he stands up against Miss Ratched’s words and regulations and is different than all the other patients. He tries to revolutionize the existing traditions and thrives to bring change to the ward. However, because of his personality, because he is so different from everyone else, McMurphy ends up being lobotomized, and in the end, murdered. This is how society gets rid of people they believe should not be accepted.

Vocabulary

Word 1: prosecute

a. "Prosecuting, Christopher Vospa QC said he would argue a confrontation began when one of the defendants' group shouted racist abuse at a group of travellers on a playing field."

b. prosecute: to institute legal proceedings against a person. From Latin, and late Middle English, perform, discharge, execute, conduct. First Known Use: c.1500

c. Many of the people involved in the bullying incident were prosecuted by the Disciplinary Action Committee.

Word 2: defendant

a. "Prosecuting, Christopher Vospa QC said he would argue a confrontation began when one of the defendants' group shouted racist abuse at a group of travellers on a playing field."

b. defendatns: a person or institution against whom a charge is brought up in court. Anglo-French (Middle French, Old French defendant), accused, plaintiff. First Known Use: c.1400; Middle English defendaunt.

c. The defendants claimed that they were not responsible for the victim's death.

Word 3: altercation

a. "The jury was told that after a 'minor altercation,' Johnny and his friends ran off."

b. altercation: a heated, noisy argument or dispute. From Latin, quarrel, disagreement, clash; squabble, tiff. First Known Use: 1350-1400.

c. The altercation between the two friends soon lead to a bruised nose and a broken wrist. (dictionary.reference.com)