Essay

Reality without the TV

By Samantha Loong

I've never been a fan of reality TV programs. The idea of watching groups of strangers choosing to fight it out in public while undergoing the same intense experience together doesn't interest me in the slightest. I couldn't care less who got voted off whatever island was in question.

So I found it interesting when I realized the other day that I, too, have chosen to go through physically or emotionally testing life experiences with groups of strangers — just not on television. The first was when I studied in Osaka with 10 other exchange students. As a group of teenage girls stuck together for a year in a foreign country, there was laughter, tears, tantrums and much door slamming — which we discovered wasn't entirely effective with Japanese sliding doors as they tended to bounce off the door frame and slowly open again, completely dulling the effect of a dramatic exit. And with homesickness rife in the early days of our exchange, some of us even wanted to leave our temporary "island" voluntarily.

Then there was my one-month tour around southeast Asia with 11 other travelers from around the globe. It could have easily turned into a holiday from hell if there were too many personality clashes, but thankfully our group got along really well. So much so that it's a real shame everyone is now so spread out across the world.

The most recent — and most intense — of these experiences was a four-week teacher-training course with 11 other trainees. If we didn't do well in any of the assessments, there really was a chance that any one of us could have been kicked off this particular island. Everyone survived on minimal sleep, caffeine and each other's generosity. Spending close to 50 hours a week with the same people was challenging, entertaining and, most of all, inspiring. Among us, we had an amazing wealth of knowledge and experience. We all wanted to be better teachers and gave each other much-needed support, encouragement and feedback — which I found useful to call "getting my back, cutting me slack and giving me flack." We left the course stretched a little thin, but with smiles on our faces and a genuine interest in keeping in touch.

In all three cases, no one ever got voted off any of our islands. We made it together and forged some friendships which, even in this age of the fleeting social media "friend," I can't see fading. It's these sorts of experiences that are so much more rewarding than the ones you see on TV. Rather than trying to compete with each other to be the last on the island, we all wanted to work together to help everyone stay on it.

I hope that reality television is actually an unrealistic portrayal of what human behavior is really like. Because from my experiences, if you're the only one left on life's island, how exactly are you winning if you haven't got any friends around you to celebrate with?

Shukan ST: SEPTEMBER 14, 2012

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