Peranakan Museum

Some Rotarians invited me and another Rotary scholar out to the Peranakan Museum today and for a delicious traditional Peranakan lunch.

Peranakans are those descendants of foreigners/traders who came to southeast Asia and married local women. Most of the foreigners were Chinese and thus the Peranakan culture consists of strong Chinese themes mixed with much Malay and Indonesian culture.

I feel like I'm from a culture that wants to easily label people and cultures. I wasn't aware that there is such a mixture of cultures, especially in Southeast Asia. People don't necessarily identify as Chinese or Malaysian, instead many cultural practices are fusions and end results of many different traditions. This may be how any culture evolves and comes into origin. It was fascinating taking a tour and wandering around the museum learning about this culture. Cause most things I looked at looked somewhat Chinese, but not really. And then there were elements of style I noticed that reminded me of Indonesia and then of Malaysia too.

Intricate minute beaded works are said to be indicative of whether or not a Nonya Peranakan girl will be a good wife. Veneration of ancestors and auspicious symbolic practices really make this culture unique and show the integration of many different cultures.

After the museum, we went to a lovely lunch at the Peranakan restaurant nearby. We Rotary Scholars definitely feel spoiled by some of these generous Rotarians. The meal was so tasty! I love trying all these new foods. I think it's something really special when you experience a taste you've never had before. This fusion of Chinese, Malay, and Indonesian food among others results in a lot of spicy and delicious dishes. There were elements of lime juice and even flowers in some salads that were delicious. I ate well today :). On top of that, it was great table conversation chatting with Rotarians about culture and Rotary. We definitely are incredibly grateful to get a Singaporean opinion on what to do, eat, and their general view of life in their country. I realize how arbitrary my experiences as a visitor here are and am happy that I can ask some people how they really feel about certain things in their country instead of just basing it off of my limited observations.

Kanye West

Kanye West in Singapore? International acclaimed American hip hop artist in Singapore? Didn't think it could happen, nor did I think he would have a large fan base in Singapore since I can't really imagine Singaporeans understanding Kanye's music. But he came, even though the concert was rescheduled to this week from earlier this month.

It was held at the Singapore Indoor Stadium located really far from where I live. It was a pretty weak turn out in my opinion. I know Kanye would sell out, I'm pretty sure he did when he came to Gainesville a while back. I was really psyched since this is his Glow in the Dark Tour and Common was going to open for him. Instead, there was no famous opening act, no surprise guest singer. A beatbox competition opened for Kanye West with a kid named Donnie who I have nothing but sympathy for at this point. To be perfectly honest, it's hard for me to take asian rap seriously since I think I was raised not associating Asians with rap or hip hop. So to see them act in a way that I feel looks so unnatural to them makes me kind of uncomfortable and extremely awkward.

I had a really good time at the concert though. I got pretty close to the stage since there were many seats open and everyone (who actually really enjoy his music) got up and got as close as possible. The energy was lower than I think what would be expected at any Kanye concert in America and it was what I was expecting since this IS Singapore. And expressing lots of emotion and feeling doesn't seem to come natural to these people. The encore was great though and was happy to see a surge of energy from the crowd at the end.

Interestingly, the Singapore/Asia leg of Kanye's tour was not listed online. I did see lots of foreigners there, and lots of Asian and caucasian teenagers. It's always surreal to go to a concert of a really famous artist. And of course he has this aura as do most performers but I guess this is part of the disillusionment of getting older but I thought the little 14 year old American girls standing next to me were acting ridiculous when they would scream 'I LOVE YOU KANYE' with a shriek. Either way no one can deny that his celebrity is huge now, even in places like Singapore apparently.

Rotary Club vists

I visited with the Rotary Club of Changi last night for dinner and also went with two other scholars to visit the Rotary Club of Serangoon Gardens. The picture to the left is the RC of Serangoon Gardens.

Although this is a little redundant, I have to express my appreciation to all the Rotary clubs I have visited in Asia so far about how welcoming and appreciative they were to us scholars.

The RC of Changi met at the Serangoon Gardens Country Club pretty far from where I live. It was basically at the north of Singapore, which was surrounded by actual homes, something I have not used to be seeing since I am surrounded by HDB flats and condominium apartment buildings. These lovely little houses in the area reminded me of America. Since one of the members of the Changi club was the president of the country club, the meeting was held there. The picture below is the entrance to the country club.

