Singapore! Wow – what a proud and resilient country. It doesn’t take long to see the multiculturalism everywhere you look. Singaporean, Malayan, Chinese, Japanese, Indian and the list goes on. I was quickly swept up into a whirlwind of new knowledge and relationships, particularly over such a short period of time. Simply by walking through a Hawkers Centre or a local market you can see everyone working together in sync. The importance of relationships with others cannot be overstated. Yet, I found myself wondering how is this possible? How is a society so culturally differing function and communicate so effectively? Then it hit me. There seems to be a tacit willingness to make it work. The first barrier they faced was language and because of this there seems to be a universal adoption of english for the majority of people. It allows relationships with others to firstly exist and secondly flourish. I know if this wasn’t the case I would have encountered many more issues as I travelled.
Tag Archives: Relationships
Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success!
Over my time here spent in Singapore, I can’t help but notice how much new knowledge, relationships and connections I have gained over such a short amount of time.
I have meet new people, visited different places, gained a wealth of knowledge about myself, others, nature and the culture of Singapore. But none of this could of happened without the support and guidance of others. How I see it is that when you gather a groups of people from around the world who both share such passion for the Outdoor Environment and the Outdoor Education outcomes, something magical happens. We begin to grow and flourish our ideas together to make something wonderful happen.
Humans are small but connections are big
In the dark of the morning it came.
I’ve never experienced anything quite the same.
Shaking the ground beneath us,
Creating quite a fuss.
The power of the storm I wish to discuss,
My already slim hours of sleep I had to adjust.
The timing quite correct,
A reminder that we need to respect,
Something that society so often rejects.
Two ears, one mouth
“God gave us two ears & one mouth, so listen twice as much as you speak.”
This is a quote I have heard and describes my time in Singapore travelling over the past two weeks. The world I have grown up in is different to what I have experienced here I Singapore. My upbringing, background and values impact on outlooks in life. Gaining an understanding of this different culture is imperative to the relationships I have built with Singaporeans whilst here.
Wait… Did we just become best friends??
Ni hao Internet!
Coming to a close of our Singapore experience, time for one last reflective blog! Many have already written on the community aspect of Singapore, the country and how their people develop this through Outdoor Ed! For further reading, check out Lulu, Mathew, Lachy and Monica’s fantastic work.
“…and then they surrendered.”
This is not how the war story was meant to end. The whole time I listened to the war story in Singapore I was waiting for the hero to sweep in and save the day. “And then the soldiers fought back and repressed the Japanese….” “….then they had back up come in to fight….” But no. This story ends quite differently from any war story I have known growing up in Australia. Going on a war history tour of this small country it is amazing to hear the stories of survival and what actually happened that fateful week in Feb 1942 when Japan invaded Singapore and kept it under rule until 1946. Singapore has done well in presenting the facts and draws learning from it in a positive light. Growing up learning war history in Australia we are the victors. Japan tried to invade but we held them off, even in Gallipoli we emerged ‘Victors’ forged by our dogged determination and mateship. But here the story was different as the Japanese took hold on the ‘impregnable fort’ of Singapore, leading to the largest surrender of British-led forces in history.
Time poor in heavy traffic
Having two half days of facilitation had its pros and cons. Pro we didn’t have to concentrate for a long period of time. Con we were rushed at times to make the second half of the day. During the second half of our facilitation it was very much about people management as the group was fatiguing from a long few weeks. The challenges we faced and elements we did well were:
A smile is the same in every language
I heard this saying a long time ago. But recently I saw it come into play during my time in Singapore.
I was standing on the train the other day and I glanced at an old lady sitting down. We both smiled. A couple of stops later, she stood up to leave and smiled and waved me goodbye. I’d never met this person but I returned the kind gesture.
The Ups, The Downs, The Hard Work and Refined Planning…Did It All Pay Off?
Facilitating a group of your peers was never going to be an easy task, especially when you are in another country and visiting a place in which you have never been before. Nevertheless, this was the challenge that we faced today as we facilitated the groups’ exploration of the Green Corridor and Bukit Timah Nature Reserve.
The key of persistence opens all doors locked by resistance… ~ John Di Lemme ~
Continue reading The Ups, The Downs, The Hard Work and Refined Planning…Did It All Pay Off?
I have…
I have no doubt I have changed over the two short weeks here in Singapore,
I have had time to learn, ask questions and even explore.
I have developed as a person, learner and facilitator,
For me this experience has been a good indicator
Of my level of knowledge, understanding, weaknesses and strengths,
And from this I have realised I will have to go to great lengths
To get to exactly where I want to be,
On this Outdoor Education journey.