My first cultural shock in Europe happened when I casually asked an Irish girl studying in Edinburgh, Scotland, an ignorant question: "How do you feel about people mistaking the United Kingdom (UK) and Ireland to be the same country?" Her face fell immediately and she replied angrily: "Don't ever say that again!" I almost detected a gleam of hatred in her eyes as she avoided the question. Embarrassed, I apologised for my innocuous but somehow offensive question. We then returned to the discussion of the Scottish Tattoo showing on television at that time.
The incident was a shocking revelation about the hidden enmity behind the harmonious appearance of Europe. Some historical events are forgiven but never forgotten; like the centuries long occupation of Ireland by England. Despite the peaceful co-existence of European states, tension prevails. To have a successful journalism career in Europe, it is important to have an in-depth understanding of European history so as not to offend people unknowingly especially since social networking and constant contact with people are crucial aspects of a journalist's job.
Since then, understanding Europe became one of my goals. To uncover the stories behind the myriad faces of this continent became my aspiration. In order to pursue my dream of journalism, I had transferred university to City University, one of the pioneer schools of journalism in the UK to study an undergraduate course of Journalism and Contemporary History (a combined honour course co-taught with Queen Mary University of London). The transfer to City and Queen Mary Universities marked a very profound change in my life, the start of my journalism career. Being situated in London has offered me endless opportunities, which I would never have experienced in Malaysia or Singapore.
I came from Malaysia where my Chinese ethnicity was discriminated against and having experienced a stifling education system in Singapore with its philistine environment, I felt suffocated and suppressed. The exposure to Europe has brought me to a whole new world and left me truly exhilarated. Never would I imagine that I would get a chance to write for London Student, the largest student newspaper in Europe. And I definitely did not dream of getting an internship with Forbes.com. All these exemplified how international Europe is and the limitless opportunities it offers.
All these opportunities are only made possible in Europe with the enormous market of readerships and more importantly, the preservation of democracy through freedom of print and speech. Europe had devoted utmost efforts to ensure democracy is kept because of its past history. After all, Europe was the "dark continent"* that had failed to safeguard democracy once and this failure resulted in the present, heightened sensitivity regarding issues of human rights and the freedom of the press. It is also this rich history and complexities that have made Europe such apt backdrop for practicing journalism.
However, democracy and the freedom of press cannot be taken for granted. Journalists should not be complacent about their role in the press and should always question the status quo. The period of appeasement in England during the 1930s in attempt to prevent World War II have taught us to be skeptical about news and to keep consensus. Democracy, this fragile entity, has not permeated throughout Europe and is still at a precarious state in certain countries.
I truly appreciate this environment of openness and the freedom of expression in Europe, which have been an important source of inspiration for my writing. I wish my sense of novelty for Europe will never fade and that it will keep my senses constantly open, which would help me keep my perpetual excitement for this interesting part of the world. I have learned so much in trying to understand Europe but there are certain things which I – personally – will never understand, such as Israel’s participation in the Eurovision contest.
* A term by Mark Mazower in "Dark Continent"
