Singapore

May 13, 2007
Singapore - Day 8

Everyone seemed relieved when we set foot onto Singapore this afternoon. We are finally back in what is perceived to be a cleaner, safer and more culturally familiar country.When we arrived at the airport, Trevor promptly drank from a water fountain - just because he could. I feel more at home here too. Singapore's lush greenery and open space reminds me a little of Vancouver.

By the time we arrived, it was already late afternoon. After quickly dropping off our bags at NUS, the Singaporeans treated us to a dinner at a Hainanese Chicken restaurant. The food was great.




















Orchard Road

After dinner, we wandered over to Orchard Road, the main shopping district of Singapore. Even though it was late at night, the streets were still lively with throngs of people. It is obvious there is a mixed population here. I know I have not been in this country for long, but it doesn’t feel like there is a Chinese dominance here. However, HP later told me racism in Singapore occurs in very subtle ways.

Chinatown

May 14, 2007
Singapore - Day 9

The first stop as a group today was the Chinatown Heritage Center. This museum focuses mainly on the personal histories of Chinese migrant life in Singapore. Video interviews, long quotations and displays replicating storefronts, bedrooms, kitchens, food and so on makes this museum a refreshing change from the usual. It definitely helps one's imagination of the past.





















Strolling down Chinatown





















Chinatown

Afterwards, we all broke off into small groups and visited various tourist sights including the Tian Hock Temple. In contrast to Hong Kong, most dishes used for offerings in Singapore are vegetarian.





















Searching for the Tian Hock Keng Temple
















Finally here - Tian Hock Keng
















Vegetarian offerings
















According to Ying Kit, this plaque was a gift from a Chinese emperor

We also made our way to the business district, the Merlion, the Esplanade and then to a nearby shopping center. At night, we had more chicken rice.












The big durian





















My failed attempt at drinking from the Merlion





















Apparently this building is modeled after Batman's Gotham City





















The gorgeous Raffles Hotel





















Busy at work in the courtyard kitchen





















Standing beside Sir Stamford Raffles, the founder of Singapore

Geylang

May 15, 2007
Singapore - Day 10

Professor Johnson turns another year older today, so in the celebratory spirit, the class traveled to Geylang for a birthday dinner at Sha Tin. We were stuffed with a copious amount of tasty Chinese food - all of which I have never encountered before. While we were eating, the wait staff kept up the spirits by playing classic children's songs in the background which ranged in theme from birthdays to Christmas.
















Dinner at Sha Tin

Geylang is a neighbourhood in Singapore where one goes to find food, women, or both. Interestingly, the odd numbered streets are filled with well known eateries and the even numbered streets make up Singapore's red light district.

After dinner, we ate some fresh Durian for dessert. HuiPing then offered to lead us in a tour around the red light district. It was an eye opening experience. HP told me that many of the girls come from bordering countries. They stay for a little while to earn some money and then they head back home. It's hard to police them because of the fear they'll take their business underground, making it even harder to control.

The Clan Association

May 16, 2007
Singapore - Day 11

Today the class was introduced to a Cantonese clan association: the Kwong Wai Siew Pek San Theng. Besides performing the typical functions of a clan association, they also manage a columbarium on their lands. It was built after the government's destruction of an old cemetery belonging to the Cantonese community in 1979.
















Group photo with the clan association

Afterwards, I headed back to NUS to meet a fellow political science student from Vancouver. She took me to Vivo City, one of the country's largest shopping malls, where we had lunch and caught up. She told me a little bit about the politics of Singapore. Some interesting points I noted:

• There is no natural development to this city - everything is built to attract business and people
  
• There is no social welfare system in this country
• Singapore has no indigenous culture; almost everything is from somewhere else. Things that are indigenous are suppressed by the government (e.g. Singlish)

I met up with the rest of the students at night for dinner at the Newton Hawker Center, a treat from Professor Teo. The food looked good, but unfortunately, I didn't have much of an appetite because of a cough I contracted while in Guangzhou.

We ended up taking a stroll around Clarke Quay afterward - a famous tourist area filled with restaurants and clubs.



























Posing at Clarke Quay

Race in Singapore

May 17, 2007
Singapore - Day 12

In this morning's lecture, Yeow-Tong, a PhD student from the University of Toronto, gave the class a mini lecture on how race works in Singapore. He wrote down a formula that went like this:

Language = Culture = Race

In a gist, there are four categories of race in Singapore: Chinese, Malay, Indian and Others. There are also four official languages: English, Malay, Mandarin and Tamil. The government assigns all citizens to a race category that appears on their personal identity card. The way one is categorized depends on the language one uses, which in turn, depends on one's ethnic background.

