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Getting over homesickness & Some touristy moments

Sawubona (hello or I see you in Zulu) Friends and Family,

Hope all is well in the US of A.

So it’s week 3 here in Durban, can you believe it?! I know I can’t, sometimes I feel like I just got here and sometimes like I’ve been here for 6 months. But anyway let’s talk about these 3 weeks shall we…

Ok, so for like a good week I was homesick. Now some may say, “Hey that’s cool, all part of the process” but while I was homesick I felt terrible. Knowing its part of the process is one thing but living and breathing it is a whole other matter. It was not until I talked to my family and friends that I remembered, “Hey kid, you are only here for a few months. It’s ok to be homesick but don’t forget to enjoy this time. Don’t chicken out…” And once I got that pep talk and remembered that the good Jesus is with me no matter where I go on His green earth (Psalms 23)…I was set! Now don’t get me wrong every now and again I still get home sick but now I just remember why I’m here and whose here with me and I can smile again, ready to face whatever the day brings…and man has it been bringing great things.

So two Saturdays ago, I went to my host dad or Baba son’s wedding. It was a “white” wedding or more of a Western traditional wedding, then later that night it transitioned to a more Zulu traditional wedding. (Sorry no pictures, I forgot my phone) The wedding was beautiful, however it was all in Zulu. So I got like .5% of what was going on but that’s ok friends, never fear. After the wedding I kind of decided that I think I want to actually learn Zulu, like for more than just an academic venture but to actually learn it to be able to speak with the good Zulu people here in the South of Africas – sooooo we will see how this all turns out by the end of the semester.

On a touristy note, Durban hosted the World Cup in 2010. The stadium is called Moses Mabhida and you can go to the top of the stadium on the SkyCar. Now anyone who knows me, knows me and heights DO NOT MIX EVER. But while in Durban, live it up so below are some pictures of me with the beautiful Durban skyline and beach front behind me…

Also the stadium is of course controversial depending on who you talk to in regards to the cost of the stadium, did it really help or harm the locals especially the Black people? But this conversation differs depending on whom you talk to if you get my drift….

Ok enough controversy for one post. On another touristy note, please see pictures of me at the beach and not just any beach the Indian Ocean beach…I’ve never seen the ocean so that was really cool.

Also, I went to Durban Day this Sunday, which is just a big concert with Durban artist and other South African artist. So of course, I knew no one there but I had a great time and got a green Crème Soda…please see the image below of my green tongue as proof.

Green tongue, don't care lol — Green tongue, don’t care lol

Now for all of those thinking…”Hey, this kid, is not in school. She’s just vacationing” Oh au contraire, mon fere…I have been trying to figure out what I will be doing for my Independent Study Research Project (ISP) in November. I am tossing around ideas about maybe doing something with Steve Biko and the Black Consciousness Movement. Or possibly an ISP about the Black student uprisings on university campuses here like Open Stellenbosch or the Wits 7. Some Black students here are really finding their voices and saying we are not going to the institutions, do better NOW! And you know I am in solidarity. I was also thinking of doing something with Winnie Mandela or other prominent Black women in the anti-apartheid movement because I feel like their voices are under-represented or misconstrued especially Winnie Mandela. But right now the top contender is something with Durban churches and looking into how they responded or didn’t respond to apartheid. And since I’m trying to do the seminary life after Hope College, the church project could be a really good thing. So all of this is up in the air right not friends but my mind is constantly churning. It’s not all beach fronts and concerts. 🙂

Ok, seriously missing everyone in the US of A. You all be well and keep me on your mind and hearts as you are ever on mine.

Hambani kahle (You all go well)

A Weekend in the Marlborough Sounds

To celebrate the completion of orientation week and one last hurrah before classes start, all 14 of us students set out for our student trip weekend.

The Old Convent - my home for the next 3 1/2 months www.creationcsp.org — The Old Convent – my home for the next 3 1/2 months
www.creationcsp.org

I traveled with a group to the beautiful Hopewell Lodge in the Marlborough Sounds. It was a 4 1/2 hour drive through winding roads, most only wide enough for one car but still a two lane road. Oh, and I was driving on the left side of the road, so the driving was enough adventure for me. It was an absolutely magical drive, though! We couldn’t help but pull over every 20 minutes or so to admire the new and spectacular view of the Kenepuru Sound.

