This weekend we were able to get an authentic taste of life in Singapore. After being split intogroups of two or three we were assigned to NUS students with whom to spend our weekend.
June Ong is a rising sophomore at NUS who will be studying economics at UNC next year. She lives in an HDB flat (like most Singaporeans) in the Jurong section of Singapore. She is the only child and lives with her mother, Lily, and stepfather, Jimmy.
Carly, Amanda, and I met June at the City Hall MRT station on Saturday (June 9) at noon. After getting our plans squared away, we went shopping in several of the malls in the City Hall area. For lunch we went to a local food court where I tried teriyaki chicken from a local vender (I’m not sure of the nationality). We ate outside on a deck overlooking the Singapore River and the Esplanade. We joked that we were eating in a postcard!
Following lunch, we went to the Japanese restaurant where June used to be a waitress. We each ordered a different dessert and shared in order to get more of a variety. I tried a mango dessert which consisted of fresh mango, vanilla ice cream, ice, mango sauce, and coconut milk. It was amazing!
Around 5 o’clock, we took the MRT to Jurong and made our way to June’s flat. The flat was what I expected. It was a three bedroom flat which included two restrooms, a kitchen, and a living area. Although they were much smaller than what we were used to it was enough room for June’s family.
June's mother, Lily, is Buddhist...
At 7 o’clock, we made our way to the West side of Singapore. This area, although near the “red light district,” is not actually in the district (don’t worry mom!). One of June’s friends met us for dinner. He was very sweet and taught us how to better use our chopsticks. We tried more local food such as a beef dish from a dimsum restaurant. After dinner we went around the corner to a Vietnamese restaurant where we tried several desserts. Our favorite was a type of fried bread that we dipped in soya milk. It was very tasty, but that is probably because it was fried and therefore American-friendly.
Following our dinner excursion we visited Bugis Street. Bugis Street is basically a huge shopping center with hundreds of small venders crammed into the three levels.
We met Daniel, Angelo and John at Brewerkz in Clark Quay for drinks later. I was thrilled because I was FINALLY able to see some of the French Open. (we don’t have TVs here)
A little after midnight, we were all exhausted so decided that instead of going to a club we would just go back to the flat. When we arrived at the flat we immediately got ready for bed. The three of us stayed in the guest bedroom. The flat was not air conditioned but they did have fans. As we were settling down for bed June’s stepfather came in to wish us a goodnight. But to our surprise as we told him goodnight he cut the lights on! Apparently, in many Asian homes people sleep with the lights on. This was a funny anecdote, but illustrates one of the many differences between American and Asian lifestyles.
We slept until noon on Sunday. When we woke up, “Uncle” Jimmy (as we called him) bought us a combination of Western and Singaporean food for brunch. We spent two hours talking and comparing our different cultures. I enjoyed this time the most because we were able to get a true perspective on life in Singapore. June’s Indonesian friend joined us and gave us another perspective on life in Singapore. We even had a small Mandarin lesson.
Ni hao: Hello
Sie Sie: Thank you
June Ong is a rising sophomore at NUS who will be studying economics at UNC next year. She lives in an HDB flat (like most Singaporeans) in the Jurong section of Singapore. She is the only child and lives with her mother, Lily, and stepfather, Jimmy.
Carly, Amanda, and I met June at the City Hall MRT station on Saturday (June 9) at noon. After getting our plans squared away, we went shopping in several of the malls in the City Hall area. For lunch we went to a local food court where I tried teriyaki chicken from a local vender (I’m not sure of the nationality). We ate outside on a deck overlooking the Singapore River and the Esplanade. We joked that we were eating in a postcard!
Following lunch, we went to the Japanese restaurant where June used to be a waitress. We each ordered a different dessert and shared in order to get more of a variety. I tried a mango dessert which consisted of fresh mango, vanilla ice cream, ice, mango sauce, and coconut milk. It was amazing!
Amanda, Carly, June and I with our desserts...
All of the desserts...
Around 5 o’clock, we took the MRT to Jurong and made our way to June’s flat. The flat was what I expected. It was a three bedroom flat which included two restrooms, a kitchen, and a living area. Although they were much smaller than what we were used to it was enough room for June’s family.
Amanda and June in June's bedroom...
The living room...
The living room...The kitchen...
They had 6 turtles..
June's mother, Lily, is Buddhist...At 7 o’clock, we made our way to the West side of Singapore. This area, although near the “red light district,” is not actually in the district (don’t worry mom!). One of June’s friends met us for dinner. He was very sweet and taught us how to better use our chopsticks. We tried more local food such as a beef dish from a dimsum restaurant. After dinner we went around the corner to a Vietnamese restaurant where we tried several desserts. Our favorite was a type of fried bread that we dipped in soya milk. It was very tasty, but that is probably because it was fried and therefore American-friendly.
Following our dinner excursion we visited Bugis Street. Bugis Street is basically a huge shopping center with hundreds of small venders crammed into the three levels.
We met Daniel, Angelo and John at Brewerkz in Clark Quay for drinks later. I was thrilled because I was FINALLY able to see some of the French Open. (we don’t have TVs here)
Clark Quay at night...
A little after midnight, we were all exhausted so decided that instead of going to a club we would just go back to the flat. When we arrived at the flat we immediately got ready for bed. The three of us stayed in the guest bedroom. The flat was not air conditioned but they did have fans. As we were settling down for bed June’s stepfather came in to wish us a goodnight. But to our surprise as we told him goodnight he cut the lights on! Apparently, in many Asian homes people sleep with the lights on. This was a funny anecdote, but illustrates one of the many differences between American and Asian lifestyles.
We slept until noon on Sunday. When we woke up, “Uncle” Jimmy (as we called him) bought us a combination of Western and Singaporean food for brunch. We spent two hours talking and comparing our different cultures. I enjoyed this time the most because we were able to get a true perspective on life in Singapore. June’s Indonesian friend joined us and gave us another perspective on life in Singapore. We even had a small Mandarin lesson.
Ni hao: Hello
Sie Sie: Thank you
The whole family...
Following brunch Uncle taught us how to cha cha...
Following brunch Uncle taught us how to cha cha...
We had an amazing time! Its one of those once in a lifetime opportunities I will never forget...
Lots of love,
Sarah
Special thanks to Carly Brantmeyer for taking some awesome pictures!
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