Informal essay: Personal Statement 2

The world I come from is a true salad. A salad in my definition is a mix of vegetables, sometimes strange combinations, all brought together with the common bond of the dressing. In my case, my world is made up of slices of my solid homeland that is South Korea, enlivened with dashes of Arizona, curls of green Georgia, and among other things, brought together by the common splash of Singapore, the latter being the best place to be when trying to be reconciled to the constancy of moving boxes. There, the inhabitants are used to living with many cultures and traditions jostling side by side. In the homes and apartments, different things designate different worlds. Some have bright red and gold firecracker bunches hanging on the door at New Years day to usher in luck and prosperity. Some may have jasmine flowers tied up in necklaces on a tiny shelf up above the doorbell, the sweet scent of them embracing the neighbors as well. In Singapore, if you are a combination of cultures, no one will notice much. As a salad, one is enriched by this medley of cultures and customs; a salad is a poor thing if it’s only made of lettuce, or bacon. To take a literary standpoint: Adah of The Poisonwood Bible, noting that with standardization “what you have to lose is your story, your own slant.” Without one’s own story, where would you be in the sea of bright trinkets and lights? The many sentences, phrases and excerpts of everyone’s stories make up the fullness of life.
But wherever one does come from, or end up living in, some things are always the same. People are driven by ambitions, dreams, and basic needs no matter where they live. There may be friends, there may be enemies, there will always be people, and the capacity to appreciate beauty. No matter where I’ve ended up, everyone can marvel at basic beauty. Given, definitions of beauty change. A flock of green and red birds flying over the sky at sunset may not attract much attention in Singapore, but a ripe branch of red and green rambutan fruit will bring smiles and whistles of appreciation. People anywhere are just people. They are the true note to a dish that brings all the conflicting tastes of vegetables to one perfect dish. However, with isolation and fear of other cultures, people ultimately limit themselves, such as considering one culture to be better than another, or never seeing the lifestyles of a group as anything beyond a National Geographic special. The basics are the same. We are all trying to thrive and we are all trying to find happiness and purpose. It’s how we go about it that differs.
I want to be able to connect all these people, their different stories and backgrounds. With constant exchange of values, people can help and enrich each other. That is why I want to be in health science—keeping someone well and fit is a universal good, no matter where you are. By being in this field, I would come in contact with more people as well as more kinds of cultures. By simple interaction, one could contribute to a future with better multicultural relations. A true salad of a world.