Due 9. January 2013
2013 will be packed full of major life changes for all of you: graduation, leaving home, starting college, meeting new people, living in a different country where you will be surrounded (most of you) with English both inside and outside of school. Exciting stuff. Scary stuff. There's an old saying "the more things change, the more they remain the same." Choose one thing in your 2013 year and explain how and/or why you will strive to have it remain the same.
At this point, I can confirm that my parents did not spend seventeen years of their lives, and of my life, teaching me values that will eventually be thrown away throughout my journey to college. The life and family values that my parents have brought me up with throughout these years are what I wish to take to college and what I don’t want to change. At our age, as young adults, we can easily engulf ourselves by other morals that we are not familiar with. To prevent this occurrence, I will forever cherish the morals that I have been raised with.
ReplyDelete“Values” is a very broad term. It can signify religion, lessons, priorities, female/male roles in society, and much more. However, the values that I am referring to are “priorities”. A specific priority that my parents have always emphasized during my life is to always aim for the highest. This means setting goals, keeping my eyes on the prize, always remembering that the sky is the limit, and that the only obstacle that can be found in between me and the prize, is me.
The way I’ll make sure that this sticks with me throughout college is by always remembering what I’m going to college for and what I should avoid while I’m there. Although it’s amusing to have fun, college isn’t supposed to be a playground, but a learning environment instead. Sticking to this value will allow me to focus on my goals instead of getting distracted and getting pushed off my path. By doing so, I will also be reinforcing all the other values that I have been brought up with. I believe that this is the best method that will take me to success. It will also allow me to take these values with me everywhere I go for the rest of my life.
Jenn,
DeleteA noble goal. I believe you will succeed in your desire to stay strong because you project a self confidence that is rare in 18-year-olds. You also have a worldliness that most college freshmen in the US just do not possess. Thanks for sharing this so eloquently.
I have seen most of my good friends graduate and leave TASOK before me. Keeping up with them all has been a little challenging but it is a priority for me. I have seen my friends start to spread out over the world and start their new lives. The few people who have had time to stay in touch with me during their busy lives have become a lot closer friends. As much as I am looking forward to making new friends and meeting new people I can’t imagine not keeping in touch with the people I have grown up with and all my friends.
ReplyDeleteDuring school or when my friends and I hang out we usually are in pretty big groups. This is always fun but because I’m an introvert I talk much less when there are multiple people listening. I enjoy talking and listening to people directly without the possibility of side conversations. Talking in person is much better than chatting or email but the internet does insure the one to one ratio. It’s nice to be able to focus on one person at a time and actually talk about what is happening in their life instead of small talk consisting of “Hi…” “Hello” “How are you?” “I’m fine, thanks.” I really dislike small talk, it bores me.
Hopefully next year I will have the time to keep in touch with all of my good friends and not just with small talk, but actually talk to learn what they are up to and how their life is going. With my Computer Science major I will probably be pretty busy, especially if I take many music classes which will require me to practice my trumpet around an hour every day. Over all my priorities for next year are: God, school, and relationships with friends and family.
Sam,
DeleteYou, like Jenn, show remarkable balance and foresight. One of the things that you will find with the friends you have grown up with is the unique TCK culture you all share. This will help to keep you bonded over the expanding distances. Your priority of family (and friends who might as well be family) will also help to anchor you as you move out into exciting new waters.
Had the world ended in December 2012 like presumed; I would not have to write this blog post. In fact, I am now given the opportunity to graduate and to move on from our school lives. This is the year I become independent; the year I better start making smart choices and start thinking about my future.
ReplyDeleteThe negative side of this change is that I will leave Kinshasa and all the amenities that come along with it. I’m actually known to be lazy and living in Kinshasa is not helping. Having lived lavishly 17 years surrounded by Congolese, I feel not speaking Lingala in college will be tough. Doing my laundry will be a pain too.
A couple years ago we hired a different domestique, an act that is very common here in Kinshasa. Jina, as she is named, has been working at my house for 6 consecutive years. She has made my life much easier and in the process I’ve spoiled myself. She is the domestique people dream of having. Jina can cook, do the laundry, make your bed, and much more…
As I’ve been preparing to go to college, my mom has been teaching me how to cook. As of today, I still can’t cook and I’m trying to figure out how I can take Mama Jina along with me to college. I guess what I am trying to say is that I still want to be lazy. The only way I could live this life in US is if I buy a ticket for Mama Jina. It’s a long shot because my parents aren’t easily convinced, but there is no harm in trying.
