What's My Secret Sauce? (Week 9)

1. Describe five ways in which you think you have human capital that is truly unique. 
• Cross-Cultural Understanding
• Growing up in very different cultures has made me more aware of the cultural and societal differences that exist. I'm conscious of it when I travel and make an effort to adapt to that culture, rather than go against it, as it respects the travel place more. It also enables me to understand people's ways of thinking who are from different parts of the world.
• Being able to play an instrument
• I have been classically trained in piano for more than 10 years. Playing an instrument and learning a musical skill teaches and fosters dedication, endurance, perseverance, and hard-work.
• Staying in touch with my native-tongue language
• I moved to the United States when I was 7 years old, and picked up on english very fast. It's easy to forget the language that I was born into, which is Korean, but to the credit of my parents, they made me speak Korean at home. I additionally made a conscious effort by reading Korean books, watching Korean TV, and talking to relatives in Korea. In many ways, retaining the Korean language as helped me understand Korean culture more because the language embodies many cultural and societal aspects.
• Being able to contain my emotions and stay level-headed
• I have the skill to remain calm, cool, and collected in anxiety-driven situations. I do not let my emotions get the best of me and staying level-headed helps me think much more clearly to figure out a solution or get out of a tricky situation.
• Thinking about what matters everyday
• I have a deep appreciation and gratitude for little things everyday. This definitely uplifts my mood and motivated me to work harder as I enjoy the passage of life.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
2. For most of the interviews, I used the index card method for interviewing, where I wrote down the specifics and details of this assignments than the questions on the index card. The interviews were carried on with audio recording, since my friends were more comfortable not being video-recorded. Not being video-recorded also made them more laidback and their answers came more freely.
   
   The first interview was with my roommate. She mentioned organization and life-skill preparation.The second interview was with a friend that I met through study abroad and we stayed very close through skype and other messaging apps, so I interviewed her through skype.

I had independence through traveling and was able to organize well, and was interested in being able to communicate with people.

I had a worldly background knowledge. I was better able to communicate with people.

I had very good emotional intelligence. I did not rely on anyone while traveling and was prepared.

3. I see myself eager to learn more and gain wider perspectives on life through means of travel. Others see me similarly in this attitude but also say that I have gained good interpersonal communication skills as a result. I think generally, my interviewees are correct about me but I'm still only 21 and have much more human capital to gain. I would not change anything from the list.