Op-Ed: "Senator, I'm Singaporean"

Sometimes, distance does make the heart grow fonder. Doing university away from Singapore has created a mirror for many to look into and figure out what they miss about Singapore, and what they are thankful to have left behind.

Tai Ran is a graduating senior who only realised her seniority after sharing many of her experiences with younger Singaporeans, and realising how things don't change. Many of these experiences were funny, ironic, and much more complicated than words could express.

Hopefully, a comic narrated by her stream-of-consciousness, can walk you through some experiences and different snippets in time, and convey these comparative reflections about the Singapore education and examinations system, social diversity and harmony, elitism and privilege, and the ever-elusive Singaporean identity.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article are the writer’s own and are not representative of MAJU’s views. While we make every effort to ensure that the information we are sharing is accurate, we welcome any comments, suggestions, or corrections of errors.

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About the Artist: Tai Ran is a senior graduating from Harvard University, where she spends most of her time ballroom dancing and practicing kendo. She writes occasionally (ie. when she is not writing papers for her political science and history classes), and this is her first time presenting her thoughts in the form of a comic -- if you don't count the embarrassing stuff that can never see the light of day that she drew since she was 5.

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