| Rice Perspective Essay
I was wondering if anyone would mind just taking a look at the very rough draft of my Rice perspective essay and would tell me if it is worth pursuing this topic. My parents haven't been very supportive of it, but I don't think that any other kid would write about this. I feel as though this could only be written by me and me only. Just tell me what you think! Thank you!
Today is Sunday so what do I do? I wake up at 10 and put my Pillsbury Toaster Strudels in the oven. To my brother's discontent, I always take an extra pack of icing and eat that while I wait for the familiar ding of my toaster. As they cook, I scavenge for the remote to my TV and flip through my recordings until I find an acceptable episode of Family Guy or American Dad. By the time I'm done with breakfast, it is time to leave for church. After sitting through mass and listening to my mom's weekly lecture about father's sermon, the three men of the house (my dad, brother, and I) head over to Buffalo Wild Wings to watch a little Sunday Afternoon Football. I always request a table by a TV airing a New England Patriots game. I would never pass up an opportunity to watch Tom Brady pick apart the defense of rival team. As we finish our giant bowl of Honey Barbeque wings, we head home and take our traditional afternoon siesta. I then finish up any remaining homework for the weekend, and eventually when the time comes, I nod off to sleep.
So here's the catch, I'm Indian. Yes, I am 100% genetically Indian. My mom comes from the Mumbai area while my dad and his family stem from Madras. As most people, I have had to tell people my name countless times. I am waiting for the time I don't get a look of shock from an unsuspecting stranger. Every time I say, "My name is Sean Nathan", eyes widen. The normal follow-up question is, "What is your middle name?" Most people usually think, " He's at least got to have an Indian sounding middle name." But I simply respond with a quaint, "Jeffrey". Sometimes I even use my ghastly British accent when responding to this question. Many times I have been told I have the least Indian name for someone of my ethnic origin.
Then comes the part where I am Catholic. In India, less than 2% of the people are Catholic, and I just happen to lie in that slice of the pie chart. I often have to tell uninformed teens that no I don't worship that "god with a lot of arms". And lastly, I can't speak Hindi, and this has always bothered me. In fact, my parents have strictly kept Hindi from my brother and I so that they are able to keep the darkest family secrets to themselves. I would feel so out of place when my Indian friends would speak Hindi amongst themselves to mess with me.
So while I can't bring the cultural traditions of India including Diwali and Holi, I bring a unique perspective acquired over the 17 years of my life. I have learned that to judge someone by first impression is never. Some people really do botch up their opportunity at a first impression. You have to really get to know a person before you can make a depiction about who that person really is. At Rice, I would accept each and every person with open arms. I would give everyone a fair chance to show me who they really are, rather than make a decision within the first five seconds of meeting them. I want to be able to build long lasting friendships with people from all over the world, and this would be impossible with a judgmental attitude.
P.S: It is not finished yet! I quit because my parents told me to stop! I actually don't like the flow of the essay at all. I just want to know if the topic is an ok one to go with?
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