We spent our weekend relaxing on the porch, enjoying the sunshine and fresh NZed air, tramping through the bush (walking through the woods), kayaking, warming up in the hot tub, hammocking, and visiting the glow worms and star gazing at night. I truly believe there is no place on earth where the stars shine brighter. Oh, and I can’t forget about the polar plunge that took place! Mike, the lodge owner, came up to us afterwards and asked in his kiwi way, “Are you mad?! That water is freezing!” …We are. It was.

Stumpy, the weka bird, lost his foot in a possum trap and we decided to make friends with him and feed him leftover bread

So much to do at the Hopewell Lodge from paddle boarding to kayaking to fishing to polar plunging

Later Saturday morning, Mike informed us there were dusky dolphins heading our way, so we made our way to the dock to watch them come across.

Two dusky dolphins making their way across the sound

What a beautiful sight! Another group from the Old Convent were on kayaks at the time, and actually got to experience the dolphins swimming all around and underneath their kayaks! Not going to lie, I was a little jealous. We’ll be swimming with dolphins later in the semester for my Marine Ecology class, though, so I’m sure I’ll be writing all about it!

I kayaked later in the day throughout the sound for about 3 hours, seeing just a box jellyfish.

Calvin students make for great sports rivals but even better friends

A peaceful kayak ride through the sounds

There’s something so wonderful yet so unsettling about kayaking on the ocean. Sitting in a little, not so stable, kayak in the middle of a sound, surrounded by mountains makes you realize just how small you are in this big, big world, and what a beautiful, humbling moment that is.

The drive home was slightly less terrifying as I adapted to the NZed way of driving, but just as magical.

Mike and Linley, our wonderful lodge hosts

A quick snapshot of the drive out of the Marlborough Sounds

Just another look at the drive back to Kaikoura

I’m still waiting for New Zealand to cease amazing me, but I don’t think we’ll ever get there.

Orientation

“You are studying in a giant political science lab.” That’s what my academic director said to us a few nights ago as we were sitting down eating dinner.

Tunisia underwent a revolution in 2011 to become a democracy. Changes are happening all over the country, but change is also slow and democracy takes time. Throughout this week I have been introduced to the Tunisia that I will get to know during my time here. The program I am studying with is called SIT(School for International Training). One reason I chose this program is because they have a strong emphasis on experiential learning. A big part of that is at the end of my time here I will complete a month-long independent study project.

The way SIT operates is that during the first week students stay together in a hotel and move in with their host families the following week. For me that’s today! But more on my family later.

There are eight students on the program, including myself. There are actually two students who study in PA, one at Gettysburg College and one at University of Pittsburgh. About half of us speak Arabic and half of us speak French and we come from a wide variety of majors, from sociology, anthropology, economy, global studies and political science. I’m looking forward to getting to know my classmates more.

This past week had been all about getting to know our surroundings. We have visited Carthage and La Marsa, suburbs of Tunis. The SIT study center is in Sidi Bou Said, which is where we have been staying this week. It is a beautiful town.

The view from a hill overlooking Sidi Bou. It’s hard to tell in this picture but the entire town is white and blue. The idea came from a Frenchman who moved to Tunisia in the early 1900s. He paid people to paint their houses blue and white in order to make the town more Mediterranean. Today, houses must be painted white with either blue or white doors and the municipality must approve the colors.

Besides walking around Sidi Bou and the surrounding suburbs, not too much had happened this week. We were given a schedule for the first month of school and we discussed our expectations and fears.

So far, Tunisia is what I expected. It feels very much like a Mediterranean country. The food is a mix of Italian, French and other Mediterranean influences. People also dress very fashionably here. Women can wear shorts and tank tops, although there are also women who chose to wear a headscarf. This is something new in Tunisia because before the revolution you would not have seen any woman wearing a headscarf.

Next week we will start classes. I will talk more about those as they develop. That’s all for now. Enjoy one more picture of my beautiful new home!

Ahoy from Athens!

Chairete, friends!

I’ve landed in fair and summery Greece, which shall be my home for the next four months. At noon today, the plane that moseyed me up from Kuala IMG_20150831_181605

Lumpur gave up her jet-lagged dead. And here I am at last in the cradle of feta cheese, democracy, and the totalitarian state. Quite a resume for a nation so mountainous. Not that the Greeks saw themselves as a nation, let alone a full-fledged state, when goat cheese, Athens, and Sparta were forged. But now I ramble and this is what I promised I would not do. Basically, I’m an incredibly happy classics-history major who’s missing his family lots but glad to be where he be.