This method of conceptualizing races is supported by the school system of Singapore. Since English is considered neutral, it is the language of instruction. Students, however, are required to take up an additional official language during their schooling years. The choice of language depends on their ethnic background. For example, if you were Chinese, you would be required to take Mandarin in school.

I find this method of dealing with race very interesting. The government is able to use language to promote two seemingly contrasting goals. They are able to help create a sense of equality among the races as well as help sustain the unique ethnic diversity of the country. It is an interesting method of dealing with the diverse communities that have established themselves in the area.

However, I wonder why people cannot simply be labeled as Singaporean. Why does the distinction of race need to be so obviously expressed?

After the morning lecture, the class embarked on a trip to the Singapore National Museum - by far the most interesting museum we've visited. Individuals are given personal, interactive audio players that act as a guide through the exhibits. In addition to simple narrative explanations, these players recreate voices of historical figures and narrate personal stories. I think it's a terrific way of teaching history and I quite enjoyed the experience. It was like walking into a storybook. The only downfall is that it's incredibly time consuming. I was only halfway through before I realized I had to go. Trevor, who finished early, gave a couple of us a speedy tour of the remaining displays as we rushed out to meet the rest of our group.

The Singapore National Museum





















Inside

In the afternoon, a couple of us headed over to a mall by Ang Mo Kio station for a quick food court lunch. We intended to go to the Singapore zoo afterwards but a horrific (at least in the eyes of a Vancouverite) rainstorm delayed our plans. In the end, we only got a chance to visit the night safari where we saw a disappointingly small assortment of animals. My favorite was the statuesque-like elephants.

Bumbu and the Eurasian Association

May 18, 2007
Singapore - Day 13

In a drowsy medicated state, I boarded the bus and followed my class to the Eurasian Association today. This place houses a small museum on its grounds which was our primary destination. Our museum tour guides gave us a brief explanation about the history of the association and how Eurasians came to be in Singapore before leaving us to roam in an exhibit examining the atrocities faced by these people during WWII. Although the displays were informative, I wish we had learned more about the place of Eurasians in Singapore instead.
















Lunch at Eddie's Place, a brother and sister run restaurant attached to the museum





















Waiting for our food

Since my cough was getting worse, I headed back to the NUS dorms after and slept through the afternoon. At night I hopped on the bus with a couple of UBC students to Arab street where we had a scheduled UBC/USP dinner at Bumbu, a restaurant specializing in Malaysian and Indonesian cuisine.
















At Bumbu

Afterwards, we all headed off to Samar, a Middle Eastern themed restaurant for some drinks.

Haw Par Villa

May 19, 2007
Singapore - Day 14

The bus dropped the class off in Haw Par Villa today where we were scheduled to wander through the Hua Song Museum - a building housing exhibits on Chinese migration from around the world. I like how this museum touched on many different issues faced by migrants such as the process of cultural adaptation, the hardships of making a living and so on, but I felt the exhibits failed to provide a comprehensive understanding of the overall history of Chinese migration.

In any case, walking around the place did get me thinking about the meaning of being "Chinese". Henry has mentioned numerous times before that the term "Chinese", as a form of self-identification, is a relatively new concept. I wonder how relevant it still is today. It seems like there are a lot of younger generation Chinese (at least among my Canadian friends) that know very little about their own history or culture.

After the museum, we went to visit the ten levels of Hell: a cave like structure with figurines depicting the horrific acts a person will have to endure when burning underground.





















At Haw Par Villa
















A group picture to submit to the Courier, a Vancouver newspaper
















At the gates of Hell
















Hell!

Once we were free to leave, I was lead to a doctor by Li Min and Jinrui in hopes to find a cure for an incessant cough I contracted. Medicine here is actually quite cheap.

Later in the night, I bused over to Holland Village with a couple people and feasted on a Western-style dinner at Brekos, a well known sandwich restaurant. Holland Village is a touristy area in Singapore filled with small shops and eateries; a popular destination among the younger generation. It is also where I spotted my first rat in Asia, shattering the stereotype of an immaculate Singapore (although this country is still very clean). Linda had a small gathering at her place afterwards but I was too drowsy with medication to stay awake.