It has been such a long time since I last posted. I really need to get better at this. I will try to catch up over break. I will post my pictures from my trips to Hong Kong, Cambodia, Malaysia and Thailand. Im really excited about going to those places.

Last time I posted, I think I was kinda down. I tried to post on kiatsu (sp?) culture. Im not sure if I fully explained it, but I dont know if it necessary to fully explore in this blog. Lets just say that education is taken differently here, and for that matter all over the world. One of the greatest pleasure while studying abroad is learning about other peoples education systems. They are so different; they have different outcomes, and different goals. Im not sure if I like the US system over the British system, but either way Im glad my program combines both!

Its crazy to think that I only have one week of revision (new British/Singaporean word for study), and then Im off traveling. I need to organize my trips still, but not nervous about getting that done. Many people here just pick up and go on the weekend. Its pretty easy to do that. Maybe next semester I will do that, but I doubt I can be so spontaneous.

Im really glad Im here for two semesters; there is still so much to see. I feel like I didnt do much each day- but looking back I have done a lot!. Singapore is a great city to keep you entertained. At home, I may only think to go to a movie or eat out, but here you can do so much! It makes me think that I just havent been creative enough to think of things to do at home- Next semester Im looking forward to seeing and interacting more with the Singapore I still havent met.

Im also looking forward to the new students. It will be weird to say goodbye to my friends- knowing that I wont see many ever again. But, its ok. I had a great time with them, and their lives with move on just like mine. I have learned to live much more in the present than the future- its the way you have to approach living during exchange- because things are so temporary. New students will be from all over too- and they will want to travel just like me. It would be easy to get in the same mindset that school is second here- but it actually needs to be first. Have much more invested in NUS, than just a fun foreign experience.

Im going to post some pictures of the Botanical Gardens. One day a couple weeks ago I went exploring there. It was really tropical and filled with people. It is a great place to go on a cooler day. Some place to go on a spring day (if there was such a thing)- too bad I cant take the Botanical Gardens with me back home!

cant right now because of my stupid computer and connection... will soon ( i hope)

Friends abroad

I want to take this post to discuss the friends that I have made since being in Singapore. Lately, I have been hanging out a lot with a group of about 15 exchange students. Some are from Sweden, France, Canada, Germany, and the US. I do have Chinese and Singaporean friends as well!

It is true that I am on my own a lot. Most of the time I am either in the library or my room, or doing something on my own. Being independent is great, but sometimes hanging out with others is important. It might be that I am introverted, or it might be that NUS feeds into this type of system. Most students here do not hangout with people, they are either studying on their own, working on a project, and in transition to somewhere else.

I find it really hard to get to know Singaporeans. I feel like on the surface the are really nice, but after the introduction bit, they dont really care to get to know you further. Now, this is a generalization. Maybe its just me? Yet, I have sat and talked to them and they tell me they hate this same paradigm.

It could change, but I think it may just be that Singaporeans live at home. They have to travel to and from home. They feel that what matters is the grade, not learning. I mean you do learn when you study, but here its more important to get a good mark, than make what you are learning applicable to life.

It shoulds a lot to what I was like in High School. My favorite teachers would be the ones that said, "listen, if you arent learning, regardless of the grade, than you will never grow, never be able to understand the world around you." I think that what study abroad is about. We are here to experience, just as much to read and study.

I thought before I came here that experience meant I had to travel, that i had to go to the different parts of the island and walk around, observe. Instead, experience just means getting to know people. Talking about things that they have done, and doing things together.

My friends from all over the world live this type of mindset. I have learned so much from them. One thing I have overcome is being so frugal I dont share. For example, when I was in Vietnam, I didnt want to spend any money so I woul get the cheapest thing, and that no offer it to anyone, even though they would offer me a taste of theirs. Also, splitting bills is the thing I HATE most about living, and studying abroad. Its so difficult. Being as inflexible as I am makes it hard, because i just want to get my exact change. usually someone ends up paying more.

But now that side of me has changed. Im not as frugal and unwilling to share. Im working on it but I have so far to go. Im not going to say that my selfishness is an American characteristic, because many of my American friends here are so willing to buy things or pay for others expenses. What I will say, is that it takes some growing up to be that way. I am the youngest person in my circle. Most everyone is 23 or older. They have lived all over the world and most speak three languages. they have lived and experienced so much more than I have. Im not envious, because I too will be someone like that at some point in my life. But they no that money comes and goes, it isnt what should drive you to do something or not do something.

