“The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page.” This is a quote by Saint Augustine and I cannot agree more with him. Whenever I travel overseas with my family, I would always learn a little more about the world and return to Singapore not only with my luggage full, but my heart too. This year as I head to Vietnam with my friends, I find myself eager to read the next page of the book. However, as this trip is not a leisure one, I expect to bring back different kinds of souvenir instead – experiences and skills that helps me to develop both as an NTU USP scholar and as an individual.

This intercultural exchange would definitely give me greater exposure to the world around me, enhancing my college education by learning outside the syllabus. As my group is researching the impact of eco-tourism on the Vietnam culture in particular, I expect to learn more about the ethnic minority and be more aware of global issues. Interaction with the locals is something that I look forward to despite the huge language barrier. This is because I think that it would be a great opportunity for me to hone my communication skills. More importantly, such personal interaction with them would give our project more significance. When I research about the problem online, it seems like an unreal issue. But I believe that this perception will change when we are in Vietnam. What we see and experience would make the issue about the impacts of eco-tourism on Vietnam culture more real. Coupled with the stories shared by the locals, I believe that we will be able to gain deeper insights about the severity of the situation. As a global citizen, I would then feel more driven to complete our project as it now has a clearer purpose to fulfill.

Other than developing myself as an NTU USP scholar by honing communication skills and having greater global awareness, my personal goal is to improve my photography skills. After joining the Hall Council as publicity and media director, I discovered a new liking for photography. However, I am still grasping with the basics and I believe that the environment in Vietnam would be a good training ground for me. It would also be a nice change of environment for me to take photos in as I have only done event coverage in school. Another personal goal that I have is to be more independent. As this is my first overseas trip with friends, I cannot help but feel anxious. Various worries such as food poisoning, losing my personal belongings and damaging my camera bounce around in my head. However, a smooth sea never made a skillful sailor. I hope that this trip, as tiring it may be, would push me to learn how to take care of myself better.

All in all, I am looking forward to the Vietnam trip and to experience all that it has to offer, be it knowledge, skills or just enjoyment. These experiences and skills gained during the trip would surely be invaluable to me as both an NTU USP scholar and as an individual.