In the previous years of my schooling life, I have been on a couple of academic trips to various countries such as Shanghai and Cambodia. While there is no denying that I’ve garnered valuable experiences and life knowledge from those trips, I personally feel that the TOPS trip to Hanoi and Sapa will provide me with a distinctive and unforgettable experience, different from what I had experienced previously.

As a USP scholar, I believe that the TOPS trip will allow me to gather vast and meaningful insights about the world, enabling me to grow both intellectually and emotionally to better contribute to the club. Through interactions with the locals, I hope to gain a better understanding of the lives of people in a developing country, especially one like Vietnam that is growing rapidly. Interacting with locals and taking the initiative to strike up conversations will definitely expand my knowledge of the world as I am introduced to people from different walks of life and gain new perspectives on life that I had never thought of before. With every story shared and with every step taken, my awareness towards the happenings of the world will hopefully expand and thereby provide me with the knowledge required to survive in the cutthroat 21st century. Above all, after I return from this trip, I hope to have returned with greater the wisdom to always be proactive and question the things I hear, see or learn, and to always keep moving forward to discover new things; but also with greater empathy to understand others stories and lives.

 

Also, since my group is carrying out research relating to the topic of ecotourism, I believe this will provide me with a lot of insight into this occupation (or even lifestyle for the locals) – especially since this is not a form of tourism Singapore is likely to venture into. This knowledge I garner from investigating such an issue first-hand will give me the both the soft and hard skills required to work effectively in projects. However, apart from the academic aspect, I do feel that I will return as someone different after the trip – as someone who is more willing to take risks and with less fear of the unknown. I feel that those two characteristics are especially important in university, where we are given the opportunity to try out things we are interested in. Thus, I believe that my college education will be enhanced as I become more of a risk-taker and dabble my hands in something I might have be limited myself to previously.

Lastly, I believe this trip will encompass numerous instances where I have to step out of my comfort zone – like approaching strangers for interviews and living in a homestay – but I believe these instances will only be valuable additions to my book of life.

All in all, after this trip to Vietnam, I hope to achieve a greater understanding of the numerous complexities of life, to always have the desire to explore the unknown and to always be amazed by what life has to offer.