Collage Essay 6

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

                           If I ever got to spend a day as I wished then without any hesitation, I would have liked to visit the past. I would like to visit Japan in the 1600’s. Meaning this would be the first time that all of Japan was united after a very long time by Oda Nobunaga since the Onin war. In this short day I have, I would like to roam around Kyoto and see the old historic places. This way I would see the change of that time and out time, this would help me write my comic (A girl going back in time). I would also go to a see a Geisha performance and be one of them. I would love to ware a kimono, carry a big fan, wear really really big slippers and awesome make up. I would eat all the exotic food served to the rich. I would also ride on horses; I especially want to ride a pure white horse. Then right after that go for a carriage ride around the city, drop off at the Foto Tori Temple. Then I would spend the rest of my day going to the beautify steps. I will probably be sucking on a apple candy and going around. Then my time would come for me to go back once I reached the top of the temple.

                           My whole day would go while I go sight seeing and making good memories of my travel to the past. I hope to eat good food, buy clothes and slovenlier to take back when I go back.  

(300) Words

Rules of Dating Me

Rules of Dating Me

1.             Pleas keep your “mushy”, “lovey dovey” stuff to yourself and not show it to me. I would rather have a guy who shows his feelings sometimes. That would be more special to me.

2.             Don’t expect me to show my love for you all the time.

3.             I am a very lively person, I am someone who has fun doing weird stuff like going up to a random person and saying I just got married. I am who I am and if you ever! EVER! Say “Ohh you have to stop doing this or that. I don't like it.” Then don't be surprised if I start avoiding you.

4.             I like gay people. I am totally against people who don't like them. And if you have a problem with that, then go find another girl to mess around.

5.             Don’t make me choose between me reading manga and spending time with you because I am going to choose reading manga. You cannot compare to it.

6.             Make me feel special at times when I need it. Like when a girl is around I am first priority.

7.             We will not spend every minute of our lives with each other. Lets make space for our friends too. Lets keep some distance sometimes.

8.             You should understand that I will want to be alone, give me my space, and if something is wrong, I will tell you but give my time to sort my mind out. And if we need space, we can have a temporary side relationship with someone. Then come back together once we have our space.

9.             Don't be angry if someone knows something before you, the reason might me that I am angry with you or it is something that I cannot say it to you personally.

10.          I have guy friends; don't expect me to stop talking to them. And if I like you enough I might do it. But remember this…. I’ll probably hate you for the rest of my life because you made me do something just because you could not trust me enough with guys.

11.          I will not stop you from doing fun stuff with you friends and I will expect the same from you towards me.

12.          Don't expect me to buy you gifts all the time. I’m not one of the dumb girls who get gifts for guys all the time. What a waste of money and time.

13.          I will probably date you because you are fun to be with. Probably you are crazy like me but don't change that fact when I start dating you cause if you did change….. I will be very awkward with you.

14.          There should me mutual respect for each other’s privacy. We should have respect for each other. We will also tell each other the truth if we wanted to say anything.

15.          DO NOT TOUCH ME. If you ever, ever hit me, I’ll probably scratch your eyes out or pay people to beat you. But once you have done that, don't come running back to me because you will be dead to me by then. 

(550-words)

Collage Essay Number 5

88. Write a brief essay about your activities, interests, achievements and talents.

            “Anime” is THE word that describes me. People just know that I love anime because I try my hardest to look like one too. I get crazy haircuts, I color my hair in rainbow order, I dress up like one by collecting rags and anything that might work. I accessorize as much as possible and so weird make-ups when I can. Yes,  “Anime” is the word that describes me the most.

            Anime is something I found out when I was in Grade 6. I just loved anime and would watch it for hours even when I had exams, which was like 100 percent of my grade. Yes, that was stupid of me but I was really addicted to it. Thank god that this addiction did not go to waste because it slowly turned into my dream. My dream to become a Mangaka (comic artist) came to me when I actually started to take my art serious. I realized I was good at drawing manga and I also loved doing it because it was an escape for me to another world. I used to stay in my room for hours and kept drawing one art after another. I realized that I had this had become a part of me after drawing for so many years. This was like my stress reliever, my escape, my concentration and the list goes one. I was just so into my drawings. I really started to see the change in my art when I went to Japan and copied other people’s style. I had always been original but when I copied, I felt guilty. To remove this guilt, I added my own twist to it and this way I started combining my own style with the copied one. This move made me able to explore and create my own style. So, my motivation to become a Mangaka was because of my interest to Japanese animation.                        

