Assignment 6: Hidden In The City, Yet In Clear View
My group members consist of Yi Jun, Pei Yu and I. The foreign workers who are working with us are Shahin, Soriful and Alal Miah. In this final project, we worked on creating our very own designed notebooks and conducted a Chinese-Bengali language exchange session with the foreign workers at HealthServe.
Let’s begin by watching the video!
1. Write a narrative of how your idea developed. (Begin by giving some response to the 1st dance and games night)
From the first dance and games night, we have fun with the foreign workers. Some of the foreign workers are very good dancers. We talked, danced and played with the foreign workers. When we first stepped the HealthServe, we noticed that there is a small whiteboard outside the room. “English class” is written on the whiteboard. We believe that they have attended the English class before our first night there. We are able to communicate using English language with them. Hence, we thought of teaching them some basic Chinese characters, which we think it might be useful for them in a daily basis. Since they are working here in Singapore, learning and speaking a bit of Mandarin would be an advantageous to them. This is how our idea of a language exchange session begins and thus, our idea for this final project is developed.
2. What about our meet-ups and the conversations you had created the interest in the area you ended up researching? Use your documentation photos etc.. to explain this process.
At first, we were not very certain on whether a language exchange session would be a good approach for us to work on. But after the second meet-up where we all go for dinner together, when we were eating, we chatted about all sorts of things from families to food and their cultures. Somehow, we find it a little difficult to understand what they are saying, hence from there, we want to learn their language to understand them and their world better. This will enable them to communicate with their fellow Chinese friends.
3. Discuss your exchange with the foreign workers.
The foreign workers were enthusiastic in learning Chinese. In the beginning, they were a little shocked when we asked them whether they are interested in learning Chinese. We persuaded them and they agreed eventually. We started our Chinese-Bengali language exchange class. In that one hour class, we learned basic words in both Chinese and Bengali language. We started with asking them to design their own notebook and explain what they are drawing. They were able to think of something to draw very quickly. Without any discussion between the foreign workers, all of them happened to draw their Bangladesh’s national flag. This is one thing that I am quite surprised about them. I can tell that they missed their home very much. As for me, I did not leave my home alone before so I cannot really know how difficult is it to leave home all by yourself and work in a complete unknown country with nobody you know. After this exchange session and all the meeting-ups with the foreign workers, I understand that home is really a precious place for everyone. We should not take things for granted, be it respectful to parents, maintaining our areas clean and many others.
4. How did you initially see the foreign workers? Did you even consider their experience before our meet-ups?
I would say I do not really know much about the foreign workers at first. I only know they are here to work and earn a living. Before this meet up, I have never thought of getting a chance to know more about them although they are working so hard to build a better Singapore. I knew their life here would be tough but before knowing them, I never knew that their living condition and accommodation would be so bad such as having 200 people to share 5 cubicles every single day, yet they are able to maintain the cleanliness of the toilets.
5. Along your journey what to, and when did you change your ideas/plans in response to what you learned/experienced or observed from contact with the foreign workers? Describe your response.
During our process of making the notebook for them, we discuss on whether we should make a blank notebook or simply just bring in the materials so that we, together with the foreign workers, would create our own notebook. In the end, in order to maximize the time, we make our own blank notebooks for them. We asked them to design the cover page of their notebooks. It can be their hobbies and any other things. We wanted to see what are the things they like, so that we can better communicate and interact with them. Each of them created their very own notebooks and were designed very beautifully. All of them, without discussing, draw their national flag on the cover page of the notebook. This shows how much they missed their home. When looking at the expression of the foreign workers drawing, they are very focused, I can tell that they enjoyed drawing very much. When we proceed to learning the Chinese words, they expressed their interest in learning. In that short one hour lesson, they are able to write and understand what are the words they are writing. I am pretty touched about this.
6. What new knowledge did you gain from the interaction with the foreign workers and the action you took executing your project?
After the interaction with the foreign workers, I have learned that I should not take things for granted. Learning for the basic even when you are in your worst situation. Only when you start to accept the situation, you may begin to learn new things and eventually, excel in it. As for me, I am quite an introvert person, I may sometimes be seen as an unfriendly person. Communication is one barrier which I always think I am not good in it. I tend to think too much before speaking up my mind. This led to many chances lost in my life. After working and executing this project, I learnt to speak up slightly more to strangers. I realised that when it comes to communication, language is such a minor thing to even think about it. I would start talking to the foreign workers working in my neighourhood.
7. What did you gain or what are the strengths/weaknesses/ differences & responses to learning that does not follow the conventional path of lecture/ tutorial and studio practice: learning by creating experiences beyond the classroom? a. how did you feel about creating a project where there was to clear path to follow–where you had to develop a unique path?
There are both advantages and disadvantages of not following the conventional path of lecture/tutorial and studio practice. The advantages are I would get more exposure to the outside world as this is not able to learn or teach in class. Interacting with people and listening to their real life stories and experiences is one thing that cannot be taught in class. There is no way anyone would live the same life as another person. Listening to other’s experiences and stories, can help me reflect back the things I did in the past. It will influence me in wanting and working on a better life in the future. However, as for the disadvantages, it is quite confusing in wanting to know the criteria for doing this project or any other future projects where there is no clear path to follow. I may eventually do something that is irrelevant for the project. When this really do happened, I would be panic and may bring in a not up to standard kind of work. Overall, this is a really interesting project to work on as it really depends on my creative and innovative to come up with different ideas to best suit the theme of this project.
