I started experiencing true cultural exchange when I cycled around Kaohsiung by myself in Taiwan, stopping to observe the roadside hawkers, speaking to an elderly by the Fisherman’s wharf, and cycled with the population to feel what it means to be a Taiwanese. I got no trouble navigating in a new land, I got a good command of Chinese but without the warmth and friendliness of Taiwanese, and the spontaneous trust they gave to strangers who approached them, I wouldn’t be able to explore much of Taiwan. I was lost in Ximending trying to locate a famous noodles stall, along the way every single stranger I spoke to gave me lots of directions and help. I was very touched. As I reflect, the culture of keenness in sharing and helping others developed myself – I was very introverted about sharing my personal interests, hobbies, ambitions and goals - but the culture in Taiwan got me opened up more courageously to people around me.
India – No camera-day
Before I went to Developing a keen sense of observance to the streets, buildings, architectures and trying to find a reason why. Most of the time I would be fascinated by the reason.
To me, experiencing cultural differences is one thing, what matters to me more is how I make this experience a part of me. I went to STEER India and witnessed that some of the biggest corporations started at grassroot level, without government provisions. They are successful because they are led by their own people – social enterprise AMUL (Ahmedabad Milk Union Limited) elected its Board of Directors from the farmers who reared and milked the buffalo. They were able to self organise and develop rapidly without government control. Drawing a parallel to my experiences in working on projects, sometimes efficient management need not involve an external agent/ project manager to control every single step, right from the start, it’s more important to place the leadership onto the group of people who feels the most ownership of the products/ services delivered. For AMUL, it’s the farmers who milked the buffalos that have a stake in the organisation because all the milk products are derived from their hardwork.
