Before my journey at UO, I have lived in Singapore for the past eight years and that’s the place I call home. Singapore is a British-colonized country that has a very diverse demographic, and the official language is English. Even though most people spoke perfect English, the locals had a unique accent that took me some time to understand; but I somehow never adopted it and maintained my American accent.
 
I realized that when I’m in a crowd with Singaporean locals, I could blend in with them easily based on appearance. But as soon as I open my mouth and say something, I could feel all eyes on me because most people do not expect my accent. The occasional attention I receive for my accent, which can be judgemental at times, is never something that bothered me because despite living in Singapore for eight years, I am still a foreigner to the country. 
 
My accent played a role in one of my most memorable times when I was a part-time waitress at a restaurant in the downtown business district of Singapore. It was a late Saturday night when a Caucasian couple came in for their date night. I sat them down at a table and took their order. After putting their whisky and food down on their table, the gentleman asked me: “where are you from?” As soon he struck me with that question, I immediately knew he was surprised by my accent. I explained my background to them and that I’m not a local Singaporean. 
 
This couple was one of the most pleasant customers I’ve served during the time I worked at this restaurant. It was such a special moment for me because I was able to have a casual conversation where we got to know each other, which was not necessarily a norm in Singaporean culture. Not only did I get to learn about the lovely children of this friendly couple, but it made my day better when they genuinely wanted to learn more about me, all thanks to my accent that started this conversation.