My Singapore

"Why are you going to Singapore?"

This was the typical response when I told people I was studying abroad in Southeast Asia. Once these people googled Singapore, they read about its tropical weather, upscale shopping and strict government. While these qualities are certainly a core component of Singaporean culture, they haven't been the defining elements of my Singapore experience.

My Singapore isn't the expensive shops and restaurants on Orchard Road or the beaches lining Sentosa Island. My Singapore is the daily $2.30 lemon chicken rice and $1.40 iced green tea from Canteen 16. My Singapore is the sweat that trickled down my back after walking a mere five minutes in the extreme heat and humidity. It's the lizards that crawl all over my dorm room walls and the bouncers at Attica who give me too many free drinks. It's staying up till 2 in the morning every Tuesday on the computer watching Glee and skyping with family and friends. It's the weekly four-hour-long group meetings followed by two-hour-long dinner meetings. It's the constant stares from Asian men on MRT rides, the local food from hawker stands and the numerous Sunday afternoons spent at the campus pool with fellow exchange students.

I expected to have amazing experiences while studying abroad. The snorkeling in Thailand, sandsurfing in Vietnam, shopping in Hong Kong and temple exploring in Bali were all part of my plan. Regardless of the fact that I've lived abroad and travelled quite a bit before, I knew this experience be life-changing. But I didn't expect to discover my passions. I'd always been so jealous of musical theatre majors because they seem so madly in love with their careers. Being here has made me realize that traveling has been my passion all along.

I've never lived in the same place for more than five years and I like it that way. There are (arguably) 195 countries in the world and I've got approximately another 70 years to see them. Whoever said ignorance is bliss obviously didn't read any Lonely Planet travel guides. Living abroad again has reignited my love for meeting new people and exploring new places. Especially those with nice weather.

Being here has made me realize how precious life is and that it is meant to be enjoyed. I have been so simply HAPPY these past five months. I have a few wonderful friends, beautiful weather and delicious food. I'm eternally grateful for my parents who encourage and support me in everything I do. I couldn't be more blessed.

Initially, the idea of going back home made me depressed. But I realized that I only have two precious years left of college and they are something I will never get back. Asia will always be here waiting for me. So Asia, you have two years to recover from Hurricane KaraKona before I come back in full force for good. Consider yourself warned.

My view every day at 6:30 PM

Daily dim sum meal

My fellow Hall 3-ers - Hall Olympic Champions!

Typical 20-minute thunderstorm. Oh, Singapore.

NTU, home of the Fighting Dumplings

Addicted to green tea. The first of many adjustment-back-to-USA problems.

Parents visit, Hong Kong & Thailand

The past two/three weeks have been a complete whirlwind. My parents arrived April 1st and we spent time in Singapore, Bintan and Hong Kong together. It was great to show them my life here and spent time together. They spent a few nights at the famous Marina Bay Sands hotel in downtown Sing. The MBS has an incredible infinity pool on the 57th floor that has awesome views of the city. We got some great pictures, even with cloudy weather. I took them around my school and favorite local restaurants before heading off to Bintan, Indonesia for two days. In Bintan, we continued eating great food and soaking up the sun before returning back to Singapore. I had school all week and met up with my parents after classes each day. They left for Hong Kong on Thursday and I met up with them on Saturday morning.

They made it!!

Playtime in the Marina Bay Sands pool

Marina Bay Sands hotel

The kiddies enjoying some much needed sunshine

We found heaven, it's in Bintan

Hong Kong was AMAZING! It has the vibrancy and pace of New York but the similarities end there. My first stop was for some dimsum (of course) and we spent the rest of the day visiting markets and shopping. Even my dad had a great time. In fact, he had to buy a new suitcase because he had bought too much stuff! My parents were like giddy teenagers running around the city reminiscing about their old favorite spots. I didn't remember anything from when we lived there fifteen years ago except for a few sites from pictures hanging around the house.

Central

Fa Yuen street shopping

Her favorite, the jade market

Best. Food. Ever.

I was dying to go experience the nightlife in Lan Kwai Fung and my parents were total sports about it. We went bar hopping and I even got my mom to do jello shots out of a syringe with me. Everyone at the bar was cheering on the American "sisters" and we had a great time. The next day we visited Victoria's Peak, Repulse Bay and Tsim Sha Tsui. I would say the highlight of my trip was the food. I am obsessed with any and all Asian food and the dimsum in Hong Kong was too delicious.

The American sisters

Lan Kwai Fung, HK party district

View from the Peak

At Dickens bar in the Excelsior hotel, his old fav.

