I. Registration:
On Wednesday at 9 am (Singapore time of course), I officially registered at National University. This procedure (or “exercise” as it is endearingly referred to in NUS-speak) is not to be confused with pre-registration and enrolment. Pre-registration refers to online formalities which I did well before arriving in NJ; the point of this seemed to be downloading particular forms which would be relevant for actual registration. Enrolment is when I actually choose which courses (here referred to as “modules”) that I’m gong to take (or “read”)”. This is something which I have no yet done.
So what was registration, also called “matriculation”? Basically, it was a formal procedure in which I turned in some forms, in exchange for other forms, plus my student ID card. What was the point? I really don’t know. Happily, the whole thing (including the wait) took less than 30 minutes, so it wasn’t terrible.
Following registration, I was asked to report to my department. After about 30 minutes of looking, I finally found it and checked in. I was given a key to my personal letterbox, and told a few things regarding my teaching obligations based on my scholarship. I was told little about course enrolment, but I was told that I would get an email regarding that (which I since have), and I would talk to the department chair at a later date (which now seems to be this coming Monday afternoon).
II. Orientation
Thursday afternoon was the “international student orientation”. More specifically, it was a “briefing session” if you will, giving basic information about adjusting to the university, and to Singapore. The particular session I went to was geared towards international postgrads (as opposed to international undergrads and exchange students). Interestingly, in a room of probably about 300 people, there seemed to be only about 20 westerners. At the end of the briefing, they went through a bunch of different countries to see where people were from. First they went through the Asian countries: easily half of all the students there were from China; probably between 20-30% were from India; perhaps an additional 10% were represented by other Asian countries – Myanmar, Japan, Korea, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Malaysia (of which there were surprisingly few), Indonesia (of which there were also surprisingly few), and the Philippines. After exhausting the most important Asian countries, certain individuals in the crowd volunteered different countries that they represented. The first such “exotic” country was Brazil. The Brazilian fellow earned the awe and applause of everyone in the room. From then on, every country was considered exotic, and had between 1 and 5 students: Lithuania, Estonia, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, France, Finland, UK, Ireland, USA, Canada, and probably a few others. When they announced each country, the people from the particular country would raise their hand, and everyone else would clap for them… it was actually a pretty cool scene.
Since there were so few Westerners (and Americans for that matter), it was rather easy for Westerners to meet up and strike a conversation. I met 4 people there with whom I was able to talk for quite a while…. Interestingly enough, all of them (and all of the other western postgrads I have met since) are studying law. The people I talked to even seemed to be more confused about things than I am… which made me feel a bit better.
III. Other thoughts
Of course the actual semester hasn’t started yet… and it won’t for another week. The first day of class is 11th August (next Tuesday), although based on what I think my schedule will look like, I will start on 12th August. The classes I want to take are on Wednesday and Thursday evenings from 6-9 pm respectively (ie, one class is Wed night 6-9 pm, etc). One of these classes is a required class (a graduate research seminar), which is marked on a pass/fail basis. My other obligations (ie, working with my supervisor, helping to teach) won’t start until the next semester. That, combined with the fact this class + the other one I want to take both don’t have final exams, means that this may be a reasonably easy semester (in contrast to Semester II), which, as far as I know, will end on the last day of lecture, or Thursday 12th November, giving me a two month winter holiday. Of course, I’m not going to book my holiday to Nepal quite yet… I still don’t know exactly how timetables and stuff are going to play out. I imagine I’ll know quite a bit more after meeting with Prof. Erb, the chair of graduate studies in Sociology/Anthropology.
How about the campus? Well, it could not BE any more different than McGill. For one thing, the campus is actually quite big, which is surprising for a dense place like Singapore. The campus itself is not downtown, and is actually not particularly near to it. In fact, it is unfortunately not particularly near or convenient to anything – at least not the main campus where I’ll be based. There is supposed to be a new MRT station opening on the edge of campus, which would greatly benefit me, however, it’s not going to open until 2010 or even 2011. The campus itself is sprawling to the degree that McGill students (even at McDonald’s campus) probably cannot imagine. Happily, it seems that the places I will probably most often frequent (the Sociology department, the Central library, and the Yusof Ishak House – NUS’s version of Shatner) are all somewhat near to each other and, somehow, linked by tunnels.
