"To All Singaporeans, a Warm Welcome Home..."

So I know I've been slack on my blog, but the past week has been pretty busy so I just haven't had the time to write. However, my emotions are running high right now because I leave Singapore tomorrow and I decided this would be the best time to write this.

I just wanted to say goodbye and thank you to every single Singaporean I met on this trip. Whether it was the dynamic duo that works in Toast@Work or the most amazing host brother the world could ever ask for, every single person I've come in contact with has made this trip an amazing, unique, and honestly life-changing experience. I've learned not only about the culture, but also myself, from everyone around me and there just aren't enough words for me to express my gratitude. Going into this trip, I heard over and over again how amazing it would be and how much fun we we're going to have, but I couldn't in my wildest dreams have imagined how truly awesome and special this trip would be to me. There is not a doubt in my mind that I'll remember and talk about this trip forever.

I just want to take a moment to make a few individual thank yous.

First, Huiqian. Without you this trip would literally be nothing. Who would have dragged us around Singapore for endless hours on the first day, ignoring our pleas for mercy from the sweltering humidity and sun? Who would have kept us in line whenever we missed an activity? Who would have provided all that sass that everyone loves? And most of all, who would have been the most amazing friend who'd go out of her way to do anything for any one of us when we needed it? Thank you so much Huiqian for absolutely everything you've done for us. You've been absolutely amazing. From the beginning of our skype and facebook conversations, I knew we'd be friends. I wouldn't have chosen anyone else to spend my last day in Singapore with. I will really miss you. Again, thank you.

And next, YongMin Ho. Please pardon the cliché, but it wasn't chance that brought us together, it was fate. Although you were chosen to be my host brother randomly, I'm so incredibly glad you were. Whether you were teaching me about the Singaporean definition of spastic, how to get the check at dinner, or showing me cool little places throughout Singapore, you taught me so many things about the city and made me fall in love with it. Although your job could have ended that weekend, you continued to keep teaching me and showing me amazing things throughout my stay in Singapore. Thank you. I think you may be the reason I'll miss this city the most and the reason I'll come back. I'm not sure how I'm gonna survive without my little, yellow pound cake. You best be coming back to Chapel Hill in the spring so we can hang out! Again, thank you. 

I would also like to thank Nadiah, the best host sister ever! You also taught me so much that weekend and I really appreciate it. Even though we didn't get to hang out throughout the rest of the trip, it was always a pleasure getting to see your face plastered on the side of the buses I rode or the signs I passed. I can't wait to continue to read the interesting articles you always post on facebook. Again, thank you. 

Last but surely not least is Alexius. I'm so incredibly happy our homestay groups met up that weekend.  We've quickly became friends and I'm definitely gonna miss my partying buddy! I will be back one day and we will go out all the time. XD Furthermore, it's nice to know that I have a friend that I can rely on to identity any tree on the side of any road in Singapore. You're talents will truly be missed. Again, thank you.

Oh, I assume I should also thank the NUS professors. Dr. Quek, Dr. Emmanuel, and Professor Lockheart, you were honestly some of the best teachers I have ever had. Your passion and knowledge about the subjects was amazing and I honestly wish I could have had a full semester with each of you. Again, thank you.

Although I only I had the time to sit here and mention a few, there were so many more people that taught me along my adventure through Singapore. Thank you everyone including Josh, Tim, Hannah, random taxi cab drivers, and Toast@Work people. Short story: When leaving Brunei, not a single one of us said "We're going back to Singapore." For each of us, especially me, it was "We're going home." That's thanks to you. All of you taught us about this city and made it our home for the past several weeks. Just like any home, this will be hard to leave. However, I leave with the knowledge that I will be back some day. No matter what it takes or how I do it, I'll manage to make it back here and see all of you. It's nice to know I've got so many friends in a land so many hours of plane rides away. Again, thank you.

A song to summarize my feelings: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQJaZO2nfGg

How to have the Best Lunch Ever

First you must go on an adventure of your own. During this adventure, find your way to Little India.  While there, walk into a random little restaurant and sit down. When it's time for you to order, ask the owner what the best item is. Once the foods' arrived, the owner will sit down with you and explain what sauces taste best with what rices and what order everything should be eaten in. If you're really lucky like me, you'll get the opportunity to talk to him the relations between Indians and Singaporean-Indians and get to use all of it in your essay due the next day.

One of my best experiences in Singapore so far cost me $4.50. Now that's something I'll remember.

