when you have exchange students in class...

1. Beware the use of singlish

monday class
Mr Policeman-lecturer: you know the chambermaids at ritz carlton, they are not just any ah soh you know...
X student: Sir...
Mr P: oh! ah soh is... ah...
local student: auntie?
Mr P: ah yah! auntie... (which is still a very singaporean term but oh well i guess they got it. oh maybe he added 'housewife' after that)

and many other instances which i just can't remember off-hand.

2. Beware sounding like a tour guide

tuesday class (half the class is composed of exchange students)
Prof: foreign friends! have you'll tried prata? S, have you?
S (in hugh grant voice): er nope not yet
Prof: anyone else? L, you have? how'd you find it? maybe you need to take our friend here
L: yeah it's good man. yeah S i know a great place, i'll take you later!
Prof: yes all of you must try prata ah.

10mins later...
Prof: ... or else it'll just disappear like the bubble tea craze eh. you'll know what bubble tea is? someone wants to explain to our foreign friends? yeah all of you must try bubble tea before you leave!
(and promptly during break, several of them head to Snow Ice to try, with mixed reactions...)

towards the end of class...
Prof: and what about Raffles Hotel? do you know what their core competence is? is their core competence a distinctive competence? have you'll heard of raffles hotel, eh L?
L: yeah, yeah i have...
Prof: yah home of the singapore sling ah, you'll must try. maybe after trying prata you'll shld head to raffles hotel huh... take S with you again
L: yeah he's the one who told me about the Singapore Sling!
S (cue hugh grant voice!!): isn't it a Ladies' drink?
Prof: you go and try it and then you tell me whether it's a ladies drink.. or whether it knocks you out...

Prof: ok for your hw i want you'll to go and observe taxis. for the foreign friends, while you're on the streets, count how many different taxi companies there are! for the locals...

so by the end of the class, they had a list of 4 things to try/do. they sure will be busy!

3. Beware buaya local friends

Me: oh yah my friday class has 3 pretty korean girls!
B: oh amy you're my best friend! when can i meet them??

4. Beware insulting their home countries

my group: some of the problems which major air carriers might face is differentiating themselves from the budget airlines. many people find little difference between easyjet and BA...
mr-hugh-grant-soundalike: are you shure BA and easyjet are alike! they're MILES apart!

local student: but some great leaders aren't necessarily doing the right thing... like bush...
and there was a penn student sitting in our class but fortunately he didn't take offence, prob cos the americans make the same jokes. but i dunno, sometimes they might be the kind who feel "i can mock my own country, but you can't..."

but in general, it's really quite interesting to have such a mix of nationalities :)