Yes, NUS does seem to have an extensive system of tunnels. However, “tunnels” is probably not the best word, since it’s not underground, or even completely indoors like in the McGill sense. One thing I really do like about NUS, and many parts of Singapore for that matter, is how they use the tropical climate to their advantage. Hallways and walkways in the buildings are largely outdoors, but covered. So one does not have the feeling of being cooped up inside, yet the shade provides shelter from the strong sun, or the (supposedly) frequent rains. However, these walkways, if you will, don’t just provide an alternative route to where you want to go; in many cases, they are they only paths you can use. While there are quite a few roads going through the campus, they aren’t all linked – or at least not in any convenient spot. This means that sometimes the ONLY way to get from point A to point B (without taking a 45 minute detour) is THROUGH buildings. And this does not seem to be quite as straightforward as at McGill: there are lots of twists, turns, climbing up stairs, and climbing down stairs involved, in a process that can only be described as labyrinthine. On the plus side, the campus benefits from the tropical flora which naturally occurs here.
The one really good thing about the NUS campus is the food. Cafeterias, or as they are called here, canteens, are abundant. The choice in food is as good as the quality. Already low prices are subsidised for NUS students. So at the very least, one serious McGill problem is solved.
Other aspects of NUS life, such as campus clubs/activities, and the actual classes themselves remain to be seen. I don’t really know what to expect, but I’ve mostly heard good things, especially from Westerners. Of course, most of the Westerners who come here are on exchange and they’re basically here to party and travel. A greater emphasis has to be on the latter, because the university has some quite prohibitive rules: the entire campus is smoke free; with exception of cafés (such as the Munchie Monkey café at the Yusof Ishak House), consumption of alcohol is not allowed, not even in residence; shorts cannot be worn during lecture; and, I think I mentioned this in my last entry, at least in my residence, when you have guests of the opposite gender in your room (who can’t stay over after 11 pm), you’re door must be ajar. Happily, none of these rules really affect me, except for the alcohol one. But there seem to be ways around it (like, going to the adjacent 24 hr hawker centre), and I’ll only be at that residence for 1 semester anyway.
If I haven’t learnt anything so far, I have realised that this is a totally different place than McGill, to the point where my constant default comparisons with McGill will always fall flat, except in so far as I can point out the stark differences.
I leave you for now wishing you all the best. Stay tuned for another update sometime next week, after I’ve moved into the Boon Lay hostel and have met with Prof. Erb. Until then: be well.
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Singapore update #2: Apartment Search, Awkward First Few Days, Thoughts on Singapore
Part I: Apartment Search
The bad news...
So I thought I had a place lined up. I had been emailing this French guy (actually, he initially contacted me) to share an apartment. He is also an NUS grad student, so it seemed like a good situation. I went to see his place on Friday. Although a bit farther from things than I would have liked, and a smidgen on the expensive side, he seemed like a nice fellow and the apartment itself was actually quite nice. I told him I'd let him know the next day, but I thought to myself that I was 90% certain that I would take the place.
That was until that night when he decided to email me, saying he had talked with his roommate (who wasn't there at the time), and they had other people interested, and they wanted to wait until they saw the place.... would not let me know until 31 July! THEN... he sent me another email, saying that a French girl was seeing the place on Monday, and that they would actually prefer to rent the place to a girl!! Ah... so much for this place.
It seems that this situation is actually quite common. More than one of the places I've called about was exclusively for girls.... in fact, of the listings I've seen, easily 40% are only for girls. Add to that the additional 40% that are only for Chinese/Indian/working professionals.... right off the bat the selection is quite limited.
That aside, there were two additional places that seemed promising. I called the agents/owners, and they said they would call me back... which they have yet to do. It's like I'm applying for a job or something! One would think that they would want my money right away.
The sorta good news....
Just a few days ago, NUS, who earlier declined to offer me a residence, informed me there was a last minute vacancy, and offered me a room. Great right? Well, I of course decided to take it, since there appear to be no other options. But...
There are a few catches. One thing is that it's actually über far from campus.... and everything else... yes, the location leaves a LOT to be desired. There is a free shuttle between the hostel and school, but is at inconvenient hours (only at 8 and 9 am... when my classes will start at 6 pm). The rent is not exceedingly cheap... and I have to pay the whole thing upfront by Friday (yeah... I have to come up with some $3000 SGD in 5 days). Perhaps the worst part: it's only until early December. Not only do I have to restart the whole room-searching process again, but I have to find somewhere to keep everything throughout the whole month of December. So, you can understand why I was so reticent to take this place. But, I did accept the offer, so barring some unforseen setback (which, given how things have went, is not so far out of the blue), I will have a place to leave - if only for the first semester. The good news is that it's strictly a grad student residence, so hopefully I can meet people there with whom I'd desire to live. Hopefully.
