Please! I will help with your essay as well :)
Cultural Diversity Scholarship Essay
Please describe your ethnic/international/cultural heritage. Include your family history and how your ethnic/cultural background has influenced your values and/or shaped who you are.
When people ask us, "Where are you from?" our family responds, "Korea." But I quietly giggle inside because in my heart, I know that I am not only "Korean." As a missionary kid, I have spent more time outside of my home country than inside. Having left my birthplace at the age of five, I have been inevitably influenced by various cultures. Moving numerous times for my parent's missions has definitely posed challenges- along with moving came heartbreaking goodbyes and fearful hellos. Nevertheless, I thank those challenges for teaching me valuable lessons that I couldn't have learned otherwise.
My parents used to be very Korean. They were raised in typical Kimchi families- demanding, strict, and hardworking. I, under their care, was a budding Kimchi. Then my parents received a call from God. Our family first went to New Zealand, for my parent's missionary training. New Zealand, to my surprise, was very different- there were more people than sheep, the people spoke a confusing language, and moreover, they had mysterious skin, hair, and eye colors. New Zealand literally opened my eyes to a whole new world, as it showed me that there was a bigger world outside of my little hole back in Korea. I started to see the world in different colors, and I progressed from a normal Korean girl to a free-spirited "Kiwi." After two years, my parent's training ended in New Zealand, and our family moved on to China. China, our missions field, provided me with new culture shocks. Unlike the clean streets of New Zealand, where I could walk barefooted to school, Chinese pavements were filled with debris. For a long time, I did not accept China, its people, and its culture into my heart. After a few years though, I realized that China had become a part of me. Chinese people, who in my eyes used to be dirty and unpleasant, became my friends and my family. I became accustomed to the smelly streets and boisterous talk of the Chinese. Now, as I live in Thailand, I miss those times in China- eating junk food with Chinese friends after school, or riding public buses crammed with Chinese people. Recently, our family celebrated the upcoming New Years by eating dumplings with a group of Chinese who had come to Thailand. The place was filled with sounds of loud cheer, talking, and laughter- it felt like home.
Looking back, I feel that the countries and cultures I encountered were my teachers. While New Zealand showed me that there were different people, China helped me to accept and love those people. While New Zealand cultivated my creative and open mind, China stretched and widened my heart to accept other customs. If I had not the opportunity to experience unlike cultures, I would have been a completely different person. If I had stayed in my home country, maybe I would not have the opportunity to respond with a secretive smile when someone asks, "Where are you from?"
Oh! Do you get the tie between the first and last sentence...?
If you read the last sentence and it feels super random then please tell me! Thank you so much :)