Salman,
DeleteActually, if you live in a residence hall at university, you are in luck. You will do your own laundry, make your own bed and sweep your own floors. Nevertheless, you will share a bathroom with 30 other guys, but a professional crew will clean them for you. You will have a meal card so that whenever you are hungry, you simply go to one of the food outlets on campus, choose your favorite dishes, present your card and eat. Take your dishes to the kitchen and someone (an other undergraduate, working his way through school) will wash them for you. I found living this way very easy - no big cleaning tasks, no cooking required. No Mama Jina, but think how impressed she'll be when you come back and make your own bed!
ReplyDeleteAt first when I thought about going away to college, the idea that came to mind was living without my parents. I became very impatient and all I wanted was to leave as soon as possible. I was convinced that my life would be perfect without my parents’ presence. Now that I am only six months away from graduation, I can see that going through all this college application stress gave me a better sight on this new chapter of my life. I realize while my life will never be the same, there are things I do not want to walk away from. I do not want to change or leave the things that have helped me grow as a person.
Today, I am learning about what college life is like and what it means. I have figured out that my life in college should reflect the values that my parents have been teaching me since my childhood. I do not want to forget that my parents’ offered me the chance to go to good schools, a chance that they did not have. The fact that they pushed me to do my best, even when I thought the work was too difficult taught me to challenge myself. Now that I will finally be on my own, not having my parents tell me what to do scares me because things will be completely different. I came to understand that all this time when my parents were on my case, it was because they were preparing me for the real world.
My aims in college are to stick to my priorities. I want to stay true to myself and not change who I am in order to gain the acceptance of others. I want to remember the reason I am there and what I want to get out of it. I still want to be able to hear my parents’ voice when I feel like I am losing myself. I want to stay focused on my goals and always remember that hard work pays off. To keep my values with me, wherever I go.
Cybelle,
DeleteVery eloquent reply. The crafting of syntax and careful diction choices help to raise pathos in your audience. Your relationship with and appreciation for your parents comes across clearly.
I have too many things that I care about. One thing that I would strive to keep would be my love for every movie. Why? The reason is because I love watching movies and for me it’s not like I only watch action or I only watch comedy. I watch everything. It’s a part of be because sometimes learn from the movies or I watch them for fun. I don’t criticize that many movies there are probably on my like a hand full of movies that I will never watch like all the twilight saga movies. They are just too dumb to watch, and no point in watching them.
ReplyDeleteAlso movies give me ideas about what I should do in my life. Like I watched documentaries about different kind of jobs and majors and that’s how I decided that I want to do computer science for my university major. Movies teach us a lot of things and that’s one other reason why I don’t want to change the way I think about them. Most people are not like this; some people don’t like some movies.
I get a lot of criticism from other people when I tell them that I watch every movie that comes out and I like them even if they didn’t get a good review by the audience. I have grown to love every kind of movie. I have watched a whole range of movies starting from English movies going to French movies then Indian movies and a lot more. They have taught me new things. So this is why I would strive not to change my love for movies and how I think about them .
if you go to school in Canada or the US, you will have way more access to major movies and documentaries - especially docus in Canada (they fund more - the US has to make money on their films and therefore cannot take as many chances.) I really like your opening line. One thing you should explore in college is film. Have you ever considered working in the field? It could easily work with your love of computers and you are a story fanatic and think visually.
