Graded Assignment 2: E and C Week

"Experiencing another's culture may open doors that were previously closed... but the choice to walk through those doors is entirely up to you."

With regards to the above statement, I am glad to share of my exciting discoveries and insightful experiences during the fruitful E and C Week, which I am proud to say that I went with an open mind, a positive spirit and a humble heart.

First, we started off on Monday with Malay Dance, where trainers taught us Mak Inang. It is a traditional Malay Dance accompanied by a unique music believed to have been composed by the order of Sultan Mahmud Shah of Malacca. The dance moves and its music are graceful, having all the qualities for court performances. I had a whale of a time catching the dance steps demonstrated by the trainers, together with my class, where some others were happily trying their best to imitate the moves. I loved how even though everybody was not skilled at traditional Malay Dances, we were light hearted in putting up a decent performance. From the dance moves, I learnt that Malay culture is simple yet dignified, because of how female dancers were supposed to appear as shy yet graceful.

On Day 2, my class went to Little India, where a place which left a deep impression on me would be the Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple. It was decorated with vibrant leaves, flowers and fruits hanging like party streamers across the entrance of the Temple. The first thing I noticed was the lively atmosphere, with deafening music thumping through the air, the beat pulsating through my body. I glanced around to be greeted by wisps of silver grey smoke curled and dancing their way through the hazy air. I stared in awe at magnificent statues of deities, realising not all of them were portrayed in a positive manner, some carrying murderous expressions with sharp weaponry, some simply frightening me by numerous threatening limbs, as if they were heading off for war. Then, I spotted some Hindus performing rituals. Curiosity aroused, I went over for up-close observations. A Hindu lady raised a tiny candle-like container and circled it in the air 3 times before clasping her hands together for a prayer. Another was rubbing dark red powder on the middle of her forehead, which I finally found out was the 'Indian dot' I used to see! There was a man pouring milk onto a deity, and after research I learnt that it was called Abhishek. It is the process of bathing the deity, done with 11 prescribed ingredients to please the God. These practices show their strong beliefs in their Gods that they would receive blessings and good fortune as long as they worship their Gods faithfully.

On Day 3, my class went to Kampong Glam, visiting the Malay Heritage Centre and Herbs & Spices Garden. I was impressed at learning about how herbal plants were used by the Malays for their aphrodisiacal properties. We had freedom to roam the area around the Sultan Mosque and went to different street shops to take a look at Malay fabric or try out Malay delicacies. I was glad to have dispelled a fib: Kampong Glam had not fully preserved the rich Malay culture as expected, because as time had passed, it developed into a more modern place to attract tourists or customers for the sake of economic income. This shows the change of a piece of heritage land evolving over time to fit into today's era. It made me raise a question in my heart: How can we find the balance between attracting tourists and preserving a culture, if both are so important to mankind?

On Day 4, my class went to Madjid Sultan and Madrasah Aljunied, led by a warm and friendly head facilitator with a couple of facilitators for every class. I learnt of both the interior and exterior designs of the Mosque, of how the carpet, mihrab and mimbar all signified the direction of Mecca. Then, I was told of the 5 pillars of Islam and 6 Articles of Faith, which are the framework of a Muslim's life and fundamental beliefs every Muslim must ascribe to respectively. I enjoyed the short tour in the mosque because the volunteer guide had great explanation and story telling skills, helping me understand a lot more about Muslims and the building of the Sultan Mosque. After that, we proceeded to Madrasah Aljunied to learn more about the education they receive, Islamic Art & Culture. We were also in luck to hear their school song in Malay, sung by them with much pride and gusto. I was filled with surprise and joy to notice the students waving enthusiastically when we walked past their classrooms.

I enjoyed my time at the library the most, as it was a session to learn more about the proper Islamic attire. I used to wonder why Malay ladies cover so much of their bodies, but had never dared to ask my Malay friends. Now, I learnt that not all Malays are Muslims, and it is the Muslims who cover up, not the Malays. Muslims do so out of faith in the Quran. They believe it to be a revelation from God, regarding it as the finest work in classical Arabic literature. To Muslims, the Quran is the most important miracle of Muhammad, a proof of his prophet hood, and the culmination of a series of divine messages that started with the messages revealed to Adam and ended with Muhammad. Most often, the wisdom in the Islamic dress code lies in the basic rule of modesty. By wearing a hijab, Muslim ladies cover up their outer appearances to show noble speech and humble behavior. Hijab empowers women by emphasizing her inner spiritual beauty, rather than wearing lavish accessories which make up her superficial appearance. By the way, in case you're wondering: No, even in Singapore, the hijab does not make a significant difference to the sweltering heat, since they are made of thin silk!