Part II: Awkward first few days
I won't lie... I'm getting pretty lonely here. With school stuff still a few days off, I haven't much to do, save for touristy stuff. However, I don't want to spend money like crazy until I'm able to set up a bank account.
It's true that I have a reasonable number of contacts in Singapore. However, it just so happens that nearly all of my contacts in Singapore (I could think of probably about 5 people) are momentarily away from Singapore.... just when I needed someone the most. The few people I have been referred to (for instance, colleagues of some of my relatives), have been rather elusive. Add to this my lack of energy and mild depression (hopefully) caused by lingering effects of jet lag ..... well let's just say I,m thankful that I have my working laptop and a good internet connection here in the Happy Hotel.
Part III: Thoughts on Singapore
I guess this entry has been pretty negative so far. However, my current impressions of Singapore are that of a wonderfully interesting place.
I was here with the Gerber family back in 2007 and I got a totally different view of the city/country. I lived in luxury and was driven around and spoon-fed everything- which is not how I'm used to travelling. That of course is not to say that it was bad.... quite the contrary: I was spoilt, and I had a wonderful time. But the view of Singapore that I got was a very sanatised and Westernised view.
It is certainly true that Singapore is a somewhat sanatised and Westernised country. But it's also a country of distinct neighbourhoods. Staying in Geylang, for instance, has shown me just how diverse Singapore actually is. Geylang evokes to me much more of my stereotypes of "Southeast Asia" and, if it weren't for the big screen tvs and super modern buses everywhere, I could be forgiven for thinking I was in a small Malaysian/Thai town. This is in stark contrast to Little India, Chinatown, the CBD, Orchard, and the many other areas of Singapore, which are seemingly connected solely by the wonderfully efficient and clean MRT.
Singapore is also a country which appears to exhibit and embrace wonderfully 4 different cultures which live here: Chinese, Malay, Indian, British/European. These are all present in the language, lifestyle, cuisine, and even archietecture seen throughout the city.
Another interesting thing about Singapore: it's a city/country that has been meticulously planned by super smart, but micro-managing people (or, perhaps more accurately, one super smart, but micro-managing person: Lee Kwan Yiew). The MRT works with grace and near perfection... with well-placed interchanges, etc. The HDBs are designed to intermingle the different races to promote multi-culturalism (which is why, apparantly, some flats can only rent out to Chinese/Indian/etc). Harsh fines on littering keep the city spotlessly clean. A wonderful MRT system, and heavy costs for driving (plus very well planned roads) make traffic an almost non-existent problem. Singaporean politicians are among the highest paid in the world (the current PM is THE highest paid in the world, earning about $2m USD per annum). This, according to Lee Kwan Yiew, attracts the brightest talent by making salaries competitive to top private sector jobs, and simultaneuosly reduces corruption (in theory), since politicians don't really need to take bribes to make more money. It's worked. Singapore is a city where things work- and they work well.
That said, evidence of the government's micromanagement is everywhere. For one thing, the PM Lee Kwan Yiew - who made everything happen- created a post for himself when he became too old to be PM... now at about 85 years old he is MM: "Minister Mentor" (and his son is PM!). There are the infamous fines.... $500 for jaywalking, $500 for eating/drinking on the MRT... $500 for littering... $500 for not flushing the toilet... bans on chewing gum...etc. What I find most amusing, however, is their attemps to regulate foot traffic on the MRT. At interchange stations, where you have to transfer between lines, the route that most people will want to take may be right across the platform. If it isn't than they have a planned route you are expected to walk. You are supposed to follow arrows, carefully placed on the left side of the corridor (people going the other direction follow arrows placed on the opposite side of the corridor). While following these arrows, you see signs that say "please allow ___ minutes to arrive at the other platform". My favourite, though, is the arrows placed at the MRT platforms themselves. Two sets of arrows show where boarding passengers are expected to stand when getting ready to board the MRT. In between these arrows is an approximation (almost always percisely right of course), where the MRT's doors will open, and and arrow showing where passengers will alight.
Even in dwellings, this parental attitude is seen. For instance, in the residence I have decided to accept, there are strict rules. Visitors are not allowed after 11 pm. And when someone of the opposite gender is in a person's room, the door must be kept ajar. And this is a residence for grad students!!!!
