Living in Dubai, I wasn't a part of a tight-knit community like I was when living in Los Angeles

UC ESSAY 1- Describe the world you come from

LIVING IN DUBAY

Childhood is meant to be a period of bliss and clarity, yet the memories of my childhood are a concoction of disoriented thoughts, ambiguity, and fear. Growing up in Los Angeles, I was able to explore the vast world around me through curious eyes, and the limitless opportunities opened their arms in return. Los Angeles was home. However, the picturesque image of my childhood was abruptly shattered by a change in setting.

At the age of five years old, I received the life-altering news that my family and I were moving to Dubai, a city on the other end of the spectrum. Dubai is renowned for its multicultural population, towering skyscrapers, innovative force, and luxurious lifestyle while lacking a sense of identity due to it being a melting pot of innumerable nationalities and cultures. No longer was I able to play in the streets with the other children in my neighborhood, as I moved to an apartment in one of Dubai's famous skyscrapers. Living in Dubai, I didn't feel like I was a part of a tight-knit community like I was when living in Los Angeles. Dubai is a busy city, and most of its residents are more focused on moving from place to place as quickly as possible than on actually making real connections with other people, and this is why it lacks the sense of community that is felt by residents of most other cities in the world.

Spending almost eleven years living in "the melting pot of the Middle East" has had some positive effects on my personality, as well as negative ones. Being exposed to the thoughts and opinions of people from different cultures and societies from all over the world has enhanced my ability to communicate with others, as well as widening my perspectives on current events and global issues. However, the abundance of different points of view and conflicting cultures led me to be confused about myself and my personality for the majority of my time here.

I spent most of my time in high school trying to find out who I really am and coming to terms with that personality once I finally discovered it. I've learned to embrace my Arabic culture and traditions while also considering and accepting other points of view, as well as adapting my own personality to the modern world. I have never been to my grandfather's native land of Palestine, which he was forced to leave as a child, but I hope to one day go there and use my university education to have a positive impact on life there and to forever change the Palestinian way of life for the better.

Hashem, is there a chance that you can provide us with the complete prompt that you were given? I am familiar with this prompt requirement and it does not simply ask you to describe the world you come from. There are some additional considerations that come after that. Owing to the length of your essay and the amount of places that you have lived, I am wondering if you have not misrepresented the prompt requirements due to some misunderstanding of the requirements. I would like to know why you are discussing so many places where you have lived with an almost generic feel to it. The sentiments that you share could have been narrated by any student writing this essay. We need to find out the actual focus of the prompt so that you can make your essay "pop" on the screen. It needs to have some portion that will provide uniqueness and recall for the reviewer. If I find out what the prompt is, maybe I can help you pick out the part that can do that for you in this essay. I look forward to reading the complete prompt soon.