What I wish I would have known by Alisha

What I wish I would have known by Alisha - April 2021 Scholarship Essay

Ever since I was younger, I dreamed of spending nights in Paris. As a freshman, I fell in love with the French language and discovered an opportunity to travel to the French Alps, the Mediterranean Sea, the castles of Tours, the D-Days beaches, and the Eiffel Tower. For three years, I awaited the two weeks in June after my junior year to travel with two of my best friends in the country that caught my eye since I was seven years old. Needless to say, I had extremely high expectations, and my trip ended up being far less than perfect. Over the two weeks, I wrote down forty-nine mishaps. The first hostel we stayed at looked like an abandoned insane asylum with barred windows and only served beet salad. Then, later that week, the Mediterranean tide sucked my towel up while I went into town for an hour. Not long after, I lost my tour group in the Louvre for ten minutes and nearly had a panic attack. Each mishap transpired all while I was slowly driven to madness by my roommate who was the messiest person I had ever encountered.
Despite all of these unfavorable events, I would never trade those two weeks because I learned how to deal with difficult people, how to live without my parents, and how to adapt to an unfamiliar environment along with experiencing things I never would have done. If I could go back in time five years ago and give any piece of advice to myself, it would be to appreciate the good with the bad. Most of my biggest regrets are because I had a negative attitude about something that was happening to me. I often would let myself be angry and upset instead of finding the positive in every situation. While I was on this trip to France, I truly learned to appreciate the good with the bad. For example, I have a terrible fear of heights, yet I ascended to the top of Mount Le Blanc in Chamonix, which is 15,777 feet tall and completely above the clouds. At first, the entire way up I only thought of how cold it was and how scared I was. And sure, I may have imprinted my fingers into my friend’s wrist, but, looking back, I conquered my fear. Was I anxious? Of course, but I was learning that fear and irritation at all the mishaps make all of the good things in life that much better. My excursions in France were my biggest personal achievements because I conquered my challenges. As they say, you have to learn to appreciate the good with the bad.
My hostel may have looked like the setting in a horror film, but I was in the country of my dreams. My roommate was messy, but there was no one else I would rather throw grapes off a balcony with at 2 AM. I got lost in the Louvre, but I saw the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo, and Psyche revived by Cupid’s kiss (my favorite sculpture). I gained a greater appreciation for life and all of its opportunities because of those action-packed two weeks. Since I can't go back in time, I've learned to grow from that experience and make conscious changes to my mindset throughout the day. With this appreciation and renewed positive attitude, I plan to continue to accept my defeats and squash my negativity in the pursuit of success by continuing to focus on my achievements rather than my challenges and how I can achieve more.