"Hi, I'm Unicornian"

So, as expected, you're gonna see some weird things in Asia. Weird from the perspective of an American. Obviously I don't want to offend anyone. I <3 Asians. But yeah, weird things are gonna be seen. I simply have three things I thought were interesting in increasing weirdness order. Keepin' it short.

1. Escalators without steps. I've always thought that would be a cool idea and I actually saw it here in a Vivo-mart, the Singapore version of Wal-mart. The store is 3 floors high so in order to get your grocery cart between the floors, they designed a escalator with no steps. It was pretty ingenious, but annoying at the same time. It takes much longer than a usual escalator cause you have to get off half way between the floors and turn around. Just like stairs.

2. I can't quite figure it out, but I've see so many ugly guys with really attractive girls here. It doesn't make sense to me. How does this guys get such good looking girls? I should warn you, that's a very inappropriate link. Now, granted, my yellow fever may be lowering my standards for Asian girls, but still, I don't understand how they're doing it. Maybe I should ask for advice....

3. The following thing happened today and is what prompted this post. After a walk through Little India doing interviews for a paper I have due on Monday, I headed back to PGP (my dorm) alone. As I was walking through the MRT station, I noticed the strangest thing. A little, blonde-headed white boy was walking with two little Chinese boys. It doesn't stop there.... cause if it did, that would be a really lame story. Not only was he walking with these Chinese boys... HE WAS TALKING IN CHINESE WITH THEM! I thought it was one of the coolest things ever. They were no more than 10 years old and they were all talking in Chinese. That will be my child one day. One day.

Well, hope you find that interesting. Just want to give you guys a quick update as well! I'll be leaving for Brunei this Sunday. I may or may not have a computer during that time. Not sure yet. In case I don't, here is my schedule. Check! Learning Malay and camping out in the rain forest! How cool is that? Well, that's all I got for today. Peace. ^^v

"An Oasis of Love Butterflies"

I feel like I'm getting a tad bit repetitive, but.... I absolutely love this place. As Gina said, every time I post a status or blog post about Singapore, it seems like I've had another best day of my life.

So Friday night most of the group went on on a night safari. SO MUCH! The first thing we did was take a tram ride around the zoo and listened to the tour guide talk about the animals.. in a very interesting way. Apparently hippos are cute, sloth bears are sexy, and if you get a personal tour guide, you can have "very intimate... intimate... intimate... intimate... talkings." She was very nice though! After that, we went to see one of the shows. Do you know what it feels like to have a giant python wrapped around your body? No? Well, let me tell you. SO FREAKING COOL! She asked for a macho man volunteer so OBVIOUSLY I had to volunteer. Out of the whole crowd we picked me! At first I wasn't nervous at all. Just super excited to do it cause I've always wanted to. However, as I got closer and the longer she made me wait, the more nervous I got. Finally, they instructed me how to hold her and they wrapped her around me. And then... the left me on stage with her alone. Needless to say, we had a very intimate moment together. Her tail caressed the inside of my thigh as my face brushed against her beautiful long body. Yeah, it was pretty strange. haha. But awesome all at the same time. We also went to the bat cage and I've decided I will have a flying fox when I grow up. :) Afterwards, we all just headed back to our dorm seeing as it was late and we had to wake up early.

On Saturday we took the long anticipated trip to Pulau Ubin, a little island off the shore of Singapore, a little island off the shore of Malaysia. lol. We all rented $5 bikes for the day and broke off into little groups to go exploring. Ananda, Nicole, Chris, and I started out on the east side of the island and went through the wetlands, sat out on some rocks looking at the ocean, and (unsuccessfully) attempted to crack open a coconut. Unfortunately, on the way back, the chain on my bike broke. Can you believe that? The chain on my $5 bike broke? Ridiculous. Mind as well have bought the $4 bike. lol. After riding my bike 2.5 km with one foot on the ground, we got back to the main place to exchange my bike and get lunch. As usual, LUNCH WAS AMAZING! Nicole and I split a plate of Black Pepper Sauce Ostrich and rice. Mom, you're probably thinking "What the heck. He's eating better food than I am! Why am I sending him all this money?!?" Well, good news, it was $8. $8 FOR AN AMAZING OSTRICH MEAT LUNCh! So good. Towards the end we mixed it with Ananda and Chris's ginger chicken and onion. Even. More. Better.