ReplyDeleteAfter the 11th time reading this post and absorbing the fact that 2013 will be packed full of major life changes such as leaving home, starting college, meeting new people, living in a different country where I’ll be surrounded with English both inside and outside of school. It’s finally hit me that I’m graduating this year. Within a few months, I’ll be walking down the aisle, rocking that blue cap and gown, and receiving my diploma signed and given to me by my father! It’s a lot to take in. The way I see it, life is like a book and 2013 is turning the page to a whole new chapter.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that I know will never change and remain the same is my sense of attachment to my family and Kinshasa. Although going off to university and learning how to be independent is going to be a huge transition, I will always keep my family and hometown secured in my heart. I must admit, I wasn’t born to an ordinary set of parents; they are truly one of a kind. We’re like a team. Team Husain. Especially now that their last child and only daughter is heading off soon, we practically do everything together. In 2012, I would be frustrated by the fact that they would want to go out with me at times, which would scramble up an argument, but when I come to think about it from a more mature point of view, I’m grateful that I have the opportunity to enjoy my last few months of high school with their strong presence. They’ve taught me to see life through a positive light, and emphasizing that everything that happens is for the best possible reason. My parents have really created a comfort zone for me here in Kinshasa that is going to be tough to let go of. I don’t necessarily have to strive for the relationship I have with my parents and sense of belonging to my home to remain the same because I know this is how it will always be. I’m sure with the mindset my parents have brought me up with; I’ll be capable of independently paving a smooth way through university.
Go team Husain! I'm really impressed with how many of you want to take the closeness of your families or the values of your parent with you. I know when I was graduating and moving out of my parent's house, I couldn't wait to get away from them. You are very special young people with the rare maturity of seeing the value of your parent's presence in your lives.
ReplyDelete“You’re such a social butterfly, Farah,” my friend once told me. What’s that supposed to mean? I thought to myself. I like to socialize? I like to talk? I like to mingle with different people? “Is that a bad thing?” I asked her. “No no, not at all. You’re just so… so social, so outgoing. Its good, I like it,” she replied. When I come to think of it, I find it fascinating how fast things have changed over the past few years. Five years ago, I would have probably never received a comment like that. You see, I was a very, VERY shy child who enjoyed staying in her own little bubble. I was afraid to talk, to make friends, and I often found myself in situations where I wanted to express myself and let out what I truly thought and felt. However, my lack of confidence kept me from doing so. Over the years, my way of thinking, of expressing myself has evolved in a way that has made me the outgoing “social butterfly” I am today. With the increase in activities and addition to friends, I was able to pop my little bubble and open up to the world around me. I’m not going to lie; I’m a people person. My social life holds a lot of importance to me as it allows me to be the lively person in the crowd and live each day as it comes.
ReplyDeleteAs we enter the year of 2013, a year that will always remain of importance to us, that will mark a place in our heart forever, and open a door filled with endless opportunities and experiences, one of my life long goals is to take my social life as seriously as I do now. Soon we will be walking off the stage in our blue gowns, and be swarmed with hugs and kisses which will be filled with joy but at the same time sorrow for time has come to say goodbye to our loved ones, to those we’ve grown up with. This will mark the start of a new life, a new journey, where we will be showered endless tasks- certainly a twist to our lives thus far. This is the time when balancing our social life and school life will be essential and sometimes even an issue. Now, don’t get me wrong; I’m not saying don’t work and hang out with your friends all day. Instead, what I’m saying is that, know how to manage your time, know how to draw the line between fun and work. Although some parents always have something negative to say about our social lives, it’s important for them to know that being socially active reduces stress, loneliness, and gives you a peace of mind. Laughing everyday or simply smiling with your friends is proven to be good for you as well as your body. So, the next time you see someone who shy’s away from social activities, or pushes themselves to work too hard, try taking the time to connect with them and help push each other into being more active and social together.
I can't believe you were a shy child. Wow. Big turn around. Keep treasuring your friends and family - they are what makes everything else worthwhile. Without someone to share it with, what good is any other kind of success?
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ReplyDeleteContrary to some students in my class, after graduation I will be living with my family at my hometown. Yes, I admit that there will be many changes; I will not be living in Africa anymore, I will not be using English as much as I do right now, I will not be able to meet my friends at school, and I will not be required to write this blog post… However, I believe that certainly I will be able to cope with these changes. Things will change at least once in everyone’s lifetime and we learn important lessons from those, but there is one thing that I do not want to change – my goals.
ReplyDeleteAmong the “Asian minded people” in Korea, I am afraid that I will lose my goals that I have right now. People will say, “you will not be able to reach your goals because you don’t have perfect scores on your test.” In a society where, my ability is defined by my scores, grades and ranks, I am afraid that I will be discouraged. “Yeun Ji, do you realize how producer is a tough job? It is really hard to even get recruited unless you graduate Yonsei University,” said my father. I know, I know very well that becoming a producer in Korea is a challenging task but THAT IS MY GOAL.
