Is all over people's iTunes libraries-lah. (Yea Singlish!) Okay so a lot of these bands don't hail from The States, but a lot of them do, and all of them suck. Aside from the abundance of obnoxious Chinese pop (not all of it is obnoxious, just most of it, but I listen to it sometimes regardless), the following are some of apparantley more popular groups in Singapore that I will not be listening to:
Simple Plan
Abba
Backstreet Boys
Ace of Base
Avril Lavigne
Bon Jovie
Evanescence
Kenny G
The entire Final Fantasy soundtrack
Savage Garden
Hoobastank
LeeAnn Rimes
Destiny's Child
George Michael
Good Charlotte
Mandy More
My Chemical Romance
NSync
Bowling for Soup
Creed
Gwen Stefani
Lifehouse
3 Doors Down
Sum 41
Seriously, this stuff is in so many people's libraries. There is a little bit of good music, and I was lucky enough to find somebody who's entire library I wouldn't mind having, but his name is Nigel and I don't think he's from Singapore.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Rant #2: Pay Attention!!
Nobody here ever pays attention in class. Half the people never even show up for the lectures unless the professor takes attendance, and then even if they do show up all they do is talk the whole time. When I was still registered for Aerodynamics the professor had to stop and ask everybody to pay attention a few times. And many students bring their laptops to class
This place is so different than back home -- at least relative to engineering courses. There is little, if any, homework, almost no midterms, and the finals exams account for 50% to 80% of the final grade. Few classes need to buy textbooks; instead the professors create a whole semesters' worth of powerpoint lecture notes that can be purchased and bound at the library.
Also, the class schedules are messed up. There are no Monday-Wednesday-Friday classes that start at exactly the same time and are always in the same lecture hall. Oh no, you'll get a your first lecture on Wednesday in one lecture hall then the second one on Thursday in a completely different location and an entirely different time. How does that make any sense? Wouldn't it just be easier to keep it consistent?
And in the very rare event that there is a midterm, it's not held during the regular class hours. Instead it will be in the middle of the day on some random day of the week. What if I have another class at that same time?
And there's a two week period between the end of classes and the time exams start, I think. Why can't they just have the exams right away so I could have a whole month of travelling? What am I going to do for a whole two weeks while I wait for school to finish? Study? Are you kidding?
Ok, so I got a bit off track with the whole paying attention thing. Oh well ... I suppose I'm in class right now and not paying attention either. :o)
This place is so different than back home -- at least relative to engineering courses. There is little, if any, homework, almost no midterms, and the finals exams account for 50% to 80% of the final grade. Few classes need to buy textbooks; instead the professors create a whole semesters' worth of powerpoint lecture notes that can be purchased and bound at the library.
Also, the class schedules are messed up. There are no Monday-Wednesday-Friday classes that start at exactly the same time and are always in the same lecture hall. Oh no, you'll get a your first lecture on Wednesday in one lecture hall then the second one on Thursday in a completely different location and an entirely different time. How does that make any sense? Wouldn't it just be easier to keep it consistent?
And in the very rare event that there is a midterm, it's not held during the regular class hours. Instead it will be in the middle of the day on some random day of the week. What if I have another class at that same time?
And there's a two week period between the end of classes and the time exams start, I think. Why can't they just have the exams right away so I could have a whole month of travelling? What am I going to do for a whole two weeks while I wait for school to finish? Study? Are you kidding?
Ok, so I got a bit off track with the whole paying attention thing. Oh well ... I suppose I'm in class right now and not paying attention either. :o)
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Malaysian Bathrooms
This actually goes for all Muslim countries so travellers beware ... I didn't know this until we used the bathroom at Malaysian customs on our way to KL. Luckily I had come prepared without really knowing it.
Malaysian bathrooms don't use toilet paper. Rather than wiping they have a hose they use to wash themselves off right away. It's actually very hygenic, until you start thinking about where that hose has been. And although they wash themselves when finished, I don't believe they dry themselves.
And sometimes they will wipe with their left hands, which is why you will only see them eating with their right hand.
Also, most of them use squatters rather than toilets. They actually aren't bad to use at all and I could get used to them. Squatter = just a hole in the ground ... nothing to actually sit on. I don't usually sit on toilet seats anyways.
So it was a good thing I had a small pack of tissues on me. When we went to the bank in KL to get our money changed there was actually a roll of toilet paper -- one roll, located outside all of the stalls -- so I grabbed a whole bunch and put them in my backpack.
Point: if you travel to any Muslim country, be prepared.
Oh yea, and they don't use tampons either.
Malaysian bathrooms don't use toilet paper. Rather than wiping they have a hose they use to wash themselves off right away. It's actually very hygenic, until you start thinking about where that hose has been. And although they wash themselves when finished, I don't believe they dry themselves.
And sometimes they will wipe with their left hands, which is why you will only see them eating with their right hand.
Also, most of them use squatters rather than toilets. They actually aren't bad to use at all and I could get used to them. Squatter = just a hole in the ground ... nothing to actually sit on. I don't usually sit on toilet seats anyways.
So it was a good thing I had a small pack of tissues on me. When we went to the bank in KL to get our money changed there was actually a roll of toilet paper -- one roll, located outside all of the stalls -- so I grabbed a whole bunch and put them in my backpack.
Point: if you travel to any Muslim country, be prepared.
Oh yea, and they don't use tampons either.
Tioman Island Journal
19 Jan
We ate breakfast at 7:45am and arrived on the Island at 5:15. We took a cab to the checkpoint, a city bus to Larkin, a long-distance taxi to Mersing, and a ferry to Tioman. The ferry ride was fun! I slept while we waited for almost an hour for others to board. The ride was very bumpy and I thought for certain I would get sick, especially if it was going to take almost three hours to arrive. We saw a few people going out the door to the upstairs which was open to the air, so Adam, Stepanka and I jumped at the opportunity. It was incredibly difficult to keep one's balance up there but being in the open air and being able to see so many islands in the distance made the ride very enjoyable. Standing on the port side I got very wet, but the starboard side was much dryer. The ride lasted about two and a half hours, I think. We got off the ferry at Tekek, the main village on the island, and walked to the eastern coast via a 7km path up and over the jungle. We had only two hours of sunlight left so we had to hurry.
The path was very strenuous but it felt good to get the exercise. We trekked up the path, which was sporadically paved with steep stairs, and other times was nothing but a faint footpath covered in leaves, twigs, and other debris. On the way we passed a small waterfall but didn't have time to stop and enjoy it. About three quarters of the way to the end the whole path became a steep paved incline to the bottom. I thought about how much my glutes would hurt from that on the way home on Sunday.
We arrived at Juara about one hour 45 minutes later, just as it was getting dark. We walked along the only path in the village to find a place to sleep. We asked some locals where to go but since most places aren't ready yet for visitors few were open. We were directed to a place on the north end of the beach who had no place for us but directed us to a friend's where we could find two chalets for the four of us after about a one kilometer walk to the second beach. We were hungry so we stopped for food first. I ordered fried noodles, and they were quite good! They came with calamari, cucumbers, and a lime. It was just the sort of food I needed to re-energize.
