1. What specifically do you hope to gain personally from experiencing life in another culture?
Personally, I hope to gain life-long friends and hopefully meet my pen pal. She has taught me so many new things about South Korea that I made it one of my top-listed places to go. I also had the joyful experience of helping her accomplish an important goal. Through months of texting, I managed to help her increase her proficiency in English and eventually pass her TOEFL test. Sadly, she had to postpone her trip to the US because of visa issues. But we promised each other to eventually study abroad in hopes to finally meet each other. I want to thank her for all of the interesting things she has taught me about her home and for being my pen pal for two years. Or at least show her my experiences learning elsewhere.
2. Describe any extracurricular activities (club, work, internship, volunteer) in which you are involved that may distinguish your application for this program.
My main interest when doing extracurricular activities is that I want to support or give back to the community. One of the most significant opportunities that participated in was a health fair in my community. The health fair's purpose was to give free testing for HIV/AIDS and to inform them about other health factors they should look at. The table I helped organized main topics were Diabetes and Hypertension. We had a lot of people come and ask us about symptoms and what to do in order to prevent them. We gave the pamphlets about different things to easily prevent and lower their risk, while talking to them about how the other tables can help with prevention. That day I felt like I actually helped make a difference in my own community with a direct influence. And to me, community didn't always meant where I lived. It meant world communities. Rotaract is an organization that helps communities around with the use of education and healthy habits. I joined my college's Rotaract Club because my high school made volunteering seem as an obligation in order to graduate instead of a hobby or pastime that makes you feel good about what you are doing. Immediately, I saw that they saw this as a serious commitment. Even though there were a few members (6 to be exact), they tried their best to revive the club. We managed, with the help of local Rotarians, to build oyster reefs to place in the river near the college and raise over $5,000 to donate to a hospice center in Nakuru, Kenya.
3. What factors influenced your decision to apply to the program?
The most important factor that influenced me was that Asian countries were famous for having a community-oriented society. I really wanted to feel the true meaning and sense of community from places that were structured that way in many aspects of life. My desire to feel "community" stemmed from my family's false "community." African-American families are said to be very community-oriented, but the truth is most of them see each other as competition or rivals. Brother vs. Brother, Sister vs. Sister, and etc. The family members wear a mask that only outsiders can see. But when faced with their kin, they feel the need to assert themselves. I want to at least experience an environment that is welcoming, where tension wasn't so visible and unpleasing. I want to learn and live in a calming or slightly relaxing setting.
4. How will your participation in this study abroad program compliment your academic and professional objectives? Consider the type of coursework you are seeking for time abroad and how the coursework will fulfill dgree requirements at your Home University.
I feel that this Study Abroad opportunity will aid in the completion of my Asian Studies minor. It took me years to realize what I wanted to minor in. I knew I wanted something dealing with Asian languages and/or cultures. These programs would help me fulfill the language and ELAW (Experience the Liberal Arts in the World) credits at my Home University. My university wants its students to learn in different surroundings. But I specifically wanted to learn the native language in its natural borders. I think it helps to infuse the language and material when you live and are surrounded by it daily.
That can be one factor that influenced your decision, if you phrase it correctly (emphasizing that you know there are things you, your family, and American society in general can learn from other cultures and using the community structure as an example), but what are you going to do in the program that is interesting to you? You could vacation in Korea and experience their community. Are you going to take courses at a Korean school? Are you going to get to do community service, or stay with a Korean family, or have the opportunity to explore the city? What are you majoring in, and how will studying abroad help you academically?
