Evaluating intercultural behavior

During the last school vacation, I went on a summer programme to Toronto. It was indeed an eye-opener for me as the culture between Canada and Singapore was really different. I remembered there was one time we visited a fast food restaurant over there and I asked politely for chili sauce after I noticed that chili sauce was not provided as was the norm in Singapore. The lady at the counter looked confused at what I had just said. I thought she might not have heard clearly what I had said, so I repeated my request slightly louder. Again, she can’t seem to understand. So, this time I said I wanted ‘hot sauce’, hopeful that she might understand. But again, to no avail, then I gave up, feeling a little pissed and annoyed that she cannot understand me after many repetitions. The lady looked apologetic. I returned to my seat with the tray of food without my comfort food, chili sauce. I realized ketchup and mustard seemed to be the only sauce that they ate.

With regard to this incident, I would think it could be a problem of difference in accent or the food culture. Westerners are generally not known to be fans of spicy food. Even the red chili there costs more. They might have been confused over why would anyone asked for chili sauce while I was confused over why would a fast food restaurant not provide any chili sauce. On the other hand, it could also be a problem of accent. I remembered I had to repeat my sentences on various occasions.

This incident showed that when communicating with people of different country and culture, we have to be patient and empathetic. Accents and pronunciation can indeed confuse listeners across culture despite a common language, moreover the difference in our food culture just adds on to the confusion in this situation.

Potential Research Topic

After reading an article about lack of sleep being a common problem among college students in the United States, I wonder if it spells true for NUS students too. In Singapore, official statistic showed that teenagers in Singapore are not getting enough sleep. Results from surveys and polls showed that the problem here was worse than in America. While about 9 per cent of American teenagers (aged 14 to 17) had at least 9 hours of sleep, only 2.6 per cent of Singaporean teenagers did so.

Apparently the importance of sleep is not well appreciated here. In NUS, students falling asleep in lectures are a common sight. How many times have we heard fellow schoolmates around us complaining that they are very tired and lethargic? More often than not, it’s the rushing of lab reports, projects, tutorials and tests the night before. The recommended hours of sleep time for the average adult is seven to eight hours. Not many are aware of the consequences that sleep deprivation can bring. The lack of sleep can in fact affect one’s intellectual performance, alertness, vigilance and many other problems. Hence, I would like to research on the average number of sleep hours that NUS Science undergraduates had per night. Research can include the activities that have occupied students’ sleep hours and their level of awareness about the problems of sleep deprivation. The general research question will be “Are NUS Science undergraduates having enough sleep and are they aware of the associated problems to lack of sleep? ”

A survey is needed to determine the average number of sleep hours that NUS Science undergraduates are having and the activities that have taken up their sleeping time. The latter is important, as it is crucial in identifying the causes and in deciding possible solutions for the problem. Survey can also help to identify students’ degree of awareness on the problems of lack of sleep.