We continued down the path to find the chalets. We found an open one that was quite expensive so we moved on until we found another. It was not yet ready for visitors but the owner said he would prepare one chalet with two beds for us anyways. It is a perfect location: the last chalet on the south end of the first beack. To the north we can see the whole beach, the jetty, and a few small restaurants. To the south, nothing but jungle. We have almost the entire beach to ourselves, too! Currently it is light monsoon season, so it usually rains once a day for a short while (though it didn't rain today) and tourism doesn't normally begin until April. Aside from the locals there are five other people here. Although the waters aren't as clear and the sky is a bit hazy, I like it this way, especially because we have the opportunity to surf! An Australian man named Tim who married a Malaysian woman who's family operates the island lives in the village and loand surfboards. He also gave us a brief lesson this afternoon. We spent the entire day surfing and plan to do the same tomorrow. It was very fun, but difficult! I have trouble not breathing underwater so when I paddle out into the sea it's difficult to dive below the waves. And once I didn't pull myself up on the board all the way and I bumped my nose. But once I get out and am able to catch a wave, I have so much fun! I'm nowhere near the point of being able to stand yet but will continue to practice every opportunity I get.
After another delicious dinner (fried rice with pineapple) we walked to Tim's house for a few beers. We watched a movie about surfing and he taught us a dice game. I enjoyed his company and hospitality, and it was nice to visit one of the homes in the village. People here live so simply. The have TVs and computers, but not much else. They don't need much else, or want it for that matter. The houses are right along the beach, the dinner tables are low to the ground, and the whole atmosphere is very warm and cozy. I think I would like living here very much.
Another reason I like being some of the only visitors on the beach is for night swimming. Last night the four of us went swimming in the sea in our skivvies, and it felt very good! I haven't felt so carefree in a long time.
A whole 24 hours of being in the water with waves crashing into you and a whole day of surfing makes your muscles tired. Even after being out of the sea for a few hours I could still feel the weight of the waves pushing me back and forth. It's a strange and intersting feeling. Though I am a bit tired, I am ready for another day of surfing. We will wake up at 6:30 tomorrow morning to watch the sunrise then surf all morning. After a good breakfast we will surf some more and around 2:00 make the hike back to the west coast via the same path we came in on. We'll spend the night somewhere in Tekek then catch the ferry back to Mersing first thing Monday morning. Big day tomorrow, so I better get some sleep!
20 Jan
This morning we woke up around 6:45 to see the sunrise over the beach. Since we are staying on the east side of the island we had quite a nice view. It was very gorgeous and a wonderful photo opportunity. Afterwards Stepanka and I surfed for a while before coming in for a short nap. I slept very briefly then made sandcastles while waiting for everyone else to wake up for breakfast. We just got back to the chalet and I am resting a while while Adam and Martin surf. Even though I hurt a bit I am still going to surf -- perhaps I will just practice balancing while sitting. That's what Tim told me I should do anyways.
It's fascinating how quickly the beach can change. The shoreline is about 30 meters further out to sea than it was yesterday. It makes swimming and surfing a bit more difficult since several rocks are much more exposed -- I tripped quite a few times when I was out this morning.
Today is a beautiful day! There are very few clouds and plenty of sunshine. I put on some sunscreen but know that if I stay in the sun too long I will get badly burned, so today I will be careful. Just a few more minutes of rest then off to surf again!
20 Jan
OUCH! Today I got sunburned -- bad!! It was a bright sunny day in Juara and I spent all morning on the beach. I didn't surf because there were too many rocks, and by the time we got to the jetty where the waves were better I knew I was already burned. I spend most of the day playing in the sand or experiementing with my camera. (I filled up a 4GB memory card. 700 photos in three days! When I get home I'll need to spend time deleting a bunch.) We didn't leave Juara until almost 5:00, three hours later than planned, but we still made it to Tekek before dark.
I like Juara very much. Although two tourists we met said some locals were unwelcoming because it's so early in the season we did not experience such a lack of hospitality. Everyone we met was friendly and helpful. Two locals gave Stepanka and I a bunch of some kind of fruit that looked like bananas, but were smaller, fatter, darker, and were full of seeds. I thought he said they were called maccans. We also ate some coconut directly from the nut. We found a relatively fresh one that had fallen to the ground and Adam managed to break it open on the rocks by the beach. Stepanka even climbed a tree to pick a fresh one but there was no nut inside. There was some water that we tasted, and it was very sweet.
The children of Juara were especially friendly. Everytime they would ride their bikes past they would say hello and ask our names. Three little girls even gave me coral and sea shells they had picked up on the beach. Tim said there are about 300 people living in the village but it seemed much smaller to me.
The walk through the jungle took a bit longer than the first time, about two and a half hours, but we were in no rush and stopped to take photos and see the waterfall. We even saw a snake that was about to eat dinner, though I was hoping to see a bigger one. Aside from bugs the only wildlife we saw were a few monkeys running through the trees above during the walk to Juara. Nonetheless I still enjoyed the walk and think I lost about five pounds from it. The hike there was certainly more tiresome because there were so many steps and fallen trees to climb over but the hike back was more challenging. The first half was a paved incline that ranged from 10 to 35 or maybe even 40 degrees at some points. The hard part, though, was going down the steps and steep hills without losing your balance. I slipped once and scuffed up my leg slightly. I decided that if I end up backpacking from China to Singapore in May that I will need a better pair of shoes.
Another early morning tomorrow, so off to bed it is!
Expenses
Travel was a bit more expensive than I planned since we had to take four different modes of transportation to the island (taxi, bus, long-distance taxi, and ferry.) Also, we planned on taking a bus for RM10.50 all the way from Mersing to Singapore but it broke down before it arrived to pick us up so we were forced to take a taxi which cost three times as much. Food was very cheap there, I ate two meals a day and still ate very well. For activities and entertainment I had just a few beers and paid for a portion of the surfboard rental. There weren't any shops open to buy any sort of gifts, but I think I've decided to quit buying so much stuff anyways. The exchange rate for a Malaysian Ringgit to a US Dollar is RM1 = US$0.30 which is very good and can get one far. The rate for the Singapore Dollar is S$1 = US$0.69.
Travel + Accomodation ...... US$60
Food ...... US$15
Activities and Entertainment ...... US$10
Gifts + Souvenirs ...... US$0
Grand Total = US$85
Click here for Best of Tioman Island photos
We ate breakfast at 7:45am and arrived on the Island at 5:15. We took a cab to the checkpoint, a city bus to Larkin, a long-distance taxi to Mersing, and a ferry to Tioman. The ferry ride was fun! I slept while we waited for almost an hour for others to board. The ride was very bumpy and I thought for certain I would get sick, especially if it was going to take almost three hours to arrive. We saw a few people going out the door to the upstairs which was open to the air, so Adam, Stepanka and I jumped at the opportunity. It was incredibly difficult to keep one's balance up there but being in the open air and being able to see so many islands in the distance made the ride very enjoyable. Standing on the port side I got very wet, but the starboard side was much dryer. The ride lasted about two and a half hours, I think. We got off the ferry at Tekek, the main village on the island, and walked to the eastern coast via a 7km path up and over the jungle. We had only two hours of sunlight left so we had to hurry.
The path was very strenuous but it felt good to get the exercise. We trekked up the path, which was sporadically paved with steep stairs, and other times was nothing but a faint footpath covered in leaves, twigs, and other debris. On the way we passed a small waterfall but didn't have time to stop and enjoy it. About three quarters of the way to the end the whole path became a steep paved incline to the bottom. I thought about how much my glutes would hurt from that on the way home on Sunday.
