Sweat and Singlish

Where to start? This time away from home feels like both the end and the beginning. After the months of personal deliberation, inter-university bureaucracy, and preparation, I am relieved to have finally arrived in the city-state of Singapore to start my semester abroad.

But I had to get here first. Upon prematurely ending my summer, I hopped on a plane and skipped over the Pacific Ocean to Tokyo with my father. With only 24 hours in Japan I was quick to see what I could, from ear-splitting pachinko parlors to hyper-advanced toilets. Riding on some of the most crowded, yet most efficient and speedy train systems of the world was a treat. Everything in Japan seems to be on rails, from the people who, without instruction, form polite queues for doorways and escalators, to the sushi, which flaunts itself to hungry patrons riding upon a looping platform. Despite the bilingual signs and announcements, the language barrier was an issue, almost trapping us in the train station before our separate flights out.

I arrived in Singapore in the early morning and the first thing that I noticed upon stepping off the plane was the air. I don’t think I’ve ever lived in a place with 80% humidity in high 80’s temperatures. The first few nights in my tiny dorm room without air-conditioning were tough, but I think I’m becoming acclimatized; I’m sure when I come back to Texas everything will feel too dry and cold. After hailing one of the governmentally regulated taxis I had my first encounter with Singapore’s taxi drivers, which know neither English nor directions well. I had expected Singapore to be a densely packed urban jungle, but it turns out the city is interspersed with much lush tropical woodland. But much of Singapore seems to be under construction, in light of city gaining independence only half a century ago. I hope to learn more about Singapore’s history through courses here at the National University of Singapore.

Activities started immediately: a large orientation of all international students, gaining my visa documentation and student matriculation, finding the various sports clubs (they seem to love tennis the most), and personally dealing with unexpected cross-country bank bureaucracy. After all that, along with a night drinking in a park and a ‘visit’ to the ritzy Clarke Quay bar district with about a dozen British dressed as school child

ren, I’ve met more people than I can possibly remember, all of them exchange students. Most international students at NUS come from Europe, with a majority from Baltic States; or perhaps they are the most remarkable with their blond hair and tall statures (and party hard attitudes). Most Singaporeans come from China and thus most people you see are dark-haired and speak Chinese, and you can not help but notice the large groups of Chinese students that accumulate in my dormitory complex. Almost three-quarters of all Singaporeans are Chinese, but Indians and Malays are also present as large ethnic groups, resulting in Singapore adopting four national languages: English, Chinese, Tamil, and Malay. This is the first time of my life as a minority and it’s hard to not just associate with other Caucasians; hopefully, in time, I will acclimatize to this aspect as well. The English spoken here is a delightful dialect of British English with a Chinese influence known as Singlish, which sometimes hampers my communication.

As I hoped the food here is delicious and cheap. Authentic tastes from every corner of Asia are just a train ride away at most. As I hoped, seafood can be found on anything (fish ball pizza?) and can be found everywhere. Neighborhoods such as Chinatown, Little India, and Arab Street provide all the dining and over-priced (as I discovered later) shopping you could want. The fruit here is amazing as well, including the extraordinary Durian, a fruit that is banned on buses and subways due its awful smell. In a pancake or as ice cream, it tastes better than its odor, but not by much (a cross between over-ripe bananas and old onions). I’m working my way up to the actual fresh fruit itself, and by the end of the year I hope to taste everything, and I mean everything, this city has to offer.

Making the decision to postpone my already overdue graduation from the University of Texas was not an easy one, but in the week and half I have already been here I have seen enough to trump a semester of experience in Austin, and there is still so much to do. Swim with the pink dolphins of Sentosa Island, visit the night safari, gawk at the red light district of Orchard Street, and see the full moon parties of Thailand. Stay tuned, things are just getting started.