IMG_20150831_163057 — Streets are not crowded, but narrow. Alleyways lead to sudden vast expanses of old ruins, or the steps old churches. Cars cram along the cobblestone (not pictured here.)

I’m part of a large, all-American academic centre in Greece, creatively known as the “College Year in Athens” program. The organizers and faculty have been extremely warm, settling me into my new quarters. They also had a cab waiting to ferret me away to an unassuming apartment in central Athens. A friendly cab driver whose IPad kept toppling from its GPS stand. He lost the wheel for a full second trying to catch it. In a tunnel. On a highway. It’s remarkable how unnerving cement can look when approached from a right angle, at 50 miles an hour. Two minutes later he charges down a one way street the wrong way, forcing the approaching car to reverse into a trafficful mainway. “She is very good,” he says, conversationally. Evidently this a matter of course. I compliment a bracelet of icon cameos he keeps on his gearbox. He pulls them out: Cyril and Methodius, the Theotokos (‘God-bearer’ -Mary), and a gleaming Christos Pantokrator, a golden Jesus with a book in his hand and a halo to match his immaculate collarbones. He grins. “For good luck, these ones. Good luck for drive.”

Kyrie Eleison.

But besides IMG_20150831_182502 that, I and my luggage have arrived unscathed. I’ve checked-in at the CYA center; I’ve eaten Dominos pizza and good cheese; and I’ve also had a chance to pull out my toasty TARDIS robe. I’ve walked out to the outskirts of the Acropolis, which looks amazing even under renovation. Eek! But more on that when I actually ascend Athena’s hill. In the meantime, hither by His grace I’m come. All is as it should be.

Take care and eat well!

Josh

IMG_20150831_185439 — Ten Acropolin! Real Hellenic script forthcoming once my new laptop has the other essentials installed.

Packing, Panicking & Procrastinating

Packing, Panicking & Procrastinating, three words that describe the past two weeks of my life. As my internship came to a close, I found myself in an utter panic. I was leaving for Tunisia in two weeks and I was completely unprepared. To add to my panicked state was that fact that I was to have my wisdom teeth removed in two days. Thoughts of post-surgical infection crowded my mind.

Once I sat on my couch eating ice-cream and recovering, my mom felt the need to nag me about packing for Tunisia. But how could I pack for Tunisia when I had so much else going on? I needed to pack for this upcoming weekend first. My family was traveling to New Jersey to celebrate what would have been the 100th birthday of my great-great uncle. It would be a blast to see everyone, but it was getting in the way of my preparations for my semester abroad.

It was not only that, it was also the books I had to read for my program before I left, the presentations I had yet to finish, my summer research project that I still needed to fine-tune, and my trip to West Point the weekend following my weekend in New Jersey. There was so much to think about I’ve barely had time to think about Tunisia at all.

In retrospect, maybe this is better. Study abroad is daunting and as I learned during my gap year, a lot harder than I expected. Yet, despite my last minute planning, I am ready for this experience. I have been captivated by the Middle East ever since I first set foot there in 2013. My grandmother and I traveled to Morocco for ten days and we had a blast. Traveling from city to city on crowded trains, drinking copious amounts of mint tea and meeting new friends, I knew I wanted to return to this land. Last summer, thanks to the generosity of many people, I was able to do so. I traveled to Israel and Palestine for six weeks and experienced so many wonderful moments and many heartbreaking moments as well. But this will be different. This time I will be living in the Middle East. I won’t be a tourist or a visitor, but for four months(four months that I’m sure will fly by) I will have the opportunity to immerse myself in this beautiful culture that I have come to love so much.

Regardless of whether or not I am fully prepared, tomorrow my journey will begin. I’ll fly out of Harrisburg, then to Detroit. From there I fly to Paris, arriving in Tunis around noon on Tuesday.

Thanks for reading and check back soon for updates! I’ll also be posting a picture a day on my instagram (https://instagram.com/hashope7/)so check that out if you have time.

Ground Rules/ Blog 1

Disclaimer: I’m no longer in Johannesburg (aka Jo-burg or Jozi) but this is my first ‘official’ blog.