In practice, of course, people disregard these arrows, and no one is going to enforce them strictly. I just think it's an example of the strict planning and micromanagement that the folks at the top have applied to Singapore.
Although this type of governance would never fly in countries like the United States, it appears to have worked quite well in Singapore- turning the country from a backwater, slum-ridden, Third World outpost with no resources, to one of the most advanced and developed countries on the planet- all within one generation.
So why do so many backpackers hate it? I guess it's the same thing I thought two years ago. This country is rather Westernised... people, especially from Europe, are so used to things working efficiently, and being cleaned, that when they travel, they must want some freedom from it all. Countries like Thailand do not have these "anti-social" laws... add to that the fact that the fact that it is simply much cheapter and more exotic than Thailand... given the high costs of flights out here, backpackers get more value for the dollar. Singapore is aptly named "Asia for beginners" and is a great place for larger-budget travellers to stay if they want to experience something different, yet still comfortable.
I still have about two years left in this place, and I'm sure I'll learn much more about it, compared to my thoughts after just a few days (and a bit of reading).
All the best from Singapore!
The bad news...
So I thought I had a place lined up. I had been emailing this French guy (actually, he initially contacted me) to share an apartment. He is also an NUS grad student, so it seemed like a good situation. I went to see his place on Friday. Although a bit farther from things than I would have liked, and a smidgen on the expensive side, he seemed like a nice fellow and the apartment itself was actually quite nice. I told him I'd let him know the next day, but I thought to myself that I was 90% certain that I would take the place.
That was until that night when he decided to email me, saying he had talked with his roommate (who wasn't there at the time), and they had other people interested, and they wanted to wait until they saw the place.... would not let me know until 31 July! THEN... he sent me another email, saying that a French girl was seeing the place on Monday, and that they would actually prefer to rent the place to a girl!! Ah... so much for this place.
It seems that this situation is actually quite common. More than one of the places I've called about was exclusively for girls.... in fact, of the listings I've seen, easily 40% are only for girls. Add to that the additional 40% that are only for Chinese/Indian/working professionals.... right off the bat the selection is quite limited.
That aside, there were two additional places that seemed promising. I called the agents/owners, and they said they would call me back... which they have yet to do. It's like I'm applying for a job or something! One would think that they would want my money right away.
The sorta good news....
Just a few days ago, NUS, who earlier declined to offer me a residence, informed me there was a last minute vacancy, and offered me a room. Great right? Well, I of course decided to take it, since there appear to be no other options. But...
There are a few catches. One thing is that it's actually über far from campus.... and everything else... yes, the location leaves a LOT to be desired. There is a free shuttle between the hostel and school, but is at inconvenient hours (only at 8 and 9 am... when my classes will start at 6 pm). The rent is not exceedingly cheap... and I have to pay the whole thing upfront by Friday (yeah... I have to come up with some $3000 SGD in 5 days). Perhaps the worst part: it's only until early December. Not only do I have to restart the whole room-searching process again, but I have to find somewhere to keep everything throughout the whole month of December. So, you can understand why I was so reticent to take this place. But, I did accept the offer, so barring some unforseen setback (which, given how things have went, is not so far out of the blue), I will have a place to leave - if only for the first semester. The good news is that it's strictly a grad student residence, so hopefully I can meet people there with whom I'd desire to live. Hopefully.
Part II: Awkward first few days
I won't lie... I'm getting pretty lonely here. With school stuff still a few days off, I haven't much to do, save for touristy stuff. However, I don't want to spend money like crazy until I'm able to set up a bank account.
It's true that I have a reasonable number of contacts in Singapore. However, it just so happens that nearly all of my contacts in Singapore (I could think of probably about 5 people) are momentarily away from Singapore.... just when I needed someone the most. The few people I have been referred to (for instance, colleagues of some of my relatives), have been rather elusive. Add to this my lack of energy and mild depression (hopefully) caused by lingering effects of jet lag ..... well let's just say I,m thankful that I have my working laptop and a good internet connection here in the Happy Hotel.
Part III: Thoughts on Singapore
I guess this entry has been pretty negative so far. However, my current impressions of Singapore are that of a wonderfully interesting place.
I was here with the Gerber family back in 2007 and I got a totally different view of the city/country. I lived in luxury and was driven around and spoon-fed everything- which is not how I'm used to travelling. That of course is not to say that it was bad.... quite the contrary: I was spoilt, and I had a wonderful time. But the view of Singapore that I got was a very sanatised and Westernised view.