            Well that was one of my most important talent but other things I’m talented in is dancing, making friends, singing, taking care of animals and sports. In my school we always have this opportunity where we can dance for almost any event. Be it after a sport game, or a weekly activity or even during assembly. We just love to dance! I got invited to join the dance club when I first joined my school. I know for sure that they must have seen me dance during the “Come Back Dance” party for all the students. I was a new kid that time so I didn't really care whom I was dancing with, so I just danced randomly. And I’m one of those people who can dance in the moment, I am very bad with making moves for like a show but in dance parties I can dance better because it feels more natural. So, when I was invited to the dance club, I was pretty unsure but I still joined because I was a bit curious. I must say that it was a pretty good decision I made because I learned that I could make moves, it was just that I never had that kind of practice and this was a learning experience for me. Dancing is one of the things that I love and one I’m pretty good at.

            I am also interested in reading books. I just love books but I have a specific type of genre that I read. Which are romance, fantasy and fiction mixed together. When I find a book that I really like be it 600 to 200 pages, I make it by target to finish it in a day, which I’m successful most of the time. But to reach that goal, I have to have a free day to read the whole book. But when I have to achieve a goal I go for it all out and when I’m done reading the book I feel great. So, these are my interest, talent, activity and achievement.

(Words 690)

Collage Essay- Number 4

57. Describe a personal habit that helps to define you as a person.

                        I am someone who can be in two extreme sides. I can be really social if I want to have fun and make friends or an introvert when I want to be left alone. People would say this it is not good to have very high or low emotions, which can be true but to me this has helped me in many ways. These polar feelings give balance to one another. If I was a social butterfly every moment of my, I would have gone crazy! To talk to people all the time, smiling even when you don't want to or just entertaining people. That would put too much stress on my mind and body. In a week I can be like that at least five days but more than that would ruin me. So, I am thankful that I have an introvert side. When I’m not myself, the happy going girl, I just want to be left alone and not talk to anyone. I shut myself in a room, either I’m drawing or reading a book or watching anime or reading manga. During this time, I get a moment for myself in my busy life and can think things through in a more thoughtful way. And if I just don't want to think, well I just distract myself by doing things that I love. Like watching anime! So, after going through this busy social life, my introvert side helps me calm down and rejuvenate me for another round.

                                   So, why do I say these to habit of going to two different modes help me? Well, there are many answers to that, but the most important one is that it helps me in my studies. How? Because when I am social, I learn a lot from my friends, be it educational or just plain crap, this helps me gather information for my assignments. If I were a social butterfly all the time, I would not have time to do any of my homework. So my introvert side gives me time to use my gathered information and complete my work. This habit of mine that goes from a social person to a reserved one helps me complete important works for my school. It helps me balance and separate my time and energy. In all, my habit makes me into an efficient person. I try by best to do my work properly but the most important thing is for my work to be on time and that is what I am very good at doing. I finish my work at least a day or two ahead from the dead line. So, in the end I am a person who has two sides so that it helps me to be on time and control my self.

(Words -480)

Childhood

My Childhood

                        When I was young like really really young, like in LKG and Grade 1, I still vaguely remember those days in my village. I asked my room mate if she remembered her childhood but she said she didn't. I was kind of shocked because I remembered so much of my childhood in clips and pieces. I stayed in Mangan every since I was born, till I had to move away to Gangtok in 2002. But the days in Mangan was the best in my life. I just loved it there and that was probably the reason why I still remembered so much.

                        My first memory of my child hood was my first day of nursery. I remembered my grand aunt leaving me in a class full of kids, I felt scared because I was not used to seeing so people. Then I vaguely remembering picking a seat and then sitting down, I must have waited for a while till class started. And this is the most vivid memory of my nursery; the teacher came around the class passing note books, also called copybook back then, and textbooks. I was so excited to use my new pencil on the new notebook. That is as far as my memory goes for my nursery days.