We arrived at Juara about one hour 45 minutes later, just as it was getting dark. We walked along the only path in the village to find a place to sleep. We asked some locals where to go but since most places aren't ready yet for visitors few were open. We were directed to a place on the north end of the beach who had no place for us but directed us to a friend's where we could find two chalets for the four of us after about a one kilometer walk to the second beach. We were hungry so we stopped for food first. I ordered fried noodles, and they were quite good! They came with calamari, cucumbers, and a lime. It was just the sort of food I needed to re-energize.
We continued down the path to find the chalets. We found an open one that was quite expensive so we moved on until we found another. It was not yet ready for visitors but the owner said he would prepare one chalet with two beds for us anyways. It is a perfect location: the last chalet on the south end of the first beack. To the north we can see the whole beach, the jetty, and a few small restaurants. To the south, nothing but jungle. We have almost the entire beach to ourselves, too! Currently it is light monsoon season, so it usually rains once a day for a short while (though it didn't rain today) and tourism doesn't normally begin until April. Aside from the locals there are five other people here. Although the waters aren't as clear and the sky is a bit hazy, I like it this way, especially because we have the opportunity to surf! An Australian man named Tim who married a Malaysian woman who's family operates the island lives in the village and loand surfboards. He also gave us a brief lesson this afternoon. We spent the entire day surfing and plan to do the same tomorrow. It was very fun, but difficult! I have trouble not breathing underwater so when I paddle out into the sea it's difficult to dive below the waves. And once I didn't pull myself up on the board all the way and I bumped my nose. But once I get out and am able to catch a wave, I have so much fun! I'm nowhere near the point of being able to stand yet but will continue to practice every opportunity I get.
After another delicious dinner (fried rice with pineapple) we walked to Tim's house for a few beers. We watched a movie about surfing and he taught us a dice game. I enjoyed his company and hospitality, and it was nice to visit one of the homes in the village. People here live so simply. The have TVs and computers, but not much else. They don't need much else, or want it for that matter. The houses are right along the beach, the dinner tables are low to the ground, and the whole atmosphere is very warm and cozy. I think I would like living here very much.
Another reason I like being some of the only visitors on the beach is for night swimming. Last night the four of us went swimming in the sea in our skivvies, and it felt very good! I haven't felt so carefree in a long time.
A whole 24 hours of being in the water with waves crashing into you and a whole day of surfing makes your muscles tired. Even after being out of the sea for a few hours I could still feel the weight of the waves pushing me back and forth. It's a strange and intersting feeling. Though I am a bit tired, I am ready for another day of surfing. We will wake up at 6:30 tomorrow morning to watch the sunrise then surf all morning. After a good breakfast we will surf some more and around 2:00 make the hike back to the west coast via the same path we came in on. We'll spend the night somewhere in Tekek then catch the ferry back to Mersing first thing Monday morning. Big day tomorrow, so I better get some sleep!
20 Jan
This morning we woke up around 6:45 to see the sunrise over the beach. Since we are staying on the east side of the island we had quite a nice view. It was very gorgeous and a wonderful photo opportunity. Afterwards Stepanka and I surfed for a while before coming in for a short nap. I slept very briefly then made sandcastles while waiting for everyone else to wake up for breakfast. We just got back to the chalet and I am resting a while while Adam and Martin surf. Even though I hurt a bit I am still going to surf -- perhaps I will just practice balancing while sitting. That's what Tim told me I should do anyways.
It's fascinating how quickly the beach can change. The shoreline is about 30 meters further out to sea than it was yesterday. It makes swimming and surfing a bit more difficult since several rocks are much more exposed -- I tripped quite a few times when I was out this morning.
Today is a beautiful day! There are very few clouds and plenty of sunshine. I put on some sunscreen but know that if I stay in the sun too long I will get badly burned, so today I will be careful. Just a few more minutes of rest then off to surf again!
20 Jan
OUCH! Today I got sunburned -- bad!! It was a bright sunny day in Juara and I spent all morning on the beach. I didn't surf because there were too many rocks, and by the time we got to the jetty where the waves were better I knew I was already burned. I spend most of the day playing in the sand or experiementing with my camera. (I filled up a 4GB memory card. 700 photos in three days! When I get home I'll need to spend time deleting a bunch.) We didn't leave Juara until almost 5:00, three hours later than planned, but we still made it to Tekek before dark.
I like Juara very much. Although two tourists we met said some locals were unwelcoming because it's so early in the season we did not experience such a lack of hospitality. Everyone we met was friendly and helpful. Two locals gave Stepanka and I a bunch of some kind of fruit that looked like bananas, but were smaller, fatter, darker, and were full of seeds. I thought he said they were called maccans. We also ate some coconut directly from the nut. We found a relatively fresh one that had fallen to the ground and Adam managed to break it open on the rocks by the beach. Stepanka even climbed a tree to pick a fresh one but there was no nut inside. There was some water that we tasted, and it was very sweet.
The children of Juara were especially friendly. Everytime they would ride their bikes past they would say hello and ask our names. Three little girls even gave me coral and sea shells they had picked up on the beach. Tim said there are about 300 people living in the village but it seemed much smaller to me.
The walk through the jungle took a bit longer than the first time, about two and a half hours, but we were in no rush and stopped to take photos and see the waterfall. We even saw a snake that was about to eat dinner, though I was hoping to see a bigger one. Aside from bugs the only wildlife we saw were a few monkeys running through the trees above during the walk to Juara. Nonetheless I still enjoyed the walk and think I lost about five pounds from it. The hike there was certainly more tiresome because there were so many steps and fallen trees to climb over but the hike back was more challenging. The first half was a paved incline that ranged from 10 to 35 or maybe even 40 degrees at some points. The hard part, though, was going down the steps and steep hills without losing your balance. I slipped once and scuffed up my leg slightly. I decided that if I end up backpacking from China to Singapore in May that I will need a better pair of shoes.
Another early morning tomorrow, so off to bed it is!
Expenses
Travel was a bit more expensive than I planned since we had to take four different modes of transportation to the island (taxi, bus, long-distance taxi, and ferry.) Also, we planned on taking a bus for RM10.50 all the way from Mersing to Singapore but it broke down before it arrived to pick us up so we were forced to take a taxi which cost three times as much. Food was very cheap there, I ate two meals a day and still ate very well. For activities and entertainment I had just a few beers and paid for a portion of the surfboard rental. There weren't any shops open to buy any sort of gifts, but I think I've decided to quit buying so much stuff anyways. The exchange rate for a Malaysian Ringgit to a US Dollar is RM1 = US$0.30 which is very good and can get one far. The rate for the Singapore Dollar is S$1 = US$0.69.
Travel + Accomodation ...... US$60
Food ...... US$15
Activities and Entertainment ...... US$10
Gifts + Souvenirs ...... US$0
Grand Total = US$85
Click here for Best of Tioman Island photos
Kuala Lumpur Expenses
I thought it would be useful to keep track of my travel expenses, not only for my own benefit, but also for anyone else who is thinking of travelling to Southeast Asia, be they friends, family, or other students. I've broken down my expenses into four categories: Travel + Accomodation, Food, Activities + Entertainment, and Gifts + Souvenirs.
Travel + Accomodation includes only travel to and from the destination, not travel while there. For example, I included bus tickets to the Batu Caves and LRT fares to the Patronas Towers in Activities + Entertainment. Also in that category is any beer or alcohol, since they are for fun rather than neccessity. Food includes meals and snacks, and Gifts + Souvenirs includes any and all shopping I did while away, regardless of who it's for or where it's from.