My goals might change, I could decide to study journalism than broadcasting and I could decide to become an announcer than producer, but what I want to remain the same is my passion for my objectives that can stand firmly in a storm called “others influence.” To strive to have it remain the same, the only thing that I can do is to know myself : Do I really want this? Am I not changing my goals just because others say that I will not be able to do so? The answers for these questions lie in me.
While your undergraduate schooling may be in test-dominated Korea, you never know what will happen after that, so even if you don't get recruited out of Yonsei University, you may end up outside of Korea or even in it with a path that others simply cannot match. You will succeed in whatever it is you want, I am sure of it.
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ReplyDeleteWhat will remain the same after august 2013? It is a pretty easy question; the education my parents gave me will definitely be something that will remain the same. Yes I am going to leave the family cocoon but I am not going to ruin the 18 years of education I received.
ReplyDeleteMost of us are impatient and even excited just thinking about graduation; but going to college is not only leaving the house to be free and do whatever we want, it is more than that. I think that international students like us have something more that most college freshmen in the US; not only the education that we received but also because while we are moving from a country to another we take with us a part of the different culture or education that the country gave us.
We all had those nannies who became over time a second mother to us. I had one like that for years and she was Ivorian. I received a French education from my parents, a Cameroonian and Nigerian from my grandparents and an Ivorian from my nanny. I managed to take the best from all those educations and be the person I am today. This will never change and I will do my best to make sure that I stay the same person in college and not be influenced by others.
This diversity will probably help us going through the hard times of home sick and stress of first exams. So yes it will absolutely be a new start for me but who I am and my education will remain the same forever.
I am amazed at how many of you have such strong dedication about making sure to stand strong against the negative influences you see coming at you from the unknown. Maybe you've all been warned many times about the stupid things American university freshmen then to do - the drunken parties, the alcohol poisoning, the frat and sorority initiations that lead to arrests and deaths - whatever it is, I am impressed with the forethought you all show in this arena.
ReplyDeleteI know this may sound weird, crazy and stupid but I don’t want to go to college. Yes, I don’t want to. Not because am scared of college or something like that, I just don’t want to go to college. Think about it we’ve been in school for 18 years for some more than 18 years, the environment, our friends, schools been an enormous part of our lives. Leaving school will be harder than anything for me. I know many people will refute and argue with this understanding of mine but it’s the truth, we all will at some point think to ourselves that, I wish school had never ended. Some people would say college is just like school, no I don’t agree with them, it’s totally different. In school you don’t get to bunk classes and you know have freedom am not saying I don’t want freedom of course I want freedom but, sometimes too much freedom can led you into trouble. I know Going to college is a sign of you telling the world you’re an adult and can make decisions for yourself. But sometimes you like others making decisions for you. And I can say I don’t want to grow up it’s too soon, I want to remain my parents little daughter and I know I will always remain. But everything is happening to soon, but am excited as well for my future, my career, my life ahead, etc. And I say this with a broken heart, good bye school and hello to college.
ReplyDeleteKarima, you are correct in thinking that most, if not all, of us feel this way as high school graduation approaches. Hopefully, we get over it and move on, but there is a tremendous appeal at times for the carefree days of always knowing someone older with more experience is there to take care of you if you. Look at the ability of being able to have your parents help you through college as a sort of intermediary step - you are sort of on your own, but your parents are still there and your classes and professors are still a buffer between you and the "real world" where you are alone and in charge of everything. Enjoy each step.
ReplyDeleteIt is almost unbelievable that graduation now is just around the corner. It was like just yesterday I was a sixth grader looking up onto the graduating class and dreaming of my own graduation. Going to college will for sure be a new experience and one can only take so much along with them. If it was up to me, I would take everything with me to college but sadly, that is not possible. There is in fact one thing that I want to savor forever even when I go off to college and that is my friendship with all my wonderful Kinshasa buddies. Coming to Kinshasa was not a very exciting experience at first but as I slowly got close to so many people, I said to myself, “Gosh! If only I could have this forever.” There is so much I can write about this so many people that I love, mentioning each and every name is a pain. In addition, I do not plan to tear up already. One thing I would like to say though is even though I will meet new people nowhere in this world will I find a class like our own THE CLASS OF 2013. The friendship, the love, the affection, the attachment, and the people these are some things I do not want to change. Kin la belle and its wonderful people are always going to have that special corner in my heart.
