Evaluating Intercultural Behavior (Blog Post #4)

The scenario which i am about to describe is a real life one. In fact, it is a personal experience, which left me highly frustrated (see picture) and blaming the government (for irrational reasons).

Changi Airport holds an interesting attraction for me, where many 'goodbyes' and 'welcome backs' have been said, many hugs have been given and many tears have been shed. But this recent event has left a slight aftertaste. I was with a couple of friends, and after sending a friend off, we decided to head to Popeyes to take away some fried chicken and biscuits for supper.

So we made our way to level 2 of Terminal 1 (T1) and i joined the shortest queue available. A young lady of Chinese descent was manning the counter and she looked pleasant and friendly. A few minutes later it was my turn to order and i proceeded to make my order.

"May i have set number 2 please? Can i also change the mashed-potatoes to fries?"
My order was met with a blank stare.
"I want the 2 piece chicken meal, and change the side dish to fries" i repeated slowly.
The blank stare became a sheepish smile, and she requested that i repeat my order again, in mandarin.

Now obviously i understood what she was saying, but being a front counter service staff in Changi International Airport, i expected her to be able to converse in simple English. Pointing to the menu, i indicated my choice. I still had to give in and do the change of side dish in mandarin because i didn't know how to use gestures to indicate that.

While she was preparing my order, many thoughts ran through my head and i began to feel really frustrated. Perhaps it was the disappointment in the level of service, and perhaps it was a little bit of irrational nationalism creeping up. Yes, the thoughts of why are there so many foreigners in the midst of us? What if a non-mandarin speaking tourist came, how would he feel about not being able to use English to take his orders in a fast food restaurant from New Orleans? Being the typical Engineer, 'standard solutions' started to fill my head, such as ensuring all foreign workers to be sufficiently competent in spoken English before be put in front line service positions.

Now looking back, i find my 'fears' and 'frustrations' to be irrational. After all, don't i have to order food from MacDonald's in Singlish or Mandarin once in a while? Why do i not have such frustrations when the counter lady is an old Singaporean lady from the heartlands? This Chinese lady is only looking to fill her rice bowl, and many foreign immigrants are in fact doing work that we Singaporeans do not wish to do in the first place.

Intercultural clashes such as this will only become more commonplace in Singapore as we seek to open our shores to more immigrants. Perhaps it is high time we began to integrate them into our society and introduce them to local societal norms and beliefs. After all, weren't our forefathers immigrants as well?

"Green Quotes"

In the blink of an eye, the mid term break is almost over!
Shucks, i don't think i've gotten enough rest or done enough work.. =)

Nevertheless, in view of the "Green" topics we have for our projects, here are some Green Quotes i found online.. erm.. actually they are not really green quotes.. but quotes from famous people which has the word "green" in it.. just for fun! =)

"Anyone who sees and paints a sky green and fields blue ought to be sterilized"
- Adolf Hitler

"O! beware, my Lord, of jealousy; It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on"
- William Shakespeare

"When the green woods laugh with the voice of joy, And the dimpling stream runs laughing by; When the air does laugh with out merry wit, And the green hill laughs with the noise of it"
- Lord Byron

“On a traffic light green means go and yellow means yield, but on a banana it's just the opposite. Green means hold on, yellow means go ahead, and red means where the hell did you get that banana at...”

- Mitch Hedberg

“An optimist is a person who sees a green light everywhere, while a pessimist sees only the red stoplight. . . The truly wise person is colorblind.”

-Albert Schweitzer

ok thats enough randomness for today.. =)
Cheer

Research Project Topic (Blog Post 3)

Issue:

The world faces an unprecedented threat in global climate change. As occupants of our blue planet, each and every one of us should play a part in conservation and protecting our environment. The university's recent activity in highlighting the need to go green is reflected in the "NUS fights climate change" idea. This is truly a step in the right direction. How then can we further raise awareness and help NUS students and staff take ownership of this vision of fighting climate change?

Purpose Statement:

One objective of this research report is to find out how effective the university has been in raising environmental awareness amongst the NUS population. More importantly, the report hopes to help students take responsibility and ownership in the green initiatives of NUS.

Why do a survey?

The the use of an attitudinal survey, we will be able to have a gauge of how much NUS students know about the initiatives being undertaken. Sampling also enables us to have a better grasp of what areas require more work and publicity. Finally, the survey can also be used as a medium for the population to voice our their concerns, feedback and suggestions.

Target readers:

Upon completion of the report, the findings will be submitted to the Campus Sustainability Committee, the Office of Estate and Development, as well as to the NUS Students Union. The objective is to the increase awareness and to encourage the University to take appropriate and effective action towards helping NUS reduce our environmental footprint and enhance our sustainability.

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In all, i believe that this topic is not only relevant, but also very important to NUS students. It deals with a great challenge that the world is facing now. The university can lead the way in conservation and sustainability, doing our small part in the fight against climate change.

Blog Post #2 Part 2

I'm sure that the scenario i have described in part 1 is a familiar one to everyone. In our time here in NUS, it isn't difficult at all to find individuals such as Aaron. The relationship that Aaron has with Jacob and his friends can be likened to how a poker card leans on another when stacked into the shape of pyramid. The moment the distance between the cards increase, everything begins to crumble.

Aaron's reactions demonstrate a lack of self awareness. He was unable to recognise his own destructive behaviour and how his over reliance on Jacob was causing a strain. He could have taken some time to reflect, consider his role in the relationship and manage his own emotions. As an individual, he also needs to take responsibility for his own work in school. I believe that with a little more initiative and a big smile, he'll be able to enlarge his social circle, thus building healthy relationships! =)

Jacob could also have managed this situation better by being more sensitive towards Aaron. Even though he might feel that Aaron is overly 'sticky' as a friend, he could have spoken to him tactfully instead of ignoring him altogether. Aaron requires some support and Jacob could have been more patient in extending a helping hand.

In all, both parties need to take responsibility for this 'decline' in their relationship.

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6 months later, Alan finally returns from the SEP! Being incredibly excited to share his stories and pictures, he arranges to meet both Aaron and Jacob for lunch. Alan, being a former student of the ES2007S course, immediately senses something is wrong between the two by reading their non-verbal cues. Eventually, Alan facilitates the sharing session and helped clear the air. To cut the long story short, Aaron is now stronger and is more balanced individual! Jacob too has benefitted and has learnt how to be more sensitive to others! And they live happily ever after till they're old and bald... =)