Cross Cultural Experience

stomach in 2010 when I was still a student at capital of Singapore Polytechnic, I was fortunate decorous to be given the opportunity to serve my Internship at the Royal Bank of Scotland (IRS). I must emphasize, that the 6 months spent was one of the most memorable life be intimate I cast had. Personally It exposed my eyes to what Ill call the real working environment, as the previous jobs I held were mainly serving as an patron in retail (part- date).I termed it real working experience because the housemanship also offers me the chance to work in Hong Kong. At the grow of 18, the opportunities given were more than could ask for and certainly the experience and lessons learnt had an Impact on me until to twenty-four hour period. The Internship provided me the opportunity to work beneath two disparate supervisors. I give the bounce remember them vividly as they atomic number 18 both different in terms of their leadership and yes, culture-wise as rise up.The first supervisor was Mr. Christopher Kim, head of Middle Office for Asia pacific region. Mr. Christopher comes from Korea, and in my opinion Is someone who speaks his mind and puts his ideas across well. To put it bluntly, he expects subordinates to imply with his instructions unless in that location is a better alternate solution. He sets high expectations, even on work placement students bid myself. One of the cultural etiquette that I noticed about Mr. Christopher Is that he was always punctual.In fact, never once have I fitn him report late for work. Came to beneathstand from colleagues that he would be in office earlier by an hour every work day. One of the first few ground rules set for me as an confine is to be punctual, unless for valid reasons of course. As a head of department, Mr. Christopher certainly proved himself to be a goodness role model for others to look up to. In my pollen, he had on him the strict and stern appearance, which inevitably makes me live afraid to talk to hi m.A month into the internship, I got a surprise when received an email from him complimenting me for Job well done on one of the task he had assigned. This humble demonstration of appreciation led me to see the good side of Asian culture ? treating raft with sincerity. Looking back, culturally Mr. Christopher like most easternmost Asian nations practices hierarchy within an organization where someone in a higher rank or post usually commands greater authority amongst his lower peers. Respect is meeting that Is valued highly and this chamberpot be seen evidently In Mr. Christopher.As a leader of the department, he would organize group meeting semiweekly to check on the status of each individual in a bid to ensure everyone keeps up with the measure and to go through integrated within the squad. Work aside, he encourages team bonding through candid dinner and drinks every once In a while. 2 months Into the Internship, I was transferred to a project team as additional manpower w as needed meet deadlines. My new supervisor is an Australian by the pull in of Miss Us-Ling Regress, who takes on the role of Senior Business Analyst in the bank.As a Singapore brought up in a Chinese family, I was taught since young to respect elders and to obey Instructions without questioning. Working under Miss Us-Long helped me to comprehend the meaning of cultural differences, as she had a very different approach compared to 1 OFF Mr. Christopher. The deterrence in approach probably stems trot near cultural upbringing, which encourages free purpose and self-involvement at work to be more independent in learning. Miss Us-Ling with her consultative style of anxiety gives me the impression of being approachable and easy to talk to.Unlike most Asians who adopt hierarchical structure, she brought about a direct style of communication which encourages an open debate of ideas. Anyone, no matter his/ her position is encouraged to transmit during discussions and Miss Us-Ling is he art-to-heart to all of them. Her good man-management skills rubbed off the whole team and even as an intern I can see and feel the strong team spirit fostered. For instance, most members have no qualms working additional hours on some days if deadlines are needs to be met urgently.As opposed to Asians, she encourages immunity of beech where challenging of ideas in meetings are not seen as disrespectful as long as it leads to acquiring the Job done efficiently and effectively. More importantly, she does not see herself in any way greatest to her subordinates. I got the biggest surprise 4 months into the internship when I was informed I have the opportunity to travel to Hong Kong for work. The time spent in Hong Kong enabled me to grow as an individual, since it was the first time I traveled alone. I utilise to think that Gingersnaps are always indulged in work they hardly have time for themselves.However, Hong Kong changed my perspective. Very a good deal like Singapore, Hong Kon g is a hustle and bustle city where everyone can hardly stop their pace for a moment. In the morning while going to the train station for work, I was amazed that the walking pace of the people in Hong Kong is even faster than in Singapore. I had an experience once whereby on a rainy day, a woman carrying an umbrella on the opposite direction almost walked her umbrella through my reflexion because she was apparently shorter and only focus on the road aheadOtherwise, culturally people have Confucianism root where decisions made by management are seldom contested as they are seen as raw and disrespectful. . 2. NATIONAL SERVICE In a multi-cultural Singapore, National Service is a period of unique experience for all Gingersnaps, as it bonds all of us together as one. I was enlisted to the Home Team Academy, Singapore Police Force. During this period of my life, I learnt to appreciate and respect the culture norms of the different races.NSA not only candid my eyes to the different cult ure among races, it also taught me the culture of an order and regimental lifestyle, where teamwork is often highlighted as they severalise to solving problems. The 9 months of training taught me to adapt to changes and live together ruinously. Often, people are not receptive to change and are usually bonded by friends of similar culture, and NSA is there to help rectify the problem of favorable integration. Besides the Chinese, the Malay Muslims form the majority of the cohort in my training batch.Of course the minority the Indians and Eurasiatic are part of it as well. Living together for about 9 months taught me quite a blank bit on Malay culture I would never have come to know if not for NSA. For instance, the Malay Muslims have to pray 5 times a day, and that they have to go through a month of fasting before their new year. In adapting to one another, the rest would ensure there is unemotional when they are conducting their prayers and the rest would also practice sensit ivity during fasting month, such as not consuming food in their presence.I have also come to understand the Malay language, although I am not able to speak it dulcetly. Currently, in order to gain some experience while studying, I employ to become a brand ambassador at the Duty-Free Shop in the airport selling tobacco and alcohol. This Job provides me with the opportunity to meet people from all over the world. Each work day opens my eyes to different culture as customers from different surrounds impart walk into the shop and purchase craft free items. One of the most frequent visitors we have in Singapore is the Chinese (Pres).My time in UDF enabled me to see that the Chinese has very big spending power and their purchase is often linked to face. They often snap up the exclusive items that are not available in their domestic market as having them signifies their wealth and status. This is an opinion agreed upon by the Chinese colleagues as well 2. 0. CONCLUSION From the humble experiences I have in life, I feel it is essential to appreciate other culture of the different people we meet along the way.We should all respect and embrace the culture norms of each individual as this will not only enable us to grow as a person, but also allows us to understand that the way one behave or act could actually stem from an upbringing that are different from us. Amidst the online saga where people are posting rude/inflammatory remarks about other cultures, I feel that this is all a result of cultural misunderstanding. We should all take a step back and consult upon ourselves, and seek first to understand the situation before pointing the finger at others. Only then can we achieve peace and live together harmoniously as