What has this trip taught you about another culture?
- The British take a lot of pride in their heritage and preserved much of their rich history as we can see on displays in various museums like the Churchill Museum and their Imperial War Museum.
- Their culture is very different from us and we must be receptive towards other cultures like how they are relatively open-minded to foreigners. (There is a higher percentage of smokers in British, although most of us cannot stand the cigarette smell, we still have to bear with it to respect their culture. )
- Although both the British and Singapore’s pace of living is fast, we can tell that they were not so easily stressed out and take time for leisure.
- The British people has a diet which consists of more poultry.
- They are very friendly and are not afraid to ask for help should they need it or just to find out more about certain things.
- They are willing to accept things that are different from what they are used to.
What are some of the things that you can learn from the British people in order to improve Singapore?
- The British have a lot nationalistic pride in their nation and are generally very patriotic (in the sense that they feel immense pride to be English). Singaporeans should learn from them and improve our sense of nationality.
- They value culture of graciousness. Their service is good. Staff in the service sector often had friendly smiles and greetings and somehow a sense of warmth that Singapore retail and customer service sector lacks.
- British: Heavy breakfast, packed lunch, reasonable portion of dinner (better)
- Singapore: light breakfast, filling lunch, heavy dinner(unhealthy)
- We can learn how to speak proper english better so that we can effectively communicate and interact more easily with people from other countries.
- Singapore can learn from their recycling efforts. It is quite evident to see that the British put in a lot of effort to recycle and be eco-friendly. For example, there are many recycling bins around, and many plastic bags have statements such as 'this bag is made from 30% recycled plastic'. Singapore can learn from them and help reduce global warming(:
- Singaporeans can also learn from the British to be more sociable and open towards strangers. When our tour guide in London asked a lady where she was going, she smiled and replied that she was going for a christening without hesitating. The British are more friendly and do not mind talking to us even though they do not know us. Singaporeans can learn from their attitude, behaviour and become more approachable.
What are some of the things that the British can learn from Singapore?
- Better healthcare system that doesn’t require so much money as a welfare state and adopt Singapore’s healthcare schemes
- Better transport system (wider roads and better traffic control)
- Tackle environmental problems and pollution hazards (especially in London)
E.g. Smoke and haze and bad weather conditions
- Make public areas safer ( less crimes, petty thefts and no more bloody men)
- They can learn to plant more trees and place more rubbish bins in their urban cities like Singapore does, to make their cities more environmentally friendly with more greenery in it and bins which people can properly dispose their trash with.
- They can learn from us in terms of their traffic lights. Their traffic lights are a bit confusing and the 'green man' goes off very quickly.
After going onto this trip, are there any aspects of being in Singapore/ being a Singaporean that you have learnt to appreciate better?
- Singapore’s local food
- Clean and green city
- Presence of Fines
- No smoking in public places
- Singapore's security(: The security here is very tight, thus making us feel safe in Singapore. In UK, there are many pickpockets, making us feel very insecure there. We have also leant to appreciate our MRT systems better as our MRT system is not as confusing as their underground systems.
- We have also learnt to appreciate how Singaporeans can get along with each other despite different religions and races, the harmony, unity, and sense of belonging that we share.
- We have learnt to appreciate the many dustbins we can find in Singapore, that we do not have to look so hard just to find one small dustbin.
