Fieldwork and Documentation (TOPS) trip will be a unique, fulfilling experience that is unlike other overseas programmes available. OGEM and overseas CIP trips will enable us to learn how to live independently and to lend a helping hand to the people of less developed regions, while TOPS provides us with the opportunity to apply and hone our research skills, capturing valuable insights under our topics of interest. Having done science research extensively in my JC days, the research that we will be conducting on this trip would be a refreshing and welcoming change.

TOPS research stretches our minds and exposes us to different cultures, languages and mind-sets. This module brings us out of our comfort zones to combat language barriers and cultural differences, all of which are key skills of the 21st Century. Workplace dynamism requires us to utilise these skills, and this module will be a first step to prepare us for the working world. In addition, it would be a great opportunity for us to delve deeper into the impacts of globalisation and modernisation beyond the boundaries of our country. Having done desk research many times in school, doing groundwork research overseas can hopefully provide unique first-hand insights that deepens the understanding of our topic on Traditional Vietnamese Medicine, enhancing our research impact.

Moreover, through this research journey, I hope that I can be better equipped with the essential traits of patience, dedication, inquisitiveness, and adaptability, which are traits every USP scholar should strive to possess. Everything that is worth our time and effort requires serious dedication and patience, and such valuable traits can only be honed time and again with new challenges presented upon us in this trip and beyond. Inquisitiveness and adaptability are also similarly indispensable in this complex and unpredictable world. Even with extensive planning, our predictions of possible scenarios may be inaccurate or incomplete. This research process urges us to think on our feet and to utilise the limited time and resources on hand.

In addition, splitting us into subgroups to work with people of different strengths, background and course for this trip facilitates better group learning, and promotes individual talents. We would be required to delegate responsibilities to achieve a common goal, which is not an easy feat. It requires an acute knowledge of everyone’s abilities, including ourselves, which is indubitably the hardest. This trip would be a self-exploratory journey- for us to examine our own strengths and weaknesses, as well as to assess our adaptive ability to unfamiliar and unforeseen circumstances.

Lastly, finding common time within our batch is difficult during the academic year, especially with our conflicting course schedules. This trip would be a scheduled, isolated time for our whole batch to interact with each other on a deeper level. The next few years in university will be a tough journey; this trip is a vital platform for our USP community to become even more tight-knitted, giving us the strength to tide through tough times together.