Traveling for Culture

Ever since I can remember, I have had the privilege of being able to travel to wherever I wished to. My father has ingrained in me the importance of being a people person, and with his lessons, I have traveled to over 6 countries on my own. I have visited the United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Australia, South Korea, Japan, China, and Taiwan, all of which have opened my eyes to different cultures. The ability to be able to improvisationally adopt a new culture in a short amount of time is an acquired skill that I am proud to have developed. For instance, just this last summer, I visited Dubai, a thriving empire that was noticeably very different from my comfortable, suburban home in the United States. Not only did they have a strict dress code to follow, my interactions with the locals there gave an atmospheric feeling of culture and deep tradition. Similarly, when exploring the rural parts of South Korea, I had felt a sense of family with people that I have never encountered in my life. It was when I was making kimchi with a group of Korean grandmothers, I realized that I seek to form connections with people. Communicating only through frequent smiles and friendly hugs because of my limited understanding of the Korean language, I knew that this was not only a skill, but a part of me that will continue to multiply as I meet more people.
My ability to empathize and appropriately embrace a culture other than my own is a skill I have curated over experienced years, recognizing, practicing, and even adopting these differently beautiful cultures. From my travels, I’ve not only walked away with snapshots of experiences, but with a lesson that I will continue to learn from for my future endeavors.
