Have you ever thought of what it’s like working and living in a foreign country, especially one that does not use English as its main language? For me, I had always dreamt of working and living in Japan and this professional attachment was a dream come true.
Being able to work in Tokyo, Japan, was really an exciting experience as it was a whole new world. In the beginning, anyone with limited knowledge of  Japanese would feel overwhelmed by the culture. Communication was especially difficult initially, as all the salespeople in the department stores and shops were not fluent in English. However, having a good Chinese background did help, as the Japanese kanji is based on traditional Chinese characters.
The attachment was in ChuoAoyama Audit Corporation, one of PricewaterhouseCoopers offices in Japan. To be more specific, I was in the Department of International Liaison (Asia) advisory desk. This section provides information for Japanese clients who are interested in setting up a liaison office, branch or subsidiary in Asian countries. In addition, clients from Asian countries who want to set up various types of business organization in Japan would also approach this desk. My job scope was translation and proof-reading. I also participated in some mini projects handled by the section. As much as I wanted to do some audit work, it was difficult for the company to allocate any work to me, as my Japanese was not good enough. However, translation work was very interesting, I came across Japanese and Chinese financial statements, (work received from the China advisory desk in the Department) which improved my general knowledge and expanded my Japanese vocabulary.
Fortunately for me, in the last week of the attachment, I was asked to help with some work in the Audit Department of the firm. Though my stay in that department was relatively short, it was interesting to see the different corporate culture in different departments.
My colleagues were very hospitable and friendly. They made me feel very welcomed and at home. Most of them know some English and the colleagues in the China advisory desk know Mandarin. This helped me very much in our communication. But in order for me to improve my Japanese by the end of the attachment period, Mr Tatsumi Shiota, my supervisor, instructed my colleagues to speak to me only in Japanese! Initially, it was very difficult and sometimes it could get rather frustrating trying to understand what my colleagues were  saying, but soon, I was able to listen, understand almost everything and reply slowly in Japanese.
By the end of the attachment, there was a marked improvement in my Japanese language skills. In addition, I was able to convey my thoughts in Japanese quite well. The feeling of walking on the streets and being able to converse well enough to tell the vendor what I wanted was really a satisfaction and an achievement for me.
The best part about an overseas professional attachment is the opportunity to do sightseeing after work. During weekends, I planned my own mini exploration trips or sometimes, if my colleagues were free, they would show me around. Fortunately for me, on these mini trips, I managed to catch some festivities! When I visited Asakusa, there was the Sanja Matsuri (Three Shrines) Festival, one of Tokyo’s most dynamic festivals in May. The streets were packed with people near Sensoji Temple. Mostly dressed in Yukatas and kimonos, young and old, men and women, locals and foreigners were happily celebrating the festival. When I toured Yokohama, there was also another Matsuri to celebrate the start of another new business year for the port. At night, there were fireworks to celebrate the start of summer! A quick weekend getaway trip to a beach resort at Tateyama was also organized. The experience was fun and enjoyable. This professional attachment was definitely not all work and no play!
Living in a foreign environment really needs quite a bit of adjustment. For example, in Singapore, we take rubbish bins for granted. In Japan, rubbish bins cannot be found as easily, yet there isn’t a lot of litter around. Furthermore, rubbish is separated into combustible, non-combustible, cans, bottles, magazines and etc. So even if you find a rubbish bin, it might not be the correct one to throw your litter in. I was pretty impressed and amazed by the conscientiousness of the Japanese about waste disposal. In Singapore, you would be able to hear a mobile phone ring off almost every other minute in the MRT, but in Japan, even though there are no rules against commuters using mobile phones in trains, it was rare to hear mobile phones go off. The Japanese culture frowns at those who disturb the peace of other commuters. Hence, even talking loudly in the train is socially discouraged.
Being in a foreign country makes you realize how small Singapore is and how much knowledge one has yet to learn from the world. However, some things can never be learnt in a classroom and require hands-on practice. For me, this professional attachment has been immensely rewarding.