The world I come from and my experience - Personal Statement Example

My father grew up in the tumultuous period of the 1950s and 60s, in that post-war, mid-twentieth century America recognized as the dominant power of the West, while also having to face the challenges from a belligerent Communist East. My mother originated from a peaceful, Buddhist country, Thailand, and hailed from a traditional, conservative family background. Both my parents are peace loving, and have provided me with all the support I need to develop both academically and in extra-curricular activities throughout my school career.

My father encouraged me to learn the Thai language and customs and I benefitted from his, and my mother’s encouragement to attend weekend classes at the Thai cultural centre based at the Buddhist temple. At the local Thai temple I also learnt to play the Thai classical musical instrument khin along with several other Thai students. While growing up, I began to feel that sound (the sense of hearing) was an important factor in my personality and development. I was able to overcome my shyness and initial lack of confidence whenever I began to play the khin to an attentive audience.

Playing classical music on the khin was deeply satisfying, with its loud, fast-paced percussion (klong), clear resonance (ranad) and the butterfly-like striking of the khin strings. In the summer before 11th grade, I participated in the Rock Era Festival, organized by the American Buddhist Community SGI-USA. The performance was free and watched by hundreds of youth who had gathered to promote world peace, and in the process developing their own inner strengths and resources. Before playing the musical instrument khin, one had to perform wai kru an act of homage to one’s ‘spiritual teacher’.

Paying respect to one’s elders was a Thai cultural practice honoured by all the students. Here, I found myself an object of curiosity to other Thai students, and felt excluded, because of my mixed parentage. However, once they found that we had more in common with every passing year, the mutual reservations disappeared, and I benefitted from the seven-year long period of cultural immersion of immense benefit in my journey of personal discovery and fulfilment. Personal Experience Even though I was happy to have mastered the khin, I yearned for the pure sound that I could make vocally, totally independent of any musical instrument.

This I achieved by joining the Buddhist community chorus. At first, it was difficult, a bold move, as I found socializing with other singers way outside my comfort zone. I persevered, making friends initially with Melany, whom I found to be a sympathetic soul. With her by my side, my social skills continued to develop by leaps and bounds. ‘Somewhere over the Rainbow’, with a Hawaiian slant, was the song we practised for the first two months. For the first time, I felt inspired, and was performing from the depths of my soul.

On the day of performance, there were at least 16,000 people in the audience. My nerves dissipated at the first riff of the ukulele. My confidence soared and I knew then that I could achieve anything if my heart desired it. This was a national movement of youth seeking to overcome their insecurities through participation in joint activities and thereby ultimately promoting world peace. I felt exhilarated. Coming from a happy home did not make me immune to