This is the first of a three-part blog takeover series on the Resident Assistant (RA) Exchange Programme (RAEP). The RAEP was first launched in Sept 2014, with an aim to provide overseas exchange opportunities for deserving RAs, in a residential context. Selected RAs are expected to give back to their community in the form of large-scale residential projects upon return from the week-long programme. The inaugural run in Sept 2014 kicked off in the City University of Hong Kong. In Sept 2015, the programme established a new exchange partner, La Trobe University, in Melbourne, Australia. The programme took place from 21 to 27 September 2015.
Hello! My name is Hong, and I’m a Resident Assistant with Prince George’s Park Residences 1.
“It might sound a bit insane but guess what? I am selected for the RA Exchange Programme to La Trobe University in Melbourne!” – That was my text to, literally, everyone, after I found out I was selected.
Why was I so excited about it? Because I was so eager to learn and exchange ideas. My wise dad once told me: “Everything you do is a learning journey”, and if that’s the case, RAEP was going to be one of my greatest learning journeys ever. I wanted to make full use of this opportunity to improve myself, and to give back to the residential community.
It’s always about passion & the people
And so the journey began! In short, it was INSPIRING – because of all the people we met. I’ll just touch on two of the most memorable people (at least to me) here.
With Ms Ali Norton, Residential Education Coordinator at La Trobe University
One of the most important people we met was Ms Ali Norton, a Residential Education Coordinator, in-charge of Health and Wellbeing at La Trobe… That was a mouthful. In short, she is like the mother to the residential community at La Trobe, where she looks after the residents’ wellbeing. It was very interesting listening to Ali sharing about her programmes and events that promote a healthy and homely residential life. She was so passionate about student engagement and development, and very keen on learning new ways even from us, to contribute to the residential community.
With Mr Sam Fualau, Residential Education Coordinator at La Trobe University
We also met Sam Fualau, another Residential Education Coordinator, working on Social Engagement at La Trobe. Basically, he is the man who initiates fun and engaging events, with international students as one of his key audiences. Fun fact: he’s an international staff himself, all the way from New Zealand! (The Haka, anybody?) His passion in turning the boring dorms into a second home for students was contagious; he is always present during events, just to make sure that students are having a fun time.
It just so happened that our exchange week also coincided with one of their biggest events that semester! There were food trucks, caricature stations and free drinks in the back yard of one of their colleges. There were even magicians and jugglers! Students were enjoying their hot dogs, having a good laugh, dancing to music, chatting with their friends. I enjoyed every minute of this festive yet casual event, even though I was just an exchange student (for a week!). It makes me think about how we can recreate this back in NUS too.
Besides Ali and Sam, obviously we met many other people as well, and one common thread that stood out to me amongst all of them, be it a coordinator or a student leader, was passion. It’s really hard to get by without passion in residential life.
In summary
Saying that I’ve learnt much from this exchange programme, is an understatement. Despite the fact that our systems are different to some extent, our common goal remains: to create a vibrant residential community that enhances cross-cultural understanding and friendship, between students from all walks of life. If the community can produce sustainable and enriching programmes for our residents – even better. The exchange has further driven home to me that as a student leader, we need to constantly think out of the box to get more residents involved and informed. We must never settle with just maintaining the status quo, but to always give our best, even when the going gets tough. At the end of the day, it’s our residents’ happiness ultimately that matters (and then there’s the pesky little problem of balancing this responsibility with our studies too…).
I’ve got a long list of things – tangible and intangible – that I wish I could share blow-by-blow with you, but I shall keep it short and sweet here, so as not to bore all the blog readers. All in all, I’m just really thankful to have been part of this exchange programme and I really can’t wait to give back to the community! Watch out everyone – coming at you soon with all my ideas! 🙂
