In just a few days’ time, we will be setting off to Vietnam for our TOPS trip with my fellow USP peers. I am incredibly excited about it especially since I have never been to Vietnam before. Unlike other school immersion trips that I have gone for in the past, which were rather passive experiences of sightseeing and listening to tour guides, this trip has a unique purpose, which is to actively engage the locals firsthand to understand their perspectives, and be immersed in the local culture.

I am thankful to have been given this opportunity to go on this trip and I believe that it will present many opportunities for me to experience great personal growth. The many lessons that we have taken prior to the trip to ensure that we are well-prepared bear testament to the amount of effort we have to put in for our fieldwork and documentation. Already, my group and I have done research on our chosen topic, and are already discovering things that we were previously unaware of, such as the ecotourism landscape in Vietnam.

I would safely say that this is my first time conducting a project related to the social sciences aspect, which is unlike other projects I have done which are mainly more math and science related. After this trip, I am confident that I will emerge as a more well-rounded and thinking individual and scholar who will be more concerned about and ponder over social issues deeply. During the course of the trip, I will be interviewing locals to garner their feedback related to our project. I aim to go to Vietnam with an open-mind and a willingness to learn from everyone. While my team has had extended discussions to attempt to craft our questions in a succinct and wholesome manner, I think we are bound to face unforeseen circumstances when we reach Vietnam. This would pose as a great challenge to us, but if I were to consider things from a different perspective, it would be a great chance for me to hone my adaptability, flexibility and problem solving skills—perhaps altering the kind of questions we ask the locals so as to get our desired responses. I also hope to be a proactive member and step out of my comfort zone when speaking to locals and ideally overcoming potential issues such as language barrier.

This intercultural exchange will certainly benefit me greatly even as I contribute to society in future in the finance sector, by widening my horizons and opening my eyes to see what the world out there is all about. An added global perspective will make me more discerning as an individual and be constantly inspired to view things in a different light from what I have been so accustomed to as a born and breed Singaporean. Witnessing the workings of another culture’s social fabric will perhaps shed more understanding about the intricacies of my own culture.