From The Peopling of New York City
Where I'm From
One of the most challenging tasks in life is to write about yourself. You fluctuate between what you aspire to be and what you believe you are. Between those two perceptions, to accurately judge yourself proves to not only be a strenuous job, but also one that people rarely achieve. Lord Buddha once said, “To conquer oneself is a greater task than conquering others.”
Born in the city of Chandigarh in India, I am the youngest in the family of four. When I was four years old, my family moved to London because my father was transferred due to his job. Although I was young, living in London had an enormous affect on my life. To experience a cultural change at such a young age is an experience that few have felt. See new places; meet new friends, so much excitement and curiosity. The three years in London went by fast but I achieved a lot. I learned a new sport, a new culture and not to mention, I formed everlasting memories. Moving back to India was the hard part. I had grown up by then and was seven and knew what was going on. Leaving friends is never an easy task but one endeavor one must take.
Thus began another phase of my life. Another new culture, another set of friends and another education system. I learned to spend hours pouring life over books and memorizing dates and formulas. At that point of time it felt like a nightmare, but in retrospect, India proved to be the phase of my life where I would learn endurance, hard work, and discipline. Seven years went by quickly and I became accustomed to a new tradition and made new friends. But once again, life had its own little mysterious plan. My father got transferred to the United States of America, the land of opportunity. Another new place, new friends and a new culture; I could only ponder upon what the future held for me? Here I am, four years later, still wondering what the future holds for me.
Who Are You
My name is Sahil Jain. I am an Indian living in America with an older brother named Shashank Jain going to Med School. I am a computer engineer with hopefully a minor in Math or Economics. My hobbies include playing video games, watching tv, reading books, writing poetry, and ofcourse, long walks on the beach. (I’m single) I enjoyed the poems from Seminar 2 and the “How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accent”. I am a member of the Chinese Group My dislikes about Seminar 2 were the abundance of reading.
My New York
All you need is a metro card swipe on the 7 Train, Flushing to Times Square, and you’ve now entered New York City.
As I sit there in the train, I look around me to see so many people. The woman in front of me, reading her bible, getting her daily dose of religion in. The rocker right next to her, listening to his music at an unusually loud volume. The business man, wearing his suit and tie, looking handsome, clean shaven. You know he graduated from an IVY league. What about the struggling college student sitting there in that corner? I wonder what he’s dreaming about while he gets a few minutes of nap inside him.
I am asked, what New York City means to me. It doesn’t mean tall high-rise buildings, or the nightlife. You can find that in any city. What makes New York City so special to me is the fact that every race, culture, religion is interwoven into the fabrics of this city, and it’s this cross-stitching that makes it so strong, so powerful. And that is what I love about MY City.