It was an amazing 4 course dinner that followed the meeting and my presentation. Goat cheese salad, crab sweet cream corn soup, steak with potatoes and cheesecake for dessert. Sorry for that description, it was amazing though since I rarely get to eat so well. I eat a lot, but not necessarily well. Most of the dinner discussion by the Rotarians I was sitting with was about America and the economy. Singapore's open trade with the world forces its country to pay attention to the international scene and of course the US economy. I have been consistetly impressed with the Singaporean knowledge of America and its economy. The club said I was welcome to come back whenever.

Me and two other scholars had the opportunity to speak at the RC of Serangoon Gardens this evening. It was again a lovely dinner at yet another country club, the Pines, downtown in the Orchard Road area. Located in the Orchard area, we passed many plush condominums that once again reminded me of America. The club was friendly, had a good amount of friendly Rotarians and made us feel really appreciated. I met many lawyers and doctors among Rotarians of other professions.

Something I have been asked at almost every Rotary club I've been to whether in Singapore or in Indonesia is who I am voting for or who I will think will win the election. The world has its eye on America and with the economic crisis and the election drawing near and the attention that Sarah Palin has received has made me realize how important America is all over the world. Singaporeans seem to know more about why the Lehman Brothers went bankrupt than I do. Furthermore, they seem to keep up to date with the goings on in America on a consistent basis, even more so than a lot of Americans from home that I know.

Orchard Road

I've heard more than one American friend refer to the masses of Singaporeans at stores reminds them of 'Black Friday' in America. In particular during rush hours and on the weekends, I avoid going grocery shopping because the claustrophobic atmosphere of every Fairprice, Giant, and Watson's is suffocating. Even though I am gradually accepting this pace of life and becoming more patient while waiting in a 15 person queue, it is still difficult to adjust to.

I often feel the Singaporean people have a blank stare. Especially when I'm in the super market or walking the streets. When I first arrived, I assumed they were unfriendly. And as an American, who smiles at people without speaking, it always takes some adjusting to pick up a different culture's small nuances. In my opinion, most all Singaporeans are incredibly friendly, but usually don't take the initiative to smile first unless you know them a little bit. For me, it's weird to see someone looking so blank and even sort of mean, but when they accidentally bump into you, they politely apologize with a note of sincerity that I didn't expect from such a look. Often they begin to smile and seem warm once they speak. When I first arrived, I was still always sort of surprised when someone who physically looks so Asian or foreign spoke English. I always expected a response from a person who looks like they don't speak English in another language, but in Singapore that is not the case. Whether they may be Chinese, Indian, Malaysian, Indonesian, or any other race, it is finally not surprising me that we can all communicate in English. I hope I don't sound too closed minded about my initial expectations, but it was confusing to see people of all different looks speak English, especially in Asia.

I went to Orchard Road yesterday to do some shopping. I don't venture downtown very often, but since the gym was closed and it was raining, I thought I'd get my exercise in by window shopping in the labyrinth that is Orchard Road shopping area. I only hit up a few shopping plazas outside of the Orchard MRT station: Wisma Atria, Tang Plaza and the Shaw Centre. It's overwhelming, overcrowded, and consumer driven. There was Bebe, Gap, Mango, Lacoste, etc. Basically every sort of American, European, and even Asian designer you could think of and I only covered a very small area of Orchard Road. I felt pulled back into a different state of reality looking at all the namebrand and designer merchandise filling up these huge buildings. I think I am experiencing a different lifestyle here, not what the average foreigner may think of when they think of Singapore. I live pretty far from downtown (by Singaporean standards) and my area doesn't consist of many foreigners nor is it consumed with the international labels and brands that downtown is. Furthermore, I'm going to school, eating at hawker stands on a budget, and saving any money I may have for traveling. Of course my Rotary functions often allow me to tap into the business and real world that exists here.

So I feel I'm experiencing dual worlds. This simple student life with no tv, far from the city, contrasts with the more wealthy and international metropolis that is consumer/label driven. I think Singapore may be a sought out destination for many ex-patriates since there are so many things you can get downtown that doesn't even make you feel like you're in Asia. Singapore has the convenience of an international scene, but the location for exotic island getaways among many other things.

I will be speaking at two Rotary clubs this week. I can't believe its almost November when what I consider my "real traveling" will begin. At the same time, many of my exchange friends from Europe will be leaving, and of course my time to actually return to America will be closer as well. Time flies when you're having fun? Or maybe time just flies as you get older.

UNIFEM

I met with the manager and president of UNIFEM Singapore yesterday and spoke with them for over 2 hours. Let me first off state that my mind is all over the place. To be honest I'm a little overwhelmed and still overstimulated with my experience in Singapore, with Rotary, in school, and with my personal life in general. There's so many new things and I feel I am constantly trying to see and do everything within my reach. And what is in my reach now? So much more than what was in Gainesville and I feel I have to take advantage of it.