It is certainly true that Singapore is a somewhat sanatised and Westernised country. But it's also a country of distinct neighbourhoods. Staying in Geylang, for instance, has shown me just how diverse Singapore actually is. Geylang evokes to me much more of my stereotypes of "Southeast Asia" and, if it weren't for the big screen tvs and super modern buses everywhere, I could be forgiven for thinking I was in a small Malaysian/Thai town. This is in stark contrast to Little India, Chinatown, the CBD, Orchard, and the many other areas of Singapore, which are seemingly connected solely by the wonderfully efficient and clean MRT.
Singapore is also a country which appears to exhibit and embrace wonderfully 4 different cultures which live here: Chinese, Malay, Indian, British/European. These are all present in the language, lifestyle, cuisine, and even archietecture seen throughout the city.
Another interesting thing about Singapore: it's a city/country that has been meticulously planned by super smart, but micro-managing people (or, perhaps more accurately, one super smart, but micro-managing person: Lee Kwan Yiew). The MRT works with grace and near perfection... with well-placed interchanges, etc. The HDBs are designed to intermingle the different races to promote multi-culturalism (which is why, apparantly, some flats can only rent out to Chinese/Indian/etc). Harsh fines on littering keep the city spotlessly clean. A wonderful MRT system, and heavy costs for driving (plus very well planned roads) make traffic an almost non-existent problem. Singaporean politicians are among the highest paid in the world (the current PM is THE highest paid in the world, earning about $2m USD per annum). This, according to Lee Kwan Yiew, attracts the brightest talent by making salaries competitive to top private sector jobs, and simultaneuosly reduces corruption (in theory), since politicians don't really need to take bribes to make more money. It's worked. Singapore is a city where things work- and they work well.
That said, evidence of the government's micromanagement is everywhere. For one thing, the PM Lee Kwan Yiew - who made everything happen- created a post for himself when he became too old to be PM... now at about 85 years old he is MM: "Minister Mentor" (and his son is PM!). There are the infamous fines.... $500 for jaywalking, $500 for eating/drinking on the MRT... $500 for littering... $500 for not flushing the toilet... bans on chewing gum...etc. What I find most amusing, however, is their attemps to regulate foot traffic on the MRT. At interchange stations, where you have to transfer between lines, the route that most people will want to take may be right across the platform. If it isn't than they have a planned route you are expected to walk. You are supposed to follow arrows, carefully placed on the left side of the corridor (people going the other direction follow arrows placed on the opposite side of the corridor). While following these arrows, you see signs that say "please allow ___ minutes to arrive at the other platform". My favourite, though, is the arrows placed at the MRT platforms themselves. Two sets of arrows show where boarding passengers are expected to stand when getting ready to board the MRT. In between these arrows is an approximation (almost always percisely right of course), where the MRT's doors will open, and and arrow showing where passengers will alight.
Even in dwellings, this parental attitude is seen. For instance, in the residence I have decided to accept, there are strict rules. Visitors are not allowed after 11 pm. And when someone of the opposite gender is in a person's room, the door must be kept ajar. And this is a residence for grad students!!!!
In practice, of course, people disregard these arrows, and no one is going to enforce them strictly. I just think it's an example of the strict planning and micromanagement that the folks at the top have applied to Singapore.
Although this type of governance would never fly in countries like the United States, it appears to have worked quite well in Singapore- turning the country from a backwater, slum-ridden, Third World outpost with no resources, to one of the most advanced and developed countries on the planet- all within one generation.
So why do so many backpackers hate it? I guess it's the same thing I thought two years ago. This country is rather Westernised... people, especially from Europe, are so used to things working efficiently, and being cleaned, that when they travel, they must want some freedom from it all. Countries like Thailand do not have these "anti-social" laws... add to that the fact that the fact that it is simply much cheapter and more exotic than Thailand... given the high costs of flights out here, backpackers get more value for the dollar. Singapore is aptly named "Asia for beginners" and is a great place for larger-budget travellers to stay if they want to experience something different, yet still comfortable.
I still have about two years left in this place, and I'm sure I'll learn much more about it, compared to my thoughts after just a few days (and a bit of reading).
All the best from Singapore!