                         After that I remember more of my life in Mangan in longer clips but they are all jumbled up and mixed up. My favorite among all of these memory is the one where the whole village goes up to the monastery and celebrate a festival. During this festival the monks where these scary mask and scare people. They are not allowed to talk when they where the mask. Ever since I was young we always went to this one monastery. I have gone to that monastery ever since I was young. So, I have grown up with monks my age and we have played with each other all the time. Now when I go back, they remember me and I remember them. It is really nice to talk to them whenever I see them again. So, going back to the monastery every year is something I look forward all the time. That is the best of my childhood.  

Words (372)

Childhood Stories

Childhood Stories Part I

                          Ever since I was young, I have heard this story everywhere in Sikkim. If I go ask a random person about “Lam Lyame Bhoot”, it is guaranteed that they will have something to say about it. Lam Lyame Bhoot is a local folk story about a woman who is a ghost and eats babies or young kids. Probably this was a story to scare the younger kids to prevent them from outside in the night. There have been different versions of this story but every one of these stories has one thing in common. The lady ghost has HUGE boobs or multiple boobs.

                        When I was young I stayed with my grand aunt, Anyo Tutu, in Mangan (my childhood village). I used to be a very naughty and a hyper girl. So, to keep me home at night my aunt told me ghost stories all the time. There were many of them, but what scared me the most was the story of Lam Lyame Bhoot. The way Anyo Tutu described about this ghost was very vivid. I can still remember her describing this scary woman in the small room where we used to eat dinner. The dim light especially made the look on her face scary and also made the atmosphere creepier. So, right after we ate dinner she started the story.

                        If I were to go outside in the night, a women wearing white dress would appear in front of me. She would have long black hair draping over her face and shoulder and when I was close enough, she would turn her face towards me very slowly and stare at me. Even now, I find these kinds of stories very scary but after this point, it seems more like a joke to me than anything. So, here is how it goes.  The woman turns and is supposed to stare at me and then slowly turn her body towards me. Best part about this is that the ghost has huge boobs and it is all over her body! Can you believe it, the ghost has boobs all over her body and this was supposed to be a local scary story, talk about being deprived of boobs. Well anyways, now this boob lady is supposed to start chasing me and the only way to escape her is by running up hill. The reason, simple, because she has such huge boobies, it would be impossible for her to carry all that weight. So, because she cannot hold her boobs weight while going up hill, it made sense for the runners to run up hill. But if I were to run down hill, then I would have been captured and eaten alive. The reason, simple, while running down hill, she would through her saggy boobs back and gain momentum and speed and catch up in no time. Basically if you ever encountered the Lam Lyame Bhoot, you are supposed to run up hill and not down hill.

                        I wanted to share this story with everyone because the joy I get from remembering this story is just pure joy. It just brings back such good memories, and the story is funny. Childhood stories really make a difference because once it hits you; you will never be able to forget it and also it brings a sense of unity in the community you are in. So, I hope in the future, you tell your kids traditional folk stories too.

Words (580)

Examples help Think (Things to Think About Part III)

Lonesome George Reflection

                                                                People would want to save endangered species because they are small in size and want them to exist in the world. They also do that with species because they are vital to the ecosystem. But what if they were just dying because of natural selection and they were not needed by the ecosystem? Then that would mean it would be all right for it to go extinct. If humans were not involved in this process (because humans are normally the cause of it – e.g. pouching, hunting and many more.) then that would mean it was a natural process and not an unnatural one.  It is important to let the nature decide for itself in its natural way.

                                                                While my EVS class was working on this subject of natural selection, my EVS teacher brought this post about Lonesome George. Lonesome George is a tortoise and is the last from its species. In class we discussed how we could stop species for going extinct. We had lots of ideas like storing sperms and eggs of species, transporting these species to different places, making special parks for them and so on. Then the discussion went on to how species went extinct through natural and unnatural causes and if it was all right for them to die if it was a natural process. The conclusion we made was surrounded with the idea of natural selection, where if the extinction of a specie was due to a natural process (them not surviving or adaption) then they should allow what the nature wants. But if an animal was endangered due to human involvement then that would mean the humans should somehow stop that from happening and help the population to rise again. For example in Lonesome George’s cause the tortoise started to become endangered because humans started to settle down and because of that they started rising goats. The goats started to eat all the grass that the tortoise ate. This cause the death of many tortoises, because they had to search for food further out, they could not mate and reproduce. So, this caused the tortoise to become endangered and left Lonesome George all alone. Since humans caused this specie to become endangered, this made it into an unnatural process. This example shows that people should be more aware of their surrounding and the effect they have one it and this is the conclusion we came up with as a class.

