<h2>Hello there! I was wondering if one of you could proofread my essay and give me comments on what I need to fix and what I could do to improve my essay. It is for the Common App. Also, could anyone be kind enough to give me an idea on a good conclusion paragraph? Don't be afraid to tell me your harshest comments! Thank you! :)</h2>
<p>Imagine waking up in the middle of the night to warplanes dropping bombs next to you. This was a reality for me; my family and I were at the wrong place at the wrong time.</p>
<pre><code>Waking up on July 22, 2006 was like waking up on any other summer day in Lebanon; the first sounds of the day where always the car horns going off in the streets, then shortly after you get a whiff of the beautiful smell of thyme from the local bakery. Getting up from my bed every day was the best feeling because I knew that that day was going to be filled with joy and excitement. I didnt expect anything different, but why would I? Every other day before this I had great times with my relatives touring famous landmarks, eating the best Lebanese food, and overall enjoying the weather by going to the beaches and doing outdoor activities. I did not have the slightest doubt in my mind that I going to be in for an exciting day and summer until I woke up that night.
Surprisingly, it was the dull whispers and rustling of people that woke me up, not the first explosion. I had barely opened my eyes when my mom said in Arabic Everything is ok, just go back to sleep. Except as soon as soon as saw her teary eyed face, I knew something was wrong; I couldnt go back to sleep.
I was confused at first, but then I sat up and saw the worried looks on everybodys faces. My cousins and grandparents where sitting on the couches while my mom, dad, uncle, and aunt where talking quietly talking on the other side of the room. The curtains on our apartments balcony where completely shut, making everything mostly dark. The usual sounds of Beiruts night where absent which was eerie to me. It felt like there wasnt a hint of life around the living room we sat in.
The first thing I wanted to do was ask my parents what was going on. As I got closer to them, I saw that my dad was operating a hand cracked radio that they found. The radio was broadcasting some information about areas that were bombed and places that where Green zones (safe) and areas that where Red Zones (not safe from bomb threats). Before I could ask anybody what was happening, I felt vibrations then immediately after a couple loud explosions rammed my ear drums. A raid had started.
The duration of the night was spent in constant fear and terror. My parents had learned from the radio that Israeli warplanes were performing bombing raids for 5 to 10 minutes every hour in certain areas of Lebanon. There wouldnt be 20 minutes without jet engine noises roaring in the sky past our building. For every airplane that had passed above us, we ducked our heads and prayed. The anticipation of what was going to happen next broke us all down mentally. Luckily for me, I slept before the second raid of bombs that happened, so I was not as worn down.
The next thing I remembered was my mom waking me up very early in the morning with my shoes in her hand saying Put on your shoes, were leaving. I had not fully understood what was happening before we were in the taxi on our escape to Syria.
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