Me at the apartheid museum with Jozi in the background

Hello everyone and greeting from Johannesburg,

So this is my first of many blogs from the wonderful country that is South Africa. And I want to set some ground rules for understanding and appreciating all that will be my blog.

My blog is an opportunity for me to send myself to you through the wonders of technology. That being said this blog will be as formal and as informal as I need it to be. When you read this blog imagine you are having a ten-minute conversation with me about my day/experience. And if you know me well then you know that, that is a relatively short conversation as I can be long-winded and am a verbal processor.
Please enjoy my blog. One of the main reasons I have committed myself to blogging is I want to share my experience with you so please comment, suggest things and for my professors send me critiques of my writing, if you want, completely up to you though.
Please be patient with me. I am learning and growing over in the foreign lands and so I might neglect my blog at times. So there is no official time that I will post a blog, just whenever I have time and based on my schedule I won’t have a lot but we’ll make it work. 🙂

So those are my “ground rules,” pretty simple I think. Oh and just so you know I might add to my ground rules if I think I need to but hopefully it’ll all be A-ok.

And now that’s out of the way, who wants to hear about my first day in South Africa? I know I do :)haha I kid but really.

My first day in South Africa was spent at the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg. To say I enjoyed my experience seems a little inappropriate but I’m a history minor so on an educational and somewhat personal level I did enjoy my time in the museum. Two things really impacted me. The first is the design of the museum in that it is full of prison like structures with fences and cages throughout the museum. (Please see images below)

Apartheid Museum 4 — The entrance of the museum

Apartheid Museum 2 — In the heart of the museum

To me, it communicated the confined-ness of non-white South Africans during apartheid. The prison-like structures reinforced the institutional levels of control felt by everyone in apartheid South Africa. It reminded me of The Jim Crow Museum in Michigan that emphasized how every aspect of Black Americans lives from birth to death was dictated by Jim Crow laws. Similarly, in apartheid South Africa, every aspect of life was determined by one’s racial classification. If one was classified as anything other than white the implications of that reached far beyond a label, it meant whether or not one had access to education, health care, housing choices etc. Every level of life was touched by apartheid and that is really important for me to remember as I explore the social and political transformation of the country because without that understanding I don’t think I can fully appreciate the transformation of the country.

Second thing that stood out to me is the fact that apartheid was voted in by white citizens. It was not dictated like in Nazi Germany, although arguably Hitler being made Chancellor did come with it’s on implications and Jews were in the minority but I digress. Apartheid was something that was decided on by the people and then enacted. That was a powerful realization for me because I think that makes South Africa’s choice to deliberately and intentionally talk about race that much more powerful. How does one combat an intentional system of oppression? By facing it head on and dealing with it. Or at least this is a model that South Africa is trying to live into. And for someone fascinated by race, systems/structures and power dynamics, I think I will really enjoy exploring the intentionality of the country to try to reconcile with its painful past.

Lastly, advice that one of our Program Directors has mentioned repeatedly is, to remember to ask who is telling the story? The ANC (African National Congress or the party of Mandela) are the victors of apartheid so the museum is told from an ANC perspective. This is perfectly fine and legitimate but then as an avid learner and student I must always ask myself, who is being left out? What voices are not being told? Whose story am I not hearing about? This is something that I have learned to be conscious of at Hope and it something that I intend to continue to develop and that is the skill to hear the unheard.

So with that friends, I close today’s entry. Remember verbal processor, I love stories and imagine this was a 10-15 minute conversation with me and you’ll get through every post.

Thanks for reading! Until next time.

Goodbyes and Hellos

I’ll start this post by saying: I definitely picked the right country to do my study abroad. The pace of life is slower, tourists don’t flood what few city streets exist, and nature dominates most of the land. The snowcapped mountains expand much of the island, leaving a trail of sparkling blue glacial lakes where the glaciers once stood. Every way you turn is a new and spectacular view, and you can’t help but marvel at the creation God has displayed before you. I love to sit and imagine in those moments just how much fun He must’ve had in creating this earth and how fortunate we are to enjoy moments like these…these beautiful, peaceful, blissful moments where the silence is deafening. I love these moments.

Lake Tapeko: a magnificent blue glacial lake

From Christchurch, we drove south to Queenstown, a place comparable to Aspen, Colorado. From there, we continued south to the southern most tip in New Zealand, Invercargill Bluff.

