Memories flashed back to a few years ago when I was first in Singapore,everything here was very new to me. The most surprising thing about Singapore is nonetheless the multicultural society here. I am from China where people in the country is mostly Chinese, so the multi races and religious here gave me a "cultural shock". I could still remember that I was appointed as a monitress in my primary 4 class and my form teacher was an Indian lady. As a transferred student, I don't have a co-curricular activity(CCA) which was compulsory, so my form teacher who is also the teacher-in-charge for Indian dance urged me to join her CCA. I agreed and joined Indian dance muddle-headedly.
To be an Indian dancer was my first opportunity to obtain a deeper understanding about another culture since I came to Singapore. Despite I am a Chinese and I am new to Singapore, I took up the challenge to befriend with other Indian girls who were in the CCA. For my height, I was chosen to be one of the lead dancers in the upcoming dance competition in Singapore Youth Festival despite I am a Chinese(such an irony). I put in a lot of efforts to learn the dance steps that are easily understood by others because the trainer spoke Tamil 70% of the time during training. Fortunately, my fellow Indian friends kindly repeated the instructions to me in English and guided me the dance steps. From the dance and the time I spent in the CCA, I understood the Indian culture and arts very well. For example, there are basic and unique dance moves that are specially from the Indian dance, the kind of costumes and the kind of makeups are usually used during performance. Eventually, all our efforts paid off by clinched a silver medal from the competition.
That one year I was laughed at(positively) by my friends for my interest in the CCA, but the same year I spent in Indian dance was truefully fruitful.It was not only a key to integrate into the multi-races society but it also opens a door for my entrance to the globalized world.
Wow! I am really impressed by how you totally went all in to integrate and interact with your multiracial classmates by joining something that must have been absolutely new and strange to you. I think this is one of the best ways for foreigners to get to know the local people and their cultures.
ReplyDeleteI hope that you were able to gain more knowledge and empathy through this experience. Not only that though, I hope your classmates were able to learn more about you and as well as the Chinese culture in China. In my view, it seems that there can even be differences within the Chinese culture, perhaps in different locations (e.g. Chinese culture in Singapore vs Chinese culture in China, correct me if I'm wrong!)
May I ask though, if you had not joined the Indian dance CCA, would you still have gone to find out more about the Indian culture on your own? Do you think it is important to show interest in another person's culture when meeting him/her for the first time, like say in a business meeting?
WOW!! indeed. That was a bold move on your part my dear and I'm so proud to have you in my class. It takes a lot of courage to have come from a completely different culture and country and to take up a minority art form in Singapore. Most people would have expected you to take Chinese dancing, right? But good on you- you did the right thing and you're better off in terms of being culturally informed about another ethnic group. Well-done!!
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