The breathtaking and magical aroma of soft and buttery eggs with the crisp, refreshing, and at the same time mild and delicate coffee, the blend of odors that make you happy when you inhale them at the first seconds of awakening. My grandfather prepared the most delicious breakfast – scrambled eggs with coffee that made me jump out of bed in the early morning, before he gets off to his work for the whole day. I knew – I will have my favorite breakfast and get to know something new, because he has a fresh, just as his breakfast, and exciting story for me. His stories were about his personal observations, experiences, and the books he read. He was the one to fulfill my hunger for food and for knowledge at the same time.
I clearly remember every second of the morning when I waited for the smell to spread across home and reach my bedroom, I was seven years old, not understanding or, more precisely, not wanting to understand what happened. Several days after my grandfather passed away, I still waited for his breakfasts full of new intriguing knowledge. He left me hungry, so I grabbed a book from the library on the most mind-blowing subject that grandpa used to tell new stories about – the science of astronomy. I remember him saying, “The sky is not the limit, Aiya,” and I knew it is not, I knew I can go higher with the knowledge I obtain and that is what drove my motivation to wake up even without his breakfasts – the knowledge that the world has prepared for me.
Three years ago, in February, after spending endless nights wide-eyed, anxiously preparing my documents with honest endeavors, I received an invitation from the Blue House to attend a meeting with the First Lady of South Korea at the National Museum of Korea. Being one of the nine selected candidates, I was excited at what undoubtedly was an experience of a lifetime – having no clue that the most valuable lesson would come not from Business Project, but from the First Lady Kim Jung-sook.
As we sat around the oval table full of sweet red bean rice cakes, we shared our personal stories about our passions and experiences in Korea as well as discussed the similarity of Kazakh and Korean cultures. It is evident to me that she has made me stronger and taught me that I must always fight with unstoppable perseverance for all that is important for me. I have learned to step outside of my comfort zone and never miss an opportunity to explore.
One of my favorite quotes is by President J.F.Kennedy and it states: “Ask not what your country can do for you, instead, ask what you can do for your country.” I have always been the one who can change and turn somebody’s life to 180 degrees. I have a desire to share my emotions and feelings with the world to be helpful and make people happier.
No academic distinction in the world can match what I gained from my experience with meeting my grandfather and the First Lady Kim Jung-sook: appetite for new knowledge, confidence, and mental strength. In my daily life, I try to look for chances to benefit something greater than myself. Every meeting, every talk, every insight, every little everything has been absorbed into me one way or another, yet these experiences, although insignificant to others, mean the world to me. My environment has made me determined, hard-working, and high aiming. I have learned how easy it is to positively impact a life and the joy that comes from it. Thus, all these special memories have undeniably changed me forever and opened grand doors of opportunity.
About the Author
Aiya is from Kazakhstan, and she is a junior majoring in Business Administration at Korea University. From her childhood, she has traveled to 18 countries so far and she speaks 6 languages: Kazakh, Russian, English, Turkish, Korean, and Spanish.