Who Am I?

BY SID DEV

CHAPTER 1

i am a...

sailor on a current headed to lands too far away.

Metaphor

I feel very secure, but other times this security is almost like a prison

I really believe that college and a job are necessary to provide for others, however I feel I need a way to make these things and what I do unique.

I feel like I’m a sailor because I’ve been given a ship, an allegory to my life/family, and I’ve been asked to sail it to a place where it is safe and “successful”. However, I’ve never left the ocean current I recieved the ship in.

I can never leave this ship, for without it I’ll surely drown, however I must ride this current until it’s end or find some way off of it otherwise I’ll be forced to follow it until I die.

I feel as though I’ve been asked to sail this current because it’s been tried and tested before, and I find that uncomforting. I’ve always wanted to be different, however understood the importance of getting a college diploma and receiving high grades and getting a good job. It’s a confusing world and I’m sure the sailor will figure it out.

CHAPTER 2

BEFORE ME, THERE WAS...

Dad's Oldest Sister

Dad's Oldest Brother

Dad's father

Dad's UNCLE

(adopted my dad later)

FATHER'S SIDE

Dad's mother

GRANDFaTHER

GRANDMOTHER (JEJI)

MOTHER's SIDE

Mom's Oldest Sister

Mom's 2nd Oldest Sister

my mom

THE INDIAN CASTE SYSTEM TODAY

GRAPHICS BY SID DEV

VAISHA'S

SHUDRA'S

UNTOUCHABLES

BRAHMIN

MY DAD'S CASTE: KOPPOLU

MY MOM'S CASTE: GOWDA

"The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other's life."

- Richard Bach

Reflection: Meeting with the Mentor

"As an older sibling you've guided me, but as a friend you've shown me who I can be and what I need to do to be that person."

"Although I don't always follow your advice, it always impacts my decisions and your willingness to tell me what you've learned is something I appreciate."

"Our friendship has really made me a better person, and you've been a great factor in my life, which is a debt I cannot repay."

CHAPTER 3

WHO AM I NOW?

Born April 24th, 2000

Born January 7th, 1996

I was born in April of 2000, and grew up in Reston. My sister was born 4 years earlier in Atlanta, Georgia.

I started playing soccer when I was 4 years old and I played travel for 5 years. I play as a goalkeeper and at defense.

Narrative #1

"On the 100th day of school in third grade, I got sent to the 2nd grade room."

"Outside the room, my thoughts calmed me down. She couldn’t do anything else, could she? The extent of her otherworldly powers stopped outside the classroom she held us captive in, or so I thought."

"A blur of movement, and I was outside the 2nd grade room door. It’s important to pause at this time, and to remind you that there were very few teachers I didn’t know in this school. In such a small school, any teacher could recognize you and would easily track down your parents."

"But it didn’t. I got pretty lucky, but I made it out alive. No scars, nothing. I had a fantastic story to tell all my friends, of the crazy kids in need of tissues, the one in the back talking to himself, and the group bathroom visits"

"That day I learned of my ability to turn everything negative to a positive. Forever learning, is a better way to put it into words. "

Here is a picture of me and my sister with one of my best friends.

Text

Narrative #2

"Nothing compares to a midsummer night’s day, perhaps, however finding somewhere to sit at lunch on the first day of a new school seemed surprisingly close."

"My life had been pretty normal until that one fateful day when I learned of my inability to go to the same high school so many of my friends were going to go. It’s pretty devastating to learn that everybody you've known or talked to is going to be gone forever"

"In truth, the beginning of the day was pretty trashy. In math, we had to choose where we sat. That’s almost the equivalent of bullying."

"Then there was Block, and my outlook completely changed. Forget chill and laid back, everybody in this class was crazy for everybody else."

"Then, came lunch. I already knew what could happen, but it didn’t. I overthink things. A new kid always sees the worst in people. Like a teenager, I let my mind play games on me and I learned that day that it’s really not that intimidating to talk to new people."

My family travels quite a bit and we've been to:

India, Belgium, Scotland, England, Germany, Poland, France and recently to Mexico, Costa Rica, Singapore, Cambodia and Thailand.

Koh samui, thailand

thailand

washington, usa

more thailand

CHAPTER 4

my beliefs

Although I was born into Hinduism,

my parents urged me to think for

myself at an early age. I don't follow any religion and I consider myself agnostic. I prefer scientific evidence (relativity and evolution) however there isn't any evidence to disprove God so I consider myself generally uncertain. I believe in enlightenment however I have no plans to achieve it, and I'm opposed to selfishness of the entire concept.

"We are a way for the Cosmos to know itself." -Carl Sagan.

how i view the world

"The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time."

- Abraham Lincoln

What lifestyle do I see for myself?

I'd like to be active and hopefully have fulfilled my dream of building a house. However, like my parents, I'd love to travel a lot and I think I would live a very nomadic lifestyle.. kind of like Du Fu.

"When people ask what is life, I ask them how would they define a road. It is really the same, as both are allegory’s and expression of a movement toward a location or state of being."

The Road Ahead

"My dream is to be not famous or rich, but to have a lasting impact on what matters truly to me"

"A higher education is necessary for anything, and I really intend to get the best one possible. It’s an important part of your life and even if it’s a strict path for some it opens so many doors that are hard to get open yourself."

"I should also not forget the high possibility that computer science won’t work out in the end. I should explore all sides of the world and hobbies. To fully reach out, I should make sure to enroll in clubs that are diverse and help me touch bases with things I normally would not. "

"perseverance, secret of all triumphs"

- Victor Hugo

What do I hope to achieve?

"You are not here merely to make a living. You are here in order to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world, and you impoverish yourself if you forget the errand."

- Woodrow Wilson

by sid