Maybe Im too idealistic here, but its ok. I need to be.

Below are pictures of me with friends. This post was for me, so that I can remember. Hopefully, those that read this, think. Thats all I want it to do. Just make people think about those that are around them.

Vietnam!

Sorry all for not posting in such a long time. I was trying to post every weekend but it hasnt been that easy (more because I am lazy!). I want to try to post twice this week to catch up. This is a busy time of the year, but I want to put more pictures of Singapore online.

Recently, I have been spending so much time on NUS's campus. I really need to get out of my room and see what there is to do! As I make take these new adventures (like going to a jazz club last friday) I will try to keep posting.

Vietnam! I went to Vietnam a week ago. This past week has flown by. Vietnam seems like a blur, but there are so many memories that I want to share.

First, the schedule. We flew to Da Nang and took a train to Hue, the old imperial city. It was beautiful. We walked around the city, and at a local restaurants that were geared for tourists. However, I had so much fun trying Chicken Tacos in Vietnam. It was just chicken and cheese of a bunch of small sopapia type things!

We walked through the citadel, and was interesting to learn things about the imperial culture. Nine is the holy number, so there were a lot of urns filled with water all in a row of nine.

Below are pictures of the imperial city.







Next, I got my palm read by a man who lost his father to the vietnam war. He told us his story, and said that he was studying buddhism as a way to cope with his lost. He read my palm, and told me about my future. It was very interesting.
The next day we went on a bike ride to TU DUC Tomb. The bike ride was the best part. We rented bikes for the day which cost us 1 US$. The bikes were old and used, but they work. I didnt care because i was focused on getting us there and navigating through the traffic. The traffic in Hue was nothing compared to Vietnam, haha! There are so many motorbikes. The infrastructure is there, but people just dont follow the rules that are set infront of them. They have no public transportation, which seems odd for a Communist country. Youd think that government should fill those roles. Even if they did have public transport, I dont think people would use it. Family all ride on the same motor bike. Kids practice their skills with training wheels in the middle of dangerous streets. It was quite a difference from home.

We than went Hoi An which was very pretty but very touristy. I got a suite and white pants made at the tailor place. Hoi An is a UNESCO World Heritage site, so they are trying to preserve it. I find that by doing so it takes a lot of character away from this very unique place. I found myself more stressed that white people were around, than trying to talk to locals.

Below are some pictures from that trip!

these are silk worms. they grow the silk and then make the tailor clothes from them. this was a tourist ploy to get us to come into the store.
The next night we spent in Da Nang which wasnt very nice. We then flew back to Ho Chi Minh City. This city is amazing. So much traffic, kissing in the park, people asking for motorbike rides, and prostitutes. the people were so friendly, and Thuy are hostel front desk person was amazing. I did Ho Chi Minh on my own, because I needed time to myself after traveling with 4 other people I only met a month and a half ago. I met some people from the cast of Roger and Hammersteins Cinderella with Lea Salonga (voice of Mulan and Jasmine from Aladdin). They were so loud and open, and entertaining. I was really able to have fun being myself in a foreign country. We were still culturally sensitive, and always observing, but we also just relaxed. Something I found so refreshing!

Below are pictures from the las leg of my trip!
This is Ho Chi Minhs art Museum. The paintings were so dark, because there is so much pain and death in Vietnams history. However, the contemporary work is so much diffferent, and very uplifting!
This was our hotel. We stayed in the backpacker area, and it was a great experience!
The Reunification Palace. The last US helicopter left of this buildings roof at the end of the war.
An example of HCMC's traffic.

I loved Vietnam! I would definitely go back. I guess that Vietnam will soon be an example of how communist countries dont have to be 'backwards' in their development. The people seemed happy, and like they were moving on with their lives. There were so many mothers, fathers, and babies. This country, I guess, will be important 50 years from now.

Until next time...

Field Trip through Singapore

Today, I went on a field trip throughout the CBD of Singapore. I went for a class, and our goal was to decide on a group project. Instead, I just tried to learn as much about the people that I was with, and experience Singapore through their and my own reactions.

