Ironic Contemplation

After arriving in Aalborg 3 weeks ago and realising that I was the only Singaporean, I regretted alittle choosing to do my SEP here. Initially, it felt lonely that there wasn't anyone from my own hometown I could relate to; no one I could just be Singaporean with. And observing the rest who had at least one other countryman with them, some had 10!! But the ironic thing was that, all of them wanted to avoid coming into any contact with anyone from their hometown. Most were complaining to me that there were too many people from the same country, studying in the same course as they were. For them, they really wanted to immerse themselves in a culture different from their own. And being around their own countrymen felt as though they have not left their own homeland in the first place. All of them said I was lucky that I was the only one here. I was better able to make new friends and not stick around too much with people of the same origin as me. But somehow, I could feel a tinge of relief whenever they said this to me...as though they were glad they had at least one fellow countrymen.

But after 3 weeks, I'm beginning to see the advantage of being alone. Especially since I am an Asian. Some people still have the stereotype that we Asians are quiet, conservative and to put it bluntly, boring people. So being here with other Singaporeans will only tempt me to stay in my comfort zone all the time and not move out. I'm really glad to be living with 8 other wonderful girls who are so welcoming and open to everything. Sometimes, I see groups of people from Hong Kong, for example, sticking together all the time, and I am really glad I'm not. After all, we are here to experience people from all walks of life and to make international friends and learn more about their own culture.

Really thankful for the people who shared their thoughts with me...allowing me to see beyond my narrow vision and to be more open to our surroundings. Of course, being shy sometimes is hard to get over...haha...will try and change the stereotype that people have of Asians. :)