One of the most remarkable thing about being an exchange
student and going out to see the rest of the world is that you are hit by the
sudden realisation that there is a lot, as in really a lot of people with whom
we are sharing this planet with, about whom we never really bothered to know more
about and compared to whom we share as many similarities as differences. As a
Singaporean, these circumstances have put to the test, the strength of my
identity and how proud I am of my life back home, especially when one my
European friends ask me, “So tell me more about Singapore”. And to describe my
life back there, I have no need to look further than the group of friends who
followed me here, and it is with some pride, some amusement and some
could-do-better feeling that I write this article.
A Swedish guy I once met at a bar told me how his
Singaporean friend described Singaporeans and Swedes as the most emotionally private
people on this planet. The Swedes I have noticed thus far, despite their
friendliness, are at heart, very private people, sometimes even towards other
Swedes. On the other hand, Singaporeans display a truly amazing speed and
efficiency when it comes to creating local networks. Even before most of us
reached Sweden, a Facebook group, everyone was answering each other’s question.
In Sweden, it goes one step further. Group dinners are common and during this
time, it is heartening to see the collective spirit of Singaporeans, with
everyone more than willing to help. Every expense and effort is shared, not
only for dinners, but for travelling and so on. This strong sense of community
is something all Singaporeans can be proud of.
Then there are the humorous mannerisms that define us. Such
as how, cost, or to be more precise, ‘where to get the cheapest’ dominate all
our conversations. From chicken to plane tickets, we are extremely obsessed
with getting the best deals, which perhaps explain why we Singaporeans are
never happy. This information is greatly valued and proliferates faster than nuclear
power in North Korea and Iran combined. If not money, we are talking about
travelling and food, though these two topics rarely go without a cost attached
to them. Then of course, every dish has to be visually recorded and posted on
Facebook and every street corner be snapped a dozen times, just in case we
forget what it looks like ten minutes later.
Though in the midst of all this fun, I worry we float on an
ocean of opportunity and do not bother even taking a dip in it. Yes, a
collective sense of identity is good, but as I said before, we are not alone.
There are 6 billion more people out there, everyone with their own stories to
tell and information to share. Despite the growing xenophobia back home, we
cannot deny that national identities will be further blurred in the future.
Where they remain strong, as in Japan, they fall behind the rest of the world,
because they learn that much less. Our collective sense has to be balanced with
a willingness to go out and lend a listening ear to whom we know little about.
As I have found out, it is by no means an easy task, but persist and who knows
what benefits it holds for you in the future. Besides, it is only when you talk
to them that you realise that at the end of the day that we all want to know
where to get the cheapest chicken, that we all share the same concerns for the
present and the future and that we, Singaporeans, Swedish, Germans, Asians and
everyone else are all, more or less, the same.
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