                                                                   My point of giving this story was because I wanted to show people that when teachers put up interesting live example in class, it just livens up the class. It makes it more interesting for students to learn and when people have fun, they do not mind thinking. The productive discussion we had in class showed that we were having fun as well as thinking and producing good ideas. So, examples help students help more in thinking productively and have more fun in class.  

 (520-words) 

Collage Essay - Number 3

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

                   I have wished for this to happen for a very long time, which is to change a day of my life that I spent with friends with my family. People say that time helps heal emotional wounds, which is true in some way but this guilt I feel has not subsided since that day. It has stayed the same for two years. Who knows it might change one day but for now it stays the same.

                  That day was the day when all, I mean ALL, of my friends were supposed to meet up and go to this rock show in Sikkim (my home). I was really excited by this news and I wanted some time off from my studies. So, my friends and me had decided to meet up at 12:00 pm and go for the show at 4:00 pm. I was really looking forward to it and both my mom and dad had said I could go for it. I was so happy; I was bouncing around everywhere!!! Of course with my luck something had to go wrong. First, it looked extremely cloudy. Second, I had to get into a fight with my sister about a stupid reason. This made my sister decide for ME that I was not allowed to go for the show. Of course me being me, I was became stubborn and refused to listen to all her reason for forcing me to stay back. One of the reasons was that Apa (Dad) was becoming sicker and today was worse. I thought that she was saying that just to make me fell guilty and not let me have fun. Ohh… how I wish I had listened to her. I ignored her and went outside with my friends. I complained to them about how evil my sister was acting and how much I hated her, ohh the irony because I lover her now, of course they agreed with me, which made me feel better.

                      I was with my friends that day but it was my body that was with them, my mind was more concerned about how much trouble I was in with my sister, let me tell you that I am terrified of her, and what she had said to me about Apa. I kept trying to convince myself that she was lying to me so that she could make me stay back. It took me a lot of convening form my friends and myself to go for that show. Time passed really slowly, I tried distracting myself by talking to people, going to shops or eating. When the time finally came for the show to start, I was really let down. I did not have fun at all. First, the bands were not good. Second, I did not know a single song they played. Third, I was really out of it because all my energy was spent on me trying to do something to keep my mind off my problems.  When all of this added together, I was just very disappointed and decided to return home.

                      The shock I got when I returned was something I was not prepared for. All my family members had decided to come for a visit. There was so much noise, every one was having fun and catching up with each other. I joined them but was careful to avoid my sister. With my luck that was not going to be possible and as soon as I entered my room, I met her. She gave me the dirtiest look every. I was really scared so I didn't say anything and just changed quietly. She ignored me and I went out the room as soon as possible. My anger, anxiousness, all these bad feelings went away as I spent more and more time with my family. I had never seen so many family members come together in so many years. I was really nice they were all there. But no matter how happy you are, it has to end at some point and that point was when Apa suddenly became really sick. Everyone panicked, I was really numb and was feeling really helpless as to what to do. I felt so useless because all I could do was watch my father being taken inside an ambulance. He was admitted to the hospital and was kept inside the ICU. I stayed back home with my sister.  And the first thing she had to say to me was, “I hope you regret this day for the rest of your life.” Hope she is happy now because I have been regretting for two years for the choices I could have made.

                      That is the one day in my entire life I would change without any hesitation. The reason is because, that was the last day that my dad was able to speak to all of us. If only I had stayed back instead of leaving my house with my friends. I would have been able to be with my dad for a little bit longer and have talked to him. This is why I would not hesitate to change this day of my life.

(890-words) 

Escape - (Things to think about) II

Sometimes don't you just feel like leaving what you are doing and go to some random place? When I am alone outside and things are just not going fine for me, one thing that always helps me feel better is me escaping to another world. That world for me is the anime world. The most awesome place you can ever reach in an instant. It helps me feel better because it keeps my mind off from my depressing life. When I escape to that world I get to create my own imaginary self and characters. I think of myself as a very strong girl who can kick anyones ass!!! When I think of that I instantly get better because I kick ass of every problem I have in my mind. Of course that goes on in my mind and when I come back to my senses all my problems are still there. But you know what when I do these kind of things, I feel much better and it makes it look like my problems are not as big as I thought it was. So, my escape to this world helps me to feel better and gives me the courage to go against it.