So, the breakdown for KL is ....
Travel + Accomodation ...... US$37
Food ...... US$15
Activities + Entertainment ...... US$21
Gifts + Souvenirs ...... US$21
Grand Total = US$94
Travel + Accomodation includes only travel to and from the destination, not travel while there. For example, I included bus tickets to the Batu Caves and LRT fares to the Patronas Towers in Activities + Entertainment. Also in that category is any beer or alcohol, since they are for fun rather than neccessity. Food includes meals and snacks, and Gifts + Souvenirs includes any and all shopping I did while away, regardless of who it's for or where it's from.
So, the breakdown for KL is ....
Travel + Accomodation ...... US$37
Food ...... US$15
Activities + Entertainment ...... US$21
Gifts + Souvenirs ...... US$21
Grand Total = US$94
Monkeys at Batu Caves
I almost forgot one of the best parts of the trip: the monkeys at the Batu Caves. A guy staying in Le Village told me about his trip to the Batu Caves and how somebody had brought a bunch of grapes with them. He said the monkeys ran up to this person and grabbed their grapes away, then ran off with them. He said they had been grabbing at their arms trying to get the food away, and that it was a pretty entertaining sight.
I decided I should probably bring some food along.
But after some of the other students started talking about how I could get rabies if I got bitten by a monkey, I decided against it. Luckily some Orange County American woman wearing D&G sunglasses and heels whilst visiting a cave of all places brought along a bag of peanuts and a bunch of bananas to feed the monkeys. Before she could give them anything they ran up to her, grabbed the food from her hands, and ran off with it. It was hilarious. The monkeys all crowded around the food to grab whatever they could then ran off into the trees to eat it.
The monkeys were all so aggressive, and not afraid of humans at all! I got right up next to two of them who were snacking on fruit. One was even peeing itself while eating an orange.
I decided I should probably bring some food along.
But after some of the other students started talking about how I could get rabies if I got bitten by a monkey, I decided against it. Luckily some Orange County American woman wearing D&G sunglasses and heels whilst visiting a cave of all places brought along a bag of peanuts and a bunch of bananas to feed the monkeys. Before she could give them anything they ran up to her, grabbed the food from her hands, and ran off with it. It was hilarious. The monkeys all crowded around the food to grab whatever they could then ran off into the trees to eat it.
The monkeys were all so aggressive, and not afraid of humans at all! I got right up next to two of them who were snacking on fruit. One was even peeing itself while eating an orange.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Kuala Lumpur
It's been a week, and even though I really need to get a good night's rest to prepare for this weekend I need to get out my thoughts on KL before I go away again and forget everything.
Kuala Lumpur was a great trip. I went with four other exchange students: Quinn and Adam from Canada and Nani and Carolyn from Illinois. Not such a multi-cultural trip but we met up with a group of Scandinavians later on. Anyways, we took a pretty nice bus (big cozy seats) from Singapore that cost S$28. We left at 9:00 in the morning and arrived in KL after making a few pit stops around 3:00 in the afternoon. See photos of the journey here. The drive was beautiful -- almost the entire way all you could see was a dense forest of nothing but palm trees. I stared out the window the whole time and didn't pay much attention to the movies they were playing. (Rush Hour 3 and Dragon Wars. I wouldn't have watched anyways.)
We stayed in a hostel called Le Village that we read about in a Lonely Planet guide. It was our first time staying in a hostel and it was a wonderful experience. I wrote some things down while I was there, and since I write much better when I'm inspired rather than sitting at my desk in my dorm room, here's a "journal" entry I wrote while there.
11 Jan 08
My first visit to a hostel is surprisingly serene. Everyone is incredibly laid back, open-minded, and carefree, and there is a sense of welcomeness and releaxation that permeates the air. I want to go out in KL to see the bars and experience the club scene, but I don't want to leave this place. The common rooms are cozy with lots of couches, and colorful walls and tons of paintings given to the hostel owners by guests decorate the rooms and hallways. I would love to explore the city and paint what I see here, then leave my work behind for others to enjoy and appreciate. I just need to learn how to paint first.
I watched a movie on the plane ride from Tokyo to Singapore that expressed the concept that happiness is shared. I believe that travelling on my own would be a phenomenal experience and I would never get lonely, simply because of the travellers I would meet along the way.
So that's my "journal" entry ... it's not really a journal, I just jot things down on whatever paper I have available to me at the time, but I like how it sounds so I preserve it here on my blog.
Anyways, Friday we went to Reggae Bar with a German couple, a Dutch guy, and another guy from England, I think. They were all very laid back, fun to talk to, and fun to hang out with.
Saturday morning we got up early to go to the Patronas Towers. They were nice to see and take a few photos of, but 10 minutes in the skywalk was certainly enough.
After seeing the towers and wandering around the mall for a bit we went back to Le Village to pick up Nani (she was feeling sick the night before so stayed in bed) and head to the Batu Caves. We invited Stuart, the guy from Holland, to come see the caves with us. This was my favorite part of the whole trip (with Reggae Bar coming in at a close second!) The caves are located about 30 minutes outside of KL and are a Hindi Temple. It's a very gorgeous sight! The first thing you see walking up to the caves is a giant statue of Lord Murugan, one of the Hindi Gods. It's the largest statue of Lord Murugan in the world at a whopping 42.7 meters. It was truly an amazing sight. Before entering the caves there were 272 steps to climb -- we had to stop every so often to catch out breath -- but we finally made it to the top! Once inside the cave there were a number of Hindi decorations and worship centers (for lack of better word). The back of the cave was open at the top and lots of trees were growing all around it, inside and out. It was a beautiful sight. Unfortunately my camera battery was in jeopardy so I didn't take too many photos.
Later that night we went back to Reggae Bar. The German couple stayed in but Stuart joined us once again, as did the Scandinavians (we call them the Swedes, although only a few of them are actually from Sweden) that stayed in our hostel that night. (They are also exchange students from NTU.) Reggae Bar was a ton of fun, once again, although they played exactly the same music as the night before! It was a bit annoying and I wasn't really feeling the place until we smoked shisha again. And until they started playing only Bob Marley about halfway through the night.
A note about Malaysian shisha: I have smoked shisha a few times in the States and have never felt much of a buzz from it. But after one hit of this I could barely move! I had to get up to use the restroom and didn't know if I would be able to make it -- I thought for sure I would fall over on the ground on the way. Luckily, I was alright. So, the shisha in Malaysia (or at least at Reggae Bar) is really good. And it's tasty.
Anyways, the Australian Olympic Field Hockey team was also at Reggae Bar that night. Some of them were really fun to talk to, but others were a bit a cocky, so I just chilled out at our table most of the night.
Sunday was a very laid back day. We didn't do much because it rained all morning, but once it quit Adam, Nani, Quinn and I walked around a bit and saw the National Mosque. It was quite intersting. We had to take off our shoes and put on robes that covered our entire body and had hoods to cover our hair. (As Ms. Martens said: "That's some Harry Potter shit.") I kept tripping on mine cause it was so long.
All in all KL was a very fun trip. I have a friend who lived in Malaysia, went to school at UW and joined Expo, and moved back to KL after graduation who I wanted to meet up with but I couldn't get my cell phone to work properly. Meeting up with him is one of the only things I wanted to do but didn't get a chance to. Who knows if I'll be in KL again, there's just too many places to see and things to do in Southeast Asia!
