<p>prompt:
Tell us about a personal quality, talent, accomplishment, contribution or experience that is important to you. What about this quality or accomplishment makes you proud and how does it relate to the person you are?</p>
<p>Please give feedback.</p>
<p>My passion for Korean pop music has taken over my life. Like any other obsession, it started off small and unnoticeable. I would sit in front of my computer screen at three in the morning in awe of their non-existent presence, wishing I was on stage with them. Every time I sing or dance, I imagine being recruited by a Korean secret agent who tells me to go to South Korea and become a famous idol. I have all these wild imaginations brewing up in my head, which I did not mind because I am infatuated with the feeling of being in love with something I completely did not understand. This idée fixe became the foundation that taught me the importance of being open minded. ask peter if i should use that word
Growing up, I saw these Korean idols as my role models. Many of my fellow peers were confused and pondered over my love for Korean pop culture. Out of everyone in the world, why would I chose Korean pop stars to be my role models? They questioned me with derision on that fact that I chose foreigners, whom I shared no cultural connections with, to be the exemplars of my life, but I would not have changed it for anything. They never understood how I was amazed at the fact that some would train eight years before debuting, or how they were able to juggle a hectic schedule, interact with their fans, while excelling in school. They were the type of people I wished to be, patient enough to be successful, excel in school yet be adored by many. I would have given anything to have the ability they possess.
The internet has indicated that I am not alone on my hypnotic adventures of obsessing over Korean pop music. Upon admiring the music videos on a site called YouTube that contain these masterpieces of compositions created by those talented Korean artists, I started to notice in the comments area under the video that over millions of other people around the world shared the same interest in them. I was exhilarated by fact that, like me, they were able to appreciate music that they are not able to understand phonetically. Korean pop music gave me the ability to meet new people throughout the world. I was was able to have the chance with connecting to people who actually share the same interest I have.
As my interest in Korean pop music grew, I started to grow more curious of other cultures and what they have to offer. I soon began to watch numerous foreign movies on the online streaming movie service Netflix. The expression of each community’s culture portrayed in small parts by foreign movies made me fall in love with the reality of how everyone has different customs and uniqueness on how they operate.
It has been eight years now and I can say I still listen to Korean pop music religiously, but my love has extended outside of Korea. I have fallen in love with Japanese music, anime, Bollywood films- the list goes on. This love will forever be a part of me. I am proud of who I am; my ability to be open minded toward the unknown is what defines me as a person. I am grateful to have learned a lot from other cultures, and with this I look forward to the new experiences and challenges in college. </p>