(210-words)

A MINDFUL WALK - (Things to think about)

                              As I walked back to the place I knew, I was surprised to see that there was nothing left. Instead of the big huge trees, stood buildings. Instead of animals, people were roaming. So how did the change come across? Well, as human population increases exponentially, the space we need to live also increased.  Cutting down of forests, has been a major contributor to loss of animal habitat. In the Indian Rainforest's , cutting down of trees has led to major animal species dying and the loss of habitat has led them to lose their homes.

                              In 2009 in India, many incidents of tiger spotting were reported which eventually led to many getting killed due to tiger attacks. With the loss of habitat, we humans give the animals no choice but to surrender and live in our territory. Currently, most of the habitat loss over the world has led to environmental changes such as global warming. With less trees, Carbon Dioxide levels in our atmosphere rise at an alarming rate. The depletion of the ozone layer can be also calculated, as a result of habitat loss. With more and more animals dying and becoming extinct, the environment getting unstable and the depletion of the ozone layer, humans are hurting themselves more than they hurt the environment around them. As more and more humans ask for housing, and as more forests are cut down, humans are creating something that might lead them to their own doom.

(246-words)

Hypocrite!!!

It is easier to forgive an enemy than to forgive a friend. By William Blake

                  People come form different country, different society, different culture, different background. But how is it that we all have the same feelings? Happiness, sadness, anger and so much more. In every culture, birth is a happy occasion and family and friends gather around for celebration. This is a universal feeling. And one thing that everyone in the world, no matter what, needs a friend. Friends are so important; they help you through thick and thin, any small or big matter. They are the ones who make your day filled with laughter and joy. But what happens when that important friend betrays you? Of course you would be angry! But most off all under all that anger, thick layer of sadness and hurt feelings stay underneath. I bet that people all over the world have felt this before at least once. No matter what age you are, where you are from or even if you don't understand each other’s language, they can relate to your pain. The anger and hurt of betrayal from your friend is a universal feeling.

                  It is so much better if someone you don't like hurts you because that hurt is quickly consumed by anger and on top of that you don't know that person properly or she does not know you. So, it easier for you to assume and accuse what kind of a “bitch” she is! But with a friend you know her and it takes a lot of convincing to believe in yourself. Because you already have a stereo type of your enemy and when that doest not come true, it becomes easier to accept them cause the worst does not come true and this makes it easier for you to forgive you enemy. But with friends, you know most of their side and when the worst comes out you get shocked and get repulsed by it. So, it’s harder to forgive your friend.

                     I thought I knew who my friend was, if not everything about her, but she always said that she would never betray her friends because of a boy. And when she did exactly what she said she would not do, I lost all respect for her and felt disgusted at first. I started feeling that my entire time with her was a lie and she was just a big hypocrite who did not have self-value. I mean I’m not a saint but at least I don't go around something I don't believe in. I was not even angry; I was just extremely disgusted and hurt. What hurt most was that I actually believed in her and always respected her for who she and her ability to comfort me. It was not my self-thought proclaim that made me believe she would not date a guy that your friend liked, while she knew about it. She was the one who said all these flowery, glittery stuff, it was not my fault I believed in her cause I actually felt that she was being honest. When I found out what she had done, I was so disappointed and this changed our entire friendship. I didn't want to associate with someone who was a big fat hypocrite. If someone other than my close friend did that, it would be easier. Yes, you would get hurt but that would be because the person you liked got taken away. But if a friend did that, the pain would be doubled because of the guy getting snatched and the betrayal of your friend. So, the doubled pain makes it harder for a person to forgive a friend than an enemy.