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Day 1 in Singapore: Nice flights, a sketchy hotel, a cell phone rip off, an amateur film, and good food
Part I: Nice Flights
So I was fortunate enough to fly on Singapore Airlines. After flying with them, I'm not so sure I could ever fly with anyone else - and I only flew coach. The 747 I flew on was massive, clean, and very modern. I was lucky enough to be seated at an emergency exit aisle, albeit one right behind the pertruding emergency exit door (ie, i wouldve been much better off at the adjacent seat). The entertainment was impressive, as was the food and even the bathroom! I've never seen an airplane bathroom that had so many things like after shave, mouthwash, etc. All these things together, coupled with the wonderful neck pillow I bought for $20 CAD in Montreal's airport means that I was actually able to get a good deal of sleep on the plane!
Part II: A Sketchy Hotel
Upon leaving the airport, I go to the Happy Hotel in Geylang. Ok so the hotel isn't THAT bad. The rate that I'm paying is 45 SGD per night (about 32 USD), which is a bit more than I'm used to. But this is Singapore, not Bangkok. And aparantly the normal rate at this very hotel is 60 SGD / night, mine apparantly discounted becasuse I'm staying for 10 days. The room has it's own (very clean, if tiny) bathroom, a working tv (although it seems you have to pay extra for a clicker), a reasonably big bed, aircon, a dysfunctional power system, and not much else. This all of course is more than adequete for me for the moment.
The hotel is situated in Geylang http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geylang, a seemingly working-class area on the outskirts. While the rest of Singapore is probably about 25 years ahead of Montreal (my default city of reference), Geyland feels curiously stuck somewhere in the early 1900s, with its architecture and eating houses... one must, of course, disregard the über-modern city busses and ubiquitous 7-11s.
Part III: A Cell Phone Rip off
One of my first priorities was to buy a mobile phone... it will be quite important in the long-run, and in the next few days, as I search for an apartment. There are quite a few people celling phones here in Geylang, but most of the phones look used, sketchy, and overly expensive. I decided, perhaps unwisely, to head to Orchard Road http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orchard_Road with the mission of finding a cell phone or bust. After perusing through the miles of upmarket malls, I found Lucky Plaza http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucky_Plaza, a more downmarket mall which specialises in electronics.
They are also very skilled salespeople there. That plus the fact that I knew I needed a cell phone and didn't know where else to look means that getting ripped off was an inevitability. Only question was: by how much.
So for my graduation, my mother told me she wanted to buy me something similar to the I-Phone (in price and style): ie, a phone costing around $250 USD. However, it seems that finding a really good phone at a reasonable cost is difficult without a contract, which I don't want because of my horrific past experiences with Fido. So I knew I would have to downgrade my standards.
So given all of this, and that I didn't want a contract, $300 SGD for a Nokia 7100 Supernova didn't seem all that horrible. It's not exactly a phone I can brag about to other people, but its certainly a huge upgrade from any other phone I've had, and I'm not sure where I couldve gotten a better phone for the price. The guy then proceeded to sell me a SIM card - which I need in order to actually use the phone. I was expecting something to cost around $20, but the cheapest (according to him) was $88 SGD!!! I'm not sure if that's actually the going rate for a SIM card here in Singapore (I've only ever bought one w/o a contract in dirt cheap Thailand), or if he just blatantly overcharged me. So the phone, the sim card, and the $15 card to put money on the phone seemed more than I was willing to pay.... but the phone itself is being covered, so it didn't see THAT bad. I gave him my credit card (didn't have enough cash on hand) and then on the receipt (after he swiped my card) it said $527!!!! I asked him how they got that amount, and he said it was the GST. I know (and knew) he was lying, but he already swiped my card.... what could I do? Sadly, this one must go in the vault of me being royally ripped off. To add the icing on the cake.... he sold me the phone with a European charger... thats right, neither a Singapore/UK charger, or even a North American set.... a European charger. Fortunatley, I also happened to buy a (overpriced) universal adapter that day... so I can still actually charge the phone.
The silver lining in all of this is that the prepaid plan itself actually seems quite good. You can buy cards in increments of $15 (or even cheaper if you wish), which gives you $18 in credit (doesn't expire for some 16 months). I can call North America at local rates, which is 16cents (SGD) / min during the day, and 8 cents/min on nights and weekends (which is when I'd call NA anyway). SMS is only 15 cents. So, after overpaying by probably $150 SGD, at least I don't have to overpay by $30/month like I did in Canada. I try to look on the bright side of things.