Click here for Best of Kuala Lumpur photos
Kuala Lumpur was a great trip. I went with four other exchange students: Quinn and Adam from Canada and Nani and Carolyn from Illinois. Not such a multi-cultural trip but we met up with a group of Scandinavians later on. Anyways, we took a pretty nice bus (big cozy seats) from Singapore that cost S$28. We left at 9:00 in the morning and arrived in KL after making a few pit stops around 3:00 in the afternoon. See photos of the journey here. The drive was beautiful -- almost the entire way all you could see was a dense forest of nothing but palm trees. I stared out the window the whole time and didn't pay much attention to the movies they were playing. (Rush Hour 3 and Dragon Wars. I wouldn't have watched anyways.)
We stayed in a hostel called Le Village that we read about in a Lonely Planet guide. It was our first time staying in a hostel and it was a wonderful experience. I wrote some things down while I was there, and since I write much better when I'm inspired rather than sitting at my desk in my dorm room, here's a "journal" entry I wrote while there.
11 Jan 08
My first visit to a hostel is surprisingly serene. Everyone is incredibly laid back, open-minded, and carefree, and there is a sense of welcomeness and releaxation that permeates the air. I want to go out in KL to see the bars and experience the club scene, but I don't want to leave this place. The common rooms are cozy with lots of couches, and colorful walls and tons of paintings given to the hostel owners by guests decorate the rooms and hallways. I would love to explore the city and paint what I see here, then leave my work behind for others to enjoy and appreciate. I just need to learn how to paint first.
I watched a movie on the plane ride from Tokyo to Singapore that expressed the concept that happiness is shared. I believe that travelling on my own would be a phenomenal experience and I would never get lonely, simply because of the travellers I would meet along the way.
So that's my "journal" entry ... it's not really a journal, I just jot things down on whatever paper I have available to me at the time, but I like how it sounds so I preserve it here on my blog.
Anyways, Friday we went to Reggae Bar with a German couple, a Dutch guy, and another guy from England, I think. They were all very laid back, fun to talk to, and fun to hang out with.
Saturday morning we got up early to go to the Patronas Towers. They were nice to see and take a few photos of, but 10 minutes in the skywalk was certainly enough.
After seeing the towers and wandering around the mall for a bit we went back to Le Village to pick up Nani (she was feeling sick the night before so stayed in bed) and head to the Batu Caves. We invited Stuart, the guy from Holland, to come see the caves with us. This was my favorite part of the whole trip (with Reggae Bar coming in at a close second!) The caves are located about 30 minutes outside of KL and are a Hindi Temple. It's a very gorgeous sight! The first thing you see walking up to the caves is a giant statue of Lord Murugan, one of the Hindi Gods. It's the largest statue of Lord Murugan in the world at a whopping 42.7 meters. It was truly an amazing sight. Before entering the caves there were 272 steps to climb -- we had to stop every so often to catch out breath -- but we finally made it to the top! Once inside the cave there were a number of Hindi decorations and worship centers (for lack of better word). The back of the cave was open at the top and lots of trees were growing all around it, inside and out. It was a beautiful sight. Unfortunately my camera battery was in jeopardy so I didn't take too many photos.
Later that night we went back to Reggae Bar. The German couple stayed in but Stuart joined us once again, as did the Scandinavians (we call them the Swedes, although only a few of them are actually from Sweden) that stayed in our hostel that night. (They are also exchange students from NTU.) Reggae Bar was a ton of fun, once again, although they played exactly the same music as the night before! It was a bit annoying and I wasn't really feeling the place until we smoked shisha again. And until they started playing only Bob Marley about halfway through the night.
A note about Malaysian shisha: I have smoked shisha a few times in the States and have never felt much of a buzz from it. But after one hit of this I could barely move! I had to get up to use the restroom and didn't know if I would be able to make it -- I thought for sure I would fall over on the ground on the way. Luckily, I was alright. So, the shisha in Malaysia (or at least at Reggae Bar) is really good. And it's tasty.
Anyways, the Australian Olympic Field Hockey team was also at Reggae Bar that night. Some of them were really fun to talk to, but others were a bit a cocky, so I just chilled out at our table most of the night.
Sunday was a very laid back day. We didn't do much because it rained all morning, but once it quit Adam, Nani, Quinn and I walked around a bit and saw the National Mosque. It was quite intersting. We had to take off our shoes and put on robes that covered our entire body and had hoods to cover our hair. (As Ms. Martens said: "That's some Harry Potter shit.") I kept tripping on mine cause it was so long.
All in all KL was a very fun trip. I have a friend who lived in Malaysia, went to school at UW and joined Expo, and moved back to KL after graduation who I wanted to meet up with but I couldn't get my cell phone to work properly. Meeting up with him is one of the only things I wanted to do but didn't get a chance to. Who knows if I'll be in KL again, there's just too many places to see and things to do in Southeast Asia!
Click here for Best of Kuala Lumpur photos
Mmmm ....
Today, I ate Subway. It was one of the happiest days of my life. I don't think I have ever been more ansy while waiting in line for food. I had been wandering the streets of Singapore and shopping for outdoor adventure supplies all day and my muscles were starting to feel it. Nothing could have made my day more than a 6" Club on wheat with American cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, and mayonaise. Oh, and don't forget the iced tea with an oatmeal raisin and a chocolate chip M&M cookie.
Okay so Subway was really good, but different. The food tasted the same more or less, but it was just little things I noticed. First they were out of wheat bread (mega bummer) which isn't really different just sad, so I got parmesean oregano. The only type of cheese they had was American, but that was okay cause I was planning on getting that anyways. And she didn't ask if I wanted my sub toasted, she just started to do it ... until I asked her not to. I definitely wanted a cold sub. And I didn't get tomatoes because they were kindof green. And the Diet Coke wasn't Diet Coke, it was Sugar-Free Coke Light. That's all.
Okay so Subway was really good, but different. The food tasted the same more or less, but it was just little things I noticed. First they were out of wheat bread (mega bummer) which isn't really different just sad, so I got parmesean oregano. The only type of cheese they had was American, but that was okay cause I was planning on getting that anyways. And she didn't ask if I wanted my sub toasted, she just started to do it ... until I asked her not to. I definitely wanted a cold sub. And I didn't get tomatoes because they were kindof green. And the Diet Coke wasn't Diet Coke, it was Sugar-Free Coke Light. That's all.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Dbl O
Being hungover in this heat is not fun at all. I'm not even that hungover but I feel like it's almost getting worse due to the humidity. Recovery will be a slow and potentially grueling process, but I'll have to trudge through it. Damn Ladies' Night.
First Impressions of Singapore
So far I'm really loving it here. The weather is beautiful and there is so much to do. The people are incredibly nice also! I'm very lucky I got here on time, however -- I almost missed my flight!! I stayed out a bit too late in Chicago the night before, fell asleep, and woke up 30 minutes before my flight was scheduled. You can read more about it in my "Finally in Singapore!" post.
Accomodations. The room I'm staying in is just like any typical dorm. I have a twin-sized bed, my own closet and a very large desk. See photos of my room here. I share a room with another exchange student named Yonna who is from a small town in Sweden. She's very nice and we get along great!
