<p>Help to concise/ cut some words. My essay is 494 words. </p>
<p>Evaluate a significant experience you have faced and its impact on you. </p>
<p>The brutal, frigid winter in early January made me queasy. The year was 2005 and I was nine years-old. Few days had passed since I first stepped on American soil. The feeling of jet lag had yet to fade and I still had trouble adapting to my new environment. I was in my new home but my body was still somewhere else, maybe still in Indonesia. The evening was dull. Armed with Eskimo like clothing I sat on my lazy maroon leather couch, watching pointless cartoons to learn how to speak English.
As I slowly drifted off to sleep, I heard a familiar voice murmur. My uncle gave me a customary headlock to wake me. My uncle Rudy mumbled to me, Come downstairs, I want to show you something. I followed him to our gloomy basement. As he powered on a bizarre looking machine, he whispered to me again, I have a surprise for you, while pointing at it. I looked at the object with a confused expression. I asked What kind of machine is it? He told me the machine was a computer. I had never seen anything like it. He emphasized that computers are expensive and rare in Indonesia, so I should feel gifted.
I paid attention carefully to my determined uncle, explaining and demonstrating the unique features of the computer. As my uncle concluded the jaw-dropping presentation, I felt something enormous hit me. In the beginning, I thought it was a reaction to how privileged I was to be able to immigrate to America and how blessed I was with these wonderful opportunities; actually it was something else. Even after dinner, I couldnt quite put my finger on it. I went to bed and was left alone to contemplate this thing.
Two years passed; it snowed heavily and to my excitement I found the house empty. Both of my parents had left to work, double shift at the factory. My uncle had taken my sister to the supermarket. Now that the thrill of being home alone had worn off, I was getting a little depressed.
I began reminiscing about my beloved family and friends in Indonesia. I went to the basement and turned on the computer, hoping to get rid of the sorrowful feelings. As I browsed the Internet, I started to examine my life. As I wandered through my past, I noticed that the thing I felt two years ago had gone away. I realized that the thing I could not put my finger on two years ago was the feeling that although I was privileged to be in America, I was overwhelmed by the difference between my new life and the life I had left behind. In retrospect, all the experiences I have had since arriving in America made me mature and independent. I have equipped myself with new components to process the obstacles of life smoothly. At this moment, I was happy to call myself an Indonesian American.</p>