Singapore, Singapore: Destination Modernity (with a Hint of Jungle)

Being a relatively new city, Singapore was designed for urban perfection. This is evident in its tidy streets and impressive societal organization. With the help of my friends and their friends, in the midst of all of the structure, I was able to find some unplanned fun.

Fun/cool Stuff I did:

Day 1

Went to the Beach – Stephanie and I decided to take the nearby cable car across the bay to Singapore’s beach. Little did we know that it would be a mini- Disney World, a structured utopia for family and tourists to quench their thirst for relaxation; there, we decided to luge down a hill, once semi-tipsy with over-priced drinks that we bought by the beach, instead of finding a restaurant to eat lunch… a mistake I hope I won’t make again!

Joined Andrea’s friends for beautiful views of Singapore and a refreshing visit to Gardens by the Bay, an indoor botanical paradise

Had dinner by the water at Glutton’s Bay, its name, accurately describing the outdoor food stalls that line one of the streets with local international gastronomes

Went out to Clarke Quay, a heavily populated area with bars and night-goers, as well as Zouk, ‘one of the world’s top 5 night clubs’, probably because of the diversity of the music in all of the four of its rooms, from indie–to-techno-to-r&b and hip hop, it was truly a unique experience

Day 2

Early morning church service at my friend’s church, The Star – most of the time, a concert hall, but on Sundays, a church that houses over 5000 faithfuls each week; the vibe and was pretty much as entertaining as a concert… there were so many people that they handed out the Eucharist in these conveniently packaged containers

Walked around Bugis, an indoor, friendly-priced market

Hung out and caught up with Joyce (one of my best friends from the first voyage who lives in Singapore) over food … for 5 hours, before exchanging ‘see ya soons’ and boarding the ship again

BEST FOOD HAD:

This dessert: Earl Grey Ice Cream

FAVORITE CITY: Singapore is a City, a Country, and a State – all in one; my favorite part of Singapore is the area where my friend’s home is located, in a conserved part of the city, where a forest surrounds her home– I’m pretty sure a rooster was crowing as we began to close our eyes during our one-hour nap between the club we went to and her early morning Church service at 8am

FAVORITE THING DONE: Caught up with Joyce// Had dinner by the bay with new and old friends – It reminded me of the numerous picnics I had on the banks of the River Seine in Paris, making me realize that people always gravitate towards the water, literally and figuratively, a sign of life

Interesting things learned about Singapore:

You can be fined for spitting, littering

You can be fined and arrested for gum

It has the (per capita) greatest concentration of millionaires in the world

It is relatively diverse, composed of Chinese, Malay, Indian peoples, with a 47% expat population

It has so many highly educated women without spouses, who the government wants having babies (because they’ll be smart babies), so the government set up a government agency that has matchmaking services

The country spends 20% of its income on education

It’s 30% atheist, but the Christian church that I attended with my friend had over 5000 people in it for a 2hr service on a Sunday at 8:30am, which is representative of the overarching sense of duty and commitment that is prevalent in the society

Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, Cambodia: East Meets West

Fun/cool Stuff I did:

Day 1 – Phnom Penh

Visited Palm Tree Orphanage- my experience there was truly one with mixed emotions: we were warned against the effects of orphan tourism, yet I couldn’t help but to feel like I was being just that, a tourist observing and not truly making an impact on the lives of the children there. I would’ve preferred (a million times over) to stay there for much longer, or to not go at all. The two things that were encouraging was the knowledge that Semester at Sea has had an ongoing 10-year relationship with the orphanage and that most of their volunteers are previous SAS alums. I also met this beautiful soul, who I spent most of my time with at the orphanage. Her aspirations: to be an English teacher in Vietnam.