Our room opens up to an outdoor hallway. (There are almost no indoor hallways anywhere on campus. The buildings are all very open to the outdoors.) Our floor is all females and there is a locked gate to get onto the upper two floors where all the girls live. Gotta keep those boys out!
When looking out my window or out my door all I see is green. There are trees everywhere and I like it very much! Even after only two weeks I'm feeling very at home here.
Climate and Geography. Singapore is a very small island -- it only takes about 40 minutes to drive across the whole thing east-to-west, and problably even less north-to-south. There are hills everywhere, which makes walking to class quite tiresome! (All the local students think anyone that walks instead of taking the bus to class is crazy. I prefer the walk.) Back home if there are hills the ground is more or less levelled off, but here the buildings are all constructed around them. Buildings aren't exactly rectangular, either, and there are tons of hallways that branch off into dead ends. That, in combination with the hills and all the staircases, makes it very difficult for me to find my way around campus! It took me almost an hour to find the bookstore this afternoon, and I had already been there twice. See photos of campus here. The civil engineers here must be very good.
The weather is hot and humid, but I like it better than the snow! The temperature is in the 80's by day and 70's by night. It rains every day, but usually just a light sprinkle, although we have had a few thunderstorms since I've been here. You can always tell when it's going to rain because the temperature will suddenly drop a few degrees. All the walkways are covered, so if I forget to bring my umbrella I usually don't get terribly wet.
Just like the rest of the city, the campus is covered in plants. It's beautiful! I've taken a million photos of all the different kinds of flowers, with this one being my favorite. On the west end of campus there is a dense forest that separates us from military ground, and often when I walk nearby I almost feel like I'm in the jungle.
Stray cats are everywhere on campus! Sometimes they sneak through the gate and wander around on my floor. I've seen them jump onto tables and eat people's leftovers after lunch or dinner. One cat likes in particular sits in for the security guard sometimes when he's off-duty.
The Food. Something that you are probably all curious about! The food here actually isn't bad at all. I eat rice with just about every meal, often for breakfast as well as lunch and dinner. The portions tend to be a bit large so it's difficult for me to eat more than one meal a day -- I'll usually snack on fruit or pretzels (they import Rold Gold!) when I get hungry. Plus I've been getting so much exercise walking up all the hills that I don't have as much of an appetite.
For breakfast I usually drink a cup of Chinese tea with a piece of fruit (watermelon, pineapple, honeydew, kiwi, you name it) and some toast. The toast has a greenish colored spread on it called kaya which is delicious! I'll have to bring some home when I return in May.
There are, of course, certain foods that I will not be trying while here. These include, but are not limited to, fish head soup, pig organ soup, and whole chicken feet.
The People. And everyone thinks people from Wisconsin are nice!! Everybody in Singapore is so incredibly nice and considerate of one another. My aunt just told me that Singapore is the happiest country in the world, and I can definitely vouch for that. I get lost a lot, both on campus and in the city, and without even making eye contact with anybody someone usually will stop and offer to help. Lots of times they will even walk me part of the way. Bus drivers, students, random people on the MRT, you name it, everybody is helpful.
Last week I was worried about not having enough money to eat dinner and the guy in line behind me offered to give me money for me meal. How considerate! I ended up just getting something small so I didn't need it, but it was a very nice gesture.
English is an official language of Singapore but it is rarely spoken, and when it is used it's broken and has a heavy accent. All of my courses are taught in english, but I've noticed that many of the students don't even use it when they are outside of class. When I get food at the canteens people sometimes have a very hard time understanding me, and last night when I tried to get a taxi to another club the driver couldn't understand my accent. Haha, I thought that was funny. I could understand him just fine!
The Culture. It seems like Singapore is a mash-up of all sorts of cultures. There are many different people here -- Indians, Malays, Phillipinos, Indonesians, and Burmese. There are distinctly Chinese roots everywhere, in the food, the architecture, and the language. It's a bit like how The States are called a melting pot. There is a Little India and a Chinatown but I have yet to go to either.
The Exchange Students. Are wonderful! Most of the students here are incredibly friendly and it is usually very easy to strike up a converstation with a complete stranger. We are all very open to new things and want to make the most of our time here, so finding people who want to travel like I do is not difficult at all. And there are so many cute boys. :o)
I have already made lots of great friends and know there are still so many people to meet. There are 185 exchange students so it will take some time to get to know them all! The International Student Center organizes plenty of events for us to get to know one another, and next weekend are the International Games, NTU's version of the Olympics! Right now many of the people I spend my time with are from Canada and The States, and many people are gravitating towards their regions. The Italians stick together, many of the Candians stick together, and a few from Scandinavia stick together. I think that's only because many of the people already knew each other before they came, and people from the same region can relate to one another better. When we go out though, everybody mixes in with everybody and we all have a great time together. I think once people get to know each other better and start becoming closer friends we will all spread out more.
The next four months will be fabulous and I am very excited. I'm going to learn a lot about Southeast Asia, about other countries and people, and lots about myself as well. I'm already thinking about studying abroad again!
Accomodations. The room I'm staying in is just like any typical dorm. I have a twin-sized bed, my own closet and a very large desk. See photos of my room here. I share a room with another exchange student named Yonna who is from a small town in Sweden. She's very nice and we get along great!
Our room opens up to an outdoor hallway. (There are almost no indoor hallways anywhere on campus. The buildings are all very open to the outdoors.) Our floor is all females and there is a locked gate to get onto the upper two floors where all the girls live. Gotta keep those boys out!
When looking out my window or out my door all I see is green. There are trees everywhere and I like it very much! Even after only two weeks I'm feeling very at home here.
Climate and Geography. Singapore is a very small island -- it only takes about 40 minutes to drive across the whole thing east-to-west, and problably even less north-to-south. There are hills everywhere, which makes walking to class quite tiresome! (All the local students think anyone that walks instead of taking the bus to class is crazy. I prefer the walk.) Back home if there are hills the ground is more or less levelled off, but here the buildings are all constructed around them. Buildings aren't exactly rectangular, either, and there are tons of hallways that branch off into dead ends. That, in combination with the hills and all the staircases, makes it very difficult for me to find my way around campus! It took me almost an hour to find the bookstore this afternoon, and I had already been there twice. See photos of campus here. The civil engineers here must be very good.
The weather is hot and humid, but I like it better than the snow! The temperature is in the 80's by day and 70's by night. It rains every day, but usually just a light sprinkle, although we have had a few thunderstorms since I've been here. You can always tell when it's going to rain because the temperature will suddenly drop a few degrees. All the walkways are covered, so if I forget to bring my umbrella I usually don't get terribly wet.
Just like the rest of the city, the campus is covered in plants. It's beautiful! I've taken a million photos of all the different kinds of flowers, with this one being my favorite. On the west end of campus there is a dense forest that separates us from military ground, and often when I walk nearby I almost feel like I'm in the jungle.
Stray cats are everywhere on campus! Sometimes they sneak through the gate and wander around on my floor. I've seen them jump onto tables and eat people's leftovers after lunch or dinner. One cat likes in particular sits in for the security guard sometimes when he's off-duty.
The Food. Something that you are probably all curious about! The food here actually isn't bad at all. I eat rice with just about every meal, often for breakfast as well as lunch and dinner. The portions tend to be a bit large so it's difficult for me to eat more than one meal a day -- I'll usually snack on fruit or pretzels (they import Rold Gold!) when I get hungry. Plus I've been getting so much exercise walking up all the hills that I don't have as much of an appetite.