(618-words)                                     

"It is not enough to do your best; you must know what to do, and THEN do your best." By W. Edwards Deming

Last week, I had two tests coming up in the same day. That was Environmental Science and Micro Economic. That week I was determined to study hard and get good scores. And believe me I did study. Since EVS is way easier than Eco, I decided to study for my EVS first and then study for Eco. I did exactly as I had planned. EVS was all about memorizing from my notes from my class. I put in 3-4 hours of studying for it. For this test I knew what I had to work on and knew exactly what to do. But the most stupid thing I ever did was exactly what this quote says. I studied for my Eco test without knowing what I was supposed to study for. I know this sounds stupid but I put so much effort for this test and I still failed it. How stupid could I get? Well the problem was that I studied all the definitions for all the theories. I memorized all of it. So, here comes the part where this cote comes. I studied and worked hard for this test without me knowing what exactly I had to learn and was coming on the test. I had spent so much time on learning the definition that in the end, I had little time to study for my graph and other important stuff. So, it is true that no matter how hard you try, if you study for not the important parts, then your hard work just goes down the drain and that is exactly what happened to me. I felt so horrible when I got my test scores, I felt like I had gotten a slap on my face and felt like crying. I was so shocked that it lasted for two days and on the third day, while chatting to my sister, I poured out everything that had happened. After saying everything to my sister and how I felt, I felt relived. At the same time tears started rolling down my eyes and realized that I had kept this inside me and there were also other things that were there but this was like the last hit I could take and I stayed in my room and cried. After that I wiped my eyes and started to take my sisters question. “Why did you do so bad in the test?” I thought about this question and when I looked at this quote, I realized I had worked hard for a test without me having a goal of what I had to learn. So, this is why this quoted helped me and was perfect for the mistake I had made. Can you believe it, I was working hard for something that had no fruit for me. But this also helped me in many ways. First, It helped me in showing that not all hard work pays off and I need to take a different approach next time I take an Eco test.

(525-words)

Seeing my favorite country from the plane was a bitter sweet moment. It felt like it was right there within my grasp but it was far away too. It was a touchers moment but at the same time a very memorable one. Some how I was able to talk to a Japanese lady who knew english and she was my escort throughout my journey. I could not have reached the exit point without her. Now I know I was really luck because if she would not have been there, I knew I would have been lost cause I had to take a train to reach the exit. The first people I met were my 1st, 2nd, 3rd host family and my advisor. They were the nicest people I had every met. All of them had their own way of living and ways in their houses. It was hard to change host family every 4 moths but I would soon get used to it and it would be fun to spend time with them. For me the hardest thing was probably the language barrier. Thank god that in my first host family, The Fukuoka's, had a son who could speak English. Technically speaking, he was my host brother but he was old enough to be my uncle. So, this is how my first family started, I entered my new home and saw a old lady bow in front of me. I was sooooo stunned to see her that I was speechless. Later in the year I would find out that she would be the most special person to me during my Japan trip.


(272-words)

Start of an Awesome Journey!!!

                         The first time I every traveled alone was when I was 15 years old. My one and only destination, Japan. In 2009 July, Rotary (a international organization that sponsors people to go to different places) offered me to choose a country that I would like to go. I could choose three countries I would like to go, last was Europe, second was Brazil and first was Japan. I always wanted to go to Japan, ever since I was small. Why? Simple, because it was the land of animation and Manga (Japanese comic) and that was enough reason for me to choose that country. My father, Apa, was crazy enough to allow a young 15 year old girl to go outside her country to another country without her knowing the language. My mum, Ama, was quite hesitant about it but was later convinced by Apa to let me go. I on the other hand was really really really excited to go. I mean how many people are allowed to go to their favorite place and stay there for a whole year without her parents? This was like the hugest dream to ever come true. After filling all the forms and official details, I was sent off to Japan from Delhi all alone. The last person I saw was Apa, he gave me a big bear hug before letting me go. Before that point I was feeling so confident because everyone was saying how scary it was but to me I was going towards my dream and did not understand why I should have been scared. But at that point when I got a hug, I just melted into my fathers arms. I forced myself not to cry, cause I was supposed to be a "strong girl" in front of Apa. I gave him a tight hug, trying to touch my fingers around him but failing cause he was that big. He let me go and at that moment, I was left to become independent for a year. 

              If you want to know what happened to that 15 year old after that, then read my next "AWESOME" post.
(356-words)

The emotion worth fighting for.

58. Discuss the most important piece of advice you have ever 


received and explain its effect on your life.


