'I Could Vividly Remember' by Fung Fun Man

I could vividly remember....

That the 5th SINO-Singapore Undergraduate Exchange Programme kicked off brilliantly in March 2008 at the ministry of education headquarter building in Singapore. I recall the ballroom which hosted all our Chinese friends, dressed mostly in formal black suits occupying one side of the ballroom while the Singaporean students, on the other hand, were in office-wear. I remember thinking to myself, "we appear under-dressed".

As the programme began, we seized the opportunity to make friends with our counterparts from China. As we began the cultural exchange I recalled how these first conversations were personal and enlightening and I was awed by the sheer eloquence of our Chinese friends. This intangible sense of friendliness and warmth left a deep impression on me.

There were no barriers in the way we interacted, sharing our delightful events in Singapore, and at the same time, listened to their own fascinating stories about student life in China. In a certain sense, we felt bonded by the common experience of University life and its preoccupation with project datelines and examinations.

There were however some differences in the way we conducted our lessons in Singapore. For example, the school library in china resembles an examination hall, complete silence, zero discussions,no sights of any water bottles or snacks. During class, they would fill in the seats nearest to the professor and no one touch their bags until the lecturer announces " thats all for today's lesson" . These signs of respect for their teachers in such a manner really put a contrast in our own way of giving respect for our teachers in Singapore. It appears that lecturers in Singapore prefer the more open approach of having questions raised during the lessons, albeit interrupting the speaker. However, in China, it is deemed rude to do so, even if we had much thoughts about some theories in our text at that instant. I was extremely excited when we had the opportunity to experience the classroom life of our Chinese counterparts when we were in Jinan, Shandong which allowed me to see for myself these slight differences in the ways we conduct our classes.

As I sit by my computer attempting to recall the details of the 5th Sino-Singapore Undergraduate exchange, it was less of the places we've been and the things we've seen which left a deep impression on me, rather, it was their generosity which really touched me. I remember how every single night in Beijing was filled with excitement as our friends took time off to show us their nightlife. Despite being in the midst of their mid terms our Chinese friends sacrificed their sleep and studying time to show us around ourside of the stated program.

In Shandong, Zhang Xiao even went as far as to show us his home coupled with an all nighter KTV session. I felt taken care of by our Chinese friends to the most minute details. When some Singaporean students had sunburn due to the unforgiving blaze of the Shanghai sun, our Chinese friends bought us moisturiser creams and sunblock lotions. When I was down with a flu and sore throat, they gave me medicine to pacify the illness.

In Shanghai, they brought us all the way to the taxi-stands and watched us getting on the cab safely, before sprinting back to the MRT to catch their last train back to their hostel. The sight of seeing the four of them, Xu Chen, Chen Naya, HanQi, and Walkie running back to the same MRT which we exited to rush for the last and only train back locked vividly in my mind, and I could not help but feel a tinge of warmth and sweetness at the thought.

As I close the pages of our cultural exchange, I cannot help but feel that these chinese friends that we made over the past few months will be our friends forever. I admire the intelligence, hard-working nature of our new found friends. Personally, I feel a greater sense of respect for many of them as they are not just academic achievers but social ones. Many of them hold chairperson position in clubs and activity groups in their school.But what impress me most about my new found friends is how mature they are despite being younger than us. It is thus that I feel I've gained so much more from them than I could have reciprocrate and that this cultural exchange will never end as we continue our journey to learn more from and about each other.