Im going to try to post a lot of pictures in this post as well. Last entry was a little rushed. Having now been back to Singapore for two weeks from the time I went to Indonesia, I feel even more at home. But seeing these unique parts of Singapore today made me become more enthusiastic about living here.

We began at Outram Park MRT (a train station). During the tour, we went to many Temples (Buddhist and Hindu) and Keramat. We look mostly at Singapore's syncretism of religious customs, and how they have changed the landscape of Singapore. I felt that this trip was very religion heavy, but I still learned a lot about the general (political and cultural) aspects of Singapore as well.

This is the back of Shophouses. These are types of houses in Singapore that originate from the Colonial period. They are being revived, and are usually painted unique or vibrant colours (see below). Notice my spelling of colors; Im becoming so Singaporean! haha
This is a keramat. It is a burial tomb of a Arab muslim women. Muslims (mostly Indians) come to worship here. It was a new concept for me. My teacher told me that this is were a lot of the syncretism has taken place. The worship of the dead is animism, or a traditional religious practice. But today, Islam is taken it under its wing. Fundamentalist Islam doesnt like it, so Malay ( where it originally started) dont really worship here any more. The yellow painting gives it away, as the color represents royalty in both Chinese and Malay cultures. However, the green that is painted along side represents Islam. So, here you can see the fusion of the two religions.

This is a Hindu Temple that we went in. They worship Ganesh (the elephant god) here. It was really interesting to see them circumvent( circle around- I think thats the right word) the alter. The religious are very different from the ones that I grew up with, and so I it was a eye opening experience.

This is a picture of coconuts. People sometimes use coconuts as a way to get out frustration, or let out frustrations about things. Or, I guess, its more of a way to ask for forgiveness and repent. It was something I had never heard before.

These are pictures of the shophouses from the front. This area used to be the Red Light District, but it isnt really any more. One thing I thought was interesting is that prostitution isnt illegal here. They thought since it would happen anyway, they could legalize and that way they have control over it. Yet, you would think this same philosophy could be apply to drug law, but instead, drug law is the opposite. They enforce anti-drug law severely.
This is a place where they sell live animals. It similar to any Chinatown in the US. However, they sold so many different animals, like these frogs in the picture. It was in humane how they kept some animals in tanks where there was obviously too many animals in the space. That kinda disturbed me. I also want to say that because of my chinese class, I was able to pick up on a lot of words in Chinatown. The class here is quite challenging and good.
This is just a picture of Chinatown. It has become very touristy. And most Singaporeans complain about it often.

This is one of the Buddhist temples we went to. It was very interesting. I had only been to one temple before, which was very new and commercial. This one seemed more authentic.

This is part of the Buddhist Temple.
This is another Keramat. It is one of the biggest in Singapore. We had to walk up the stairs. It also important to mention that all of these Keramats, and Hindu temples we have to take off our shoes. Its very common here. Chinese take off their shoes for their homes, but the predominately Buddhist Chinese dont take off their shoes for temple.

This was a snake charmer. It was such a tourist trap as it was downtown. But it was still cool to see.
This was an Armenian Church. It was so cool. One of the most peaceful places I have been. The cemetery out back was beautiful too. However, they are tearing down a building in the back of it, very Singaporean. So, its noisy and ugly to see.
This was the last keramat we went to. It was for the sultan of the area, I think. It was just so tropical and hot in this spot. I really felt like I was in a rainforest. Which i am!
This is the Singapore River. It was orginally the port of Singapore, but now it is a really nice area to just hangout. I think it is one of the nicest areas in the country, but there are loads of white people. So, I kinda feel at home, not like Im in Singapore, (sad).
This is the city!

I posted so many pictures. There is plenty to look at. I am going to Vietnam on Sat, and Im very much looking forward to it. I will post after I return.

Sunrises in Indonesia

I went to Pulau Bintan, Riau Islands Indonesia this weekend. I wanted to provide as many photos as I could, so I uploaded them first. I will try to tell what happened, but it may be in reverse order. Above is a picture from the second day, in which my friends and I got up and watched the sun rise. We stay on the beach in a place called the Shady Shack. It was precisely that. A shack. It was beautiful, quiet, and peaceful.