I was put in contact with UNIFEM through Rotary actually. Again, I am understanding the international reach Rotary has. I have the rare opportunity to really be active in UNIFEM and see how a non governmental organization works. The organization has been really welcoming to me and the other Rotary Scholars. They have given me lots of work to do already! But I'm really enjoying it. I'm on an organizing commitee for the 10 anniversary dinner ($200/plate). I will be helping with a research project with an academic institution to interview female domestic workers about their treatment. And I will also be helping create an online library for UNIFEM information and help distriute video clips and information. And although I expressed my desire to work on the ground, hands on, especially with the human trafficking/child sex campaigns, I think I learned how to be realistic about these situations and that is something I am not necessarily prepared for or capable of as a student with limited time. Social workers plan sometimes for years before they take a trip to Indonesia or India to work for weeks or months educating, and training people to be sustainable on their own.

Although UNIFEM covers many issues, I was told UNIFEM Singapore focuses on four main social issues:
- Gender equality
- Violence against women
- HIV/AIDS
- Sex trafficking

As I explained to Saleemah (the president) about how I saw the movie 'Born into Brothels' and have heard about friends being propositioned by children in Cambodia and how those experiences have impassioned me to work with this cause, she was extremely receptive and encouraging of my drive. But truthfully, after speaking with her and listening to the stories of the people she has interviewed I would get goosebumps, think about throwing up, and literally freeze up. I wondered if I could really handle being a doctor in the future for Doctors Beyond Borders or the International Red Cross and deal with this sort of devastation on daily basis. And I felt so limited in my experiences, especially compared to them. I feel like I don't know what tragedy and pain is, when I hear what Saleemah has to say or I watch the video clips she has given me of workers she interviewed, their clients, and those in the sex trafficking world.

I wonder why is it my life has been so fortunate in this sense. My friend's mom told her that since we are the ones who are lucky enough not to experience such hard lives, it is our responsibility to give back and help those who have had hard lives. Because we are educated and compassionate. I really like that notion. How will I do it? In a small way now, hopefully in the medical world later on. I wonder how some of these amazing women can understand the darkest parts of this complicated world and have relationships with victims of these sorts of atrocities and still function regularly. I know there is good and beauty in the world and fun. But it's stunning to know the depths of this kind of society that exists of women, child, and baby trafficking.

Another friend asked me if I knew about these things before when I was in America (I was getting a little fired up). And yes I did, but it's closer to me here. Obviously because I can see the poverty in certain areas like Indonesia that are more explicit. And to me there's a difference between a prostitute who chooses that lifestyle and those who are trafficked, tricked and forced to pay back a "debt." I do feel closer to the issue here. There is no UNIFEM in Gainesville and the ability to meet these amazing women who work in this organization is inspiring and surreal. To watch documentaries about the countries where these girls are taken from and then knowing I have been to these countries and will go to these countries within the next months, I feel like it's more real and I want to learn more about it and do something, anything, to change the policies, share the information, and help.

Sociological Implications

I feel like I'm learning so much, so quickly and it can be overwhelming. Granted I am the sort of person that tends to over analyze situations and am into self reflection. More than one friend from home has described me as "intense." But I think that's only when I get super fired up about certain issues. Oh, and things like kickboxing.

In a country that claims meritocracy as its abiding principle, it has stringent rules in climbing the social ladder, even though it espouses it. And I know I might get caned for these remarks but it seems that there is an elite class in Singapore and the gap is only growing bigger due to globalization. This sort of elitism is contradictory to even the idea of meritocracy. When students are pigeon-holed after junior college into certain schools based on test scores, it seems like the concept of meritocracy doesn't hold true. I asked some students if those students tend to try to move into a different are of life. And they said they didn't. Why? Compliance? Too much effort? I know that this is pretty much the standard in Asia, taking standardized tests and then classifying your skills and talents and basically future from them. I guess I feel America is very meritocractic, even though we don't use it as our country's brand. The notion that in a meritocracy people have equal opportunity suggests that they are at the same starting point. Which isn't really true in any society.

I also learned today in my Singapore Society class that Singapore is an anti-welfare state. The government doesn't provide any financial handouts but instead has certain ethnic facilities for the Chinese, Malays, etc. that are used to help their own people. Another really interesting proposal in Singapore that I learned about today was about the Graduate Mother Scheme. Apparently in the 1980s, the PM encouraged single graduate women to get married and produce highly intelligent children. There is a constant problem with the birthrate here as I've probably mentioned before in my blog. In addition to that, it was also proposed that less intelligent women, those who come from a lower socioeconomic class (making less than a certain amount of money) were given cash incentives to be sterilized because they thought these less talented children may dilute the Singaporean population. Can anyone say eugenics?