"The only emotion worth fighting for is the ability to laugh. It never lets you down. It at least helps you smile when things do not go your way" Is what someone very important to me had said this to my sister and me. He always said this to us when ever he was around and the only e-mail he had ever sent me, he had repeated the line to me again. I had received this message in the end of the year 2009, someone might say that it was not that long ago. But to me it is. When I first received this, I was confused about why someone might not smile or laugh. I really did think that it was a stupid thing to say at that point of time. I mean why would someone not laugh all the time? Because I was young and immature, which I sill am but have grown since then, this message really did not get through me until end of 2010 because I had a life changing experience and realized why adults had so much problem laughing. When people grow up, people just have a lot of things that make them sad, I was one of those people that experienced one of the sadness earlier than my age group people did. When I was alone, I kept thinking of this message he had told my sister and me, it kept sinking in little by little. In the beginning I thought too hard and I ended up crying because of it. Before I realized, tears would start to roll down and I would blank out. When I came to my senses after crying, I would be exhausted. So, instead of taking it all in at once, I took my time thinking about it, like in little doses. This technique helped me regain my self control (It still helps me when every I am angry or sad). It really is true when people say time helps to heal. When this message finally did settled in me, I just felt like saying "Hell" to all this crying and sadness. So, I made myself stronger not to cry and instead laugh when something hurt a lot. This really worked for physical pain because when every a ball hit me or I banged somewhere, I would force myself to laugh instead to cry! I still do this because I always think that I have an option to make people worried about me, or let them feel relieved. So, I always picked the option where I would like an idiot for laughing but deep down I felt relived that people were laughing because of me and not stressing out. Of corse this was the physical part to it but I always had trouble keeping this up with my mental part. I mean I love making people laugh, so I kind of do stupid things all the time. It also helps me hide my emotion. I have always been called an idiot or a stupid girl or a fat girl. I have heard this sooooooo many times that I got used to it. I normally laugh it off cause it so redundant and I know they are joking but that does not mean that it hurts sometimes. Like in class, I don't really like to speak and just cause of that I'm called stupid, that hurts a lot but then I think of harder things that have happened to me compared to any of them and I say to myself that " I am stronger than any of them." Of corse this might not be true but it's a way for me to build my confidence. So, when every this things happened, I would get enough courage to laugh it off with ought me feeling hurt. All of this is me because, the advice that person gave it me, helped me to come become strong. This was the most important advice I had ever received from someone.
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Being a villager

12. Tell us about the neighborhood that you grew up in and how it helped shape you into the kind of person you are today. (Yale and the University of Chicago)






                                                                           Growing up in the valley of Mangan (a village in Sikkim) has given me a unique childhood compared to many people in this century. Since many countries have started developing, natural habitats have started disappearing.  There are more cities and towns, a very modern kind of environment. What people in this time don't have is the very rough childhood of a villager. One can say that I am a true villager cause I was raised there ever since I was born. This village is the bone that gives support to my personality.
                                         Mangan is a very peaceful and quiet village. It has a small population compared to the capital if Sikkim which is Gangtok. Out there everyone knows every one. The economy is pretty much domestic and customers have good relationship with the shop owners. In the mist of this little crowd, I was a small 6 years old girl that everyone in the village knew. I was one of those adventures children that went around everywhere to explore from morning to evening. Everyone knew about me, the shop owners, random housewives and husbands, and farmers. I was always the girl who went to a shop and take baki (tab) from the shops. I was always the girl that went to a random house and talk to people. I was always the girl with the dirty clothes and snorty face. And I was always the girl with a big smile on the face after a long day; well sometimes I used to get a good beating cause of my dirty and torn clothes and would have a snorty crying face. But, other than I was a very happy and a lively girl. I used to live with my grandaunt because my mum worked in Gangtok and my dad worked in Kerala. So, my childhood was sent with her teaching me a lot of stuff and she was also a teacher in my school. She was the one who used to feed me food. She was the one who protected me from school bullies. She was the one who beat me if I did anything wrong. She was the one who put me to bed and tell me stories. And she was the one who first gave me a Disney storybook. That was the best and the first girly present I had ever received. She was also the one I loved very much when I was young, it was very hard to part from her in 2002. In a very big way she was a teacher who taught me how to me be. So, my everyday life was filled with people around the village and my grand aunt.
                                         Mangan, my lovely village has helped me become the person I am now. Under all this glamour of a modern girl, there is a girl that wants to dig her toes in the soft soil, soak in the rain, run around barefoot and just be free form any duty and jobs. But Mangan and the people in it have taught me a lot of important things. Like bulling is bad, I have limits as to what I can do, everyone has another face when they are in a certain place or people. And these are some of the qualities I have received from my beloved home village.

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