<p>Hey I am about 1 week out before I have to turn in my Personal statements for UC schools. I was wondering if I could get any opinions on how I am doing with the first statement (the other is already done) Thank You anyone for your help.</p>
<p>All I see is orange. I am excited knowing soon I will move outside of the orange curtain and see the true world away from my bubble. I have loved growing up here the beaches of Orange County have been a Fountain of Youth to me. Sunshine all the time has given me an optimistic outlook on how the world preforms. However, 17 years have slowly worn me down. Orange County is indeed perfect however that is not what I desire. The world I come from is cookie cutter. Many people seem to be an exactly duplicate of their parents. So to me the influx of new ideas is what drives me forward. Perhaps one idea has constantly driven me forward. The idea was planted in my mind by a book called The Thief Lord. This book told me of a magical fantastic place that hid right in plain sight in Venice, Italy, the Golden statues or the Basilica di San Marco. For years I had dreamed of feasting my eyes upon these marvels of human ingenuity. As I grew older the dream began to fade though until one day in my sophomore year my AP world history teacher announced a trip to Italy! They would go through Rome, Milan, Florence and of course Venice. Immediately after I heard of this trip I rushed through the rest of day and quickly tried to sell the idea to my parents to allow me to go on this trip. Luckily after little discussion my parents allowed me to go on this journey. I barely remember any of the plane ride except for the constant signing of Im going to Italy over and over in my head. After several days in Italy we finally arrived at my dream, Venice. For years I had pictured in my head what these magnificent lions would look like and thankfully I was not disappointed. My eyes began to water and I actually had to turn away from the group to make sure no one would see me so sad and happy at once. However, this was not enough. Once we left the island I made myself a promise to travel all throughout Europe and see all of the secrets, mysteries, and wonders given to the world through many millennia.</p>