Growing up in several countries in Asia had pushed me to become an introvert, which is actually not one of my native personality traits. I was born in Singapore. I had some family who lived in the neighboring countries, which are Malaysia, Indonesia, and Australia. Because of my schooling, I happened to live with them in Malaysia and Singapore during my school years. The school’s policies and the teaching approach were basically influenced by the local cultures, perspectives, and moral values accepted by their societies. When I went to school in Indonesia and Malaysia, I was told not to talk as much. Whenever the students asked questions and spoke up in the classroom, we usually received some negative feedback; the professor or the teacher would give me unpleasant looks and seemed offended by my questions, as if I were quizzing the teacher. For example, when I was attending a physiology class in Malaysia, the professor was explaining that a prolapsed cardiac valve would increase the risk of having a Bacterial endocarditis. The latest treatment option for this condition is to replace that flimsy valve with a prosthetic one, but the surgical procedure itself will increase the risk of infection, such as endocarditis, pericarditis and myocarditis. Knowing these facts, I asked him a question about what was the point of having the valve replacement surgery if at the end the patient would have the same risk of infection. Somehow, this particular question that I had asked made him upset, as well as the rest of the class. I was so used to being put down with my classmates and my professors, which made me withdrawn, quite, introverted and shy. When I came to the United States several years ago, I found out the learning system is totally the opposite than the learning system in Asia. It is strongly influence by the Western culture where everybody is encouraged to speak up their minds, to ask questions, and to become actively involved and participate in the classroom as well...