Probably because Muslim boys in my primary school would play soccer and sweat profusely after recess, I was often disturbed to have them in my class, and stereotyped Muslims to be rowdy. Now that I have learnt about how Muslims seek simplicity and modesty, I realised that it was wrong of me to judge a whole religion based on only a few playful minority, how ignorant of me! On the other hand, I find it really fascinating how ancient people were wise in using a head scarf to bring out the qualities a Muslim lady should possess: Modesty, Confidence, Obedience, Respect and Protection.

The most impactful lesson I experienced was at the Sultan Mosque. There, thanks to the volunteer guide, I learnt of interesting beliefs and at the same time, cleared a lot of misunderstandings. At first, I did not understand why Muslims show supreme faith to spiritual conviction. Even if their family members are all Muslims, it did not mean they would have to be Muslims too. However, afterwards, I found that the diligent practices actually came from the Quran, including specific number of times to perform the practices. In addition, most Muslims were brought up with the mindset of worshiping their Gods ingrained in them, thus they did not question the beliefs. Hence, such remarkable knowledge taught to me had made the lesson at the Sultan Mosque the most impactful one.

Of course, as much as I had enjoyed this programme, I felt that there was a time when it can be improved. My group faced quite a few disappointments when we approached stall vendors to interview them or to inquire them about certain practices we have observed from their culture. While we were grateful for some who were patient and willing to take time to answer us, there were more who were busy with work and did not bother with us. Putting ourselves in their shoes, we can also understand that they were not there to answer our questions; they were there for work and earning salary, probably even to make ends meet. However, this left my group with much research to do. I strongly felt this would defeat the purpose of a learning journey, if we could simple search up information and facts online. I would suggest finding more volunteer guides to help us clear our doubts, since some practices and beliefs are confusions hard to clear by simply Googling. It would definitely be nice for someone to be able to comprehend our language well and teach us more about the other cultures, maximizing our takeaway for this programme. Nonetheless, being ignored by stall vendors taught us to not be selfish or self-centered, because the world does not only revolve around us, having others to serve us is a privilege, not something mandatory.

I believe the main objective of this programme was to help us recognise the diverse races and religions in Singapore. From that, we would be able to respect people with different cultures from us for who they are, and learn to appreciate our differences. If everyone is the same, the world would have been such a plain and mundane place to live in. Apart from our skin colours, languages or backgrounds, we should also see that we are not visiting exotic creatures or aliens, hence we should think of others' feelings before oohing and ahhing too much over their presence. Especially since River Valley is a SAP school, where most students take Chinese as Mother Tongue, we do not get much chances to interact with friends of other races. This programme provided us vital opportunities to understand other cultures better, think from their Point of View better, and work along with them harmoniously, benefiting us as we enter society when we grow up. The experiences throughout the week have helped me achieve the main objective, since I have truly felt the importance of other cultures, instead of only memorising our cultural differences, which would have had little impact.

Personally, I was eager to learn new things and carried a positive attitude towards the programme. This made me more receptive to receive knowledge and cheered me up when I encounter unexpected disappointments. If my attitude had been negative, I would for sure, have been dwelling on the unhappy experiences which might make me regret this trip. This effect was a unique experience, because even though it was not perfect, the minor let-downs made it all the more special to me.

In conclusion, I am really appreciative of this opportunity to learn of Diversity in Common Spaces, and to be able to meticulously observe the many practices and beliefs of other cultures. Of course, had I not been paying attention, I would not be able to learn so many cultural differences beyond the knowledge taught in classes, hence, the choice to strike when the iron is hot lies entirely in our hands. I urge everyone to simply lift a foot and stride through the door that has been opened for them. Remember to do it quickly, though, for all we know the door could shut and lock itself up anytime.

Last but not least, I hope to share this beautiful quote with everyone who needs encouragement to walk through those doors which have been opened wide for you: "Opportunities are like sunrises. If you wait too long, you miss them."

Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple

Muslims praying towards Kaaba

Beautiful sunrise, don't miss it!

Lesson 5: Economy

Group 2 Mind Map on Economy

Lesson 4: Intercultural Sensitivity

Similarities between Singapore's and China's cultures:

Apart from the hope of a better life, people’s primary incentive behind pursuits is to not lose out. For example, one may think this way: If I don't get this promotion today, someone else will, therefore in that case I will suffer a defeat. In both countries, this kiasu mindset is deeply ingrained in children’s education. In Chinese culture and many other Asian cultures, education has traditionally been held with very high regard. Children start tuition from a very early age, often in primary school. Anxious parents nudge their children into a gruelling machine of competition way too early, in hope that they get an edge over others at the starting line. This shows the similarity between Singapore's and China's cultures of being too afraid to lose.

