I am applying for exchange scholarship program to France. Help me make it nice! I really want to win
6 years ago, I had the privilege to travel to South Korea on a 2-week scholarship exchange program. I was 9 years old back then, the youngest student in the group. As a naďve and ordinary child, I found the trip to be simply a fun and enjoyable experience where I was able to go to famous places and eat nice foods. A few weeks ago, while I was cleaning my room, I coincidentally came across an old photo album from back then. Looking through the photos, I was able to recollect my lost memories from a time of my life, which looking back 6 years after, was certainly a life-changing experience.
Around June of 2010, 3-4 representatives were chosen from 77 different countries to meet at a Korean university for a program which intended to bring students of a variety of cultural backgrounds together for a journey around a region called Gwangju. Throughout the program, we were able to indulge ourselves into the lifestyles of our new friends, naturally introducing our culture to them and learning about theirs too. We formed long lasting friendships and unforgettable memories despite staying for a short period of 2 weeks. In fact, I am still in contact with a friend in Mongolia through email, with whom I had stayed as home-stay roommates.
The two weeks in Korea taught me what culture really was; the 'way of life' which distinguishes and defines different groups. I learnt that being different wasn't necessarily a bad thing; in fact, it made groups unique and special.
As the famous American author, Suzy Kassem said, "To become a true global citizen, one must abandon all notions of 'otherness' and instead embrace 'togetherness'."
I believe that the experience developed a great foundation for me to become a global citizen in this modern world where different nations come together to form a global village, just as we did from the 77 different countries 6 years ago. It stressed how important it was to be able to tolerate different people and not berate them simply because of their differences when living within a global community.
There are numerous things we can gain from learning different cultures.
Firstly, learning about other cultures allows you to make informed decisions by challenging your thought processes and forcing you to think in new ways. It stimulates the mind so that you move outside of your own bubble and approach problems in new ways.
In addition, learning another culture or language is a tremendous source of pleasure and fun. It allows you to mix more and communicate effectively when you travel. Avoiding faux pas can be very important too. Overall, learning culture lets you have a richer experience when travelling, no matter where you go.
Experience with other cultures can stand you in good stead when it comes to any profession. Jobs in the fields of business and government especially prioritise proficiency in languages or cultural experience for selection, as you will be required to interact with people from different parts of the world. It will be a valuable asset to the career to be able to understand and communicate with a wide range of people.
Learning other cultures can be important not only for individual aspects of life, but also on a social and global scale.
By gaining proficiency in another language or culture, we are able to develop the crucial sensibilities which are required for active participation in the world economy as well as for global citizenship. Culture allows unmediated and direct access to different worldviews of people, leading to diversity within customs, traditions and perspectives in this gradually interconnecting world
Another important reason for learning other cultures is because it can solve contemporary social issues such as bullying, racism, terrorism and stereotyping. A large proportion of these problems occur as a result of misunderstandings and learning about other cultures allows us to understand people as we see how other people view and experience the world. This builds sympathy with others which can become a solution to hatred and war in society.
Therefore, culture is important to learn not only for individual benefits but also for active participation in the global community.
One of my greatest interests when it comes to French history and culture is French gastronomy.
Gastronomy has become an important aspect of learning cultures for me. I found that the cuisine of a specific time period or place taught me numerous important aspects of the historical background such as the economic situation or hierarchy which existed at the time.
My first encounter with French gastronomy was through numerous movie interpretations of Marie Antoinette saying "Let them eat cake". Out of interest, I researched the famous quote and was fascinated to learn two new facts: 1) The phrase had a common misattribution to Marie Antoinette 2) "Cake" referred to a type of bread called a brioche, which was apparently a symbol of luxury at the time, revealing the queen's quote as a sign of disregard towards the country's peasants.
I started to research breads, as it turned out to be a significant part of French cuisine. I was fascinated to realise that there were so many types of bread apart from the stereotypical baguettes and croissants. From Pain a l'Ail (Garlic Bread) to Fougasse (Crusty, olive-oil flavoured Bread), the list of breads went on and on.
After learning about French breads, I moved onto cheeses which were also very interesting. France is one of the biggest producers of cheese in the world, annually producing approximately 1,900 metric tonnes of it. French people consume large amounts of cheese, around 26 kg per year, per head of population. Famous cheeses included soft cheeses such as Camembert de Normandie and hard cheeses such as Roquefort.
When I grow older, I aspire to try French wine which is another gastronomical symbol of France.
French gastronomy has certainly sparked my interest towards the French language, culture and history developing my desire to travel to France.