The efforts of the government to nation build and ensure the survival of this country sometimes shock me. Perhaps I come from a liberal background, and who I am to say what is right or wrong in social policy, I mean I don't know what I would propose to dealing with a falling birthrate if I ran a country. Regardless, it's still amazing for me to learn more each day about Singaporean Society and just societies in Asia in general.

UNIFEM and Make a Wish Foundation

The RC of Victoria in Singapore held a benefit Magic and Fashion show for UNIFEM and Make a Wish Foundation this past Friday at the Victoria Theatre downtown. I found out about this charity event after speaking to the club of Victoria. The club was welcoming to all us Rotary scholars (picture to the right)! This charity event was in aid for UNIFEM, the United Nations Development Fund for Women which is a non-profit organization dedicated to women empowerment and gender equality. Of the many issues that UNIFEM works with is the 'stop child sex campaign,' which I am currently in the process of finding volunteer work with. The event also benefitted the Make a Wish Foundation, another not for profit organization dedicated to granting wishes to children with life threatning illnesses. I have been familiar with the Make a Wish Foundation in the US since so many organizations at UF often supported it (you know those crazy pre-med kids.) But I have not been as familiar with UNIFEM and it has really struck a chord with me, especially concerning women's and children's human rights. Sex trafficking is a problem all over the world. It is estimated that there are more than 1 million child prostitutes in Asia who suffer daily abuse and exploitation. Many impoverished women in Asia are pressured by economic hardship to seek work to provide for their families which leaves them vulnerable to sexual exploitation. UNIFEM works towards empowering these woman to stand up against exploitation and trafficking through education.

Rotary International's theme this year is 'Make Dreams Real.' With an emphasis on children, I felt that this benefit was idealistic of what Rotary is trying to achieve by making dreams real for children. The Make a Wish Foundation is more overt in expressingg Rotary's theme. But for me, UNIFEM's mission is especially important and relevant to realizing opportunities and unimagined dreams for many children in the world. It's appalling and painful to know that 2 million woman are trafficked each year and there are child prostitutes as young as the age of 8 that exist.

The benefit itself consisted of a very international performance, it opened with a traditional Hakka dance from New Zealand, then a magic show, and ended with an international fashion show with traditional garments from Mexico and all over Asia, to name a few countries. The Rotary District Governor was also in attendance from Sabah along with the Mexican Ambassador to Singapore for Gender Policy and Protection of Women's Rights. I met the president of UNIFEM Singapore and am looking to start on projects this week with UNIFEM. When an issue disturbs you to the core, you feel the obligation and necessity to learn more and do something about. I really want to learn more about UNIFEM and specifically the stop child sex campaign.

I'm excited to find something that has lit the fire inside me again. I will be going on a trip to Chiang Rai, Thailand with Rotaract in November working at the Golden Triangle, a home for former child prostitutes, started by Rotary. Hopefully this may be a potential project I can share with my sponsor club at home. But I don't want to get ahead of myself. It's a great opportunity and I'm just thrilled that I can be a part of this. It was inspiring to once again reiterate the theme of Rotary International and it made me once again really appreciate my association with Rotary and the emphasis this organization has on efforts to improve humanity through all social issues.

For more information about UNIFEM or Make a Wish Foundation:

http://www.unifem.org/

http://www.wish.org/

Chinese Tea House visit

As a part of a cultural experience for my Chinese Language Writing and Composition course, all the students studying chinese are taken to the Chinese Tea House in downtown Singapore to be taught a traditional tea appreciation ceremony.

It was a very specific ceremony with a particular order on how to prepare to drink the tea. The infusion time is dependent on what kind of tea you are drinking and the fermentation time of the tea. After infusion, the tea is poured into another teapot called the justice cup that allows all the tea to settle so that everyone gets an equal taste and flavor of the tea. From there it is poured into a fragrance cup then smelled and then finally poured into the teacup. You then smell the fragrance cup and cool it down with your hands and smell it again. Then you observe the color of your tea and smell it and then drink it in 3 sips, which in Chinese represents the fact that you are participating in a tea appreciation ceremony.

I really like oolong tea, a typical chinese tea. It was great to be taught this and also participate. We were also given snacks, which was basically a dark boiled egg. But this tea house was also visited by Queen Elizabeth II a while ago, something that the house was quite proud of.