Went to the Genocide burial grounds in Cambodia – truly disgusting how humans can turn on each other

Walked through the school that turned into a prison for individuals during the genocide—it was really the strangest feeling to walk through the cells and literally feel the change in energy from cell to cell, one which both my friend and I experienced simultaneously

Temple, after palace, after temple…

Day 2 – Siem Reap

Angkor Wat at Sunset – although I honestly don’t think that the building structures are that beautiful, the temple itself is beautiful – the largest of its kind, and a testament to the ingenuity of mankind

Overpriced silver and silk markets

Buffet dinner and beautiful traditional Cambodian dance show

Day 3- Angkor Wat at sunrise

Got up at 4am to watch Angkor Wat at sunrise – it was totally worth it!

Two more temples…

Played with and fed monkeys! – absolutely the highlight of my trip…

BEST FOOD HAD:

Sweet Potato Soup

And the BEST ICE CREAM I’VE EVER HAD: home made cinnamon and black sesame ice cream

FAVORITE CITY: With its historical temples and earthy feel, Siem Reap was definitely my favorite out of the two cities; while also historical, Pnomh Penh was more business and less culture, more people and less relaxation

FAVORITE THING DONE: Played with monkeys… // and watched the Taj at sunrise

Interesting things learned about Cambodia:

First thing I noticed: on the visa — ‘Welcome to the Kingdom of Cambodia’

The king and Buddha were often synonymous in the history of Cambodia

I saw a massage business that only employed blind masseuses

Now- people can express their opinions on the government, but can’t protest government

Cambodia is a land-locked, high importing country, so goods are more expensive

From 11-2pm, the factory workers (most of whom are women) go home for lunch and a siesta

American dollars are used and widely accepted everywhere in Cambodia— the ATM gave me American dollars

Cambodia is an ethnic melting pot of Indian and French and Chinese and Vietnamese

Has a growing tourist and local population attracted by the growing tourism industry —- About 3 million people/ year

Gasoline sold by homes that buy from gas stations to sell to scooters

Most people have a 2- kid limit because having a car is expensive, and a moped does not fit a bigger family

War stifled sports – so now they’re relatively new and bad at most sports, although kick boxing is very popular

Monkeys in fields are tired of bananas, so it’s better to give them cake or other fruit

Kids either go to school in the morning or in the afternoon and work in the morning or afternoon when they are not in school; children don’t have a sense of what they want to be when they grew up – have to change with the markets because sometimes they graduate and still can’t get a job

On politics:

Red – Study Marxism; Leninism etc. In school — 11 yrs old– learned that the us was a destroyer and Russia a good protector– until 1991 when the un paris peace agreement opened things up and learned about the history of Angkor wat etc. Because it was a history of capitalism

Vietnam and Cambodia had a race to spread communism; Vietnam backed by Russia (Marxist), Cambodia backed by China (Maoist)

Even our tout guide had a new name by military– killed people who are too smart or know English/ French– they were ‘capitalist”

The people were told that there was not enough food — because of the ‘US’

Our tour guide, like many people during the Pol Pot regime became night blinded for four years from starvation; he was separated from his parents at the age of 4; at that age, he could not remember the place he lived in the city or his parents’ face, and since he was given a new name, they can never reunite with their parents – he met his sister for the first time in 2011 when she recognized him

The Khmer Rouge regime told him that everyone was his brother and sister

On religion:

Angkor Wat was originally Hindu, then Buddhist – now, both Hindu and Buddhist faithfuls alike visit it

Angkor Wat means “City of monasteries” and was originally used for funeral temples

Indians believed in the caste systems, so they had different gates for the different castes to enter the different gate

Today, Cambodia has a good blend of Buddhism and Hinduism because both came to Cambodia at the same time

Buddhists believed that everyone is the same, so when it became a Buddhist temple, people were allowed to enter and leave from any door

The temples are reformed and restored by other countries – India, Germany, japan, US, France

People practiced the religion of the king — if he was Buddhist or Hindu etc. Causing conflict among the people