6 years ago, I had the privilege to travel to South Korea on a 2-week scholarship exchange program. I was 9 years old back then, the youngest student in the group. As a naďve and ordinary child, I found the trip to be simply a fun and enjoyable experience where I was able to go to famous places and eat nice foods. A few weeks ago, while I was cleaning my room, I coincidentally came across an old photo album from back then. Looking through the photos, I was able to recollect my lost memories from a time of my life, which looking back 6 years after, was certainly a life-changing experience.
Around June of 2010, 3-4 representatives were chosen from 77 different countries to meet at a Korean university for a program which intended to bring students of a variety of cultural backgrounds together for a journey around a region called Gwangju. Throughout the program, we were able to indulge ourselves into the lifestyles of our new friends, naturally introducing our culture to them and learning about theirs too. We formed long lasting friendships and unforgettable memories despite staying for a short period of 2 weeks. In fact, I am still in contact with a friend in Mongolia through email, with whom I had stayed as home-stay roommates.
The two weeks in Korea taught me what culture really was; the 'way of life' which distinguishes and defines different groups. I learnt that being different wasn't necessarily a bad thing; in fact, it made groups unique and special.
As the famous American author, Suzy Kassem said, "To become a true global citizen, one must abandon all notions of 'otherness' and instead embrace 'togetherness'."
I believe that the experience developed a great foundation for me to become a global citizen in this modern world where different nations come together to form a global village, just as we did from the 77 different countries 6 years ago. It stressed how important it was to be able to tolerate different people and not berate them simply because of their differences when living within a global community.
There are numerous things we can gain from learning different cultures.
Firstly, learning about other cultures allows you to make informed decisions by challenging your thought processes and forcing you to think in new ways. It stimulates the mind so that you move outside of your own bubble and approach problems in new ways.
In addition, learning another culture or language is a tremendous source of pleasure and fun. It allows you to mix more and communicate effectively when you travel. Avoiding faux pas can be very important too. Overall, learning culture lets you have a richer experience when travelling, no matter where you go.
Experience with other cultures can stand you in good stead when it comes to any profession. Jobs in the fields of business and government especially prioritise proficiency in languages or cultural experience for selection, as you will be required to interact with people from different parts of the world. It will be a valuable asset to the career to be able to understand and communicate with a wide range of people.
Learning other cultures can be important not only for individual aspects of life, but also on a social and global scale.
By gaining proficiency in another language or culture, we are able to develop the crucial sensibilities which are required for active participation in the world economy as well as for global citizenship. Culture allows unmediated and direct access to different worldviews of people, leading to diversity within customs, traditions and perspectives in this gradually interconnecting world
Another important reason for learning other cultures is because it can solve contemporary social issues such as bullying, racism, terrorism and stereotyping. A large proportion of these problems occur as a result of misunderstandings and learning about other cultures allows us to understand people as we see how other people view and experience the world. This builds sympathy with others which can become a solution to hatred and war in society.
Therefore, culture is important to learn not only for individual benefits but also for active participation in the global community.
One of my greatest interests when it comes to French history and culture is French gastronomy.
Gastronomy has become an important aspect of learning cultures for me. I found that the cuisine of a specific time period or place taught me numerous important aspects of the historical background such as the economic situation or hierarchy which existed at the time.
My first encounter with French gastronomy was through numerous movie interpretations of Marie Antoinette saying "Let them eat cake". Out of interest, I researched the famous quote and was fascinated to learn two new facts: 1) The phrase had a common misattribution to Marie Antoinette 2) "Cake" referred to a type of bread called a brioche, which was apparently a symbol of luxury at the time, revealing the queen's quote as a sign of disregard towards the country's peasants.
I started to research breads, as it turned out to be a significant part of French cuisine. I was fascinated to realise that there were so many types of bread apart from the stereotypical baguettes and croissants. From Pain a l'Ail (Garlic Bread) to Fougasse (Crusty, olive-oil flavoured Bread), the list of breads went on and on.
After learning about French breads, I moved onto cheeses which were also very interesting. France is one of the biggest producers of cheese in the world, annually producing approximately 1,900 metric tonnes of it. French people consume large amounts of cheese, around 26 kg per year, per head of population. Famous cheeses included soft cheeses such as Camembert de Normandie and hard cheeses such as Roquefort.
When I grow older, I aspire to try French wine which is another gastronomical symbol of France.
French gastronomy has certainly sparked my interest towards the French language, culture and history developing my desire to travel to France.
