during my 2 and a half days stint as a volunteer with SIF's 1st International Service Learning Conference, things noted--

1) got to use a video camera daily and fancied myself as a director. Shiok!

2) Mr Yong, from Cambodia and president of the Khmer Youth Organisation spoke about why his organisation is a worthy bridge between the government and the grassroots because it has always been transparent in its dealings. which is a refreshing breath of air from the usual corruption so rampant in his country. i am so bred with the notion that singapore is a righteous and politically stable nation that i never stop to consider how life would be like if it weren't so. yet another thing that i have taken for granted about S'pore

3) Dr Tan, a doctor who has been doing humanitarian work in Yunnan, mentioned about how community leaders would rather that he build health clinics rather than invest efforts in training village doctors. but he nonetheless carried on with his work. he elaborated on how important it is to equip people with skills so as to ensure continuity.

for someone who has been on two construction projects (kinda) and has always thought of construction as a vital component of the move-away-from-poverty process, you can imagine just how stunned and foolish i felt

4) when asked how he could find it within himself to uproot his entire family to Yunnan and indirectly forgoing his children's educational prospects in S'pore, Dr Tan said, "the Singapore education system is good, (brief but significant pause ) not the best. there are good educational systems elsewhere too"

then acknowledging an indian speaker, he continued, "in fact, my wife thinks that the schools in india are very good. well, at least they teach proper grammar there" (to wild applause and laughter from the audience)

Hilarious.

5) Dr Tan explaining his reason for undertaking volunteer work, "I am a PSC scholar. I feel obligated to contribute back to society" (or words to such effect)

after meeting a few my-gosh-you-are-so-disgusting-i-dont-wanna-be-associated-with-you!! PSC scholars, i felt humbled and invigorated by his statement. I salute you, man! (though technically i am a MOE scholar now. but i wanna be associated with Dr Tan!)

6) example of prosocial behaviour--a speaker delivering a topic on terrorism remarked on how there is an increasing trend for petty crime in Vietnam.

1st Vietnamese student (from ASEAN fellowship program) took to the stand and asked the speaker to elaborate on his point because he felt that Vietnam is a safe country and that the presence of such remarks will give people the wrong ideas

speaker tried to pacify by saying how the rate of petty crime in Vietnam is way below the rates in more developed countries in Europe. Just that such a trend does exist. Also pledged assurances that Vietnam is a safe country and that in fact, he has just enjoyed a holiday there last year

after some time...

2nd student asked if speaker agrees that vietnam is a safe country, then where's the basis for such remarks. also asked if speaker could retract his comment from his slides

speaker justified his comment by saying that in Ho Chi Minh, there is indeed such a trend. more assurances about why Vietnam is a safe destination for both tourists and businessmen

intense session huh? this is exactly the kind of behaviour YEP hopes that we will exhibit man!! will the ordinary Singaporean have done likewise though? and it pleased me immensely to see how patriotic these top Vietnamese students are.

to conclude,

fantastic conference, with renowned speakers delivering their lectures with spunky wit and humour. i have gotten too used to stuffy boring old Chem lecturers. sigh sigh

i love Vietnam! if there's anything that will make me take on a third project, it will be because it is based in Vietnam. it's silly, ridiculous even when you consider that there's so much of the world that i havent explored and yet i am returning so bloody often to Vietnam! but i can't help it. ha!:P