I really enjoyed my time there. Coming back from Indonesia, as that was my first trip out of Singapore, really made me appreciate Singapore. I appreciated it because it is so much like home. So in a sense, this weekend I got to see the "real Asia" and it was awesome. Thats not to say Singapore isnt an adjustment, but it would have been much more intense if I had studied in Indonesia
This is another picture of a sunset.
I stayed in the third from the left shack!
My view! I know your jealous! haha

This is coming off the terminal. It was my first experience being in a LEDC alone, and I think I did a pretty good job getting around.

Finally, this is me on the ferry. We had to take a 2 hour ferry there from Singapore. It was definitely worth it. I will post more about Sentosa, a Singaporean island this week. I just wanted to provide pictures and some explanation about my trip while I had some time.

Rainy Singapore

Another weeks gone by.

I learned a lot this week, both about myself, and Singapore. School is different than Carolina, and I hope to explain whats different in a little bit. I went to Sentosa this weekend. Instead of going to Indonesia, and for that matter trekking to Malaysia, I have just been staying in Singapore. Im itching to see whats out there, and this past week I began to plan my trips.

Im going to be kinda scattered with this post. To start off I want to talk about differences in the education system. I actually had a Professor go on and on about how the US book based learning is a better way to learn. Im not sure yet. To explain, NUS classes usually dont have textbooks. If they do, they are super cheap, like 20 dollars. Because of this, all readings are either posted on IVLE, (UNC's Blackboard)or like an electronic bulletin board, and/or books or essays that I as a student have to find within the library. They have a section in the library that holds most of the recommended books by the Lecturers for all classes. I simply go into the section find the book, and I have it for two hours. So, really I can either copy the section I need, which is how most people do it here, or read the book in two hours. I have chosen to read it.

This may seem like a lot of extra work. I think it is. But the good part about this system is that I get to read a lot of different material, hear a lot of peoples opinions, and gain good research skills.
Along with these weekly readings, we have project research to do. All in all, any future UNC student on this program, be warned of endless reading. I mean you have a week to do it, and its not like you meet three times a week like at home. So, again which one is better?

I came to the conclusion that with this type learning, teachers expect you to write at a more academic and well research manner. Not to say UNC isnt expecting research and good writing, but UNC has students read a few books and then process that information and analyze it. UNC is more concerned about ideas and analysis, while NUS seems to be more about scholarship and support.

Well see if this hold true...

Now I want to talk about some of the ethnic communities within Singapore. I have been told that when the city (at the time) was run by Stamford Raffles (British Colonial Governor), he want to create different ethnic communities. He placed them on different sides of the river. I may be wrong with that, but it goes along those lines. Above me is Bugis! This is the oldest Mosque in Singapore. Therefore, Bugis is the Muslim community. Here in Singapore, most Malay Singaporeans are Muslim, so Malays usually are the ones featured here. Although Indian and Arab Muslims also have shops and live here. There is a street called Arab St. and that marks the beginning of the Kampong Glam. I hope to celebrate Hari Raya here, and when I do, I will post about it!

This is me at Sri Mariamman Temple in Chinatown
This is Chinatown. I and the guy in the dark blue shirt went in and explored. It was awesome! The Temple is Buddhist, and it was newly constructed.

Finally, Little India...
This is another Hindu Temple. When I went to Little India, it was so packed. There were tons of people there because it was a Sunday. 25% of the 4.5 million people that live in Singapore are migrants. Most on a temporary labor visa. This means that many of the laborers are Indian, Sri Lankan or Bangledeshi. They only have Sundays of, although someones working at every part of the day and night. So, on Sundays everyone comes out for a rest. In India, people say that you usually only see men on the streets. I anticipated this, and it was true. Thousands of men stood together, some holding hands, some with hands around each others necks. These affectionate signs are usually do to the fact that in Indian, mainly Hindu culture, women and men are not allowed to show public affection. Therefore, it is common for men to do this with other men.

I am going to India. Ok, maybe it will be one of those "im going to..." statements, and they actually dont happen. But Im almost 99% sure this will. Im preparing for now, and I cant wait! Its a month away...

Next week, I am suppose to go to Bintan for the day, lets hope it happens and I can report back!