Repulse Bay beach

My parents left HK Monday morning to go back to the US. Before my mom even got on the plane, she was talking about her next trip back. I told her it'll be in two years when I graduate and am living in this time zone full time. So start booking your trips now, people! My flight wasn't until Monday night so I spent the day on Lantau Island. I took a crystal cable car to the top of a mountain in Lantau and met a lovely couple from Chicago who kept me company. I visited the Po Lin Monastery, Tian Tin buddha and Tai O fishing village before my flight at night.

Cable car up the mountain

Walking up the many stairs to Tian Tan buddha... These women stopped after each step to pray.

Tai-O floating village, nicknamed "Venice of the East" haha

On Tuesday, Leah and I were on the internet and found dirt cheap tickets from Thursday - Sunday to Krabi, Thailand. It is "E-learning week" at NTU so all of my classes are held online. The lecture notes are posted online and you write short responses to each lecture. There are no physical classes held. It is really bizarre - and pointless, if you ask me - but it meant that we could book the tickets to Thailand. We did and it was a great decision.

We nearly missed our flight on Thursday morning because the shuttle to our terminal was running late. Luckily, they kept the gate open for us an extra five minutes and we made it. We saw a few exchange students who we'd met earlier in the semester on our flight and made plans to hang out for the day. We spent the rest of the day drinking on the beach and exploring Krabi. We ate amazing Thai food and just had a really fun time.

Thailand crew

"Mrs. Sweet and partner" as the hotel staff called us

Drunkenly babysitting Thai children haha

The next day, Leah and I rented a private longtail boat to visit the surrounding islands. We visited Poda Island and Tub Island. It was absolutely beautiful. The pictures speak for themselves.

Poda Island

Hanging out in our longtail boat at Tub Island

Our driver for the day

After our trip, we got some delicious paid thai and did some shopping. Leah is cross-training for a marathon this summer so she went to the gym and I went to get a thai massage. I was a little nervous because thai massages are very physical and look painful. (Google "thai massage" and you'll see what I mean.) It ended up being an interesting experience because the women spoke no English. She walked on my back and bent me in positions I didn't know were humanly possible. It felt very nice until the next morning when I woke up with a sore neck.

We only have two weeks of classes left before finals begin on May 10th. We have this Friday off and are taking a trip to Malaysia with our friend Rachel. We plan on going to Malacca and Tioman island from the 21st- 25th. We haven't made it to Malaysia yet and I'm excited to check it out! After that is our last week of class. Leah and I are beyond excited because we leave for VIETNAM on the 30th. We are flying into Ho Chi Minh and spending two days there and two days in Mui Ne. I CAN NOT WAIT! Then I've got finals on the 10th, 11th, 18th and 19th. I leave for the US on May 23rd but have a five day layover in Madrid to visit some friends. I am missing Leah's birthday so we are trying to fit in one final trip from the 19th-22nd to celebrate her twentieth birthday.

Am I the luckiest girl in the world, or what? :)

Halfway point

Only two months left... It's so hard to believe that I'm halfway finished with my exchange program in Singapore. It's been the most amazing experience so far and I am so grateful that Elon and my parents provided me with such an awesome opportunity. Having lived abroad before, I wasn't too nervous about the cultural differences or adjustment. I've always thrived in a new environment and being overseas has taken me back to my middle school days living in England where I was constantly learning new things and meeting new people. 

Classes and group meetings dominate my schedule Monday - Friday, so I've gotten to know a handful of local students pretty well. Thanks to them, I'm now an avid lover of Korean pop music, char siew bao and Tiger/Chang/Singhi/Bintang beers. I was even told that I'm a natural at holding chopsticks... so minus the whole blonde hair thing, I'm practically Asian.

My favorite Korean pop song. Obviously I'm in the middle of memorizing the lyrics and music video dance.

Char Siew Bao-- barbeque pork buns. DELICIOUS!

Friday night was an exciting night for the girls of room 10 because we completed a 40k bike marathon! Hall 3 sponsored a 40k bike marathon from 10 pm to 6 am across the entire country. NTU is located on the far west side of the island and we went from NTU to East Coast Park. The journey ended up taking longer than we expected and we arrived back to our room at 8 am. We were absolutely exhausted but it was worth it. We spent Saturday sleeping and met up with Leah's family from Perth who were in town for dinner. We took them to our favorite local Chinese restaurant, Wan Dou Sek. As always, the food was absolutely delicious. Leah and I ventured to the Jurong Bird Park - the world's largest bird park - on Sunday afternoon. It was very cool to see all the different birds but the highlight of the afternoon was the Ben and Jerry's ice cream stand at the gift shop. The combination of the heat, humidity and bird poop stench made my ice cream cone taste like heaven on Earth.