Although Singapore has diverse races, they are mostly made up the same race; large population of Chinese. Similarly, China is made up of a large population of Chinese with 56 different ethnicity.

Furthermore, both Singapore and China rely heavily on imports for their manufacturing industry. Singapore lacks natural resources of its own and its manufacturing industry's high value-adding nature, while China do so due to a mixture of importing semi-finished products to complete assembly in China, importing heavy machinery for production processes and transitioning to higher value adding manufacturing.

Lastly, the official written language in Chinese for both countries is simplified Chinese, the standardised simplification of Chinese characters promulgated in the 1950s by the State Council of the People's Republic of China.

Differences between Singapore's and China's cultures:

Singapore is a small and open economy with few natural resources to offer. So its economy is heavily dependent on all its trading partners, including the US, China, the EU and other countries in Southeast Asia. On the other hand, China is a huge and not fully opened economy and sometimes when others are in crisis, China can shield its domestic economy partially from the crisis. An example would be how little mainland China was affected by the 1997 Asian financial crisis in comparison with its counterparts in Asia.


The exchange rate policy is different for Singapore and China. Singapore's exchange rate policy is called managed float where by the government sets a band within which Singaporean dollar is allowed to fluctuate and the government will step in to adjust its value whenever it goes too far out of the band.

Lastly, the interest rate policy is different. China has full control over the interest rate policy and is able to adjust it when there's the need to stimulate or cool down the economy. Singapore, unfortunately, is deprived of this privilege as it could not manage the potential influx and outflow of short-term investment money should it have its own interest rate and change it away from what the US or other large economies have.

Reflection on culture (iceberg or 4 Fs): 

I think that culture can be defined in numerous ways, as it is the way of life of a particular group of people, hence there is no precise right or wrong definition. Different countries have their own culture developed from the start of time, and evolving till this day. There are similarities and differences between cultures which we should learn to accept and respect. In my opinion, when we travel to a foreign land, we should aim to recognise and understand the perspective of the locals through a cultural lens. We should take the initiative to deepen our understanding of other cutural perspectives and learn to appreciate them. Of course, being the newcomer, we may not be able to fully integrate into their culture, but the least we should do is show intercultural sensitivity. Just because we do not have similar culture does not mean that we can insult or offend them. We should always bear in mind to be careful with our choice of words, and appreciate their culture by praising it genuinely for its beauty. This way, we would be able to develop multicutural mindsets: it will help us be more open towards other countries' cultures as we experience more differences.

Lesson 2: Forces of Culture

  Culture is quite a complex concept, especially when it comes to understanding how the forces of culture are able to affect a country. Examples of Singapore's forces of culture are Kiasu-ism, Kan Chong-ism and the most iconic Singlish. These forces, I feel, are what define Singapore as a country.

  Now, on to China's forces of culture, which are classified into 2 types: "scratching-the-surface culture" and "deep" culture. The 1st type is about the forces which can be observed or researched by anyone, such as, Food, Language, Festivals, Traditional Costumes, Flags and Holiday Customs. The 2nd type is about the forces which can only be experienced by the locals, something belonging to them, which nobody is able to understand but them. Such examples are, Nature of Friendship, Learning Styles, Expectations, Gender Roles, Concept of Fairness, Approaches to Problem Solving, Religious Beliefs, Values and Attitudes. Reflecting on and understanding the "deep" culture can help us understand China's culture.

  Take Gender Roles for example, as we all know how females are treated less important than males, even in modern days. Women are expected to have lower positions in a family. Girls are considered less important than their brothers because they will move out of the family after marriage. Some parents even have this way of thinking that they are 'raising daughters for others'. I'm sure there are still people who would expect a husband to be richer, smarter, older or even taller than a wife, even in current egalitarian societies. I also know that there are still people who would be shocked to hear of a family, in which the father is the house husband, and the mother is the sole breadwinner. In addition, it is usually the father's surname their children take after, hardly the other way round. Knowing this helps me understand more about the culture of China, because I would be able to understand how Gender Roles shaped China to perhaps, become a country with preference for males over females.

  In conclusion, it is the understanding of the forces that helps me understand a particular country. However, the "deep" culture is difficult to be shared by foreigners, as culture is part of our cultivation. We would only understand the culture of China if we had grown up in China or lived there for a long period of time until we have fully integrated into their culture.