October 2008

November 2008

December 2008

January 2009

Songs We Sung

Before the trip, I did not expect the trip to be much of the eye-opening one in term of exposure as I believed that the characteristics of the Yunnan would be mostly similar to that of my hometown which is also the rural area. However, I was wrong and realised that the trip was indeed very much beneficial and enriching. One thing that I have learnt from the trip is that the lifestyles, the environments, the cultures and especially the people of one place are certainly unique on its own. One can never be too prepared for a new environment especially in a foreign land, and therefore must possess an ability to adapt and certainly a mindset that is ready for change.
Life in rural area is definitely slower in pace and, from my point of view, has a much lighter atmosphere in term of stress. People, from what I observe, adopt a more care-free lifestyle especially those living further from the urban area. Restriction or legal rules that pose a significant impact on our lives here tend to be less influential there. The factors that really affect people are rather cultures and social manners. Therefore, it was very important that we, the visitors have to have the basic understanding of their cultures or at least their values. For example, the practice of “giving face” proved to be very vital when dealing with the locals. I have come across this when dining with the local officials when I learnt that it is not very suitable to treat the host in China.
I also learnt to keep an open mind not only for the place but also the people and their behaviours which usually differ or sometimes can even be seen as not so socially acceptable if based on our own context. Therefore, one preparation that I believe necessary for the visitors is that we must travel without a prejudice or our tendency to judge others. It is important for a visitor to understand that it is impossible for us to change their way of thinking or even practices. There is also a question to the values that is used to judge their practices. What is wrong for us might be right for them vice versa. One example is the smoking issue which is socially undesirable here but is indeed a norm in Yunnan. Hence, we are not able to point out certain things and state that it’s wrong simply because our values say so. We can only point out how we think or explain our “belief” to them which hopefully would prove beneficial to them in the case that we want to interfere. What I learnt to do is also to try to understand the reasons or at least the factors that affect their practices. This I believe will help us in adapting and make us learn new things at the same time.
Another thing that surprised me was the locals’ reaction to our presence. It seemed to me that it was not only us who were ignorant and curious about the other party. I have to admit went to the Yunnan with the expectation of seeing something different or even strange. However, as it turned out, as much as I have seen something different, I was also seen as something different or even deviant by the people there. From this I learnt to be humble and rid of the mentality that we are superior to the people there, including those that we are helping.
Lastly, it was my personal reflection to the issue of helping the people there that was triggered by the recce trip. My initial mentality towards the project is that we are going there to learn and gain experience. I did not fully believe that we could make an impact to those we are helping. However, upon seeing the people there and how well they embrace our help, I must say that it was very inspirational and I felt that we have to make a difference. I was told by a person that although our project’s direct impact might not be very large especially in the long run, we still can act as a catalyst for further improvement, bringing the problems to the larger pictures of other organisation or even the local authority. From this, I learn that it is crucial for the team to first believe that they can make a difference before they can give their full support and effort to the project.

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Ms Azyanti
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