Start of the bike ride

The whole crew

Jurong bird park

Feeding a lorrie

Wan Dou Sek!! Great dimsum

But perhaps the best news of all lays ahead. Friday evening, my parents are coming to town!! I can't WAIT!! It's very difficult to sit in class and listen to a 2 hour lecture on crisis management when my two favorite people ever are coming to see me in my favorite place ever. They arrive on Friday and are staying at the famous Marina Bay Sands hotel for two nights. Can't wait to show everyone pictures --- it is an UNBELIEVABLE hotel. We're spending Sunday and Monday at Bintan Island in Indonesia (about 45 min ferry ride away) for a little rest and relaxation so they can get over jetlag ASAP. Monday - Thursday, we'll be in Singapore. I am so excited to show them my campus, new friends and my new city. We lived in Sing in 1995 and I'm curious how my parents think the city has changed. They leave for Hong Kong on Thursday and I meet up with them on Saturday. My perfect week comes to an end on Monday when I bid both my parents and Hong Kong farewell.

Leah and I are looking forward to continue conquering Southeast Asia in our final weeks. We're spending Easter weekend in Malaysia and then we are spending five days in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam and Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Between and after these travels, I'll be handcuffed to a chair in the library preparing for exams. Exams here are a big deal -- as in 70% of my grade big deal. It's a far cry from the class system at Elon where I have multiple tests, quizzes, papers, exams -- a lot more opportunities to boost my grade.

I'll be sure to update my blog with stories and pictures from my parents' visit to Sing and Hong Kong. That's all for now :)

Birthday and Bintan

It's been an exciting 72 hours for the girls of Room 10, Hall 3! I celebrated my 20th birthday on February 11 (but really all week long) and had a great time. Thank you so much to all of my family and friends back home for sending letters and packages - you made my day extra special! Although, I now have a permanent stomach ache from all of the American candy I received. Regardless, I love and miss you all.

I had class all day long on Friday, my actual birthday. Of course I wore a tiara to my classes and told every single stranger I passed that I was the Birthday Princess. Most people just stared and nodded. Things got awkward real fast when I walked into my upper-level lecture ten minutes late wearing a birthday crown. Luckily I made a few new friends who appreciated my "American charisma," as they called it.

Friday night I went out for dessert and drinks to Brewerkz, my favorite American restaurant in Clarke Quay, with my friends. I wore a bright red dress, crown and glitter heels. I had chocolate cake and my friends sang Happy Birthday to me. The waiter gave me many drinks and we all had a great time. After dessert, Leah and I went to the club for another night of endless partying. We made it back to school in the early morning and only slept for about 2 hours. Saturday morning, around 10 am, we were off to Bintan, Indonesia for some more birthday fun!

Meredith, me, Rachel and Leah in Clarke Quay

The Birthday Brat!

We took an hour ferry ride from Singapore to Bintan. When we arrived at the hotel, we were greeted with two free drinks. Our Canadian friends, Chrissy and JJ, had called the hotel and told them it was my birthday and treated us to welcome drinks. What a great way to start off!

We actually made it!!

Little jellyfish-like things floating in my cocktail... 

The hotel was absolutely beautiful. We spent the rest of the day at the beach laying out, playing in the ocean and searching for sea shells. It was truly perfect. We had 8 o'clock dinner reservations at the Kelong Restaurant, a romantic seafood place on the water. Leah and I got a few funny stares because all of the other restaurant guests were clearly couples. We had a great meal of chicken, broccoli and rice with our favorite Jasmine Green Tea drinks.

Standing in front of the South China Sea

My sand dollar souvenirs I found

The Kelong Restaurant

At night we checked out La Luna, the club on the beach. The staff was very friendly and we met a nice guy from Paris. We were exhausted from Friday night so we left the club and walked along the beach to our hotel. We slept in late the next morning and headed over to the Resort Centre for our 30 dollar, hour-long massages.

Frolicking in the South China Sea

Things got awkward real fast when the massage therapist told me to undress. I did as she told and lied down with a towel over me. When she came back in, she lifted the towel and shrieked. I guess I wasn't supposed to COMPLETELY undress because she was yelled, "Ah! Where is your underwear?!" I was mortified. She laughed at me and warned  Leah's massage therapist. Of course Leah had made the same mistake as me. We were all laughing although my poor massage therapist is probably scarred for life. Oops!