ReplyDeleteAahh, this is such a wonderful thing to hear. I went to a big public school in the US - there were 997 in my graduating class and I am still in touch with one of them -and only on facebook in a passing knowledge. But, in every high school I've taught in where the class is less than 50 or so, they are tight. You share a very different experience with these people that you won't find anywhere else in you life. Treasure it.
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ReplyDeleteGRADUATION IN 5 MONTHS! Just 5 for months and everything’s going to change from the way of living to the way of looking around the world. All the above posts talk about keeping their friends, families, education and many other things the same; similarly I want to keep the strong values and attachment that i have with my family. Just like Karima said in her post “she doesn’t want to college”, I am having a similar situation. The closer we reach to graduation, the fear of leaving home and its environment keeps mounting. Honestly, I’ve never lived away from home or my parents, so IMAGINE how difficult it will be for me to stay away from home. I can’t change the fact that I’ll be leaving home in 5 months but what all I can do it stay strong to my values and teaching that I’ve been given. As it’ll be my first time leaving home officially, they’ll be no one to guide me and tell me what to avoid and what not to. It will surely be a rough path to university, especially on deciding how to use the freedom and time wisely. Being brought up in an Indian family, I’ve never got too much of freedom or the chance to make big decisions myself. I am completely sure that going to university is going to the biggest transformation in my life. YES, leaving home for me is so much more difficult than this. I will miss Kinshasa and the amazing Indian food that I got every lunch and dinner.
ReplyDeleteActually, you grad in 4.5 months. Wow. As much as the doubts are natural, the excitement is, too. you are all ready. Embrace all the mixed emotions.
DeleteIf I had to think about college a year and half ago, my biggest problem would be to deal with solitude. I have always been very close to my family when it came to tell stories to my sisters, to joke around with my brother or even to have long talks with my mother. If I had graduated a year and a half ago I would not have been able to go to college and live without my family. But fortunately I don’t have to worry about it anymore because since a year and a half ago I stopped living with them. I decided to stay in Kinshasa with my aunt and my uncle while my parents, my brother and my sisters left for Nigeria.
ReplyDeleteI am now used to live without my family and fortunately I can visit them anytime during holidays. I always visit them whenever I have a break, but I also like going to Pointe-Noire for surfing and to see my friends who live there. So whenever there is no school I either go to Nigeria or to the Republic of Congo. What I mean about all that is the fact that, according to me I already travel a lot, always wandering between Pointe Noire, Nigeria and Kinshasa during the whole year. I like traveling and I hope I’ll still be able to travel as much to those same destinations once I am in College.
In Brussels, when I’ll be in College it won’t be the same. I really like surfing but there are no good waves in Belgium. Since it won’t be as close as in Kinshasa I guess I will not be able to go back to Pointe Noire for surfing as much as I used to. In that case I believe I’ll maybe have to find another place to surf, such as in the south or east of France. But I really wish I will get to surf as much as possible when I have some time. On the other hand I am not worried about College; it does not scare me that much and I have family members in Belgium.
So, surfing in Belgium is a no go, hunh? Probably for the best, it'd be really, really cold water. Glad you want to keep up your travel.
ReplyDeleteIt is said that change is good, but is it really? For me, I want my friends to remain the same. I love meeting new people and making new friends, but the friends I have gotten to make right now at school have become more than just friends, they are more like sisters and brothers. My friends and I have gone through so many things together like my first secret admirer, my first clique, boyfriend advice, sleepovers, and many more important things, that not having them in my life is not imaginable. My whole life I have been moving from school to school, leaving some close friends behind, and never getting to see them again, and I am very tired of having to do that all the time. I have chosen who I want my friends to be and I am hoping to have them for the rest of my life. I know that we will eventually have to separate and move to different places and make new friends, but I do not want us to ever forget each other, so communication will be the major component in the success of me having our friendship no matter where I go. These last few months before I graduate my friends and I have planned on making memories and spending a lot of time together having fun and cherishing all the little things we plan on doing together. I am hoping that in our future we will be able to talk to each other as often as possible and keep updated on what is happening in each other’s lives and always keep in touch. That way it will be as if they never even left because I will always be knowledgeable of whatever is going on in their lives, no matter how far I decide to be, thus keeping my friends, forever.