After our delicious meal and digestion period, we prepared to head out to the east side of the island. The trails were absolutely beautiful. It was exactly like what you see in the movies. Over looking the ocean and a beautiful quarry,  the paths were just amazing. However, that was the blue square trails. Little did we know what we were in store for when we got to the black diamond trails. Let's just say, it was a good thing I had a first aid kit and those bikes are not made for extreme mountain biking. However, it was such an awesome experience. We really got to push ourselves and experience something that none of the other groups did. I'd definitely go back and do it again sometime. You definitely bond with people when you're stuck biking over rocks, mud, and ants for several hours. Oh yeah, ants suck. Hardcore.

Finally after we made our way out of the forest, off the island, and back to civilization, Nicole, Kerri, and I went out with Yong. Let's just say... Yongston the third is an amazing glucose father with superb taste in drinks and eating establishments. :) (You probably have no clue what any of that means) Oh, and taking a taxi through the drive through at McDonalds is so BA.

So that was my weekend. Pretty dang awesome. However, now I must return to the studying portion of studying abroad. Two essays and a test this week. Wish me luck. ^^v

"Please alight, b@$%#es."

This is not the MRT. It's a special station owned by Malaysia that connects Singapore and Malaysia together. It's actually shutting down at the end of this month and the land is being returned to Singapore. So yeah, not the MRT. 

I love public transportation. Absolutely love it. I just find every aspect of it appealing. Getting to sit down and not have to worry about how soon the next turn is or if there are cops nearby is just so relaxing. Of course, as most of you know, I hate driving. It costs so much more and is not really as enjoyable. So I may be a tad bit biased.

I think what I found most enjoyable about it is the sense of collective-ness it creates. From the moment you enter the station, you move in a mass through the turntables, up the escalator, and wait together behind the yellow line for the train to arrive. Then everyone moves together into the train and finds a seat or small gap of space to stand. As soon as the train jolts forward, everyone beings to move together as a single, collective mass. As the train goes around turns and sways side-to-side, everyone moves in a single direction, together. That's why I like it more than driving. When you're in a car, you're alone, disconnected from the world. I assume that's what some people like about it, but not me.

I also love it regardless of what time it is. Starting the day out on a less-than-crowded train always interests me. You have the opportunity to simply sit and observe those around you. There's always so many different types of people on the train, each with a story to tell. It's fun to watch and postulate each person's story. I wonder what that lady's job is? Where are that person over there going so dressed up? Why did that guy with a black baseball cap covering his face just get up and leave a black, unmarked bag on the train? (Jk. As the multiple videos around the MRT stations have taught me, I should report that if I see it! haha) During rush hour, everyone pushes together and packs in determined to make it on before the door starts beeping and closes. There's just something I like about that slight awkwardness you experience when you're pressed up so close to someone that you don't even need to hold on to something in order to stop from falling over when the train shakes suddenly. There's just something about that momentary eye contact that you can't avoid when everyone is unable to move. There's just something about it all. Then night time comes and the trains are much more open and quiet. As you look around, you see someone listening to music, a couple talking in hushed voices, and a little, old, Asian woman sleeping with bags of groceries on either side. Each person has a story and a purpose; however, unlike during the day, I don't want to guess about what it is. I just want to be apart of it. I want to put my earphones in, close my eyes, and feeling the rumble of the train along the tracks. I just want to be able to instinctively wake up at the correct stop like so many of them do. Just remember to "Please mind the platform gap" when you get off.

But that's just the MRT. There's also buses and taxis. Admittedly, buses aren't my favorite thing in the world. Waiting for irregular time intervals and dealing with the constant turning and stopping of the bus isn't too enjoyable. However, the game of anticipating your stop and pressing the button early enough is both stressful and fun. Then, after all the buses and MRT stop running at 12, you get the opportunity to flag down a taxi. This almost always guarantees a new friend and interesting conversation with the taxi cab driver.

So yeah, I love public transportation. It makes me realize how much I'm meant to live in a city. Singapore, Tokyo, or New York, it doesn't matter. I just know it's how I'm meant to live.

Also, they use the word "alight" here. It means to get off. Isn't that funny? I don't think I'd ever even heard that word prior to here. I'll be using it on the P2P next year. Oh! Everyone has iphones or ipads here. They're always using them. Ok well, peace. ^^v

Look What I Can Do!

The Dries vs. The Moists

My first weekend at Singapore was so much fun! I met some really cool people and got to do some really fun stuff! 

