I believe that people are
complex and it is almost impossible to stereotype (thinking that specific types
of individuals adopt a certain way of thinking) one another even if they grew
up in the same community. There isn’t a set of rules to conform a culture since
we shape culture itself. In fact,
I love abnormalities that we come across within a certain culture and the
element of surprise that comes with it.
Value: Cultural self-awareness
Scale: 3
Loving your culture does not
mean walking around and shouting: ‘I love being a
Singaporean!’. What I’m saying here is that loving
something is about respecting it, being proud of it, yet understanding that it
has flaws and it is not perfect. But this does not mean that one can conform others
into your own thinking, or force it onto others. In fact, sometimes it is good
to hear what others view about your culture and gain a greater dept of
perspective.
I have never viewed
Singapore as a small country until I stepped out of it. When I went abroad, I
realized that many people did not know where or what Singapore was like. The
first common misconception that I faced was that we were located in China, and
the second was that we all conversed in Chinese and was not fluent in the
English language. It can be rather frustrating at first, but as time passed, I
felt myself being more open to the perceptions of others. Soon, I was excited
to tell them about the Singaporean culture and its diversity within itself.
Value: Knowledge of cultural
worldview frameworks
Scale: 2
I feel that I am still
lacking in this area and as I have only started to expose myself in intense
cultural elements in the past year or two. Previously, it was hard for me to
initiate myself to learn about another’s culture communication styles,
practices and values. Furthermore, I steered toward believing I can understand
another culture through its history and places of interest. When I started
travelling, I realized how rich all of the cultures are and is made up of many
other elements.
*Thus, for the next value, I
have ranked ‘Openness’ on scale of 3
Value: Openness
Scale: 3
I feel that both values are
somehow closely linked together, since to increase my knowledge of other
cultures, I must be receptive to my offshore friends. Open-mindedness to me
consist of 2 major parts: First is to step back and listen, and secondly to
reach out and develop relationships. Being open minded is particularly
importance for a lone foreign traveler living in another country. To accept (or
learn to accept) how others live and communicate. While certain values you
might personally offended, but never directly present your current feelings,
just acknowledge it in the back of your head. (No one actually knows, right?)
Value:
Curiosity
Scale:
4
(My
first perfect score! :D) As I mentioned before, understanding a particular
culture is not only about its famous places, historical background, but also
blending into its culture and mingling with the natives. An inquisitive mind
should not be something that only occurs in a short duration but instead something
that is lifelong. Also, it is impossible to fully understand a new culture just
by listening to one single person. It is important to gather mindset of others
within the same culture.
Value: Empathy skills
Scale: 3
Many of my peers have found
it difficult to stop complete stereotyping behavior and till today still openly
use it in front of people from different cultures. Although I was not as vocal
as some of my peers, somehow I did stereoptype others (being really honest
here) unintentionally. Until one day I was ‘conventionalized’ by others.
Empathy plays a crucial role in how we view and approach others. This brings
understanding to a whole new level and helps me to acknowledge the emotional
aspects of others.
Value: Verbal and non-verbal
communication
Scale:
3
At
first I wanted to give it a top score of 4 but realized how many mistakes I
would have committed when I sat through the peer teaching presentation my
friend jasmine prepared; on consequences of not communicating effectively
across borders. I feel that the only reason why I have yet to commit these
mistakes because I have not done them, not because I KNOW it is wrong to do
them. It just shows how much more I can learn, even if I am able to understand
the other party and communicate well with them.
