Intercultural Behavior

The following scenarios are what I observed.

Scenario1: During recess week, I went to states with one professor and four other students. The professor is a middle-aged lady. It is her first time to go to states and also first time to experience winter. She carried a big black office bag with her whenever we went out. Due to the unusual heavy snow in Washington DC, the whole city was covered with snow and it was very difficult for people to walk on the snow and tried not to fall. With her huge black bag, the professor was not able to balance herself very well. As a result, she fell twice in the first day. Obviously, she had great difficulty walking on the snow. Hence, I offered to carry her bag.

--“Professor, let me carry your bag.”

--“Oh, it’s okay. It is a very heavy bag. I can carry it myself.”

--“Please let me carry. It is not heavy for a boy.”

--“All right. Thanks so much, Lu.”

When we got back to our hotel, I handed the bag back to the professor. She was so grateful and she felt so sorry that I carried the heavy bag for such a long time.

Scenario2: The following scenario is very common in China.

A female professor was walking in the campus and a student is following her. The professor had a heavy bag in her hand. Clearly, she had just bought goods from the supermarket. When the professor was talking with the student, she changed frequently from one to the other hand to carry the bag. And she often stopped and put the bag in the middle of the student and herself.

--“Oh, professor, do you want me to carry the bag for you?” the student finally got the hint.

The professor handed the bag to the student directly and continued with her talk.

When they finished their talk, the student handed the bag over and the professor quickly said a “thanks” and then left.

Have you observed such scenarios before? What do you think is the reason behind? Please feel free to comment.

Resume

JI Lu

37 Prince Georger’s Park, Resident 4, Block 19, #B2-25-F, Singapore 118430

szzxjilu@gmail.com, +658438929X

Education

2008-Present National University of Singapore, Bachelor of Science (Statistics)

· Expected to graduate June 2012 with 1^st Honors

· Awarded Ministry of Education PRC Scholarship

· Specialized in Business and Finance Statistics

· Selected into University Scholars Program (USP), a multi-disciplinary academic program that accepts only 3% of each undergraduate cohort

2005-2007 Suzhou High School, Jiangsu, China

· Awarded T. D. Lee Scholarship for excellent academic performance and active participation in co-curricular activities

· Awarded as Excellent Student every year for outstanding academic performance

Co-Curricular Activities

2008-Present Sports /Welfare Manger of NUS Statistics Committee

· Organize Inter-Faculty Games, Inter-Society Games and Staff-Student Games.

· Conduct Welfare Survey in Science Faculty

· Prepare welfare goody bags for Science students

· Organize member bonding sessions with professors

2008-2009 Secretary of Finance Committee of University Scholar Club

· Keep minutes of meetings

· Contact members of emergent meetings or announcements

· Organize member bonding sessions

2009 March Member of Harvard Collage in Asia Program (HCAP)

· Organize talks given by professors from diverse faculties

· Host discussion sessions after each talk

· Participate in panel discussion with Harvard delegates

2008-2009 Director of Production in NUS Studio

· Shoot a short film called “The Wind”

Work Experience

2009 June-July Standard Chartered Bank, China

Intern

· Obtain a thorough insight into foreign banks working mechanism in China

· Acquire an understanding of services of the operation team and sales team

· Develop effective interpersonal, communication and presentation skills

Language and Interests

· Proficient in Chinese. Good in English. Basic level of French

· Represented Statistics Committee and University Scholar Program in Inter-Society and Inter-Faculty games Table Tennis

· Volunteering for 2010 Shanghai EXPO

Application Letter

(I am applying HSBC Summer Associate Program 2010. I intend to explore in the fields of Risk Analysis Unit.)

February 7, 2010

Risk Analysis Unit,

HSBC Summer Associate Program,

Singapore

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing to introduce myself and express my interest in joining you as Summer Associate and explore career options in the area of Risk Analysis Unit. I came to know about this program through NUS USP Internship announcements and the various activities of the program appealed to me immensely.

As a statistics major undergraduate at the National University of Singapore, I have acquired basic knowledge of statistics modeling with regards to risk analysis. My specialization in business and finance statistics helps me to gain insight into financial sector and apply theoretical statistics knowledge into real financial world. In addition, during my exchange program in University of Toronto, I had an opportunity to study more in depth in the field of actuarial science, mainly focusing on insurance risk models and risk analysis through use of mathematics and statistics. All these trainings equipped me with sufficient knowledge of risk analysis.

In order to better understand and apply the knowledge I have acquired at school, I did an internship in the Standard Chartered Bank in China from June to July in 2009. During this one-month internship, with the help of other employees, I did some basic risk analysis. And I gained a deep insight into the real world risk analysis in foreign banks in China. Moreover, through this experience, I was able to hone my interpersonal and communication skills through interaction with employees at different levels.

As a student in the University Scholar Program (USP), I was able to acquire knowledge from other various disciplines, such as social science, life science. After two years of training on critical and interdisciplinary thinking, I can view issues in different perspectives and raise valuable questions. Furthermore, USP offers students with various global activities, aiming to train students with critical and creative thinking skills and cross-cultural perspectives. For example, I participated in 2010 George Washington University- USP Dialogue Series. From the program, I strengthened my critical thinking and communication skills.

The HSBC Summer Associate Program will offer me a great opportunity to participate various activities to learn more about HSBC. At the same time, I am happy to contribute my academic knowledge and personal skills to this program. I do hope my willingness to contribute and my sufficient academic knowledge will make you look favorably at my application. I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely,

Ji Lu

#B2-25, Block xx, 37 Prince George’s Park

Singapore 118430

Ph:+658438xxxx

Email: szzxxxxx@gmail.com