Singapore West and E-club

I think at every single Rotary presentation I have given in Singapore someone has asked me "who did you vote for?"Even after the election, the resonating effects of such a huge campaign, election, and new president elect has people wondering what will happen next.

RC of Singapore West is one of the oldest clubs in Singapore which I visited last week. Interestingly, I presented at the Rotary e-club this week which is an online Rotary club that only meets once a month and is recently new, chartered only 4 years ago. Rotarians also had their district conference in Brunei this past weekend which I couldn't attend.

There are lots of opportunities coming up to volunteer with Rotary. The only thing is that it takes lots of time, and between classes and traveling and other volunteering I'm already obligated to it's hard to find things that coincide perfectly with my schedule. Nonetheless, the opportunities are still there and that keeps me looking forward to even more presentations and meeting more people.

Mount Kinabalu

The Malaysian state of Sabah is located in East Malaysia on the island of Borneo. Borneo is something like the 4th largest island on earth. It's brimming with flora, fauna, and from what I've heard, some of the best dive sites in the world. Mount Kinabalu is the highest mountain in Southeast Asia at over 4000 meters up. I don't know how I got up there, but I climbed it and the trek up was beautiful regardless of the fact that it was raining the majority of the time. And the sight at the top was well worth the discomfort of sore muscles, altitude sickness, and the mix of being sweaty and freezing cold.

You hike the mountain starting around 10am from the base of the park and it takes around 5 hours I think for the "average" hike to the resthouse where you spend the night (Laban Rata). The next morning you wake up around 2am and head out with headlamps up to the summit in hopes to see the sunrise. Ok, so I got up there, but not quite in time to see the sunrise from the highest point, although it was amazing no matter where you were. While the majority of the trek up there was green jungle, at the top its all granite, and this freak of a mountain has no vegetation at the top. I really liked the top (even though I was exhausted) because for some parts you had to use a rope to pull yourself up some steep areas. It just felt more interactive, like I was a little mountain climber scaling the granite walls. And I've decided as fun as it is to sight see and take pictures, I'm hoping to do more 'engaging' things in my future travels. And the descent is one way, all the way and kind of tough too, especially towards the end.

I was super slow getting up there. The pounding headache forced me to take frequent breaks and try to get more oxygen in my brain. It was breathtaking though being among the clouds and seeing the granite world up there that looked like a supernatural foreign planet. The only thing I could relate some of these sights on the mountain to were video games. Other than that, I had never seen anything like that before.

Bukit Timah

In my opinion, Bukit Timah is a natural rarity in Singapore. Bukit Timah hill is the highest point in the city-state of Singapore and is filled with runners and hikers. I ventured out there the other day to trek (hike) the hill.

Although not too impressive in its beatuy or view, it was a nice workout. Furthermore, I was surprised to see all the active Singaporeans in the area since it appears that sports and going to the gym are not as popular as they are in the US. Not to say that Singaporeans aren't "active,"but there is definitely a lack of interest in athletics, especially compared with sports obsessed America and Gainesville.

The weather here has been a coin toss every day. I guess it keeps things interesting, but also really confusing. Cause it'll be beautiful one day and then a pourdown will ensue once you begin to think, "hey it's actually nice right now." It was really nice around 5pm yesterday afternoon. When the sun isn't too strong and there's a bit of a breeze, the humidity doesn't seem as stifling and then I get to sit back and appreciate the vast blue sky that you can see for miles beause of the flat lay out of Singapore. Yes, you'll see the HDB flats intruding on your view, but the tropical climate on this side of the world is nice, even though there is a gross amount of humidity.

The American Club

I registered for an election breakfast at the American Club in Singapore with a few other American Rotary scholars. It was held all morning to follow the presidential election in the US. The ballroom was filled with Americans who appeared to be of a more wealthy status. The breakfast was great, and it was interesting to see how many Americans came out to the club. I had an urge to ask all these Americans what they were doing in Singapore, but instead held my ground. It wasn't too weird being around all these caucasian faces and western styles. Since the club is located down near Orchard and incidentally right next door to Tanglin Club where my host Rotary club meets, the western atmosphere is very typical of downtown and is what I expected whenever I head to the Orchard Road area.

