Dragons

I’ve always been a hardcore dragon enthusiast; there are so many types of dragons, each of them with powerful mythologies. But there are certain ones I am constantly drawn to because I recognize them in parts of myself.

Quetzalcoatl– The Aztec God of Creation.

According to the Aztecs, Quetzalcoatl created the human race from nothing but bones. Although I’ve never built my own Frankenstein’s Monster, I have built robots. I’m addicted to creating decision matrices, and to the thrill of seeing each bot work, knowing I’ve assembled everything correctly. I’ve also traveled with my school to build houses for the homeless of Tecate, Mexico. It was my first time using a hammer–I got hooked on the weight of it in my hand, and the ache in my arm afterward, knowing that I had built someone a home. Though I took great pride in it, I saw firsthand the limits of human labor. One house per week is simply not enough; I realized that, to help the most people, logic-based technology, like what I was using in robotics, could improve upon what humans can do. Efficiencies like this are what drive my desire to be an engineer.

Kulshedra– The Albanian dragon of the Apocalypse

Like this dragon, I too, am always tripping over myself. Although I don’t have a tail, I’m always breaking things: my Nintendo 3Ds, my laptop, my phone. I break myself sometimes too: my self-esteem, my confidence. Being clumsy is rough, especially when you’re clumsy in more ways than one. Thankfully, my knack for building things also applies quite well to fixing them. I’ve learned to repair electronics, and to forgive myself and get back up when I trip. Perhaps I’m not quite the catalyst for the end of the world, but the chaos that I embody has taught me that you can’t prevent or prepare for everything. I’ve learned to go with the flow, and how to cope and recover when it doesn’t move in my favor.

Fuzanglong– The Chinese Volcano Maker

I live in a world of fire. Although I can’t quite light candles with my breath, I can light them with a match, and that’s exactly what I do on my favorite holiday: Diwali. The popping of firecrackers mixing with the laughter of my brother and cousins is my favorite sound in the whole world. I was raised in a Hindu household, and we like things hot. I can eat a chili whole, and nothing is better than a plate of steaming biryani fogging up my glasses and burning my tongue. We speak rapid-fire Hindi at home, and it’s louder than any volcanic eruption. The culture I have grown up in has taught me to keep my family, blood-related or not, close to my heart. So while I can’t exhale fire, I never have to look far to find a flame.

Ryūjin– The Japanese God of the Sea

I used to fear the ocean. I was afraid of being pulled under a wave, so I rarely left the edge of the sand. It took time, but I’ve found the confidence to splash far into the water, where the ground sinks away. When I decided to create my own video game, it took many tries to get it right. But I knew from the waves that there are two types of courage in the world: the courage to start something, and the courage to start over. I’ve learned that the latter is harder to find than the former, and though it might be unpleasant, it’s better than getting swept out to sea.

The dragons within me are powerful, fierce, and independent, but also gentle, helping, and kind. They remind me that I’m capable, that I have the power to take something and change it. They teach me how to be the absolute best I can be, and they push me to claw my own path to triumph.