SEA

south east asia gives me the image of a diverse multi-racial region made up of a varse number of religions and cultures. it ranges from the tribes people on the hillsides of thailand who put rings on their necks to men in business suits and ties in shenton way in singapore. this is also a region where there is much difference between the neighbouring countries but surprisingly although tensions might be high sometimes, the countries will never fail to provide aid when one of their neighbours' require them.

in the poorer countries, the industry is mainly an agricultural one. people live on farms and their produce is their livelihood. they face poverty daily and their children can't be afford to be sent to schools to get a decent education. it is in countries like these that development is very stagnant. one of the reasons is because the country is too large, like indonesia or because of the many years of civil war that they faced in the past, they are behind the other nations. whereas in smaller and more peaceful countries such as singapore, everyone will get an education to the extent that is no longer to just get an education. people in singapore are competing to be the best of the best in the country as well as around the world. therefore as you can see from here the mentality of the people in these two countries are very contrasting.

in the more developed countries, the citizens tend to be more westernised. they are surrounded by buildings everywhere they go. those people living in the less developed countries live in the countryside where lush greenery is seen everywhere. this is why south east asia is probably one of the best choices for a holiday. one moment you can be shopping in the busy streets of bangkok shopping and the next you can be by the white sandy beaches of patong beach phuket. it is also safe to say that south east asians have alot of respect for their customs. the people are very civilised and have alot of morality in them.

although it may seem that south east asia is a jovial and prospering region, we cannot ignore the fact that it is plagued by many problems such as AIDS and piracy. much is being done to curb these two with the backing of the other nations in the region. sometimes due to mother nature, a natural disaster may occur in this part of the world, especially earthquakes. when such a catastrophy occurs, without fail the other countries will lend a hand as much as they can such as providing basic necessities to search and rescue.

till then, to sum up what south east asia means to me, it is a concoction of different everythings that co-exist together to give you a something that you will take with you forever, and be proud to be part of it.