P1 – challenge

What subject do you think is the most challenging at school?

I think foreign language is the most challenging subject at school. The main reason is due to a lack of immersive practice. There is only one teacher that can help you, and you are at the mercy of her availability. Furthermore, a foreign language has rules, structure, and grammar that needs a lot of practice to get down. You have very few, if any, people in the vicinity to practice with you. A great example would be English in China. Every elementary student has to learn English, but they have no native friends to practice with. With no environment, there is no immersion. And that is why foreign language is the most challenging subject in school.

Do you like to challenge yourself?

I love to challenge myself. Challenging oneself creates growth and in order to get better, we must find our weak spots. And the best way to do that is to seek out challenges. We find competition in order to expose our weakness and what we’re not good at, then work hard to fix it. And with every hole we patch, with every problem we fix, we improve into a better version of ourselves. And that is the epitome of what every successful person should do.

Do you like to live a life that has a lot of challenges?

A life without challenges would be very boring. Every accomplishment feels better if we work for it. Whenever we take on a challenge and succeeds, the rewards taste a bit sweeter. This is because we spend time, energy, and sweat to become better at it, and when we reach our goals and put our hands on the reward, the dopamine hit feels like heaven. However, I think everything should be balanced. I wouldn’t want to be a helpless child in a war zone being bombed day in and day out with no clean water, food, nor shelter. I would hate to see my parents work hard for basic necessities and having to claw their way through life. Living a life in a war zone is sad and a tragedy so I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.

Do you like eating chocolate? Why or why not? How often do you eat chocolate?

I love chocolates because its cocoa beans smell amazing. It is aromatic, and the bitterness from chocolates goes perfectly with any sweetener. I eat chocolate every now and then because it is a delight to my tastebuds. However, I’d rather reserve my stomach for more beneficial foods like vegetables and fruits.

Describe a kind of foreign food you have had

When you had it
Where you ate it
What it was
And explain how you felt about it

When I was 19, I tried Indian food for the first time. I was visiting my friend in Berkeley, CA, and we had just arrived in Berkeley after a tumultuous six hour drive. I was starving and tired, so I picked up my buddy and we went to a local Indian diner. We had Butter Chicken, Rogan Josh which is lamb curry, garlic nan, and white Basmati Rice. It was simply delicious. The richness of the curry complemented the tender meat perfectly. The blend of spice was aromatic, and I would scoop up the curry morsels with my nan. The juices from the curry was made for the rice and it danced in perfect sync with my taste buds. I felt great about trying Indian food because it gave me a whole new perspective to food. I didn’t know such delicious cuisine could created from spices and yogurt, and I was more open to trying other cuisine in the future. Ever since then, curry became part of my diet.

Is there a relationship between food and health?