(Half-)Packaged Tour

View from top of Dong Shan aka East Mountain














Beach at the east coast of Hai Nan


Intercultural scenarios are most experienced during traveling, when you are the “outsiders” of the foreign land. It is common that with the development of the tourism industry, many locals “exploit” this opportunity by selling their souvenirs at a much higher price, or swarming to tourists to promote their merchandise.

Our family went to Hai Nan Island for vacation few days ago. When we touch down Hai Kou (the capital city of Hai Nan), we booked a 2-day packaged tour at a local tourist agency. The package was supposedto cover all of our meals, transportation and entry tickets to scenic destinations. They even claimed that we did not have to prepare any more money during the tour.

But… it turned out to be absolutely not true.

At every destination we went, we had to pay additional money in order to get the full experience. If we refuse to pay and participate, they will become slightly unfriendly to us. For example, we have to pay for the cable car in Dong Shan Ling (The East Mountain), if not you need to climb all the way up to the mountain; for the VIP guest service at the Li ethnic village, which only then you can see their houses, eat their specialty food and take pictures with them, etc.

Our family felt cheated, as the things that had been promised were not given. One of them felt so disappointed and claimed to not go back to the country again.

For me, I believe there is a different level of emphasis on honesty between us. My Malaysian family believed that honesty was very important, while the tour agency obviously did not believe so. This may be their working culture, of which even all the consumers may already have been aware of that.

There is no right or wrong though, these are just differences in perspectives. When we say “Why can they be so dishonest?”, they can also do the same by asking, “Why can they be so naïve?”

P.S.: Hai Nan is not bad! Located at the same latitude as Hawaii, she has many HOT stuffs to offer, like the dead volcanoes where you can walk on them, the hot weather, the hot springs and the hot beaches!! Our Hainanese chicken rice is their Wen Chang chicken 文昌鸡, they looked and tasted a bit similar.

Are YOU doing it?

Introduction
Green campaigns are gaining momentum in NUS. Now our campus printers print double-sided print-outs by default and our air-conditioners are set to a default energy-saving temperature of 25^oC, thanks to the campaigns by NUS Campus Sustainability and NUS Students Against Violation of the Earth (SAVE).

However, are these campaigns bringing any effects on the actual daily life of the students? Do the students reduce their frequency in taking away food? Or reuse the blank side of every paper before bringing it to the recycle bin? If not much effect has been brought on, what are the obstacles in cultivating these ‘green’ habits?

To understand the views and actions of NUS students, a survey is crucial to collect the information. NUS students are focused as the subjects in this study, rather than the general public of Singapore. This is because they represent a group of people with many years of academic education and they will soon move in to society after graduation.

Problem statement
The objective of this research study is to determine how effective the green campaigns are in NUS on improving the ‘green’ habits of NUS students.

Purpose statement
The objective of this report is to identify the opportunities and challenges on establishing ‘green’ habits in NUS students, so that more effective actions can be taken by the campaign leaders.

Research question
1. Are NUS students aware of the green campaigns both in campus and outside campus?
2. Are there any changes in habits on recycling after knowing these campaigns? Why?

Sample questions
1. What are the green campaigns in NUS that you are aware of?
2. From where did you get to know these campaigns?
3. After coming in contact with these campaigns, how often do you bring your own food container when ordering for a take-away?