My trip to Japan was by far my favorite country I have visited during all of abroad. The cities that I visited in Japan were so special and dynamic, but none were like Naoshima Island. As an artist and someone who appreciates art, this place was literally made for people to recognize and intersection between nature and modern architecture. Only those hungry enough for the sacred art island will make the trip of 3 different trains, a ferry, and bus just to see the museums, art projects, and sculptures lining the island in the Seto Sea of Japan. During my visit to Naoshima, it was raining which I was originally sad about because I wanted the opportunity to bike through the island
It's 7am. The sun is starting to peep through the apartment buildings that were glistening with lights across the park just a few hours ago. You wake up two hours earlier than expected and pull down the blinds to go back to sleeping blissfully in the dark. However, being on the 15th floor of UTown Residence Hall and having nothing but a single fan and the fresh air from opening windows to keep cool, the environment around you quickly starts heating up. Your room starts becoming stuffy and suffocating and you wish you lived just a few floors below to enjoy the luxury of having an air-conditioner in your room.
Finally, at 9:15am you roll yourself out of bed and brush your teeth. The face cleanser slightly stings your eyes as you frantically try to splash water on your face using the metering push faucet. The residence hall maintenance staff had replaced the traditional double handle faucet for this more environmentally friendly faucet within the first month of your exchange. This has proved to be the most frustrating part of your dorm experience. While Fine Foods across the dorm serves Kaya toast and coffee, you are accustomed to eating cereal for breakfast. So, you grab the overpriced milk container you bought from Fair Price and pour yourself a bowl of Snowies, the local generic brand of Frosted Flakes. Sighing as you sift through the colorful shirts and pants you brought from home, you inevitably change into the pair of Thai pants you bought in Bangkok and a cotton shirt. In constant 90 degree weather, the key is lightness and comfort, not fashion. Today you have two classes: a lab for your biology class and your philosophy class on environmental ethics.
The lab starts at 10am so you sprint as the D2 bus approaches the UTown bus stop. During lab, you and the local classmates in your group review types of data collection methods for your semester project. You and your group mates joke about the monkey videos shown during class and you learn more of the Singaporean lingo. Next, you restlessly wait around for the A1 bus to arrive as your philosophy class starts 20 minutes after your lab ends. A gust of freezing air greets you as you enter the classroom and learn about Islamic environmental ethics. After finishing class at 3:30pm, you talk about the quirky professor with an exchange friend and local friend. Your local friend is deciding where to study for the summer. Why not choose Boston or D.C! However, you weren't able to convince him in time as he has decided to study at the University of Hawaii for the summer.
I love hearing about all of Batswana’s perceptions of Americans. Some are pretty accurate and while others are so far-fetched. Most of the perceptions come from television and from the media. During our program orientation, our program volunteers mostly referenced shows like the Real Housewives franchise, and “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” to come up with the ideas about the American “culture”. Also, some of the Batswana perceptions of America came from interactions with previous international students.
The biggest shock I have received while in Botswana is the perceptions that Batswana thought ALL Americans embody. When , the perceptions that they had only characterized small pockets of the vast country of USA. “Do you all walk around wearing crop tops and thongs to walk your dogs?” My jaw literally dropped when my friend asked me this question. She wholeheartedly believed that this was something that all Americans did. I quickly explained to her that this is probably something you would see in an American Hip-Hop music video. While music plays a huge role in, I guess the American culture, they do not accurately depict our dressing style. My friend said she believed we all dressed like this because it is shown in music videos and at public events like Coachella.
A different friend of mine asked, “Is America really as bad as it is portrayed in the media? I want to go but it seems very scary.” She is not wrong. It is quite scary right now to live in America. Yes, the terrible events do happen. And the media does tend to fixate on them, so much to the point that it can be overwhelming to watch the news any longer. But the media should not stop her from coming to experience the country for herself. I explained to her that the media often blows things out of proportion and controls the information it feeds to the public.
So, Bali has a very special place in my heart. I don’t even know where I should begin in describing the beauty of Indonesia and its people. Our first stop was Ubud, most notable for its endless emerald rice fields and feisty monkeys. Ubud was the perfect place for us to begin our Bali trip because it really exposed us to the Balinese culture, food, language, and people. It is needless to say that this place is as good and beautiful and people say it is, and exceeded my expectations. We explored waterfalls, rice fields, temples, and so much more in our first day. My favorite and most memorable experience in Ubud was hiking Mount Batur. We set an alarm for 2:30 AM to begin our hike up what is an active volcano and crater. As someone who has done many hikes before, especially in Hong Kong, this was twenty times harder than that and lasted 5 hours. The climb was insane in every way. As you climb up this mountain you see lava rocks coated in red and even using a staff to guide your way it is hard to navigate through the steep and slippery of the rocks. I will never forget how bright the stars I saw during this hike were – like nothing I had ever seen before. It felt like being underneath a dome of stars that I could reach up and grab. It was spectacular and I still can’t get over it. We finally reached the top of the mountain and watched the sunrise – another experience I can’t really put into words. We explored the top of the mountain which had natural steam from the volcano crater and saw monkeys running around grabbing hiker’s chocolate bars. This was an epic experience that made my time in Ubud so special. Next, we headed to Uluwatu which is in the southern coast of Bali -- known for the most beautiful beaches in the world, especially for surfers. The Balinese people were so kind, down to earth, and curious about my friends and I as we travelled throughout the island met new people along the way. The five days I spent in Bali were the biggest tease in the world, because this is the kind of place you need to explore for a month – at least. There is so much to see and so much to do and the beauty of the island is beyond stunning. Bali, I’m coming back for you – SOON.
