Personal statement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Personal statement - Essay Example Through my Canadian experiences, and beyond I have acquired the ability to be able to suffer through the more difficult times and come out stronger and more determined as well. This has taught me independence and the learning skills necessary to overcome many adversities, which undoubtedly an abundant amount of foreign exchange college students must deal with if they are going to make it in their lives in a foreign land. Traveling to the United States had to be the scariest for me because I had heard so many stories about the country but was not sure if they were true. After I moved past my initial fears I soon devised ways to work past the obstacles that were in my path such as with language barriers and cultural disorientation, etc. However, after moving past the language barriers I found that I had a hard time trying to fit into what Americans considered to be the â€Å"norm† for the youth population in society. I definitely became rather defensive because I realized then that I was a minority and did not clearly fit in to the whole puzzle. Nevertheless, I have come to realize over time that a person’s attitude can make all the difference and that ethnicity is not necessarily what holds people back. A positive attitude and good communication skills are two of the most pertinent interpersonal skills that an individual needs to have in a country like America. This is due to the fact t hat I have come to learn with there being so many different ethnicities there has to be an open communication network to avoid misunderstandings and to get past the confusion of it all. This can be very difficult but again, with effort from both sides of the cultural boundaries it can be done. Perhaps if I had realized this earlier on one of my good friends would not have lost his life due to racial violence and stereotyping. However, even