HarmonyWorks! – Trust Home

On 22nd October 2011, twenty students from the Global Indian International School attended the HarmonyWorks! Workshop followed by a home visit to learn about the custom and traditions of a local Chinese family here.

Patrick and Rachel Neo, both passionate volunteers with OnePeople.sg graciously opened their home for this joint collaboration with Central Singapore Community Development Council's TRUST Home programme.

The students, who are all Permanent Residents (PRs) between 11 and 14 years old, were excited to have a glimpse of the Singaporean culture.

The Neos, who are Catholic and third-generation descendants of Southern Chinese migrants, shared their religious beliefs and traditional Chinese practices with their young visitors over a vegetarian meal.

"This is as authentic as it gets because the students get to taste our local food, they get to listen to us from our perspective - how we grew up, our culture," said Patrick Neo.

"It was a real eye opener. I enjoyed my visit a lot and we got to try a lot of different stuff. For example, the different food we tried was awesome. We got to learn a lot about their customs and it was pretty fascinating," said Rasika Kale, a Global Indian International School student.