This past week (Feb 23rd to March 4th) was spring break at NUS. Like many exchangers, I used that time to travel to other countries. My friends and I made travel arrangements for Vietnam and Bangkok, Thailand. We had originally planned to travel through as much of Thailand and Vietnam as we could. As I have mentioned in one of my earlier posts, expectations do not match reality when it comes to traveling. We quickly realized that traveling to both countries was not feasible as we would be spreading ourselves too thin. Unfortunately, we had already booked flights for Bangkok and decided to visit the temples and night markets in the city for one day. While we were able to experience many of the main attractions Bangkok has to offer, one day simply is not enough time to truly appreciate the city. Nevertheless, my friends and I flew to the first of five cities on our itinerary: Hanoi.
Hanoi
Located in the northern half of the country, Hanoi is the capital of Vietnam. Upon exiting the airport in Hanoi, I felt like I was back in Boston. The weather is significantly colder in Hanoi than it is in Bangkok and Singapore with an average temperature of 60-65 degrees. The most memorable attraction I visited was the Hỏa Lò Prison. The Hỏa Lò Prison was used by French colonists in the early 1900s to imprison Vietnamese people and American soldiers in the Vietnam War. It was shocking and saddening to see how small and isolating the cells in the prison were. While Hanoi has numerous attractions to offer, it is more often used as a location for accommodation due to its central location in northern Vietnam. Many tourists take day trips to other regions in Vietnam including Sapa Valley, Ha Long Bay, and Ninh Binh. Due to time constraints, I was not able to visit Sapa Valley and Ha Long Bay. I know that in a future trip to Vietnam, I will make sure to explore those regions.
This week has been very exciting since my boyfriend, Evan, was here for his spring break! It wasn’t my spring break this week, but (unfortunately for my professors) I was mostly not in attendance. This blog is primarily aimed for our parents to read since Evan and I have done a lot this week, and I am sure they are wondering why we haven’t been very responsive to their texts. To make it easier, I will simply do a rundown of the week by day with where we went, pictures, etc.
Saturday (March 3rd)
Evan arrived in Reykjavik at around 7 a.m. on Saturday morning, having flown here directly from Pittsburgh. After a couple hours of sleep, he was already to adventure for the day. Saturday was primarily spent wandering around downtown Reykjavik. First we walked along the shore and explored Harpa, the opera house. Then we continued to the University where there was actually a prospective students’ day going on, so there were tons of people as well as sample projects and weird machines to mess with. Our walk culminated with going to the top of Hallgrímskirkja and looking out over the city, something I have been waiting to do until I had a tourist visitor. That night we had dinner at Vinyl, the vegan café near my house which I have also been waiting to try, and hung out at a bar downtown.
Reykjavik from the top of Hallgrímskirkja
Evan on the frozen lake in Reykjavik
Sunday (March 4th)
On Sunday, Evan and I started off on a three-day road trip along the south coast of Iceland with our rental car. Day 1 was our longest driving day (6 hours total) since we had to reach Höfn, a town on the east coast of Iceland, for the night’s accommodations. Our primary stops that day were Reynisfjara beach (the Black Sand Beach) and Fjallsárlón and Jökulsárlón (both glacial lagoons). Overall, the weather was very sunny, but also extremely windy – some of the windiest wind I have felt here in Iceland.
As a political science major and news “junkie,” I have been doing as much as I can to stay informed in regards to American news stories during my time in Israel. None of these stories has affected my classmates and I abroad more than the Parkland shooting and the activism that has been sparked in its aftermath. The gun control debate in the US has consistently been a controversial, heated, and emotional issue with many suggestions for change but no clear correct solution. For my classmates and I, being in Israel has added another dimension of complexity to this debate.
In Israel there is mandatory military service, meaning that just about every Israeli, regardless of what their service entailed, has training on how to use a gun. Beyond this, in Israel, soldiers are allowed to go home on weekends, and because of the quick-changing nature of the conflicts the country faces the soldiers bring their assault rifles home with them. As a result, simple train or bus rides can have 10 or more large assault rifles riding along.
As an American who knows many who have been affected by mass shootings that utilize this weapon, these guns on the backs of soldiers initially made me incredibly nervous and scared. For Israelis, however, no one so much as bats an eye. These guns don’t represent mass shootings or heated and emotional debates to them. Rather, they represent safety and security from the conflicts that surround the nation.
