Open Topic (Blog Post #5)

I went on a summer programme (ATW) in Japana's Kyūshu University (Kyūdai) in June 2008 and almost half of the 64 exchange students were from Singapore.

One of the Singaporeans, Eve, and a younger American, Adam, gradually became a couple as they lived in the same dormitory. As ATW was only for six weeks, they decided to spend as much time together as possible before they went back to their own countries.

We met June, an outgoing NUS student on a 10-month exchange programme (JTW) at Kyūdai. Since she had hardly met any Singaporean, she invited all Singaporean students to her dormitory for dinner on a Saturday night. Eve brought Adam along, without informing June, whom she thought would not mind. Honestly, some of us were quite surprised, as June had really meant it to be an "all-Singaporean gathering" to let June feel at home, but everyone was sensitive enough to not say anything. I was worried if Adam would feel left-out as we spoke in Singlish and mingled extremely well with June, although we knew her for a shorter time than we knew him. He was very receptive, but remained quiet most of the time and seemed to enjoy our chattings.

June had only seen Adam briefly in school but did not know him at all and did not interact much with him that night. When we ran out of food, Adam volunteered to buy some from a nearby supermarket, with Eve and other Singaporean boys. I guess he realised that he had to contribute as he was not one of us.

When we returned to our dormitories, June chatted with me online and confessed that she felt uneasy from not being informed beforehand. Also, although she had made some close American friends from JTW, she had met some who were racist against Asians. As I lived in the same dormitory as Adam, I explained that I understand her feelings but Adam was an accommodating person, as he was, after all, half-Japanese. I urged her to get to know Adam more if she had the chance, and since then, they would chat with each other whenever they met in school.

What should Eve, June or even Adam have done initially to prevent the unspoken tension? Even though they did not express their discomfort explicitly, their actions did reveal some lessons to be learned.

Sok Huang's Biodata (Blog Post #6)

I am Teo Sok Huang, a Third-Year undergraduate from the National University of Singapore, majoring in Life Sciences with concentration in Biomedical Science.

My university education has matured me in many ways. I have done painting projects in children’s homes and those for the intellectually-disabled. These have developed my compassion towards the underprivileged. Additionally, as a Spirit of Enterprise Awards student interviewer, I have built up my courage in taking the initiative to approach and communicate clearly with entrepreneurs from various industries.

Studying for the degree has made me more disciplined, analytical and driven. Together with my passion, the flexibility of being able to read core modules with elective modules on complementary and alternative medicine and human nutrition has been enjoyable. A six-week summer programme at Kyushu University in Japan in 2008 also allowed me to meet peers and educators from 13 countries, develop independence and enhance inter-cultural communication.

I have known more about the operations of the healthcare industry while working as a dental assistant for six months. Furthermore, having worked as a Patient Relations Assistant in Singapore General Hospital for three months, I have become more acutely aware of the needs of patients and their families. Short administrative stints, dealing with inventory and enrolment records, have also raised my meticulousness, computer literacy and time management. I believe that these skills are truly critical in almost every job.

I hope my diverse professional, academic, social experiences and knowledge will contribute to my future undertakings in the health sciences industry.