Following Queenstown, we took the scenic route back to Christchurch, but, unfortunately, the rainy weather prevented us from seeing much of the Southern Alps. We did take a short hike up to Fox Glacier despite the rain. The glacier has retreated so far in recent years that it is now only accessible by helicopter drop-off…a true testament to the impact global warming is having on nature’s wonders.

Fun fact: There are more sheep in NZ than people

We spent the last day of our ‘holiday’ in Christchurch, seeing the city, and exploring the east coast some. We were really surprised to find such little shopping in Christchurch for it being the largest city on the south island, but locals informed us the 2011 earthquakes wiped out much of the city and they are still in the process of rebuilding. Many roads are closed, most buildings are held up with scaffolding, and box cars block much of the damaged buildings from collapsing onto roads. It’s hard to see such a beautiful place have to recover from such devastation.

A beautiful cathedral under construction following devastation from the 2011 earthquakes

Art College all boarded up following damage — Scaffolding supported many damaged, yet to be fixed. buildings

We ended the night early with lamb burgers and the inevitable packing/rolling/smooshing of all the accumulated souvenirs and keepsakes over the last couple weeks. An early morning calls for an early bedtime. Tonight, I cherish my last night of heat: heated beds, heated towel racks, and heated rooms. _____________________________________________________________________________

For the past two and a half weeks, I have played the role of tourist with my parents. We spent over 30 hours on a plane, visited over 10 cities, drove 1,700 miles in the car, and made countless memories. And, tomorrow I say goodbye to my parents and hello to the 13 other students who will become like family. Actually, tomorrow is filled with a lot of goodbyes and new hellos. I say goodbye to my tourist lifestyle and hello to ‘local living.’ I say goodbye to central heating and hello to layers. I say goodbye to the luxury of daily internet connection and hello to human connection. These goodbyes (particularly central heating) are all going to be difficult, but I’m ready to embrace these new hellos, to experience something outside myself, beyond myself. I’m ready to let myself change, to let myself become someone new through these experiences. I’m ready for Hello.

Pre-Semester Adventures Down Under

This past week and a half has been an absolute whirlwind. My parents and I decided that we would travel together for two weeks prior to my semester abroad in Kaikoura, New Zealand. Last week Wednesday we landed in the busy and beautiful city of Sydney. City life isn’t particularly my cup of tea, but Sydney is a unique city in its transportation system, laid back lifestyle, and harbour life. My first impression, though, COLD. When you’re used to 85 and humid, 50 feels like the next Ice Age.

It's even cooler in person — It’s even cooler in person

We spent 5 days in Sydney and managed to see quite a bit because of the great transportation system. Among those were, Watson’s Bay, Bondi Beach, Sydney Olympic Park, Darling Harbour, Sydney Opera House, Harbour Bridge, Manly Beach, The Blue Mountains, and Hillsong Church. Despite being such a large city, I found that Sydney runs at a much slower pace than most American cities and even most shops and cafes are closed on the weekends. All in all, Sydney was great! Next stop: Cairns, Australia for some snorkeling and koala cuddling.

View from Watson's Bay on one of the cliffs...absolutely breathtaking! — View from Watson’s Bay on one of the cliffs…absolutely breathtaking!

May not make it to the Australian Open courts, but this is pretty darn close!

Three Sisters in the Blue Mountains Katoomba, Australia — Three Sisters in the Blue Mountains
Katoomba, Australia

Man, I love me some good worship and no one does it better than Hillsong!

Despite being such a large city, I found that Sydney runs at a much slower pace than most American cities and even most shops and cafes are closed on the weekends. All in all, Sydney was great! Next stop: Cairns, Australia for some snorkeling and koala cuddling.

One last night walk before the flight to Cairns

Cairns (Pronounced “cans”) is in the northern part of Australia in the state of Queensland. In our short 4 days we packed in snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef, a trip to the little village of Daintree for some croc hunting and hiking, and a scenic train ride to Kuranda for some kangaroo feeding and koala cuddling.

This is Wally the incredibly large and incredibly friendly fish. He even let me pet him!

Note to self: don't breath in when the snorkel is underwater. — Note to self: don’t breath in when the snorkel is underwater.

I sure hope this cow knows what's over that bank — I sure hope this cow knows what’s over that bank

I don't think he was too amused, but I had food so he tolerated me. — I don’t think he was too amused, but I had food so he tolerated me.

