Every country has its own unique culture and values. Given the rising rate of global migration trend, more and more people of diverse cultures will be living together in the same society. Hence, it is essential for everyone to understand, appreciate and adapt to the various cultural behaviours in order for everyone to live in harmony. I consider myself fortunate as I have been to many countries and experience many different cultures before. The Youth Expedition Project trip to Laos last December was a fruitful one.
We were on a project to build a classroom for the children in one of the village. On the first day in the village, the village teacher was showing us around the village. We had a hard time understanding him as none of us knew Laotian language. We had to rely on one of the Singaporean facilitator, who is always not around, to help us translate.
When we started working on the building, due to our enthusiasm, we always worked fast and hard. Soon, we started to notice that the two Laotians that were initially working slowly also started to work faster to keep up with us. Then we remembered what our Singaporean facilitator told us, “Laos PDR, Please Don’t Rush”. We soon realised Laotians always take their time to work and get contented easily. Even though we were working to build a classroom in Laos, I felt so relax and carefree there.
Different cultures have different pace and ways of doing things. In future, it is very possible for us to be working with people from different cultures. Some of us might even be posted overseas to work. I believe it is vital for us to understand the working culture of the workplace and adapt quickly.