ReplyDeleteTreasure friends always. The ones you make here share something with you that none of you share with anyone else anywhere. I am sure that with all of your class's communication expertise, keeping in touch will be a breeze. Enjoy your last few months.
ReplyDeleteFinally within four months this time I will be given the opportunity graduate awhich means that I will bbe leaving my parent house in the DRC to go for further studies in the US. Although I will be turning eighteen and which means that I will have start leaving the independent life, and hopefully that I will start making smarter choices and to think about my future.
ReplyDeleteAlthough it is like a dream becoming reality for me to finally face all these great expectation, but there is also a very negative impact within all my expectiation and which is leaving my family but mostly Kinshasa and when I say Kinshasa I am mostlty seing the cars and the maid which has been there for my whole entire life.
Eventhough having to leave the spoiled life will have to stop because facing the independent life will mean start taking a taxi, bus, or the subway to go to school and to honest I will say that I hate using or taking public transport because it just does not feel like being in my dad's Range Rover, or being in my mom's Cadillac. But I have tried t convince my parents to get me a very comfortable car an by that I mean a two seater car for my first year in college and they told me "that in life you have to deserver somethign in order to have it", I did not have a single clew of what they meant but I just hope that they really make me feel comfortable even outside of the country.
Esperance, is the thing you want to have remain the same having a driver and maid? If you are in a major city for uni, you will soon fall in love with mass transit - so easy, so fast, and so cheap. I much prefer it to driving, sitting in traffic, maintaining a car, searching for parking, etc.
Delete2013 is the year in which I will go through big changes in my life. I have never live separated from my family and during this year, I will have to do EVERYTHING by myself. Yes, it is scary when you think about that. Being alone in a place where I have never been before, in a place where I don’t know anybody. The beginning of a new big chapter of my life.
ReplyDeleteI have so many things that I care about and would like them to stay the same. Some are possible to keep but others are just impossible. I would like to move with my entire family but that is just impossible. One thing I really don’t want to change is the importance of God in my life. I have been taught that a person can’t do anything without God. I have grown up in a Christian family and in every situation we just thank God because he’s the only one who knows why it happens.
I would like to keep believe in God because nothing is impossible with God and he is always there for his children. I will continue to go to church on Sundays and pray every morning and evening. God’s love for his children is just amazing because he still loves you even when you do him wrong.
Very nicely phrased. In most schools in the US you will find a chapel and chaplain right on campus - also many, many religious clubs on campuses. Check them out. Make new friends who share your beliefs.
ReplyDeleteMany things have changed this school year, and will continue to change as head out to college. What will not be changing however, is how I think of my past and the people in it. I believe that I should always remember where I am from, not only in terms of ethnic heritage, but also in terms of the difficulties I encountered and how overcame them thanks to lessons I learned from my family, friends, and teachers.
ReplyDeleteSo as I head out to college, with doubts like many freshmen regarding my future. I plan to always remember where I am from, and to not get lost in the crowd while trying to fit in. As the difficulties I encountered to get where I am now, did not make me weak, and the people I met along the way have had an impact on my life. I should be proud of where I’m from and where I have been. Even if at times it would be simpler to pretend I was not of mixed heritage, and grew up in the calm suburbs of an American city. As one day, my life experiences will make for good stories in a college essay, in a book, or simply at the dinner table during a long awaited family reunion. It’s kinda like a saying by Forrest Gump: “life was like a box of chocolate, you never know what you’re gonna get.” So I might not know what is in the next chapter of my life, but I do know and remember all the previous chapters that led to this moment right here. Those stories will make me different, and hopefully in the future, help me stand out at a job interview.
Yes, we are all made up of all the people and things in our past - they never go away. And one of the reasons you are much more interesting than that "average American" from the suburbs is all the experiences that you bring with you. Cherish them and do tell your own story.
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