As the only non-Caucasian in the group that I was traveling in, I noticed that the begging children did not come up to me to ask for money…i can’t pinpoint the exact reason why, but it was definitely interesting for me

There are still 2000 land mines in Cambodia; it costs $1million to clear each one

Monks smell nice

Streets a lot calmer than Vietnam

A lot of pharmacies because people go directly to them for solutions; there is no public health

Odd number is a symbol of life; even number a symbol of death

Marxist from Russia and Maoist from china

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Fun/Cool Stuff:

Day 1

Nike factory visit for class – where there are over 8000 workers in a semi-crowded area

Met Tin, my Couchsurfer with who I would spend the next two days with – had some street food and tried Vietnamese coffee

Day 2

Not in compliance with SAS rules, but I rode Tin’s motorcycle around the city before heading to the Cu Chi Tunnels, where the Vietnamese soldiers hid and lived for months at a time during the Vietnamese war

Shot an M16 at the Tunnels …

Met two extremely nice tourists who offered to tour me around the city after Cu Chi Tunnels and even paid for my dinner. He was accompanied by a local Vietnamese student, whom he sponsors even while he’s in Canada for half of the year

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China: Shanghai, Beijing, Xi’an, Hong Kong

Cool things done:

Day 1

Because of issues with Chinese immigration, our arrival in Shanghai was delayed by a whole 12 hours, causing many people to lose money on flights and trips, and costing the entire institution about $20,000

Luckily, I didn’t have anything booked, but I did take advantage of Shanghai’s nightlife when we were able to get off of the ship

After countless hours wandering in the rain, we were able to find the infamous ‘Cirque le Soir’ club that, as promised was housed with expats and locals alike bonding over the acrobatics of the evening.

Before making our way into the club, we went to the Spanish restaurant upstairs, which is where I had the BEST FLAN I have ever had (sorry mom).

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Day 2

An early flight to Beijing, flying above the clouds and the snow that awaited for us below

Walked to Tiannemen’s Square in the freezing cold and in the snow, but it made it all the more beautiful

Relaxed at the hostel, which I completely understood why was named the best in all of Asia – it was super traditional, yet modern, and the owner was extremely hospitable, even offering me a free bottle of wine

Out to one of the ‘best clubs in the world’, Vic’s, which was a great time, but the music, as usual was pretty western

Took a rickshaw back to the hostel

Day 3

Bus up to the Great Wall – more beautiful and magnificent than I expected it to be

Great food at a restaurant at the foot of the Wall

Silk Market

Hot Pot dinner – which is a traditional Chinese-style restaurant where you cook your own items in a boiling pot of hot water

(where a nice family continuously offered us rice wine’ and poured meat into my friend’s pot, as a hospitable gesture)

Day 4

Flight to Xi’an

Terracotta Soldiers museum (which houses the thousands of sculptured soldiers created by the buried Chinese emperor at the time to have him be protected in the afterlife… truly interesting!)

Back to the hostel, where I met a Chinese traveler from the region near Tibet – we had an interesting discussion on the quality of life in his region, where he believes individuals like his mother benefit more from than if she moved to the United States

Slept with gloves on for the first time in my life because our hostel didn’t have any heat … but hey, for $7 a night, it wasn’t too bad!

Day 5

Flight to Hong Kong

Again, met a super nice guy on the plane who is an engineer from Xi’an engineer; he works on building museums and opera houses in Shanghai

Met up with my couchsurfer Daniel, who took us around the various night markets and accompanied us to have bubble tea and then out for dinner at this very traditional hole-in-the-wall restaurant

(after much deliberation on vegetarianism, I mixed rice and peanuts and veggies, and had a pleasantly surprising delicious meal)

Met up with other SASers for literally one drink at a local bar

Day 6

Daniel accompanied my friends and I the following morning, when, in the few hours before embarkation, we took a cable car up to the largest outdoor Buddha statue in the world

It was at the foot of that Buddha where I had the best meal I’ve had on this trip so far VVV

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Fun stuff I did:

BEST FOOD HAD:

Vegetarian food at a Buddhist Monastery: rice noodles, custard, green tea and coconut jello ❤

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FAVORITE CITY: Hong Kong

FAVORITE THING DONE: Walking around the Great Wall

Interesting things learned about China:

– The sense of personal space is completely different from the Western one: lines are cut, people are pushed and pulled, cars are rammed in and to people and other cars alike; I attribute this to the overwhelmingly large population, which needs to care more about individual families instead of the greater whole… the opposite of communist principles, I guess?

