Growing up in Korea Essay Example for Free

Growing up in Korea Essay Growing up in Korea and attending high school in the United States has taught me that in many ways people from different countries can be very similar. One thing that seems universal in my experience is that everyone hates politicians and jokes about the work the do. This is a bit awkward for me because my dream has always been to become a politician and a strong leader in the future of Korea, and to me that is not joke. My father teases that when I was little I would constantly ask him to tell me stories about famous politicians. My favorite politician was always Margaret Thatcher. I especially respected the way she led the successful recovery of England’s economy after the Great Depression. Her story stuck me even more deeply because I first heard it during a time of economic hardship in South Korea. Since then, I have always dreamt about becoming a wise and upright politician, leading Korea in prosperity as Margaret Thatcher did for England, and this goal has be very important in shaping my educational decisions to this point. When I was eleven, I visited my sister’s high school in Colorado. During this, my first time visiting an American school, I was impressed at the variety of students and how they appreciated the differences in each other. To me, the school seemed filled with opportunities to learn about other cultures and make friends with people from diverse backgrounds. I thought the experience I would gain in working with diverse groups of people in a school like this would be very important to my future as a politician because we live in such an international society with every nation and its people interacting with one another. I felt that the leader of the future would need to have an international mind and a sense of diversity in order to understand the world better, so I decided to attend high school in the U. S. I now attend a small private Catholic high school where am the only Korean student. Being the first Korean student in the history of the school has been an exciting for me. The students and faculty have shown great interest in Korean history and culture, and I have made sure to take advantage of their curiosity and shared information about my country and myself. On Korean national holidays such as New Year’s Day and Full Moon Festival, I often share traditional Korean food and decorations with my friends and teachers. I have also volunteered to prepare presentations about Korea and Asia for my history classes. I always remind myself that I am very fortunate to be able to be the representative of Korea in this community, and in turn I try to learn as much about American culture as I possibly can. I think that these experiences of cultural exchange are the start of my future as a representative for Korea. Now it is time for me to take the next step toward my dream. I imagine myself learning about political science, international relations, or economics in college, and look forward to the new insights the lectures and discussions will bring. I am excited to share my culture with a larger community and one that includes many other international students. I also look forward to continuing to learn about the U. S. At XXX University, I would not only study hard, but I would also join clubs that would help me develop social and political skills that will be necessary for me to succeed in my future as a politician. I believe that XXX University would provide me a great opportunity to gain the knowledge and experience that will enable me to realize my dream and become a strong leader for Korea.