The Complexities of my Character Daniel Gregory Dolgicer

My fascination with foreign affairs can be traced to a series of experiences in my childhood. Coming of age in New York City, I have been privy to many experiences which would have remained foreign to me had I grown up in suburbia. En route to my preschool, I strolled past the United Nations on a regular basis, and I remember being fascinated by the patterns of the world's flags and the vivid native dress of the African delegations.

As a strong-willed first grader, I would consistently plant myself on the classroom bean bag and stare at a map of the political world. The map was beyond my physical reach, and thus I could not see the minutiae representing rural farming villages and Polynesian island nations. However, national capitals were written in a bold and imposing font, and were always marked by a crisply-pointed star. I was soon able to proudly recite the capitals of countless nations from Argentina to Zimbabwe. Amidst the crunching sounds of Count Chocula cereal, I consistently defeated my challengers during snack time geography games.

As a young child, my mother's job at a travel agency allowed me to witness the world firsthand; I was exposed to exotic architecture, cuisine, and lifestyles - from the Grand...