Occurences are a result of cause. This paper is the reason for much of my smiles. I tried, but upon publishing this paper I have finally flouted outrightly my most basic rule in maintaining this blog. But I do so in the name of Fernando, and Fernando alone.
84°F, partly cloudy…
84°F, partly cloudy, wind speeds of 4 mph heading west, humidity of 64% might sound very much like weather report and you might even be right. But it also describes my life and the world that I come from. As uninteresting and mundane as the weather might sound, it is in the perspective that the two extremes of boredom and ecstasy depend on; even when it comes to observing the nimbostratus or cumulonimbus.
Born in the bustling city of Mumbai, about 18 years ago, it wasn’t too late before I was gifted with the art of jaywalking, the knack of maneuvering the conniving markets and the rich flavour of the language of my motherland. From the beginning I was forced to realise that I had to grapple with a melting pot of two distinct cultures and three different languages. As a native South Indian, unlike my neighbourhood cricket buddies, I had to speak Tamil at home, and deftly switch to the ubiquitous Hindi upon closing my house door. Apart from the language, there existed a palpable dichotomy in almost everything: TV channels, food, behaviour the English accent and so forth. To exacerbate the problem, in school I had to speak in English with my teacher and friends, in which ironically I failed miserably. After nearly 7 years of the Indian monsoon and the sweet smell of North Indian auto rickshaw pollution, I migrated to what seemed to be the paradise of Singapore.
In my new country there existed 3 different races of people, 4 different languages and another novel culture that I had to adapt to. After 6 years of primary school I had mastered the survival techniques in the Singaporean urban jungle, and of course their own brand of "Singlish". The next 4 years in secondary school that followed turned out to be by far the most important period of my life. I formed my principles, distinct style, ambitions and dreams as a teenager within the walls of St.Joseph's Institution, my Alma Mater.
The changing phases of my lifestyle and the various cultures that I was exposed to, during my childhood, has played a significant role in shaping my aspiration. They have engendered a form of divine creativity which I use to formulate my future. Due to the valuable opportunities that Singapore presented me with, I was able to, of course improve my English to the extent that I am now able to mimic the CNN correspondents (and write brilliant essays), but more importantly travel to Cambridge and find my vocation in molecular biology. Like the impervious land that faces the brunt of the versatile weather, my environment and the experiences that it offered has been the primary factor that shapes my past, present and future.
As a person of many cultures, I see myself as a citizen of the world. As a versatile character and creative thinker I can brazenly dream and desire my position amongst the best scientific persons of the world. To fulfill my desire I knock upon the door and await the answer at this precise moment as I type this essay. The weather is 84°F, partly cloudy, wind speeds of 4 mph heading west, humidity of 64%; as mundane as it may seem, blue skies or thunderstorm, the future remains to be soothsaid.
Of Kimi
28 March 09
Wow this is quite amazing. You say citizen of the world, that is interesting, do you think it's really possible to forgoe patriotism to any country?
ReplyDelete