Intellectually Challenging Situation - Personal Statement Example

Intellectually Challenging Situation Learning does not only have to happen within the walls rooms. In fact one can always learn a thing or two from just paying more attention to the surroundings, and the willingness to learn. In this essay, I will write about an interesting experience in which I learned a lot and discovered some talents which, previously, I had no idea I possessed. My cousins from upcountry had always been paying us visits whenever they got the chance to during the holidays but I had never visited them in the recent years. Every time I promised to visit them, something would come up and I would have to cancel the visit. One holiday season a few years ago provided the perfect opportunity to finally travel upcountry as I found myself without any plans. My parents had no objection to my visit, and as such, it took me a few days to ready myself before I embarked on the journey. The bus ride lasted about five and a half hours and on arrival, I was excited to find my cousins anxiously waiting for me at the bus stop. It was another twenty minutes ride before we arrived at my uncle’s home which was on an eight acre piece of land. It was difficult to hide my excitement as I experienced the upcountry life which was very peaceful and devoid of the city hustles and bustles that I experienced daily back at home. I could tell right from arrival that this was going to be an interesting visit. I had arrived in the evening, so after a few hours of chatting and catching up, I retired to bed. The following morning, I awoke to the melodious sounds of a piano. After a quick shower, I went downstairs to find that it was my cousin Florence skillfully playing the piano. Naturally, I was amazed at how easily she played the piano as I was not much of a pianist. I had always wanted to learn how to play the instrument but had not really gotten an opportunity to practice the little I knew, and in addition had not gotten someone help me nature my skills. On noticing my interest, she asked me if I wanted to play to which I replied that I did not know how to play. She then offered to teach me, much to my excitement. It seemed to me that the opportunity to learn the piano had presented itself and I was not about to turn it down. I still had a lot to discover around the farm and told her I would avail myself for short lessons whenever I was free. Shortly later, I was off to the garage to be with my other cousin Paul to see my uncle who was repairing his tractor. He had separated the whole engine from the rest of the tractor and removed most of the small pieces from the engine, leaving it as a shell. It was interesting to see all those pieces spread all over as he worked on each individually. He told me that the tractor had been giving him problems for some time now and he had finally decided to overhaul the whole engine. The pieces were covered in oil and he gave us some pieces to clean up as we conversed and caught up with stories. As we cleaned each part, he told us the names of the pieces and their function in the tractors engine. This went on for the day part of the day and I noticed that I was beginning to get some interest in how the engine worked. In the evening, I noticed some books on engines at a bookshelf in the living room and perused through them to see if any of the parts I had handled earlier in the day were covered in the book. On seeing some of those parts, my interest further increased and I was even more eager to handle the pieces and watch as my uncle systematically arranged the pieces back. The next three days were spent at the workshop as we helped my uncle put together the tractor in readiness for the planting season that was just beginning. The tractor was back in shape and I still used to accompany my uncle as he ploughed the farm. Meanwhile I was improving my piano skills during the evenings after dinner during our leisure times. The holiday had turned out to be more of a learning holiday than a relaxing holiday and I was enjoying it. There were several other activities that I witnessed and partially participated in like taking care of the zero-grazed cows. Previously I had never visualized myself anywhere near a cow let alone milking one. But the frequent visits to the cow shed made me discover that I could actually take care of an animal. Cleaning the cow shed was not much of fun but I particularly enjoyed filling the troughs with Napier grass. It was exiting to note just how much fodder the cows consumed in a span of hours. A month down the line, my holiday was drawing to a close and I had to go back home. I noticed that during the short time I had spent there, I had handled and learned a lot of things, most of which I am still interested to up to date. While I may never get to apply the knowledge and little experience I got about the tractor, the few lessons I received on playing the piano have proved very useful. I still practice the piano whenever time allows and have become very fond of the instrument even though I have not become an expert yet, but with much practice I know I will be one in no time. The knowledge I acquired on zero grazing has made me so interested in farming that I have promised myself to one day keep a few cows and enjoy the benefits that come with it Conclusion Learning opportunities present themselves every now and then but it is only if one is willing to learn that these opportunities become of importance. If I had not opened up to the opportunity to learn, I most probably would not have discovered that I could do some of those things I did while at the farm. 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