A Rare Encounter

Yesterday I had one of the most enlightening encounters during my duty as a Nobel Exhibition guide. About an hour past noon, Robert Shull walked into the University Hall and I gave him a tour.

He's a very nice fella, smart but careful, and, armed with a physics degree, knowledgeable. I guess his age is about 50. He is most willing to share his knowledge and experience, though he is always patient, and willing to let me explain certain facts about the Nobel Prizes even though I had a feeling he already knew them. He said that he was here for a conference (first time in Singapore), and he learned about this exhibition while in the airport, so he thought he might as well drop by to explore a little bit about the Nobel Exhibition since his father Clifford Shull has won the 1994 Physics Prize for neutron diffraction.

...

Okay, that means "crap mode off". And I had to be extra careful about what I say since, knowing myself, I have the tendency to invent facts that can lead to potentially embarrassing situations.

It turns out that he knew quite a lot about the Nobel Prizes, especially the Nobel Festival, having been there himself. Listening to him describing the Nobel Festival... something that you cannot find easily on the Web. C'mon, seriously, where can you find information on what that booklet on the Nobel banquet table says? Or how the waiters served the dinner with absolute professionism, in astounding unison? And now finally, I understand what that wave guide displayed in that artefacts section is used for.

My tour around the exhibits with him dragged past my duty time (by no fault of his or mine; it's a long story I prefer not to go into), but I don't care, since I probably gained more than he did.

Admittedly, I prefer guiding people like him than the normal visitors... not that the visitors are terrible, but somehow, with people who knew something I don't, I get to learn something new. And such people also tend to listen and sometimes even question what I say, leading to interesting discussions about some facts and controversies revolving around the Nobel Prizes.

(And perhaps this is the reason why I don't like to guide children: it is terribly challenging to explain to them what's so great about Alfred Nobel's will, or the importance of a particular discovery.)

All in all, I had a wonderful experience yesterday. And I hope the others doing duty also get a chance as I did to interact with such people.