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Published: September 12th 2006
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Pulau Bintan
I didn't take this photo because my camera battery died... So these pictures are actually from last weekend when we went to Pulau Bintan which is an Indonesian island that is like an hour and a half by ferry from Singapore. It was so surreal to get out of the Permasmile Disneyland Island Bubble that is Singapore, and to be back in the real world. There were thirteen of us for the first day and a half, and we just snorkled, got way too much sun, etc., but once the other ten people left things got interesting. The place we were staying at (I don't know what to call it), was basically shacks on the beach run by a family. They cooked all of our meals for us (as there was nothing else anywhere nearby) and talked to us while we ate. Once the whole group was gone except for Ana, Bernadette and I, they really opened up and shared a lot about their lives with us. It was really sad and interesting to hear their stories, and it was such an extreme contrast to Singapore. When we were going to sleep that night, Ana, Bernadette and I were the only ones in the shacks that the family owned, the electricity
Ferry Ride
Yeah, I didn't take this picture either went out, and there was a particularly low tide, so we were kind of creeped out. We ended up talking for about six hours about the most personal things in all of our lives- and I don't know how any of us opened up to each other that quickly, but it was great to connect to people on that level after only knowing them for such a short while. It was weird, to all of us I think, to see how similar we are in where we are in our lives right now. Ana is Chinese-American, and Bernadette is Filipina-American, so you would probably think that the things that we would be realizing about ourselves when we were in Asia might be very different, but we all turned out to be in suprisingly similar places. I know it sounds like the biggest cliche in the world, but I kind of feel like I have had to come half way around the world to be able to take a more objective look at my life, to figure out where I am, who I am, and where I want to be. And the whole time I had thought that I already knew...
I have read over and over again not to brush Singapore off as an "Asia Lite" or as a country created for tourism, etc., but I haven't seen anything to prove it. In some ways, I think that it is good. Singapore is much better off financially than the rest of Southeast, and much of the rest of, Asia. And that means they are better off in health, education, etc. But at what cost did the government achieve this? There is little-to-no room for self-expression. There is a maid culture in which the care of the elderly is outsourced to women from other countries such as the Philippines, there is a government-run-ad campaign trying to achieve everything, and, as many Singaporeans have said to me, the whole country is created for tourists- there is little in Singapore that is there for Singaporeans themselves. A couple of people in my dorm from Australia were told by a Singaporean in our dorm to visit a certain neighbourhood. They were promised that this would be the real Singapore, but when they got there, it was like ever other suburb that they had ever seen. While I am definitely critical of things the
United States has done in the past and the present, and will probably continue to do in the future, coming to Singapore has made me l realize that I love the United States. Not just the natural beauty, which I already knew, or the music and literature, but the culture and society, which I have never realized before. My friend Mahogany from Arizona State and I were talking to our friends Grace and Julian, who are from Singapore and studied abroad at Arizona State, and Grace told us that she really missed Americans. Of course we laughed- because why would anyone miss a loud, consistently drunk, bigoted people with "no culture". And while what she said may seem small and trivial, it has really stuck with me. She said that she missed Americans because we say what we want when we want to say it regardless of what people will think. We don't care about what people are comfortable hearing or whether they agree with us. If we need to say something, we say it. And while some people may think that this is a bad thing- that we aren't culturally sensitive or something like that- I think it is the thing I miss about home the most. If someone makes you angry at home, you tell them. If the government pisses you off, you tell them. If you want to make art that challenges religion, sexuality, social norms, people in power, etc, you do it. And I don't really see how I, and really people, can live any other way.
I'm really excited because next Thursday I go on a twelve day trip to Cambodia, Laos and Thailand!!!!
If you want to see a funny video that pretty much encapsulates everything that is... interesting about Singapore:
If you want to read some articles about the World Trade Conference they are currently having in Singapore:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/5348134.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/5344442.stm
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MOM
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NAG
There is this new item out. It's called sunscreen!!!!!! And when are you going to take a picture of those lizards!!!!! Congratulations Kenny....you are on the Dean's list at Arizona State AND at the University if Utah. You must get your brains from me!!!!! :)