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Students came back from 2017 Winter Singapore Visit Program

Time : 2017-05-22
  On February 12th Sunday, Ms. Catherine Low delivered us an impressive speech about ING Banking and some experiences of her career. As a student study in finance, her speech gave me an image about banking industry. “BIG DATA” is the word really impressed me because it can collect all the information of ING’s clients and calculate out some chart for decision in the future. Actually I am also doing some big data visualization job in my third year in Shantou university and I feel it will be potential after I knew big data can be used in many areas.
  In the evening, we went to china town, I felt familiar with it, familiar with the chaos, the dirty, and I heard a couple from shanghai said china town is the most dirty place in SG. What they said let me feel a little bit upset but sill know our country need a long way to go and improve.
 
  On February 13th Monday, we went to Botanic Garden and saw a lot of tropical plants. We didn’t see any trash or litter on the ground and that is impossible in china but I really saw this happened in Singapore. Because Singapore is in tropical climate and Botanic Garden has flourish oxygen so we also saw many foreigners were doing some fitness there. It is a healthy life style.
  At noon, we went to Subway and got a speech from Mr. Raphael Chan who is the Director of Subway in Singapore. He told us the process how he started a new franchise and the payback period of his franchise is about 3 years. Mr. Raphael is so patient and hardworking, he would check every details like people traffic, location, employees training and so on to make sure everything in order before launching a new franchise.  It must take a lot of energy. We are supposed to learn from him if we want to be successful like him. Anyway, Subway lunch is tasty.
  In the afternoon, we visited Farrer Park Company and Dr. Peng Chung Mien introduced his integrated private hospital which gather some famous private doctors from here and there in Singapore and they share the public advanced equipment together. This conception of hoteling hospital is unique and it can release the pain of patient by the comfortable environment. High quality and not that high price, it is a double winning. We also knew that Dr Peng Chung Mien contributed himself to charitable enterprise to do more sponsor for society. Very impressive.
  In the evening, we went to BCYC to communicate with the representatives of Singapore youth. We talked about education system, cultural differences and political system between China and Singapore. The most impressive man to me is John who is the same age as me but now he is studying in Beijing University and he also works for Singapore government to translate some Chinese government white book. He told us he started to do part-time jobs when he was 16 and he did well in studying with a lot of scholarship even from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Every question he answered, every sentence, every word coming out of his mouth is charming, convincing, mature and persuasive.
  Another thing I can not forget is that Singapore government put so much weight on education and is thirst after talents. Singapore’s education system is totally different from us. After graduating from secondary school, they have three choices to dig out where your interest is and the youth also have chance to change their major if they really don’t like it. These two years give them a buffer area to think, to experience, to make mistake and then finally pick one interest up for their future prospect and happily go to university to fight for it. In China, we are not that lucky, before going to college, the only thing we are concerned about is College Entrance Examination(CEE), we don’t need to consider about any interest or any talents inside of our body, we just do a lot practices and examinations to get a high score. After CEE, most of us felt confused and empty because most of us didn’t know where our interest is, what those majors in university look like. So most of us felt regret on our major we chose before but we still need to finish it for our future prospect. I felt a little bit jealous to the youth in SG. However, I knew I need to obey the need of my heart and follow my interest to learn more relevant to it by self-learning online. That will not be a problem. We are not lucky as the youth in SG, but we can pursue the life we want by our own efforts!
 
  On February 14th Tuesday, we had breakfast at Tekka Market where basically offering Indian food and I could not get used to the way Indian eat pancakes. Their thumbs, forefingers and middle fingers are stained with jam, it looked not that sanitary but I gradually respect their way eating and became more cultural inclusive. Their way in eating is a habit and it didn’t mean they are wrong or I’m right, it just a culture differences. So I am becoming more and more inclusive after this breakfast. To respect others and accept others.
  After breakfast we went to visit Singapore public transport government. SG government is full with elites and smartest people, they came up with numerous methods to deal with traffic problems like limited licenses, advanced public transport system and so on. At first SG wanted to obey the rules of market and let private cooperation operate transport system but business is business, and the price become unaffordable for civilians in SG so government intercepted into the market and take back the control on transport system. They design subway and bus network not just for the center areas but also for remote districts with affordable price to public. Everything keeps in order.
  In the afternoon, we headed to Singapore’s Urban Renewal – URA City Gallery and knew the trace how SG developed in last 50 years and now it is a developed and advanced country leading all over the world in technology. One view I felt impressed is that the history in 1980s in SG is similar with the situation now in China including the building, the city problem, education issue and something else. It means in some areas in China especially in my hometown Shantou, we are experiencing the comparable in 1980s in SG. We can learn from it, learn how to be better and solve the problem currently.
  Then we met Mr. Ricky Sim, who is the CEO of Sunchest property. He shared some successful men careers with us and encouraged us to be hardworking, confident, and more willing to interact with people all over the world. Networking is important. The quote from successful men Ricky delivered to us is useful and oriented.
 
  On February 15 Wednesday, we went to visit Singapore’s National Water Management Strategies and felt so surprised that how SG treasure every drop of water, how SG recycle all the sewage in high-tech. they used vivid media like video to introduce their ideals and conceptions. All of those are striking.
  In the afternoon, we went to HDB public housing program. According to Dennis’s talking, we understoodit that every Singaporean can have a public house with a low price because of the support policy from SG government. This great policy makes sure every Singaporean can have a shelter but not be homeless.
  In the evening, Ms. Ho Kah Yin who is the CFO of Acorn Asia at No.1 Queen Street. She firstly asked our major and future plan. She told us she hated his university accounting teacher and she didn’t learn anything from him so she thought she should be a teacher to benefit more student correctly and she made it. She also shared some storied happened in her hotel career, she never complained and treated every difficulty and disaster as opportunities to learn new knowledge which become very useful and helpful in her future career because she knew how to operate a company in total. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.
 
  On February 16 Thursday, we went to NUS and Dr. Tan Lai Yong asked us why should we go to university? That question is really astonishing. Most of us related job and future prospect to it but that is wrong exactly. Dr. Tan quit his job and spent 15 years in Xishuangbanna, China to help village doctor improve their medicinal skill. He said he want to help the poor and needy and this is his life goal. We should find our life goals out and try to finish it. Dr. Tan also said every 5-7 years he will quit his job and keep learning new knowledge by being a student like us. How humble and modest he is! We should also keep learning during our whole life. Never end.
 
  The last thing I want to share its DICS test, the speaker is so humorous and he caught all my attention from beginning to end. I knew more about myself that I’m a SI person with a low D which means I’m not decisive enough sometimes hesitate too much on something. So I know how should I adjust myself.
 
  At last, very grateful to Dennis, he is also a human being like us and not that young anymore. He leaded us to everywhere just in order to do some change on us. Changing our mindset, training our teamwork spirit, broaden our eyesight and so on. Dennis is patient, responsible, warm-hearted and also energetic. Without him, we even don’t know what is the difference between China and the world outside. He gave us a chance to know our country still has a lot of handicaps and potential. We should be the person like him to affect and change the people around you to let them become better. I want to be the first one. Three words in my mind, “Integrity, Teamwork, Change”.


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