To me, Socio-Economic studies was completely foreign and unheard of, but I was really interested in knowing more about this subject, a subject that is finally special and different from the usual few. Perhaps, I could get something much more valuable out of it.
But unfortunately, I missed the first 2 lessons of SES due to competition, and now I am a little lost about the whole syllabus and grading process. However, I have started on the first lesson on Cultural Intelligence already! Fortunately, the content is put up on the web.
After reading through the 2 articles and going through the survey myself, I begin to realise that indeed, cultural intelligence is important in this growing economy we are all trying so hard to stay at the top of. Perhaps all these while, I have not been observant enough to notice this need, the need to be able to understand people of different cultures, how important it is to respond in the right way when among a group of people of different ethnic cultures. All of these ideas and thoughts came into my mind and I began to ask myself how successful I was as a person in terms of cultural intelligence.
As the articles revealed interesting information slowly yet excitingly, my attention was caught. I was surprised at the statistics provided about companies experiencing rise in profits as their employees take the Cultural Intelligence test and undergo methods to increase their Cultural Intelligence. It has once again reminded me that we are no longer confined to this space of our own, even as it is presented so in our classroom. Learning to interact with people of all races, not people in our classrooms, nor in our school, nor in Singapore, is highly important. How we carry ourselves, what we say, and even how we say it, these things determine whether a deal would be signed or thrown into the bin.
Another article illustrated this point once more by giving an example of a politician trying to earn the votes of Hispanics for his election by drawing some influential individuals to his side. It has hit me once more on the importance of garnering support not only from one's local side, but from one's foreign side as well. And I completely agree with a statement saying that cultural intelligence cannot be bought. Indeed, it is a set of technique, a set of knowledge that has to be sought for and worked for. Even so, I do not see why working hard for it would be a tiring thing. Instead, it could be something worth our time, trying to learn how to interact with people of our diverse world would be something useful and self-satisfactory. Wouldn't it?
I do not really think of it as gaining cultural intelligence to survive in the world, but rather, to live life better with the people around myself. I feel that instead of looking at the sum charts and profits all the time, just taking a step back would be good. Being able to interact with people of different ethnic culture around us well, being able to know their cultural habits and not having any pointless hostilities when with them, all of these would be good. If one day I were to be switched to another environment, and I could work out with the people around me amicably, I would be glad of myself as well! Perhaps, thats what we can work towards to!
SES to me is probably a road of self-discovery. I am looking forward to touching issues that can affect us in the future and are affecting us even right now. The topic on cultural intelligence is one of the topic that bears great importance but yet, have not caught my attention ever since I read the articles about it. I am looking forward to more of such topics, where I can learn about things that can help better myself as a student, or even just as a normal human, because I believe these are the things that are truly worth spending the time studying on. SES to me is similar to walking into a maze, and to me, this maze has no traps. The deeper I go, the more fun it gets. And I think that is the fun part about learning issues I never expected to learn. The thrill of learning is ever present.
Although I have missed the introductory lessons, I have roughly saw the guide on the internet and the whole layout of this programme. However fun it can be, I do acknowledge that the assessments are a little challenging. But I am willing to try out, the research papers and the speech assessment as well. They bring about a whole new requirement of different dynamics, not just writing or memorising content anymore. It is something different, and maybe my results will sway a little, but I believe that the experience gained would be something new as well. And learning is about gaining new things, not repeating the old again and yet again.
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