Up until this past week, I hadn’t been to class in three months. The thought of school was not something that I was particularly excited about. Yet, after completing the first of sixteen weeks of classes at Fudan University, I am happy to say that I’m still alive.
It’s weird to be at Fudan because they have an actual campus. As normal as that should be, I am still not used to walking around and only seeing other students. There is a tower in the middle of campus that is 30 floors high. It can be seen from everywhere on campus and essentially serves as the campus’ north star. The rest of the campus consists of academic buildings that are about five stories high, several cafeterias (canteens) and some dorms. I live right off campus in an apartment building that houses international students. While there are international student dorms at Fudan, those are for degree-seeking students. My apartment is pretty nice and includes three bedrooms (there are three of us in the apartment), a living room with a TV, couch and dining table, bathroom, kitchen, and laundry alcove. It has definitely seen better days, but two weeks in, it feels like home.
Classes at Fudan are only held once a week (with the exception of languages) and most Chinese students will take around twenty-six credits (credits are calculated similar to how GW does it). I even talked to a student who is taking thirty credits this semester. School pretty much dominates students’ lives here and many that I talked to were not involved in any student organizations or off campus activities.
People often ask me where to eat and what to eat in Singapore. My advise is simple - In Singapore, eat like the locals do.
WHERE TO EAT IN SINGAPORE?
If you find yourself in Singapore, walk to the nearest Kopitiam or Hawker Center! Don’t let the names fool you though. Kopitiam might translate to a “Coffee Shop” but in the modern Singaporean context, Kopitiams refer to food courts for local food. Over the last five decades, redevelopment and urbanization in Singapore have led to the eviction of local street hawkers from the streets. Instead, the government has allocated special complexes that accommodate the food stalls of erstwhile street hawkers.
The Kopitiams have traditionally been social hubs. Before the majority of Singaporeans moved to government-owned high rise flats, they lived in villages, also known as Kampongs. In these villages, kopitiams became places where villagers caught up with local news and gossip. For many, Kopitiams and hawker centers became places of employment. Yet, it is the food in Kopitiams and hawker centers, which has continued to play an important role in ensuring their perpetuity in Singapore.
In most Kopitiams and Hawker Center, the food is almost as diverse as Singapore’s population. Some shops are dedicated to special dishes such as Chicken rice and Satay sticks, but the majority of shops specialize in a particular cuisine. Thai, Indonesian, Malay, Indian, Hokkien and more cuisines are represented in Singapore’s local Kopitiams and Hawker Centers. However, the best part about these food places has to be the price! Most of these food centers serve a variety of dishes and cuisines for less than $5!
Hello again from Freiburg! This past Tuesday marks the end to my first week in Freiburg and I must say that each day the city feels more quaint and familiar. I would describe Freiburg as San Francisco in that it is a simultaneously major and minor city that is environmentally focused and progressive. The public transportation system is truly what makes it Germany’s Green City. So far I have a few thoughts: What decent human beings eat pretzels for breakfast? Why is everyone staring at me? Why do they keep asking if I want pasta in my salad? Why does everyone in the entire city eat gelato in the afternoon?
For starters, I would not describe Freiburg as a health conscious society in that they truly love their meat and carbohydrates. I mean they even offer a “meat salad” on most menus (if you want a good laugh/something to look at in horror, I suggest you google it). I baffles me how everyone walks to work eating a pretzel - I mean every day I walk to class and see majority of the population eating a pretzel on their way to work. Truly, I do not understand it and I am letting you know now I will not partake in this. On the other hand, I must commend the city’s farmer’s market that is held every morning every single day during the year. It is full of local vegetables, fruit, meat, cheese, oils, flowers, and woodworking. It is rather inexpensive too considering I bought 4 blood oranges for 2 euros. The market is located outside Freiburg’s Munster (basically their main cathedral) in the heart of the city and is a perfect place to support local farmers who live just outside the city. I go to the market almost every two days as it is a great way to pick up some groceries at a relatively inexpensive price.
This week I also started an immersive German class and when I say immersive I mean drop you in the middle of Germany and hope you swim kind of immersive. Prior to this class, I had not taken a single German class, so I did not even bother looking at the placement test. So the first day I walk into a sterile, hospital like classroom to which my professor talked at us in German for 3 hours straight. To say I was confused would be an understatement. I did not know if I was in the right classroom or even in the right building. Turns out my professor takes an alternative approach to learning the language and only speaks in German. At first I was absolutely devastated, but now I feel so much more comfortable talking to locals and ordering in cafes in German than I did a week ago. Just listening to someone speak a foreign language helps you much more than talking about a foreign language in English. Now I really enjoy class and have been able to pronounce almost every German word I see on the street. The first week was a big change and was rather overwhelming, but now I feel much more comfortable and the city seems much more lively and less intimidating.
