My local service, Memoirs of a Pioneer Generation has provided me with an opportunity to develop areas of personal growth and use my strengths. In this service, I have to talk to elderly Singaporeans and learn about how their lives have been impacted by the changes Singapore has gone through. At the end of this service, I will have to write an article about one of the elders.
Writing is one of my strengths, I have always enjoyed expressing my ideas through the written word. However, one major component of this service is communication. Most of the elders speak Chinese, Malay or Tamil; English is not common. This proves difficult for me because English is my first language and I can’t speak any of the aforementioned dialects. However, this communication barrier forces me to come up with more creative ways of communicating with the elders. Instead of phrasing my questions, I have to act them out and make use of the little English that they know and the little Malay and Chinese that I know. Communication, especially verbally, has always been a challenge for me as it is outside of my comfort zone. However, these few weeks have made me step out of my comfort zone and practice communicating in unfamiliar environments.
My first few weeks participating in this service have already allowed me to use my strengths, such as writing. Many of the elders’ stories are detached and missing details which can be challenging since my end goal is to write about them. However, in the long run, these challenges will help me further develop my writing skills as I will have to find a way around these missing details.
I found this really interesting, because your comments on the difficulties of language barriers are very accurate! I agree that innovative methods of communication are an important skill when living in an international community and sharing a connection with them. It can be very hard at first but I think it is great that you are stepping outside your comfort zone and communicating your messages in more unconventional methods! I look forward to seeing how you develop your communication methods in the future.