There were television cameras from Channel News Asia and various newspaper reporters asking for interviews from Americans about the election and cameras going off like the hollywood paparazzi when the celebration ensued with champagne. There were political analysts calling in to discuss election questions and summarize their feelings on the election. Furthermore, there were handouts of the candidates and a map of the electoral college votes so people could follow along.

The crowd was overwhelmingly supportive for Obama and needless to say, there was a rousing sense of pride and a celebration when CNN projected him to be the president-elect. I couldn't imagine being home at that moment. It was such a significant election in so many ways, and I told one of my European friends that I sort of wanted to be home today so I could experience this moment. But he reminded me that it's good that I get an international perspective since I get to see how other countries view this election. And it's true. It's incredible how many other people follow the US election, how they have their eye on America in so many ways. I feel the pressure and hopes are really high for our country and I hope we stay realistic in our goals.

Assimilation

The semester is coming to an end at NUS. In retrospect, it's always easy to say 'time flies.' But I feel this way more and more as each day goes by. As a kid, I always remember feeling like time drags on. If this keeps progressing, I think the days may last as long as minutes.

I've been in Singapore for more than 3 months now. And I can feel myself assimilating into their pace of life more easily. I get less frustrated when someone is walking in slow motion in front of me. I have figured out what times of the day are least busy on the MRT/buses. I think it may be more of a mild resignation to this culture as well. It's an acceptance and integration that has kickstarted my self-recognition that I appreciate certain aspects of the Singaporean/Asian culture. And as in any environment, you seek those out who are most similar to you, and once you make a connection I realize that the differences are negligble (or maybe even equivalent) to commonalities.

I know some Rotary Scholars who have already planned to stay on in Singapore for a while after the end of the school semester next year. I know others who suddenly express the desire to remain in Singapore indefinitely. And the more people I speak with, I am often asked if I want to apply for medical school here or stay on as well in any other capacity. Maybe it's another sign of resignation to the question or environment or because I don't want to go back to America, or perhaps I am really starting to enjoy the Singaporean lifestyle. Whatever the reason may be, I find myself contemplating it more and more. The first 2 months here was filled with overstimulation in my mind and a lot of internal criticism about this culture and my own. But once settled, life is life, no? If an opportunity presents itself here, I don't know if I would turn it down.

I was sitting in my Chinese class today during our oral presentations (which largely consisted of various asian pop songs sung by the students along with some hand motions.) And there's something about the temperment of the asian students that I'm starting to accept and appreciate. There is a lack of poor attitude and complaining and overwhelming concern for "looking cool." Yes there are always exceptions to the rule. But in comparison to my college experience at UF, it's refreshing to be around students who don't whine and have attitudes. In the beginning I think it was difficult for me to acknowledge and accomodate to since I do the same things. And although I think the maturity levels are much different than kids my age in America, I'm enjoying this change in temperment.

My host Rotary club had an evening meeting this week with the District Governer. Interactors were also invited and I had the opportunity to see an induction for a former Rotary scholar, which I think was a very exciting time for him. Again, I got to meet new Rotarians, visiting Rotarians, and catch up with friends. I was impressed to meet some incredibly young Rotarians in my host club and see how much I had in common with them, even though we are from different backgrounds. The DG emphasized the need to increase membership, and increase fundraising in the district. The effort to maintain Rotary International is no easy task and from what I see, it requires the commitment of incredibly motivated people who truly believe in Rotary and its' ideals. In addition to their professional career, and personal life, taking on the task of coordinating Rotary events as a president or governer or anything seems like a significant challenge.

I ate some really colorful dessert at the dinner. Apparently it is a mix of Peranakan dessert. I had to take a picture cause it was so small and individually wrapped.