Saturday, January 26, 2013

Singaporean Cuisine

Due to all of the questions I've been receiving, here is a (brief) summary of the food I've been eating:
 
Korean- Chicken BBQ
Doesn't taste like BBQ in the U.S., but it is so good!
On campus, we eat most of our meals in "canteens" which are basically just cafeterias with booths for all of the different types of food. These booths are all owned by locals and each features a different type of food such as Thai, Indonesian, Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese, or even western food. Because Singapore is made up of such a mixture of cultures, there are a lot of different delicious options to choose from! That being said, I AM in Asia, so pretty much everything consists of rice, a meat, and some type of sauce. Even most of the western food is just "chicken chops and rice" or "beef and rice," although sometimes they throw in some french fries with it too. Speaking of french fries, I find it interesting that this is probably the closest I have ever lived to a McDonald's in my life. There is one on campus just a short walk away! Dangerously close if I want to eat some American food. Interestingly, since Chinese new year is coming up soon, they have a few special options, such as a "prosperity burger", pineapple pie, or curly fries. 

Chicken and Rice- Yummm
A classic Singapore dish, and probably one of my favorite since I've been here, is "Chicken and Rice." It's made up of exactly what it sounds like, chicken.. and rice. But it is so good! You can get it roasted, with lemon, or steamed. Also, I have become victim to all of the waffle shops around campus! You can get a lot of different toppings including peanut butter, jelly, or ice cream (so good!), but not syrup. One advantage to being on a tropical island is all of the fruit juice they have here! There are booths everywhere with freshly squeezed kiwi, watermelon, lime, lemon, pineapple, lychee, etc. juice.  

Waffle topped with mango ice cream!
You may not be able to tell from the picture,
but the waffles are slightly green from
 a leaf they put in it
Kiwi Juice- So delicious
Rice roll- Filled with meat and such

However, not everything here is great.. For the first few days I was here, I kept noticing a strange smell around town and campus. I soon came to find out that this was durian, a fruit very popular with the locals and characterized by the incredibly strong "dirty sock" smell it has. Because the smell is so strong and lingers so much, many buses have signs on them prohibiting people from bringing the fruit on with them. Since I needed the authentic Singaporean experience, I tried some creme puffs that had durian in them, and I can tell you firsthand that it tastes much worse than it smells. I have been assured that you can develop a taste for it over time, but I think I'll just take their word for it.  

Durian Tree on a hike! There is one outside my hall that is often rather stinky.
 
Overall, the food has been great! I am slowly figuring out which kinds of Asian foods I like/dislike. And yes, I have gotten great at chopsticks! There is silverware available everywhere, but I've still been practicing a lot.

Also, I went hiking yesterday and got chased by a monkey, but that will just have to wait for another post. 


Monday, January 14, 2013

Adjusting: Clark Quay, Marina Bay, and Chinatown

I have been in Singapore for about five days now, although it seems like it has been so much longer! It's amazing how much can happen in such little time. I can see why it's good to post blogs more often, because now I have a ton of information to squeeze into a post! These last few days have been spent adjusting to the new weather and time zone, exploring a few things around Singapore, and most importantly relaxing before classes start (today!). 


Pool on campus, I'll be visiting this a lot!
It is about 90 degrees (F) and humid here almost every day, a big switch from the snow I left at home! Although it can be a little too much at times, I am finding ways to deal- like going to the pool every day. Also, I think I am adjusting to the time zone pretty well! I have been lucky enough to get pretty normal sleep for the last few nights. I've been told to stop comparing the time at home to here because it will "just make me more tired." 




Me with the Merlion

A few nights ago we ventured to Clark Quay, a strip of restaurants and bars downtown. Because NTU is pretty far away from the main area of the city, this was my first experience seeing all the lights and buildings. We then walked down by Marina Bay and saw the infamous "merlion" and the Marina Bay Sands resort, home of the infinity pool. The entire area was so beautiful all lit up at night! 


Marina Bay

















Ice Kachang
Yesterday we explored Chinatown. The streets were full of little shops selling various trinkets or medicines and there was also a hawker center (local food center). This hawker center had a lot wider variety of Chinese dishes than served on campus. You could order things such as chicken feet or intestines (eww!). However, there were several stands that served different types of fruit juice that were so delicious! Many different options from papaya to honey pineapple to watermelon to kiwi... very refreshing after walking around a lot. We also ordered a dessert called "ice kachang" which was basically shaved ice that you could get with a variety of toppings such as strawberry, mango, jelly bubble things, and even beans. It was very interesting, and not too bad if you stick to the areas of the toppings you like. 



Hindu temple
One of the coolest things about Chinatown were the different temples we could visit. Interestingly, there was both a Hindu temple and a Buddhist temple in Chinatown, both were absolutely gorgeous. When entering the Buddhist temple, we needed to make sure our legs and shoulders were covered so they supplied us with shawls and fabric to wrap around ourselves. It was so interesting to see the intricate detail inside of the temples and also to see the difference between the two. 



Buddhist Temple



Covering ourselves so we could go in the temple

 I should also probably say that Singapore in general, but especially NTU's campus, is absolutely gorgeous! One of the most surprising things I found here is how green everything is. Although Singapore is a huge city, it is very clean and full of green trees and plants. I feel like I am living in a jungle! I've even been told you can see monkeys sometimes by some of the halls. 


View from my dorm window


                                                                         
Art and Media Building


Monday, January 7, 2013

I should be sleeping

Well, my plane leaves for Singapore in approximately 9 hours, so of course sleeping is out of the question! Bags are packed (and within the weight limit- I checked :)), electronics are charged, papers are in order, and I have just been racking my brain to remember "that thing I'm forgetting." I have a huge day (and then some) of travelling ahead of me with a total of 32 hours of transit before reaching Singapore, and a total of 39 hours before reaching my dorm. It all starts with an early departure (8am) from Traverse City to Chicago, where I will meet up with Amanda, a friend from CMU who will be finishing the journey with me! (yay!) After about a 6 hour layover in O'Hare I will depart for Singapore, with a brief stop for fueling along the way in Hong Kong. I am scheduled to arrive in Singapore at 1:30am Jan 9 local time (1:30pm Jan 8, MI time), at which time a (hopefully smooth) trip through customs awaits us. Then, we will kill a little time before checking into our dorms at 8am, and get right to business with NTU exchange student orientation at 10am! I foresee a lot of caffeine in my future for this part of the trip :) 

I am so grateful for the amazing Christmas break I had! I was able to see a lot of family and friends, celebrate my birthday, enjoy a little northern-Michigan winter by snowmobiling and skiing, and spend a lot of time just relaxing. However, I think it is all FINALLY beginning to sink in and, more than anything, I am ready to get to Singapore and get settled! So long, Michigan! See you in 4 and a half months :)

(Also, interesting fact I learned about Singapore TODAY: It is located at approximately 1.4 degrees north latitude! That's right, 1! With four months of that heat, even I better be able to come back with a tan..)
   
View of my dorm at NTU- Ready for the warm weather!
(http://www.ntu.edu.sg/hso/Undergraduate/HallsofResidence/Pages/Hall12.aspx)

Fitting my life into a large suitcase, duffel-bag, and backpack.
Huge thank you goes to two of my best friends for helping, you know I would
be last-minute rushing if not for you!