Outside of academics, what do you enjoy doing most?
When my family moved from India, we missed most of the vegetables from back home. So my mom decided to grow Indian vegetables such as sponge gourd, snake gourd, zucchini, and bitter melon. On the days she was busy, she would ask me to water the plants. The first couple of weeks, I completely detested it. I thought I was wasting my time. However, over the next couple of days, a white flower bloomed from a bitter melon. All of a sudden, for the first time in my life, I wanted to spend more time in the garden watering plants or even digging up the soil to plant more seeds.
Plants are like pets - they come with great responsibility. They have to be fed the right type and the right amount of nutrition; watered at the same time of the day every day, and be defended against dangerous organisms lurking around using the right kind of medicine. Although it is difficult to raise plants from seeds, it is much more rewarding when those plants grow healthy vegetables and fruits. The satisfaction of holding a home-grown vegetable is priceless. I used to think my mom was crazy when I saw her talking to plants. But now, I do the same. Even though plants can't talk back to us, they give us signs of their well-being. And it's from these signs that I know those plants are my children.
Gardening requires patience. Some seeds take longer than expected to germinate, and unfortunately, there are some that don't germinate at all. But, once the seeds start growing into plants, the miracle of life is under process. Whether the plant would grow into a beautiful red rose bush or a snake gourd vine, it adds to the beauty of nature. On days it rains, it's admiring to watch plants take on a new look - one that is much greener and much colorful. Plants gave me more than I could ever repay them. They gave me patience, responsibility, and most important of all, my love for nature.
Besides enjoying nature, gardening has also thought me how to share with people. I grow fruits, vegetables, and flowers every summer in a local community garden-on Louisiana State University campus-as well as on my own at home. Over the years as my vegetables grew abundantly, I shared them with my neighbors, and family friends. And years that the produce wasn't so great, those same neighbors and friends gave me some of theirs. Slowly, it became a tradition every year to either give away or trade some of the fruits and vegetables amongst friends and other members of our community. This gave my family and me an opportunity to experience the different tastes of vegetables and fruits that I didn't grow. It's often simple stuff like sharing that keeps healthy relationships with neighbors and friends, and I am glad that my gardening has forged some strong relations with my neighbors.
On the days she was busy, she had asked me to water the plants.
Even though plants can't talk back to us, they give us signs of their well-being.
As difficult as it is to raise seeds into plants
elaborate on how it was difficult.
Hope it helps!
Good luck!
