Question: What matters most to you, and why?
Tell us the values and experiences that have shaped the person you are (maximum 400 words)
Background: I'm from mainland China and had been working for 2 years after I graduated.
I was born in a seaside city, and the family would go to the beach together every summer weekend when I was much younger. It was the greatest joy of my childhood, because of the chance to see the farthest horizon in city. I would sit on the beach staring at the horizon, watching the sun and maybe a ship go down that line and disappear. I could feel the joy and curiosity burning inside me. It's as if I was connected to the big world out there somehow, but I still couldn't help but wonder what and who is out there. There is so much to see and to know while I was so limited physically. That is when this passion for exploring the world started growing in me, and I'm sure it is this passion that matters most to me, and shapes me the way I am now.
When in high school, I was among the one percent of students who finally chose foreign language as (Arabic) the major in college. Most of my classmates thought studying a foreign language as a major was not worthy of four years of time, but I knew that learning Arabic could almost guarantee a job abroad and be my best chance to set out the first step to the bigger world. And I was right.
After I graduated from college, I got the job that had allowed me to work in Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Mozambique. It was a mind blowing experience. Watching people performing Salah in front of me, visiting an Arab family and eating with them, bargaining with a Saudi street vendor, or even waiting endlessly for an unpunctual Iraqi friend, all these trivial things taught me that exploring the bigger world is not just about what you know and where you have been, but also about being open and daring to experience. What made these people the way they are? What is the story behind them? It is only through experience with an open mind can one discover all these things, which are all part of the world out there. With that said, I've already known it's going to be an endless pursuit, and living different lives in different places will be my ultimate motivation in my future life.
Much appreciated!