I almost stuffed him in my shirt and took him home with me.

Tilly the Koala before she decided to leave a present in my hand... — Tilly the Koala before she decided to leave a present in my hand…

It was also nice to have some warm weather before heading down to wintery New Zealand! Our flight departs tomorrow at 6am for Christchurch, New Zealand where I will spend 4 more days with my parents before they fly home and I get to meet the rest of my group before heading to the little town of Kaikoura!

Australia, you’ve done well. New Zealand, here I come!

Good-Bye India

With ISP over I only have one more week in India. I am still not quite sure how I feel about this. I have moments of “I NEED to get out of here!” followed by moments of “Please don’t make me leave!” The first half of our last week was spent doing presentations. I was somewhat nervous about this but also excited because I had been working on the same topic for a month. I wanted to show what I had learned! Also, I got to wear my saree again so that makes everything better! It was also so much fun to see everyone in my program again. It was fun to exchange experiences because everyone did such different topics.

The last half of the week we were back in Delhi. One night we had a final banquet where some host families, our professor’s families, and some of our lecturers all came together to celebrate the end of the semester. It was fun to meet everyone’s families and of course eat!

Kachumber Salad (Did you mean: Cucumber Salad)

In addition to the banquet, I spent time just wandering through Delhi. I reflected on how comfortable I had become here in such a short time. No longer did I feel the need to plan every detail of my trip before getting on the Metro. I knew the stops, what shops are where, how much to pay for rickshaws to get to the markets and what streets to walk when the market is close, and, most importantly, what time of day I am most likely to get a seat.

As a group we talked about adjusting back into the U.S and what we should expect. I also said my final goodbyes to my teachers and fellow students. It was so bizarre to go from only spending time with the same people to not seeing them again. Saying goodbye hit me a lot harder than I expected.

Leaving Delhi I had to wake up at 5 a catch a taxi. Luckily I was able to share a taxi with another student who had a flight at around the same time. While taking off in Delhi I had to turn my head so that the person next to me didn’t see my crying. This is not good-bye India. I will be back!

Singapore- Reflections Post-India

After my program in India was completed I was given the opportunity to travel to Singapore for a week. Although this isn’t home, it gave me a pretty good idea of what to expect when I do get home. Here are some things that surprised me about life outside of India.

Space: I am continually surprised by how much space there is. I don’t want to give the wrong impression because India wasn’t as crowded as I expected. You know in movies when it shows a scene from New York and it is shows is a massive clump of people moving along the sidewalks and crossing the streets. That is what I expected India to be like all the time. It is not that way. At all. Still, space is something that I had to get used to. When in the Singapore airport before I went through immigration I had to go down an escalator which lead me to a big empty room. I thought to myself, “wow there is nobody here.” Even while waiting in line I kept looking backwards into the room and thinking “there is so much room and nobody is using it.”

Food: I forgot what it is like to have meat with every meal. I am weirdly becoming overwhelmed by it. In India, meat was a rare treat that I had to buy for myself on the off chance that I went to a restaurant that served it. Even then, sometimes I did not order it. When I sit down to meals and see huge dishes of meat I have this feeling of “here we go again”. Meat is not nearly as appetizing to me anymore. I can do small portions and that is about it.

Gender: When walking around Delhi you will see quite a few security checks (malls, metro, etc.) In these checks men and women are always separated. Men use the metal detector in the open while women go behind a curtain. When I was departing the Singapore airport I obviously had to go through security in the airport. As I waited in line I was mindlessly watching the people in front of me. I was genuinely shocked when I saw a man go through the same metal detector as a woman. I thought he has gone through the wrong one and would have to come back to go to the men’s line. I was surprised to remember that not everything in the world is segregated.

I am also having my first experience with people coming up to me and saying “How was India?” I don’t know how to respond to that question. How do I sum up the past 3 ½ months? It was beautiful, ugly, challenging, rewarding, overwhelming, comfortable. Sometimes I wanted to lie in bed and cry while other times I could not stop smiling. I wish I could be given more direct questions like, How was the food, what did you wear, what did you learn, how was it adjusting to a new education system etc. It is so tough to explain my experience when there is really nothing to compare it to. This is my plea that my friends and family be patient with me and I will be patient with them.

In the mean time, here are some pictures from Singapore:

Just your average canal with boats in the middle of a mall.

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