Heavy pollution- to the point where the snow would turn yellow, and when I washed my hands, a yellow residue would peel off from my skin

Fascination with the color red – from the uniforms to the street signs, to the money

It is extremely difficult to haul a cab over in Beijing, especially in the snow, and especially as a foreigner, unless you have a bargaining application on your phone, specifically for cab. I learned from a local that as soon as they slow down for you, you are to just hop in the cab and tell them where to go

– Meals are were given on each of my 4 flights (in three days), no matter how short each one was

– Googling certain topics are futile; they include: Freedom, justice, war, smog

Japan: Yokohama, Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto, Kobe

Fun stuff I did:

Day 1

Watched friends order ramen from a vending machine

Took traditional Japanese photos at a photo booth

Went to a ‘cat café’, where people literally just have coffee/tea and play with cats to de-stress

Stayed with super nice couch surfers! (with whom I salsa’d with and exchanged meaningful conversation)

(where my friend and I stayed in Tokyo)

Days 2 – 3

Made our way up to a mountain with a view of Mt. Fuji, where we stayed in a traditional Ryokan hotel in Hakone, bathing in the onsen (yes, as per tradition, completely nude)

Bathed

Bathed

Bathed

Took a cable car up to Mt. Fuji

Hung out with (took a picture with) Geishas in Kyoto

Day 4-

Biked to the Golden Temple

Went to the bamboo forest, the Yoshida Shrine, and pretended to be in Memoirs of a Geisha

Took a train to Kobe, where I met up with a few SASers from the ship, eventually going from a Jazz bar with adorable Japanese families to Karaokeing in a hotdog suit… I know someone has to have a picture of it!

Day 5

Walked around Kobe, eventually running into an authentic Japanese market

Went to two sake museums, only sampling it because of course, we couldn’t bring any back on the ship

BEST FOOD HAD:

This dessert: (Green Tea Float with Green Tea Ice Cream) / Green Tea Ice Cream Mochi Balls ❤

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(edamame <3)

FAVORITE CITY: Kyoto

FAVORITE THING DONE: Walking around Kyoto

Interesting things learned about Japan:

– There is a culture of no tipping: leave a tip on the table and the Japanese will run after you to give it back; yes, they’re that honest

– Curry is huge in Japan!

– Sushi is actually super difficult to find in Japan; certainly not as common as ramen noodles

– Buddhism is integrated into the old Shinto tradition

– No tattoos allowed in Japanese public baths because it’s a mafia tradition to have tattoos

-Japan has the best food at the ground level floors of all of its department stores ❤

– Kobe beef: The emperor at the time really liked the beef and said (since Buddhism pretty much eliminated the beef market) that only the Kobe area could eat the beef– they massage the cows, give it sake, and play Mozart in order to tenderize the meet; only 10-15 cows per breeder are allowed per breeder

-Japan: 90% size of California – Over half of US population in that region, hence why it’s extremely crowded everywhere and why apartments are relatively smaller than normal

-Have a parliament & royal house like

-They drive on the left side of the road because the samurai stayed to the left so that their sword wouldn’t touch anyone; the Japanese also walk on the left side of the road and stick to the right on escalators. There are even separators for those who want

-For over 250 years – Japan had no war because Japan was isolated; therefore, peacefully, art and culture uniquely flourished

