Experience
By: Jan-Kristof Louis
An
Eastern proverb says: "Experience is a comb which nature gives to men
when they are bald." This means that when a man lacks ideas, experiencing
something plants the seeds for a new beginning. I believe that this idea reflects
what I was going through during my early teen years, specifically when I was
thirteen.
When I was small, I used to live in the islands and architecture is more traditional
and ancient than what I saw when I came to America. I used to think that I
would live with my family forever and that I would not have to care about
money issues and such. But my mother proved me wrong. She told me many things
will happen and everyone "has to leave the nest and fly away" at
sometime in their life. That time would come for me. Now I had to decide what
I wanted to be when I grew up but there were so many professions out there.
Later on, my mother and I came to Manhattan to visit and what I saw amazed
me: buildings upon buildings going high up, reaching the heavens. It was unbelievable.
What most amazed me were the World Trade Center towers: not one, but two extraordinary
works of what I consider to be pure modern art. Right there, I was set: I
pictured myself wearing a helmet holding blueprints and directing my men into
erecting my own creation.
The best has yet to come. My mother then took me to a construction field.
Since the engineer was one of my mother's best friends, I got to come every
day to watch the progress at which the building was moving. These were the
best days of my life. From the first day, when the tunnels for the foundations
were being dug, I felt I was part of something important. I no longer felt
like I was ten years old. I felt as if I had grown into an adult right there
and that my future was set. A famous man once said: "Experience is not
what happens to a man. It is what a man does with what happens to him."
Right now, I am that man and it is up to me to come up with the right plans
and use this experience to shape my future and provide a better world for
humanity. I want to be a civil engineer, the branch of engineering which deals
with the design and construction of public works: bridges, tunnels, waterways,
canals, streets, sewage systems, railways, airports and my personal favorite,
buildings.
Another experience that had an impact on me was the September 11th attacks
on our country. I was devastated by the number of people who died from those
attacks but also, the WTC towers, which were like idols to me, which gave
me my future, now destroyed. Many wondered if they were going to rebuild them
but I had high hopes. And now the foundations for the new WTC are being dug,
but the original will not be forgotten. When I saw the design for the new
tower, I thought to myself that it's going to be breath-taking to bring imagination
to life.