Below is my essay for admission for Semester at Sea. Having learnt English as a second language, I am aware that this essay is bound to be filled with grammatical errors. I would really like to get in the program. Please any kind of feedback is welcome, and I will try to return the favor as best I can. Thank you (:
How will your Semester at Sea voyage create (or enhance) your personal global perspective?Highlight your discussion by referencing at least one country on your itinerary and by explaining how your time there will further develop your awareness.
It was May 1998 and a week without school had gone by. At first I welcomed this luck to escape waking up at 6 in the morning. Nevertheless as a child missed seeing her friends, I pestered my father against his insistence that I stayed put at home or for the least stopped solemnly watching the news. Like most Indonesians of Chinese origin, I attended a private institution with friends whose parents had endured the same discrimination that they too had hidden during the riot for fear of falling victim to rape and mobbing like many unfortunate others.
Any public schools were predominant with native Indonesians, thus I prepared myself to be a minority when I decided to enroll to one. Instead of being verbally abused like I presumed, I was immersed in a dynamic of social mixes. At times I stunned people by shattering their stereotypical views about my ethnicity and frequently enough the roles were reversed. Through my newfound lens of cultural relativism, that week of chaos was no longer just a devastating moment for my people, but also for others who were suffering so hard that they reserved to anarchy. In a bigger picture, I saw that the tragedy that had taken almost 1180 lives was a cry for reformation to the economic turmoil.
High unemployment rate and food shortage were the fuel that drove my country's infuriation in 1998. Through Semester at Sea, my awareness will be heightened to similar issues across the globe by exposure to South Africa's stagnant reduce of poverty and low living standards implications in developing countries like Vietnam. As a student who would like to pursue International Business in further studies, I can live the culture and examine the vigorous environment that drives China's rising economy then sit on classes that openly discuss their global governance as opposed to learning from textbooks inside a traditional classroom. From all sights and experiences all over the world, especially fashion capitals like Barcelona and Hong Kong, inspirations can be pulled for my shoe brand, which have been on the market since 2011. Furthermore, my genuine experiences can be shared with Greenpeace volunteers who I work with, and be discussed for how we can implement other countries' eco-friendly technologies for our benefit.
Currently my cultural view is stretched as far as my nation, and even as the widest archipelago country in the world - it is still relatively small. My voyage poses as a melting pot where I could immerse in direct connections with different cultures as a foundation for my global point of view. Not only I would be able to see the world from my eyes, but also through people from different parts of the world and gain from their outlook. In high school, I mistakenly viewed leaving my comfort zone as a sacrifice and resulted in a broader view of my country. Therefore I believe that Semester at Sea will expose me to better global perspective and consciousness and I expect to embark with an open mind then to return as an enhanced global citizen.