The weekend started after class on Friday when Linden, Kerri, and I decided to venture down to Food Junction, one of the NUS cafeterias, for lunch. Now logically you would think I would purchase a non-spicy dish for lunch on such a hot day, right? Well, you’re wrong. I purchased the spiciest bowl of Kim Ramen in my whole life. “It’s just so spicy!” However, we had a very delightful lunch! I even got to skype Polly... and got really strange looks from all the Singaporeans as I showed her around the cafeteria with my laptop. lol. Afterwards, most of us headed over to the Chinese-Japanese gardens.... for 3.5 hours. While the landscaping, bonsai trees, and beautiful traditional buildings were nice at first, it started to drag on after while. Furthermore, it started to rain, which wasn't enjoyable. So, while we waited for some of our friends so we could leave, a group of us started playing zoom, ninja, and some other game. I'm too competitive. Way too competitive. lol. After we all gathered again, we headed over to Arab Street, which was super awesome! We wondered around for a little bit trying to find a good restaurant and eventually we asked a shop keeper what was good around there. He brought us to this little Moroccan place and it was DELICIOUS! I don't even know what I was eating, but it was awesome. The best part was this Iced Moroccan Tea that I got... heaven in my mouth. All of us thought it was the best tea ever. I'm definitely going back there.... maybe just for the tea. To close the night, a group of us went and smoked at a Hookah Bar. Tell me that's not awesome. Chilling in some little room on the second floor of some restaurant chilling and smoking some mint, apple shisha in Singapore.We had some deep conversations. haha.

Saturday started with a monsoon... jk. That was Sunday. Sorry. Saturday started with lunch at a fancy restaurant where we got to meet the people we'll be doing our homestays with. They were all NUS students and reallllly awesome. After eating, we broke up into a 2 or 3 groups and headed out with our newfound Singaporean friends. Our group went to the Singapore Art Museum and it was honestly the best museum I have ever been to before. It was some really interesting and compelling (before proofreading this I had written "complaining" haha)  artwork. It also had an interactive display in which you get to roll around in boobs in order to get in touch with feminine sexuality. Yeah. Pretty awesome. XD Afterwards, we went over to the Dumpling Festival and got to hear some girl sing Lady Gaga, visit a Chinese and Hindu temple, and, best of all, try durian. Watch that link and I'll talk more about it in my post about food. After heading back to the dorm and cleaning up, a group of us went out and found a little 24-hour prata shop and had an awesome time... even though the dog that barked PRIOR TO MY YELL almost got Kerri hit by a car. Finally, later that night, some of us went to meet the NUS students at a club, but after getting slightly lost and walking around Singapore'a banking district for awhile, we got there too late and the line was way too long. Instead we went to Clarke Quay and had a few drinks at a bar. Woot woot! Drinking age is 18!

SUNDAY started with a monsoon... that I somehow managed to sleep through until the very end of it. The lightning was soooo crazy. It feel like it was right outside my window and was soooo loud. Because of that, we cancelled our hiking trip. :( While some people went out shopping, I choose to participate in the studying portion of "studying abroad" and did reading for class. However... that didn't last too long. I had plans to meet AIESEC NUS for dinner so I left early, figured out the bus and MRT(subway) routes, and get myself over to that part of the city all on my own!  I ended up just doing some solo exploring and taking touristy pictures for about 2 hours. It was really nice to just soak it up and feel the city by myself for awhile. I ended up getting asked to take pictures for a lot of people and it was soooo funny what some people did. There's those who just smile in front the landmark, then you have the ones that like to pose, and then you have my favorites- the ones that just stand there doing absolutely nothing and don't smile. lol. So weird. During my travels, I found the Singapore Arts Festival, which was pretty good! There was lots of music and concerts and a karaoke competition (a bunch of old people singing really bad American music). Eventually, I met up with the AIESECers at this Japanese restaurant and got to meet them! They were so much fun and we had a really great time! Not only was it AIESEC NUS, but also two of the EPs that are doing internships in Singapore right now! After getting to know each other at dinner, we went out and took pictures in front of memorials.... Singaporeans have a strange definition of fun I learned.... very strange. :P And finally they cold-heartedly abandoned me and left me for dead. Not sure I'll be hanging out with them anymore. Jk. I knew my way back.

My weekend ended Monday night when some of us met up with Josh and Tim (NUSers) for free-flow alcohol at a bar. Don't worry, Mom. I didn't drink that much and obviously I made it home alright. :)

Well, that's it. Sorry this was so long. I hope it was at least mildly interesting... I feel like it wasn't. >< Sorry. Oh well.

BOOM!

Maybe that just surprised you and made this post more interesting. Well, if you have any questions about Singapore or my adventures, leave a comment! Later days! ^^v