-Still – no shoes are allowed in the house – including at the Ryokan and the Temple we stayed at in Kyoto

-To put on a kimono alone takes about one hour

-Because of the kimono, women couldn’t bend leading to genetically evolved big thighs and knees —; as a Japanese told me, ‘because genes remember the past’

-Reason for big key chains on stuff: in the old days emperors would attach to stuff so that it would be located among their bags

-Shinto Religion: has no founder; based on the worship and respect of nature; belief that anything we see in this world can be a god;

-For this reason, the religion is very accepting of other religions, they already had 80million gods, so others are welcome, including Buddhism, which easily integrated into the culture thereafter. Very important ideals are purity and cleanliness, of the body and of physical space, which is why

– The word for paper and for god are pronounced the same way, which is why there is a fascination with paper – and why I was able to find the best stationery ever in Japan! (I spent $70 on Japanese erasable pens)

– Ice cream in winter is huge in Japan

-Fiji apples really are the best

-Free tea/ samples everywhere!

-Advertisements are loud and in full force in every public space

-Don’t expect to have English save you in Japan; most people do not speak English; ‘Arigato’ and ‘Semimasen’ are your friends

-Japanese people are the nicest people I have ever met

Hilo, Hawaii

Some consider Hawaii to be another country – now, I know why.

Not only is the weather comparably different from New Jersey and even California, but the people and the places are just as unique. It wasn’t uncommon to see individuals walking barefooted alongside someone with shoes. Individuals not only helping you to find your way, but instructing you as well – helping you to choose the right fruit, and graciously offering you to try a new one.

In the short day that we were ported there, I was able to eat some of the best sushi I’ve ever had (I’m imagining that only Japan can top this), see waterfalls, and attend an amazing farmer’s market – where I bought a $2 bag of lychee that I consumed entirely on my own – yum.yum.yum.

Lychee

This all happened very organically, as my plans to zipline fell through, and I woke up for breakfast without any plans whatsoever. My new buddy, Tzi Fong invited me to join him and his friends for the day, which turned out to be a most wonderful experience. The group ended up being a fair mix of five international students who were ready for adventure.

Together, we hung out – and uncomplicatedly reverted our plans when going to the volcano became too much of a risk for ‘dock time’ (getting punished for being late getting back to the ship). Instead, we talked to locals who coached us into going to the ‘black sand’ beaches that were formed from old volcanic rocks and lava… truly one of the most wonderful beaches that I’ve seen.

Afterwards, we decided to walk back the three miles back to the ship, when a friendly local stopped us an offered us a ride. He even offered to pick up our friends who had trailed ahead. I know, totally uncustomary elsewhere – but we were in Hawaii, so why not, right?

We ended back to the port safely, with nothing but good memories of Hawaii to discuss over dinner on the ship – memories that have to be somewhat suppressed, as another school day and planning for another port (Japan) lies ahead.

Ship Life

As we approached the ship in Ensenada, Mexico, butterflies filled my stomach and an instinctual smile took over me – I was home.

Back home to the beautiful sun, whose shine I have grown accustomed to waking up with, replaced by stars in the evening, which I never get to see at home.

I’m back to gaining an hour of sleep every day – soon to be lost incrementally, as we travel to the other side of the world. Speaking of which, when we crossed the International Date Line, we also ‘lost’ an entire day – I fell asleep on Monday night and woke up on Wednesday morning – so there’s no record of my existence on Tuesday, the 21st of February.

So far, I love all of my classes – even International Finance, which the professor doesn’t really teach and instead talks about his life experiences and how many SAS voyages he’s done (I’m grateful I already took one back at my home campus). I’m also taking Sustainable Entrepreneurship and Global Nutrition — But my absolute favorite is Gender and Society, where each day I am enlightened on the vast cultural practices that have shaped human sexuality – from foot binding in China, to families that force their daughters to become boys until the family manages to have one, elevating its social status.