Part IV: An Amateur Film
I was walking from the MRT at Geylang, heading back to the Happy Hotel, while trying successlessly to convince myself that I didn't get too badly ripped off, I was approached by a tiny young lady who asked me to be an extra in a film. Since I really had nothing to do for the rest of the day (and it was only yet about 14:00), I really had no reason to decline, so I said yes. She brought me to this abandoned airport not too far away, where she and probably about half a dozen other individuals slightly younger than me were working on a film. They recruited about another half dozen extras who seemed to be young teens just finishing up school. The film they were doing was for a project at school -they were all film students. They were making some version of Harold and Kumar... I don't know too many details, except that they only needed me for one scene: I was to stand in an "immigration queue".... I never even got to where the "immigration officer" was standing.
Part V: Good Food
By 15:00 I was back in my room. I did some things on the internet (which I get for only $5/day from my laptop), among which was to set up my first apartment viewing today in just over an hour. Next thing I knew, I fell asleep at 16:00, knowing that I should set my alarm for that night, but too lazy to do it. Although I woke up at different points throughout the night, I was too tired to get up and actually go out for something to eat. I woke up "properly" at 02:00, and decided that it wouldn't be a good idea to meander around outside the hotel, given that I'm in the city's red-light district. Fortunately, 02:00 is 14:00 in East Coast time, so I was able to kill time talking to people from North America (although I was starving!).
By about 05:45 I decided that I should at least walk and see if maybe 7-11 was open - or was opening soon. I didn't even have to go that far to see that the 2 eating centres on the corner were not only already open, but were doing so much business that the only table I could get was half in the rain. The wonderful thing about Geylang is the variety and cheapness of the food. For breakfast, I had a simple plate of fried noodles with an egg- $1,80 - and a cup of crappy coffee $0,80.
So that leaves me with now... 10:30 am local time. I'm going to see my first- and if it goes well, only - apartment today.
Until next time, thanks for reading!
So I was fortunate enough to fly on Singapore Airlines. After flying with them, I'm not so sure I could ever fly with anyone else - and I only flew coach. The 747 I flew on was massive, clean, and very modern. I was lucky enough to be seated at an emergency exit aisle, albeit one right behind the pertruding emergency exit door (ie, i wouldve been much better off at the adjacent seat). The entertainment was impressive, as was the food and even the bathroom! I've never seen an airplane bathroom that had so many things like after shave, mouthwash, etc. All these things together, coupled with the wonderful neck pillow I bought for $20 CAD in Montreal's airport means that I was actually able to get a good deal of sleep on the plane!
Part II: A Sketchy Hotel
Upon leaving the airport, I go to the Happy Hotel in Geylang. Ok so the hotel isn't THAT bad. The rate that I'm paying is 45 SGD per night (about 32 USD), which is a bit more than I'm used to. But this is Singapore, not Bangkok. And aparantly the normal rate at this very hotel is 60 SGD / night, mine apparantly discounted becasuse I'm staying for 10 days. The room has it's own (very clean, if tiny) bathroom, a working tv (although it seems you have to pay extra for a clicker), a reasonably big bed, aircon, a dysfunctional power system, and not much else. This all of course is more than adequete for me for the moment.
The hotel is situated in Geylang http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geylang, a seemingly working-class area on the outskirts. While the rest of Singapore is probably about 25 years ahead of Montreal (my default city of reference), Geyland feels curiously stuck somewhere in the early 1900s, with its architecture and eating houses... one must, of course, disregard the über-modern city busses and ubiquitous 7-11s.
Part III: A Cell Phone Rip off
One of my first priorities was to buy a mobile phone... it will be quite important in the long-run, and in the next few days, as I search for an apartment. There are quite a few people celling phones here in Geylang, but most of the phones look used, sketchy, and overly expensive. I decided, perhaps unwisely, to head to Orchard Road http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orchard_Road with the mission of finding a cell phone or bust. After perusing through the miles of upmarket malls, I found Lucky Plaza http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucky_Plaza, a more downmarket mall which specialises in electronics.
They are also very skilled salespeople there. That plus the fact that I knew I needed a cell phone and didn't know where else to look means that getting ripped off was an inevitability. Only question was: by how much.
So for my graduation, my mother told me she wanted to buy me something similar to the I-Phone (in price and style): ie, a phone costing around $250 USD. However, it seems that finding a really good phone at a reasonable cost is difficult without a contract, which I don't want because of my horrific past experiences with Fido. So I knew I would have to downgrade my standards.
