I was born and raised in Vietnam. At the age of fourteen Ileft my comfort zone to do to Singapore on an ASEAN scholarship to pursue mydream of a better education (Parke’s note: the government of Singapore providesfull scholarships to attend secondary school for top students from around theregion. The students are academically gifted.) Not only has this place taughtme to become an independent young adult but also shaped my thoughts toappreciate and make the best use of the diversity around me.
Being the youngest child in my family I was used to beingtake care of by my parents. When I first moved to Singapore I found it hard tomanage everything on my own. No matter how simple or difficult the problem was,as a young girl, I had never found it easy to make decisions. It had neverstruck me how doing my own laundry could be so complicated, or how makingcollege decisions could be such a gigantic task. With lots of lessons learnedin hard ways I have learned to be more independent and mature.
The learning process could have been bumpier were it not formy friends who stayed with me in times of need just like my support group back home.The only difference here was that my friends in Singapore came from far morediverse backgrounds with different races, cultures and languages. As my lifehas been spiced up with interesting individuals around me, I learned how to bemore racially sensitive as well as culturally appreciative.
Singapore has given me more than an excellent education. Ithas trained me to become an independent adult to get ready of any challengeslife might bring to me. It has also taught me to see life through differentangles by embracing diversity.
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