Building Lifelong Friendships Through Cultural Interactions

A few months ago, I had the privilege of welcoming a batch of Taiwanese students to my class. There was great hubbub and chaos as they entered’ we hadńt been expceting them at first and our class was extremely eager for the opportunity to help and interact with Hebe students . At the back of my mind was the worry that they would be unhappy with our school or class, or that we would be unable to converse with them given the fact that their first language was Chinese, and that too traditional Chinese, not the simplified Chinese we speak here. I need not have worried. We were able to chat and communicate in a mix of Chinese and English— the English practice helped them and the Chinese practice us. They spoke English around our Indian and Malay friends, and Chinese around those of us who could speak it. We played a mix of Chinese and English Truth and Dare, Never Have I Ever, and other party games while a playlist of Chinese and English songs played in the background. We had common interests and bonded over things that crossed boundaries— from Taylor Swift to the best of Instagram reels. And at the end of the day we left with smiles on our faces. These exchange programs are not only opportunities for is to make new friends— they are windows into another culture. In Singapore it is so easy to forget that we are only a little red dot, that there is a whole world beyond us. And sometimes, we might even make a friend we will never forget. These experiences are opportunities that should be given to all of us, to experience and enjoy cultures, and to create bonds of a lifetime.

We might even make a friend we will never forget.