Humans really are interesting. – And that’s exactly what I learn on the ship each day: when you don’t have internet, your days are filled with socializing with the 700+ people on the ship – you attend ‘insight lectures’ at 7 and 8pm to learn more about the world, for the sake of learning. You form bonds. You plan trips. You talk for hours over meals.

You lose yourself. You find yourself.

And in just 7 days, you’re in Japan.

Californiaaaa

Mother nature wasn’t on my side in terms of getting me to San Francisco like I had planned to on the 3rd. Instead, I was having a pajama party by myself, staring out my window into a snowy abyss (although beautiful)– dreaming of being somewhere warm, somewhere Californiaaa.

It all fared out for the best, as I got to say a few final goodbyes. I was also upgraded to first class, where life was really great … look at that legroom!

I was greeted at the airport my by SASter, Alanna, with whom I stayed for the next few days before heading down to San Diego. That night, we met with our other SASter, Ashley for Thai food and a few drinks – again, talking up a storm, as if we never said goodbye.

San Francisco and the surrounding areas were just amazing – I could probably see myself living there – between the amazing food, the wonderful view, the (relatively slower) pace of life, the social consciousness, and the activities going on – life seemed really great.

It was beautiful meeting my friend Candace in San Francisco – where she moved to from New Jersey. While on a service trip in El Salvador, she was the one who truly pushed me to do Semester at Sea in the first place, so seeing her was like receiving a blessing before the next voyage.

I hugged Alanna goodbye (which is never really goodbye), as I sped to board a bus to San Diego – little did I know that I was the only non-Asian on the bus, which was consumed with a culture of free sandwiches and bottled water – random pit stops in the dessert coupled with amazing views of Death Valley- and a whole lot ofVietnamese music. This pleasant surprise automatically made me envision what Vietnam would be like – in only two months’ time, I would be living it

It’s Happening: SAS Spring 2014

It started at what I thought was really the culmination of the Fall 2012 voyage: as my mother and I pulled into campus for the Spring semester, I looked at her with a strange sense of anxiety, ‘it’s going to be so weird coming back, ma.’

I felt like a Kindergartener going to her first day of school. In many ways, I felt this way each Fall at the beginning of a new school year, but this time, it wasn’t just a girl coming back from 3 months of summer; it was a girl -who had lived for 2 months ‘without money’, who had lived more at sea than on land, – who had survived a mugging and a few pickpockets, -who had been hosted by strangers, -who made friends (she knows will be family for a lifetime).

Not only did I have to readjust to normality, I had to, in many ways, suppress the beautiful memories that I had lived in order to focus on the present, on the future, and on the beautiful friends that I hadn’t seen in months.

My mother’s reaction to all of this was, “pero ve otra vez!” — then “go again”, she said, chuckling. Somewhat aggravated that she wasn’t taking me seriously, ‘ma, don’t even joke about it – that’s not funny’.

It turns out that I was the one not taking her seriously. She, more than anyone knew the impact of the experience I had – of the better person I had become- and of the business plan that I thought of (while I was in Ghana) and hoped to develop if I was given another chance on the MV Explorer.

Within minutes, I was on the SAS website, looking to see what the Spring 2014 itinerary looked like.

And now, a few months later, here I am — grateful and excited to call the MV explorer ‘home’ again.

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***Of course, there were many hurdles to overcome. First and foremost, there was the challenge of getting my university to waive the requirement that one’s last 30 credits needed to be taken at the university.Luckily, my deans’ recognition and acceptance of my business plan, along with the understanding of how another voyage would help me to develop it, not only helped me to gain their approval, but it also provided me with another scholarship to work on the plan.

For my wonderful family and friends who are and have been supportive of my departure, I promise you that this won’t be in vain.

 

My Semester at Sea

During the Fall of 2012, I joined 475 other students to embark on a 100-day journey sailing to countries around the Atlantic.

This is a video capturing that journey.