Singapore!

It's my first day back in Kadod after an amazing 10-day trip to Singapore! In a nutshell, 10 days felt way too short. Some people say that after that much time, you'll probably have seen most of what Singapore has to offer since it is a pretty small country. But despite that popular opinion, there was always too much to do each day I was there. I also owe it to so many of my friends that made my trip so much fun. Thanks Huei-Yu, Catalina, Jeffrey, Katherine, Natalie, Tiffy, and Jon for going out your ways to show me such a good time!

I hadn't been in India for an incredibly long time before I left to Singapore. It's been about 2 months, but I still had a minor case of culture shock once I arrived. On one of the first days I was there, I walked out of the MRT train station onto Orchard Road and couldn't stop myself from saying "Where am I?!"

The streets were amazingly clean, the trains and public transportation ran like clockwork, and things everywhere just seemed to work like a well-oiled machine. I did get a kick out all the "Do Not..." signs posted almost everywhere I looked. People there joke around and say that Singpore is a fine country.


One thing I'm definitely going to miss about Singapore is the food. Thanks to my amazing hosts, I got to have some of the must-have Singaporean dishes like chili crab, chicken rice, and laksa. One really memorable meal was supper (the meal after dinner) after a Singapore Symphony Orchestra concert at an outdoor food court type place. It was around midnight, and the place was packed. When it was time for us to order food, Jon just went into and ordering frenzy. He ordered piles of naan, pratha, a Thai rice dish, Indonesian satay, and drinks for the entire group.
Jon: I want a Milo Godzilla (an iced chocolate milk kind of drink with ice cream, whipped cream, and powdered chocolate on top).
Waiter: I'm sorry, sir, but we don't serve the Milo Godzilla. We have the Milo Dinosaur.
Jon: Well, can we have one of that then. But make it HUGE. (this is when he started getting his hands involved trying to explain HUGE to the waiter). Like, this kid's been in India for the past 2 months, so make it HUGE alright? And what's the best thing you guys have here?
Waiter: This Thai rice dish is very good.
Jon: Ok. What's BETTER than that?? And make it HUGE.

Thanks, Jon.


Apart from all the amazing food I got to try, the rest of the trip included a ride on the Singapore Flyer, a short visit to the Marina Bay Sands Casino with Huei-Yu's older brother, a late night tour of the Singapore Zoo Night Safari, and even some "relaxation" at a fish spa. The particular kind of fish in the pools like to eat dead skin, supposedly allowing more healthy skin to grow in those areas. The feeling of have hundreds of fish swarming around my legs and feet was interesting to say the least... but it did feel surprisingly refreshing!
I could go on and on about my time in Singapore... I really hope it won't be my last time there. It was really tough leaving the country to come back to India, but being back in Kadod now, I feel extremely refreshed and ready to get back into the classrooms!