I've been in Tilburg for exactly 3 days so far, and I'm lovin' every single second of it. I know it's extremely cliché to hear every exchange student saying this-- it's so chill here. But here's the thing, even the European exchangers are saying that, so.... I suppose Tilburg is especially chill?
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I've spent the past 6 days in the most delightful city- the energetic London city that never sleeps. Rather ironic that I'm typing this in my bunk bed, with a fellow snorer directly below me. But, I digress. So, where to begin?
I've always wanted to travel to London for the most magnificent Gothic architecture. I was intrigued about this city the first time I saw the Elizabeth Clock Tower (Fun fact: Many refer to the clock tower as the "Big Ben", but "Big Ben" in fact refers to only the bell in the clock tower.) I was also amazed by the red telephone booth that contrasted against the Gothic styled buildings. Having finally come to London after so many years, what blew me away was not the architecture at all, but the people. Now don't get me wrong, the architecture is marvellous. But having come to Europe many times prior, my marvel towards architecture has decreased. Rather, it is the people of London that has wowed me. I've been to many cities (from Asian ones like Singapore, European ones like Rome, Stockholm, Frankfurt, to American ones like Los Angeles and San Francisco), but none of them are as diversed as the city of London. London is not only diversed, but it seems like its the one of the few cities with so much diversity but is able to live in peace and harmony together. I have seen so many interracial couples here, having mixed babies. I have seen so many people of different races being harmonious, it boggles my mind how everyone loves each other. While the 6 days here is obviously not completely representative of the culture here, I'm merely jotting down my thoughts and opinions on what I've observed. I've not felt like a victim of racism here, nor have I felt unsafe in this city. It's really nothing short of amazing. While there are certain similarities between Singapore, my home country, and London, I think there is much room for improvement for Singapore. For instance, Singapore claims to be a harmonious multicultural society. However, I still feel there is not much representation in Singapore, especially for non-Asians, such as the Hispanics and the Africans. While I do understand the constraints for the lack of representations in Singapore, I do hope Singaporeans become more receptive to such foreigners. Many a times, while taking the taxi in Singapore, the taxi-uncles would complain about the problem of foreigners. While it is almost instinctive to divide "us" vs "them/foreigners", I think everyone needs to take a step back and look at the big picture. Talking about the specifics would take all day but in general, there is much foreigners can offer us and vice versa, and migration is the way forward. Something I learnt on this trip, while talking to people of different colours (I've talked to my first Nigerian, Saudi Arabian and Brazilian. It's crazy how my circle of friends all belong to the same social class and ethnicity that I'm kind of just living in my own bubble) -- Everyone is more or less the same. Everyone wants to be healthy, happy and wants to feel loved. The reason why we have a certain perception towards various types of groups is probably a result of their government/societies, and we shouldn't judge individuals based on that potentially erroneous insight. In other words, don't put a label on people. That's all for now. Time to sleep. Cheers lads! |
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