It took me eighteen years to realize what an amazing influence my mother had on my life. She is the kind of person who carefully discusses which artist she would like to have her portrait painted (Sargent), the kind of mother who always has time for her four children, and the kind of community leader who has a seat on the board of every major project to assist the poor citizens of Washington. Growing up with such a strong role model, I developed many of his enthusiasms. Not only did I learn to love the excitement of learning simply for the sake of knowing something new, but I also understood the idea of ​​giving back to the community in exchange for a new sense of life, love, and spirit. plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay My mother's enthusiasm for learning is most evident in travel. I was nine years old when my family visited Greece. Every night for three weeks before the trip, my older brother Peter and I sat with my mother on her bed, reading Greek myths and making notes about the Greek gods. Despite traveling with fourteen-month-old twins, we managed to reach each ruin when the site opened at dawn. I vividly remember standing in an empty amphitheater pretending to be an ancient tragedian, choosing my favorite sculpture in the Acropolis museum, and inserting our family into edited accounts of the Battle of Troy. Eight years and a half-dozen passport stamps later, I've come to appreciate what I've learned on these trips about history, politics, and global culture, as well as about my family and myself. While I treasure the various worlds my mother opened up to me abroad, my life has been equally transformed by what she showed me just two miles from my home. When I was ten, I often accompanied my mother to (name deleted), a local soup kitchen and children's center. While she attended meetings, I helped with the summer program by chasing kids around the building and performing magic tricks. After finally perfecting the "floating brush" trick, I started working as a full-time volunteer with five- and six-year-olds last June. This is where I met Jane Doe, an exceptionally strong girl with infectious vigor. At the end of the summer I decided to continue my work at (name deleted) as Jane's tutor. While the position is often difficult, the personal rewards go beyond any articulation. In the seven years since I first walked through the doors of (name deleted), I have learned not only the idea of ​​giving to others, but also of drawing from them a sense of spirit.