The Debrief

Today we concluded our trip as officially over. Some of us have learnt a lot, some less, but we would agree that for many issues, it was really an eye-opener when we experience the culture as it is for ourselves. Being immersed in the different cultures around the world has let us think about our self identity as "Chinese".

One of the things that struck me during the course of the summer programme is how communities around the world view Chinese culture. This very definition of culture is a rather difficult question in itself - What makes a Chinese, Chinese? Is it appearance? Or language? Or the customs and traditions? Or common beliefs? How do we identify ourselves as Chinese? Are we losing our self-identity? Can this change be stopped or reversed? These are all difficult questions that will stay on with us. This trip is not the conclusion or answers to our questions. Instead, it serves as a platform for us to discover new questions to ask.

This is the most important learning from the trip... For many times, it is not the answer to the question that is important, but rather, if the question itself is the right one to ask.