Pre-trip by Dion Loh

This overseas learning trip allows me to interact with my USP peers who hail from different disciplines. Through interactions, in the form of group work and daily banter, I can leverage on the wealth of knowledge present in the community. As such, I am looking forward to be positively influenced by my USP peers in terms of my work ethics and various other skills – photography, video editing and even the building of social relations – form these highly talented individuals. This trip gives me the opportunity to be situated in an intellectually stimulating environment where my predispositions, biases are consistently challenged. I feel that this is a process that I need to go through in order to shape myself into an individual that is more receptive to new pieces of information and also someone who has the ability to engage in selective learning. It is essential to develop the ability to learn and unlearn things amidst contradicting sources of information that we are likely to encounter.

Working together with some of the best minds in Nanyang Technological University hones my critical thinking skills. More specifically, I am often enlightened by my peers’ comprehensive critique on some of the insights I offer during group discussions. The trip is going to be packed with new sights, smells, sounds that are intrinsically different from the experiences familiar to Singapore, providing much needed inspiration for my academic pursuits. Be it looking for inventiveness and originality in solutions or looking at academic matters from different vantage points, I am certain that the trip will offer fresh learning points.

I foresee this trip to improve my leadership skills as there will be many opportunities for one to rise up to the occasion when we are faced with unprecedented situations, especially in a foreign environment.  The trip is a good platform to train me to be calmer when faced with stress and uncertainty. Not only will the trip expand my outlook, it shapes my ability to relate to different cultural and social norms unique to foreign countries. Seeing that this trip improves my cultural quotient, it enables me to develop a culturally sensitive individual which is fitting for a global citizen in the 21^st century. All of the above would develop me into an individual befitting the title of an NTU USP scholar.

Taking me beyond the classroom, this intercultural exchange allows me to participate in experiential learning. New information would be directly gleaned from my surroundings – observations made about new environments, interactions with the locals for example. Such information adds on a new dimension to my college education. It is through such exchanges whereby I learn skills necessary for life after college. For example, relational skills with people heralding from different walks of life can be picked up from this intercultural exchange as me and my group mates interact with the locals in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Going down to Chiang Mai breathes life onto the information that my group has gathered from literature reviews online, allowing me to look at it in a new light.

As a communication student, this trip improves my communication skills in different cultural contexts. I would learn from the ground how to convey what I meant accurately and be more adept in overcoming cultural barriers.

Personally, I hope to be able to forge new friendships with my USP peers. This is because I was not able to attend the USP freshmen orientation camp and hence am unfamiliar with most of the people in the USP community. Understanding that this group of people will be the faces I see the most throughout my college life, it is important for me to know them well to have a more eventful and enjoyable college experience. It would also help facilitate my learning in the classroom as we can help one another.

Knowing more about my group’s research topics about tobacco usage and nutritional labels is an objective that I hope to achieve at the end of this trip. I want to be able to draw a clearer picture of the situation about Thai’s smoking habits and more come up with more effective measures to discourage such health-damaging habits.  These aside, I want to be able to improve my understanding of Chiang Mai regarding other aspects. I want to see how culturally different Chiang Mai is from the other parts of Thailand. I also want to see the way of life of people living in Chiang Mai – how they talk to one another; what is their favourite activity; what are the food that the locals eat. In particularly, I want to experience the different cuisines that people in Chiang Mai eat because one way to understand a country’s culture is through eating that country’s food.

Next, I hope to gain new experiences that cannot be found in Singapore as makes for more stories to share. I believe that every experience, be it positive or negative, is a lesson. I am looking forward to take the common form of transport in Thailand – the Tuk Tuk.

In all, I hope for exceptional, fulfilling and memorable experience that will be unforgettable in the years to come. I am ready for an intellectual adventure of a lifetime.