For breakfast I usually drink a cup of Chinese tea with a piece of fruit (watermelon, pineapple, honeydew, kiwi, you name it) and some toast. The toast has a greenish colored spread on it called kaya which is delicious! I'll have to bring some home when I return in May.
There are, of course, certain foods that I will not be trying while here. These include, but are not limited to, fish head soup, pig organ soup, and whole chicken feet.
The People. And everyone thinks people from Wisconsin are nice!! Everybody in Singapore is so incredibly nice and considerate of one another. My aunt just told me that Singapore is the happiest country in the world, and I can definitely vouch for that. I get lost a lot, both on campus and in the city, and without even making eye contact with anybody someone usually will stop and offer to help. Lots of times they will even walk me part of the way. Bus drivers, students, random people on the MRT, you name it, everybody is helpful.
Last week I was worried about not having enough money to eat dinner and the guy in line behind me offered to give me money for me meal. How considerate! I ended up just getting something small so I didn't need it, but it was a very nice gesture.
English is an official language of Singapore but it is rarely spoken, and when it is used it's broken and has a heavy accent. All of my courses are taught in english, but I've noticed that many of the students don't even use it when they are outside of class. When I get food at the canteens people sometimes have a very hard time understanding me, and last night when I tried to get a taxi to another club the driver couldn't understand my accent. Haha, I thought that was funny. I could understand him just fine!
The Culture. It seems like Singapore is a mash-up of all sorts of cultures. There are many different people here -- Indians, Malays, Phillipinos, Indonesians, and Burmese. There are distinctly Chinese roots everywhere, in the food, the architecture, and the language. It's a bit like how The States are called a melting pot. There is a Little India and a Chinatown but I have yet to go to either.
The Exchange Students. Are wonderful! Most of the students here are incredibly friendly and it is usually very easy to strike up a converstation with a complete stranger. We are all very open to new things and want to make the most of our time here, so finding people who want to travel like I do is not difficult at all. And there are so many cute boys. :o)
I have already made lots of great friends and know there are still so many people to meet. There are 185 exchange students so it will take some time to get to know them all! The International Student Center organizes plenty of events for us to get to know one another, and next weekend are the International Games, NTU's version of the Olympics! Right now many of the people I spend my time with are from Canada and The States, and many people are gravitating towards their regions. The Italians stick together, many of the Candians stick together, and a few from Scandinavia stick together. I think that's only because many of the people already knew each other before they came, and people from the same region can relate to one another better. When we go out though, everybody mixes in with everybody and we all have a great time together. I think once people get to know each other better and start becoming closer friends we will all spread out more.
The next four months will be fabulous and I am very excited. I'm going to learn a lot about Southeast Asia, about other countries and people, and lots about myself as well. I'm already thinking about studying abroad again!
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Hold the Mescal, and the Chewing Gum
Today me and some of the girls went to the Immigration Checkpoints Authority to get our Student's Passes. It took them five minutes to get everyone else's, and an hour to find mine. I thought it might be because they found out about the chewing gum that I left on the airplane from Tokyo. I knew I should have put it in a different seat!!
Changing Classes ...
Is really a pain. I think I've spent two hours trying to figure this out and have so far dropped two courses, still want to drop another two, and haven't been able to add any. I think I have to go to the Student Services office and have my courses approved first.
Even without all of that, just figuring out what courses are offered, which have vacancies, and what time they meet is a huge pain! I miss the UW system already. It's so much easier.
Even without all of that, just figuring out what courses are offered, which have vacancies, and what time they meet is a huge pain! I miss the UW system already. It's so much easier.
Monday, January 7, 2008
Rant #1
Just an FYI: The library computers will not let me right-click my mouse. Ugh. I can't wait until my new computer comes.
What a Weekend!
I'm having so much fun here with all the other exchange students. Yesterday my roommate Yonna and I went to Sentosa. It was absoultely gorgeous!!! We laid on the beach for a while at Cafe del Mar. They even let us stay on one of the beds for a while. I ordered my first real Singapore Sling, and it was delicious! Much better than the one the bartender at Blue Velvet in Madison tried to make for me.
Yesterday I started to get very sick of the food, but I think I may have been quite dehydrated from so much partying the night before. We went to a club called Ministry of Sound and danced until 4:00am!! It was fabulous and I can't wait to go back. The next morning Yonna and I got some breakfast but I didn't feel well at all and all I wanted was a big juicy hamburger with mushrooms, jalepenos and cheese -- LOTS of cheese. We ate some french fries at Sentosa and it really hit the spot! But I do like the food here -- for the most part. One of the canteens serves chicken feet -- WHOLE chicken feet. I will certainly not be eating any of that. And being a Wisconsin girl I do miss my dairy. I ordered milk for lunch and it turned out to be evaporated, warmed, and gross, at least compared to the delicious milk from the Happy Cows of Wisconsin. But rice and noodles are certainly more healthy than so much dairy, although almost all of the food here is fried. I do try and stay away from that but it's good every once in a while.
Well I bought a computer online today, and I think it should be here within a week so I will post my pictures soon! It will take me quite a while because there are so many of them!!
Yesterday I started to get very sick of the food, but I think I may have been quite dehydrated from so much partying the night before. We went to a club called Ministry of Sound and danced until 4:00am!! It was fabulous and I can't wait to go back. The next morning Yonna and I got some breakfast but I didn't feel well at all and all I wanted was a big juicy hamburger with mushrooms, jalepenos and cheese -- LOTS of cheese. We ate some french fries at Sentosa and it really hit the spot! But I do like the food here -- for the most part. One of the canteens serves chicken feet -- WHOLE chicken feet. I will certainly not be eating any of that. And being a Wisconsin girl I do miss my dairy. I ordered milk for lunch and it turned out to be evaporated, warmed, and gross, at least compared to the delicious milk from the Happy Cows of Wisconsin. But rice and noodles are certainly more healthy than so much dairy, although almost all of the food here is fried. I do try and stay away from that but it's good every once in a while.
Well I bought a computer online today, and I think it should be here within a week so I will post my pictures soon! It will take me quite a while because there are so many of them!!
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Getting Settled
So I don't have a computer yet (mine broke before I left the states) and I've been pretty busy, so I'm trying to catch up on everything right now. I have already taking a ton of pictures and really want to upload them but the computers at the library won't let me install the uploading tool I need right now.
I'm living in the dorms here, which they call hostels, and my roommate is another exchange student. She hasn't arrived yet but I'm told she will be here today. I haven't really been in my room much anyways but I am excited for her to finally arrive. My first day I took care of all of my registration things -- paying fees, getting my welcome packet and all that. I sat down for lunch and met some other exchange students -- one from Boston, five from Italy, and two from France. We went to the mall together to get pillows, hangers, etc. It was fun hanging out with them and very comforting to find people to hang out with immediately. We spent a couple of hours at the mall, and as soon as I finished putting my things away when I got back to my room I fell asleep. I was hoping to fall asleep for a few hours so that I could go to the library when I woke up to use the computer, but I slept for almost 12 hours. I woke up once around 11 and tried to stay up for a little while but was very unsuccessful. I didn't have trouble staying alseep but it wasn't a very relaxing night. I had some crazy dreams and had a very hard time getting out of bed -- I literally could barely move my muscles or open my eyes, even when I forced myself.