Pre- massage mishap

After our massage we wandered around the resort Centre for a while. We literally stumbled onto an Elephant Park during our wandering. It was unbelievable! The staff approached us and asked us if we wanted pictures with the elephants. We were so excited! We got to sit on the elephants and I even stuck my arm in the elephant's mouth. We touched their beautiful ivory tusks while the staff members documented the whole experience. It was the highlight of our trip and the best part was it was totally free!

Meeting Emma, a 27 year old Indonesian elephant

Three beautiful ladies

Emma's headshot. She's such a star.

We spent the rest of the day back at the beach and pool. When we were at the beach, a group of local Indonesian young girls approached us and asked to take their picture with us. Right when we were standing up, a security guard came running out and chased them away. Leah and I were really confused. An hour later when we were walking down the beach, the girls approached us again and asked for pictures. Right when they left, an Indonesian family approached us and asked to take a picture too! The woman literally threw her baby at me (who was screaming) and snapped a few shots. It was bizarre and we were taken off guard. We have two theories as to why they wanted our picture: 1) They don't see western people often or 2) They thought we were famous. Either way, it was a really weird moment.

Obligatory cheesy beach photo shoot

Now I am back "home" at NTU in Singapore. It's been a birthday I'll always remember! I have a full week of classes ahead of me and am right in the thick of school work. I am really enjoying all of my classes. I am specifically loving my Integrated Marketing class and Creative Strategies class. We are learning the fundamentals of marketing and advertising. My professors are great and it is so interesting comparing American and Singaporean cultures in a business context.

I apologize for the long blog post, but I have a lot to say! In two weeks, Leah and I are spending four days in Koh Phi Phi Don, Thailand. We are staying in bamboo huts right on the beach and can't wait!

Chinese New Year

To say my life is eventful would be an understatement. Sometimes I literally have to pinch myself to make sure I'm not dreaming. Where are the hidden MTV cameras? I am so blessed!

Last Friday, I was contacted by an NTU student named Wenxu who spent a semester at Elon two years ago. We exchanged contact information and he invited Leah and I out for dinner. We were so excited that he took us to an American restaurant in Clarke Quay called Brewerkz because we had been eyeing that restaurant the few times we'd been in Clarke Quay. In true American fashion, I ordered a cheeseburger, onion rings and beer. It was exactly what I needed after eating chicken rice and dumplings all week. It was great to talk to Wenxu about his experience at Elon and I was so happy to hear he had a great time.

Cheeseburgers, beer & onion rings = one happy girl.

Leah and me with our new friend Wenxu!

Saturday night, my new girlfriends and I hit the clubbing scene. We've had a lot of fun every time we'd gone out clubbing last week and this weekend was no exception. We went to a club called Zouk because a special guest DJ named Gareth Emery was performing. We had never heard of him before but had a great time.

DJ Gareth Emery!

The crew

Leah and me cabbing it back to campus, circa 5:30 am.

Today, Wednesday, is Chinese New Year. Wenxu invited Leah and me to spend Chinese New Year with his family for a traditional Chinese meal. Boy, were we in for a surprise. It was unlike anything I've ever experienced. No one in his family except his sisters spoke English. It was a vegetarian meal and I ate things I'd never seen before. It was a far cry from American food.

No idea what anything on my plate is. 

At the end of the meal, the waitress brought out this plate of a mixture of foods. Everyone at the table stood up and dug their chopsticks into the dish and threw the food up in the air. It is Chinese tradition to do this every New Year dinner.

Before the chaos.

Chinese people chanting and throwing food in the air? I'll take it.

Us with Wenxu and his younger sister

Us with Wenxu's grandmother. She gave us money packets to wish us a prosperous new year!

After dinner, we walked through Little India to an inexpensive supermarket where we could buy souvenirs. On the way, I started to feel sick - really sick. I had to leave the supermarket in search for a bathroom because I could feel myself starting to get nauseous. There were no bathrooms in sight and I ended up getting sick in an alleyway. It was disgusting but hilarious. Singapore has all these crazy extreme laws and I was nervous that I was going to get punished for throwing up in public. Wenxu's sister informed me that because I threw up in a sewer, I was in the clear. HAH.

I was starting to feel a little better and we got a bus back to Wenxu's apartment. We all sat in his living room and watched Singaporean soap operas, which were ridiculous. His mother gave us oranges and little packets of money, both of which are given as wishes for prosperity and good health. Since it is the year of the rabbit, she also taught us how to make little rabbits out of towels. It was adorable.

With our new gifts

My towel bunny is the one on the left... obviously the sloppy one.

Most of our friends are traveling this week because we have no class on Thursday or Friday. Leah and I plan on spending the time exploring the rest of Singapore. It has been raining nonstop for the past 8 days, so we've got our fingers crossed for a sunny day to spend at Sentosa!