PAX - Program of Academic Exchange is a program of PAX Laurasian Exchange and is designated by the U.S. Department of State as a J-1 Visa Exchange Visitor Program sponsor.

Contest winner: Orchlon from Mongolia

[This article is part of the April 2023 issue of PAX Press.]

I enjoy many things in my free time but playing the piano is my favorite. I can still remember how happy I was to go to the teacher's house for the first time to take piano lessons. Every time I watched the music teacher playing elegant and amazing pieces, I was extremely envious, and I sincerely wished that I also could play such beautiful music. When I got to the teacher's house, the teacher started teaching me how to play fingering, which I learned quickly. It seemed like learning the piano was so easy. But, it gets harder to learn the piano the longer I practice.

I started feeling a little discouraged and didn’t want to continue learning. I told my mother about my thoughts. After hearing this, my mother said to me seriously: "You will encounter difficulties when you learn anything. If you give up in the middle of something, you won't be able to see how it will turn out. So, if you want to succeed, you must persevere!"

"You will encounter difficulties when you learn anything. If you give up in the middle of something, you won't be able to see how it will turn out. So, if you want to succeed, you must persevere!"

I felt encouraged by my mother's words, so I put even more effort into practicing. I played better and better as a result. By learning the piano, I gained knowledge that I couldn't learn in the classroom, and I also understood a great truth that was, “No matter what you do, you can't give up halfway in.” The piano, which taught me such an important lesson, must have led me to where I am today: I came here without losing my will to go to America. And now, I'm able to play big compositions like I want. 

Therefore, I am sending you this video to participate in the contest, with music that has so much meaning for me. In my mind, the piano—and music in general—give others feelings that don't need to be expressed in words…and probably couldn’t be anyway.

—Orchlon (FLEX, Mongolia), hosted by the Olson Family (WA)