When the sun sets and the moon shines brightest, Singapore streets, shops, and restaurants boast glowing harlequin paper lanterns, a wide assortment of mooncakes and tea, and traditional Chinese crafts and festivities. Every year, Singapore’s Chinese community celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival, which marks the end of autumn harvest and gives thanks to the gods, especially …
Tag Archives: Asia/Singapore
A Typical Week in Singapore
Whenever someone asks me, “What do you think of Singapore so far?”, I’m never quite sure what to answer. Even though I’ve been here almost a month, the experience so far was basically a surface-level, touristy view of Singapore (hence the Singaporientation blog) and settling into the daily cycle of classes, eating, and studying. Sorry, doesn’t …
Singaporientation
Sunday, Aug 12: Settling In and Familiarization Tour Touchdown at Changi Airport. Met up with my Resident Director, Andrea, and one of the other visiting students, and took a taxi to my new apartment, Sunshine Plaza. Familiarization Tour – Andrea showed us the surrounding area, places where we could grab some quick food, some general …
Cribs: Sunshine Plaza Residence Edition
Hello HopeTV, and welcome to my crib *cue slow motion shots* Many of my fellow international students were forced to find affordable hostels in sketchy parts of Chinatown. Meanwhile the TEAN program ensured its programees a three-bed, three-bath in the illustrious multi-purpose complex that is Sunshine Plaza. The moment I entered the room, I knew I had …
The Flight
Twenty hours. That’s fourteen hours from San Francisco to Taipei, about an hour at the terminal, then another five till Singapore. If you’re like me and haven’t ever flown for this long, then twenty hours seems impossible. I’ve been flying back and forth from California to Michigan and can’t even stomach four-hour flights. This is …
Gardens by the Bay
There is such a vast variety of places and things to do here in Singapore. One of my favorite unique places here is Gardens by the Bay, which is a large nature park that combines city views with natural wonders. Gardens by the Bay includes several outdoor gardens, two indoor conservatories, and the famous Supertrees. …
Holidays in Singapore
I’ve been in Singapore for several holidays, including Halloween, Deepavali, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Here is a summary of how these holidays are celebrated here: Halloween: Traditionally, Halloween is not a holiday that has been celebrated in Singapore. However, more recently, Halloween has become a bigger holiday here. I was here to witness trick or treating in …
Angkor Wat
Angkor…what? When I first heard of Angkor Wat, I was clueless about this incredible place. The Angkor Wat is a temple complex in Cambodia and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The whole site measures 402 acres and is the largest religious monument in the world, consisting of many temples both large and small. …
Thanksgiving in Cambodia
My Thanksgiving didn’t include turkey, stuffing, and mashed potatoes this year. Instead, it included temples, tuk-tuks, and fried noodles! My friend and fellow student teacher at Singapore American School decided to travel to Siem Reap, Cambodia, to spend our 4 day Thanksgiving break. Before arriving in Singapore, I knew essentially nothing about Cambodia and hadn’t …
“Where are you Going for the Break?”: A Culture of Travel
Before my 21st birthday, I had never left the United States and my travels in the country were not extensive. Last May, I went to Vienna for the Vienna Summer School May term through Hope, and that was my very first airplane ride! When I came to Singapore and started talking to people here, I …
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