Endings & Beginnings
A short reflection I wrote on why I decided to attend SYA.
The close of sophomore year marked the completion of my
eleventh consecutive year at Head-Royce School. I have been at the same school
since my 11-year old sister has been alive. I have known some of my classmates
for over a decade. I am one in a class of eighty-seven; although I have great
friends, suffice it to say that I enjoy meeting new people.
The close of sophomore year also marked my sixteenth
consecutive year of living in the Bay Area. After sixteen years, there are few
places I can go in Oakland or San Francisco without running into someone I
know.
The close of sophomore year also marked my fifth consecutive
year studying the Chinese language. Although my grandmother emigrated from
Taiwan, she did not teach Taiwanese to my mother for fear of preventing her
from learning English. I grew up with English as my first and only language’ I
hope to soon be able to call Chinese my second.
The close of sophomore year marked the end of my courses on
the histories of Russia, China, and India. Among countries with great
histories, few compare to those three, and China in particular stands out– a
country whose philosophies have influenced its direction deeply from ancient
times to the present. China without her traditions would no longer be China,.
For me, China’s culture and traditions are endlessly fascinating; I hope to
study them even more avidly at SYA and in the future.
Some things did not change with the close of my sophomore
year. I have always loved new places, new things, and new people. I have always
wished to be bilingual. I did not have the fortune to speak two languages
during my childhood; therefore, I have to learn new languages by studying them.
Chinese culture interests me to no end, and China herself is a rising world
power. SYA China gives me an opportunity to gain multitudinous new experiences,
among them language immersion and daily life in a culture steeped in history.
For the first time in eleven years, I’ll be attending a new school in a new
city; I sincerely hope that I’ll be able to say after that the beginning of
junior year marked the advent of the best year of my life.