When I finally did get up it was pretty early -- 6:00 in the morning. I explored campus for a while, which by the way, is gorgeous! There are palm trees, plants, and flowers everywhere. The buildings are very open and many of the hallways are outdoors. It rains here just about every day -- usually just a light sprinkle -- so most of the walkways are covered. I went to the orientation session and met some more students, then went back to the mall with some others to get a few things I missed yesterday.
Everyone here is very nice, and the exchange students are all very friendly. I've made quite a few friends so far and am really enoying it! We are all in the same boat here -- most people don't know anybody, and everyone is so new to the area and is open to anything! We all want to travel a lot, so we're hoping to get a class schedule that is open on Fridays so that we can travel every weekend.
I'm living in the dorms here, which they call hostels, and my roommate is another exchange student. She hasn't arrived yet but I'm told she will be here today. I haven't really been in my room much anyways but I am excited for her to finally arrive. My first day I took care of all of my registration things -- paying fees, getting my welcome packet and all that. I sat down for lunch and met some other exchange students -- one from Boston, five from Italy, and two from France. We went to the mall together to get pillows, hangers, etc. It was fun hanging out with them and very comforting to find people to hang out with immediately. We spent a couple of hours at the mall, and as soon as I finished putting my things away when I got back to my room I fell asleep. I was hoping to fall asleep for a few hours so that I could go to the library when I woke up to use the computer, but I slept for almost 12 hours. I woke up once around 11 and tried to stay up for a little while but was very unsuccessful. I didn't have trouble staying alseep but it wasn't a very relaxing night. I had some crazy dreams and had a very hard time getting out of bed -- I literally could barely move my muscles or open my eyes, even when I forced myself.
When I finally did get up it was pretty early -- 6:00 in the morning. I explored campus for a while, which by the way, is gorgeous! There are palm trees, plants, and flowers everywhere. The buildings are very open and many of the hallways are outdoors. It rains here just about every day -- usually just a light sprinkle -- so most of the walkways are covered. I went to the orientation session and met some more students, then went back to the mall with some others to get a few things I missed yesterday.
Everyone here is very nice, and the exchange students are all very friendly. I've made quite a few friends so far and am really enoying it! We are all in the same boat here -- most people don't know anybody, and everyone is so new to the area and is open to anything! We all want to travel a lot, so we're hoping to get a class schedule that is open on Fridays so that we can travel every weekend.
Finally in Singapore!
Okay, so here I am, finally in Singapore!! This is my third day here and already SO MUCH has happened! I'll start with some details of my flight...
I left Madison on Sunday and drove with Angie to Chicago. I have really been wanting to see Umphrey's McGee in concert and they were playing a three-day New Year's / 10 year celebration show at the Aragon (which is such a beautiful venue, by the way!!). It was the most phenomonal thing I have ever seen. Even if you don't typically enjoy the type of music they play it is simply amazing to watch them interact and experience the visual and musical cues they use to play in such synchronization. But I digress.
After the concert we met up with Kristin at Leg Room. It was PACKED. We didn't stay for more than maybe an hour and went to another club on State or Rush. It was super fun. We got back to Kristin's around 3:30 or 4 and started to watch a movie. I was going to watch the movie for an hour or so, take a shower, then hop on the bus and catch the train to O'Hare. Um not a good plan.
Next thing I know I wake up and see lots of sunlight outside, so I frantically ask Angie what time is it. Oh, it's 8:30am. Yea, my flight is at 9:05. So bascially I am screwed. I grabbed my things and Angie and I ran to her car and drove to O'Hare as fast as humanly possible. I did manage to brush my teeth on the way, although Angie probably has some toothpaste stuck to the side now. (Sorry about that Angie.) Angie couldn't find her cell phone so we couldn't call the airport and ask them to hold the plane, although I'm quite certain there was no way they would do that anyways. I freaked out the whole way there and ran through the airport as fast as I could. THANK GOD there was a bit of fog and the plane had been delayed about 30 minutes, so I made it!! Phew. That was a very close call.
I flew to Detroit and had a very short layover, just enough time for me to grab an $8 sandwhich (that I only ate 1/4 of) while my name was called over the PA system to board the plane. From there I flew to Tokyo which took almost 14 hours.
I also had a fairly short layover in Tokyo. I had just enough time to stop at the Oragami musuem and take some pictures. (I'd love to post them right now but I'm having troubles uploading things using the library computers.) My flight to Singapore was about six and a half hours, and we had TV screens on the back of the chair in front of us so I watched movies (Into the Wild and The Beach) and slept the whole way.
After arriving in Singapore I met up with a taxi driver who took me onto campus. As soon as I walked out of the airport I was instantly reminded of Orlando -- palm trees everywhere and very humid weather. It took about 30 minutes to drive to the other side of the island onto campus. It was around 1:00am on 2 January when I arrived to meet up with my student buddy. I was pretty hungry so we went to the supermarket which is right on campus, then I went to sleep for about 6 hours.
I left Madison on Sunday and drove with Angie to Chicago. I have really been wanting to see Umphrey's McGee in concert and they were playing a three-day New Year's / 10 year celebration show at the Aragon (which is such a beautiful venue, by the way!!). It was the most phenomonal thing I have ever seen. Even if you don't typically enjoy the type of music they play it is simply amazing to watch them interact and experience the visual and musical cues they use to play in such synchronization. But I digress.
After the concert we met up with Kristin at Leg Room. It was PACKED. We didn't stay for more than maybe an hour and went to another club on State or Rush. It was super fun. We got back to Kristin's around 3:30 or 4 and started to watch a movie. I was going to watch the movie for an hour or so, take a shower, then hop on the bus and catch the train to O'Hare. Um not a good plan.
Next thing I know I wake up and see lots of sunlight outside, so I frantically ask Angie what time is it. Oh, it's 8:30am. Yea, my flight is at 9:05. So bascially I am screwed. I grabbed my things and Angie and I ran to her car and drove to O'Hare as fast as humanly possible. I did manage to brush my teeth on the way, although Angie probably has some toothpaste stuck to the side now. (Sorry about that Angie.) Angie couldn't find her cell phone so we couldn't call the airport and ask them to hold the plane, although I'm quite certain there was no way they would do that anyways. I freaked out the whole way there and ran through the airport as fast as I could. THANK GOD there was a bit of fog and the plane had been delayed about 30 minutes, so I made it!! Phew. That was a very close call.
I flew to Detroit and had a very short layover, just enough time for me to grab an $8 sandwhich (that I only ate 1/4 of) while my name was called over the PA system to board the plane. From there I flew to Tokyo which took almost 14 hours.
I also had a fairly short layover in Tokyo. I had just enough time to stop at the Oragami musuem and take some pictures. (I'd love to post them right now but I'm having troubles uploading things using the library computers.) My flight to Singapore was about six and a half hours, and we had TV screens on the back of the chair in front of us so I watched movies (Into the Wild and The Beach) and slept the whole way.
After arriving in Singapore I met up with a taxi driver who took me onto campus. As soon as I walked out of the airport I was instantly reminded of Orlando -- palm trees everywhere and very humid weather. It took about 30 minutes to drive to the other side of the island onto campus. It was around 1:00am on 2 January when I arrived to meet up with my student buddy. I was pretty hungry so we went to the supermarket which is right on campus, then I went to sleep for about 6 hours.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
