College Essay-Personal Statement (Personal or Creative which best Essay

College -Personal Statement (Personal or Creative which best describes you) - Essay Example pping into Middle School, it still left a rather lingering impression, as did an Angolan schoolmate – Chicongo, who assumed and later embarrassed me in front of the class questioning whether I was a racist. His remarks, as well as life in my â€Å"walled-in† home in this local barrio of Havana were poignant memories that still affect me to this day. As an American living in the politically-charged environment in Havana, I vividly remember the sanctions imposed on us by the host government, but somehow I repressed the extreme poverty that gripped the neighborhood. Suffice to say, I regrettably lived with the belief that it was my neighbors’ fault for my mistrust, and as a result, my lack of sympathy for them. It seemed like it was second nature to react defensively and suspiciously towards people of different backgrounds without first understanding them or underlining reasons for their conditions. Yet fortunately or the lack thereof for us, it would take a violent storm to break down this otherwise sturdy wall. One late evening during a strong tropical storm, unexpectedly, a neighbor banged on our door and warned us of a serious flood condition that threatened all our homes in the neighborhood. Surveying the damage a day after, we awkwardly joined our neighbors in removing the debris from the street, and later pitching in to help those families that fared poorly in the storm. I soon witnessed how myopic misperceptions can be; I understood and appreciated how families were helping each other regardless of their political affiliation. In essence, we who allowed distrust and suspicion to be supplanted by cooperation and kindness were the true survivors of the storm that could have knocked down our fragile human spirit. At school it was not entirely different; many times over I would encounter unpleasant comments about my nationality and/or multiracial background. In regards to Chicongo, who later became a friend, I found out that his father, an Angolan