Singapore is like a miniscule of the world; people with
vastly different cultural backgrounds living together, hence it is common to
observe some differences just by paying more attention to the people around
you. One interesting observation is the act of returning of trays after a meal.
This act is more common among Caucasians but not the locals. I learnt that it is
only basic courtesy to do so after a meal in the western countries, but not so
much in the Singapore culture. Although fast food restaurants have
tray-returning stations, the locals are so used to having someone to clear up
the tables after them they simply do not bother to clear up after their meal.
It seems that not cleaning up after a meal is a norm in the local culture the
fast food restaurants employ floor staffs whose main duty is to clear clean up
the tables after customers have had their meal.
Studying in NUS allows me to interact with more
international students from various countries and learnt that education should
not merely be a pursuit of academic results. I had a few ASEAN scholars in my
class in the secondary school days who focused more on the final result, while
the Caucasian students place heavier emphasis on the learning process. The
“result-oriented” culture may prove to produce more hardworking students, but I
personally feel that the process of learning is more important.
Despite the great impact globalization and westernization has
on Singapore, the locals have yet to pick up some cultures which I feel that
may be better than what we have now. On the other hand, I am quite relieved
that Singapore has not lost its unique identity. Different cultures have to be
embraced and respected, and try to integrate when entering a new one.
