Evaluating Cultural Behavior

In my secondary school there were girls from different ethnic backgrounds; Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims and Christians. We all used to study, play and laugh together in harmony.

Eventually, we passed out from school and I applied to high school with the hope of entering college there after. However it was not the same case for my Muslim friends. I was receiving wedding invitations every month because they were getting married even before I finished high school. Among these young brides, was one of my best friends, Nazween. I could not imagine myself being married as young as 16 but Nazween who grew up with me and shared my books was about to become a wife already.

She was a charming bride and beneath her veil I saw her pretty face, smiling with joy. I must have actually expected her be in tears as I imagined her to be forced into this marriage by her parents. Then I shocked to see her husband, who was at least 30 years of age. How was she managing to show a happy face when she is being tied up to a man twice her age? This was turning my mind and I finally decided to talk to my friend.

I approached her slowly, wished her good luck and before I could ask anything, she understood my look. She smiled and said softly, “I know how strange all this must be to you, but this is how things happen in our families. I knew that marriage was the next step in life for me and I was not afraid to face it. Even though I saw him only a week before our wedding, I am sure that my parents are confident that he will take care of me. Girls must get married early in Muslim families otherwise it would be difficult to find suitors for them. Muslim men don’t really care for educated, matured women. I can’t imagine the tragic fate of an unmarried Muslim girl in our society”. She ended her note with a sigh of relief.

I was glad that I understood her. She had grown up in a family and a culture where values and norms were very different form ours. This whole event was strange to me since they didn’t happen in my culture. Nevertheless I was happy for my friend and hoped her all the best of luck for her new beginning in life.

Potential Research Project

With a vision of making Singapore Greener...



Singapore has a reputation for being a highly urbanized city state. However, from its limited land space, a large proportion is being consumed for the construction of buildings. Consequently, the space left for the growth of trees is quite small. I see Singapore as a concrete city and I believe that we should pay more attention to make it more green.

Do we make maximum use of the limited space that is left for trees in Singapore? How much thought does the younger generation give to the planting of new trees in Singapore? Is the youth aware of the consequences of a landscape which lacks in greenery? These are some of the issues we can address by consulting the opinions of the youth and evaluating their responses. Subsequently, all these questions boil down to one single research problem; Does the Singaporean youth show sufficient enthusiasm for a greener and healthier home?

In the context of this research project, we can learn the opinions from a selected sample of the Singaporean youth, (possibly the NUS Science faculty students) by conducting an attitudinal survey. This survey would give us an idea about the general attitude they have and also would enable us to make an evaluation about their level of understanding regarding the environment they live in.

Hypothetically I assume that the Singaporean youth does not pay much attention or interest to the environment being more or less green or how this situation would affect the air pollution in a highly industrialized country like theirs. The prime objective of this study would be to analyze the awareness of the Singaporean youth in the importance of growing more trees and make the optimum use of the space left for growth of trees. One other objective is to provide the youth with sufficient reasoning so that their awareness on the matter would be improved and they would be more enthusiastic in promoting greenery in Singapore. Thereby we might be able to convince the relevant authorities and join hands to initiate more environmental projects in Singapore.

Edited : 06-09-08

Thank you, dear Friends...

Thank you so much for your comments dear friends..:)
I really appreciate them..:) I'm pleased that you were able to understand the awkward situation I was in.

Now after getting an actual opportunity to relate it to the communication issues on an academic level, I realized the basis of the conflict more clearly.

I don't actually think I acted wisely to overcome my discomfort at that time; instead I let myself feel sad and alone. I totally agree with all of you that I should have spoken with my room mate. She would have listened to me and at least made things less awkward.

Actually Joyce, you were right..:) There were times when I thought I would betray my patience and speak up to her. If I did that, I would have regretted it later because the root of the problem was a communication barrier between us rather than a personal grudge. I would have made someone hate me if I had taken that option. So I am thankful to my tolerance level..:)

Once again thanks loads for taking the time to think of this..:)

Cheers..:)