So given all of this, and that I didn't want a contract, $300 SGD for a Nokia 7100 Supernova didn't seem all that horrible. It's not exactly a phone I can brag about to other people, but its certainly a huge upgrade from any other phone I've had, and I'm not sure where I couldve gotten a better phone for the price. The guy then proceeded to sell me a SIM card - which I need in order to actually use the phone. I was expecting something to cost around $20, but the cheapest (according to him) was $88 SGD!!! I'm not sure if that's actually the going rate for a SIM card here in Singapore (I've only ever bought one w/o a contract in dirt cheap Thailand), or if he just blatantly overcharged me. So the phone, the sim card, and the $15 card to put money on the phone seemed more than I was willing to pay.... but the phone itself is being covered, so it didn't see THAT bad. I gave him my credit card (didn't have enough cash on hand) and then on the receipt (after he swiped my card) it said $527!!!! I asked him how they got that amount, and he said it was the GST. I know (and knew) he was lying, but he already swiped my card.... what could I do? Sadly, this one must go in the vault of me being royally ripped off. To add the icing on the cake.... he sold me the phone with a European charger... thats right, neither a Singapore/UK charger, or even a North American set.... a European charger. Fortunatley, I also happened to buy a (overpriced) universal adapter that day... so I can still actually charge the phone.
The silver lining in all of this is that the prepaid plan itself actually seems quite good. You can buy cards in increments of $15 (or even cheaper if you wish), which gives you $18 in credit (doesn't expire for some 16 months). I can call North America at local rates, which is 16cents (SGD) / min during the day, and 8 cents/min on nights and weekends (which is when I'd call NA anyway). SMS is only 15 cents. So, after overpaying by probably $150 SGD, at least I don't have to overpay by $30/month like I did in Canada. I try to look on the bright side of things.
Part IV: An Amateur Film
I was walking from the MRT at Geylang, heading back to the Happy Hotel, while trying successlessly to convince myself that I didn't get too badly ripped off, I was approached by a tiny young lady who asked me to be an extra in a film. Since I really had nothing to do for the rest of the day (and it was only yet about 14:00), I really had no reason to decline, so I said yes. She brought me to this abandoned airport not too far away, where she and probably about half a dozen other individuals slightly younger than me were working on a film. They recruited about another half dozen extras who seemed to be young teens just finishing up school. The film they were doing was for a project at school -they were all film students. They were making some version of Harold and Kumar... I don't know too many details, except that they only needed me for one scene: I was to stand in an "immigration queue".... I never even got to where the "immigration officer" was standing.
Part V: Good Food
By 15:00 I was back in my room. I did some things on the internet (which I get for only $5/day from my laptop), among which was to set up my first apartment viewing today in just over an hour. Next thing I knew, I fell asleep at 16:00, knowing that I should set my alarm for that night, but too lazy to do it. Although I woke up at different points throughout the night, I was too tired to get up and actually go out for something to eat. I woke up "properly" at 02:00, and decided that it wouldn't be a good idea to meander around outside the hotel, given that I'm in the city's red-light district. Fortunately, 02:00 is 14:00 in East Coast time, so I was able to kill time talking to people from North America (although I was starving!).
By about 05:45 I decided that I should at least walk and see if maybe 7-11 was open - or was opening soon. I didn't even have to go that far to see that the 2 eating centres on the corner were not only already open, but were doing so much business that the only table I could get was half in the rain. The wonderful thing about Geylang is the variety and cheapness of the food. For breakfast, I had a simple plate of fried noodles with an egg- $1,80 - and a cup of crappy coffee $0,80.
So that leaves me with now... 10:30 am local time. I'm going to see my first- and if it goes well, only - apartment today.
Until next time, thanks for reading!
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Late Summer Thoughts
You might ask yourself.... "late summer????" It's only July! I leave for singapore in less than 2 weeks. Registration starts just 1 week after I get into Singapore... Oreitnation less than 2 weeks after... and class less then 3 weeks. Of course... in Singapore, summer never really ends - but thast a different thing altogether.
Just a few updates:
Regarding my failed internship.... I finally heard in mid-June that I was cleared. At that point it was too late because I already had my 21 July flight to Singapore booked, but even if I changed my flight, started the internship at the earliest time possible, and got to singapore at the lastest time possible, I would only have had 5 weeks at the internship- which doesnt seem worth it.
Regarding NUS....
I never knew just how complicated this all would be! I mean.... going to McGill was complicated, and this isn't necessarily worse...
-So after a long and awkward wait, in early July, I was finally notified of how "pre-registration" works, and they finally updated their list of modules (ie courses) for the upcoming semester. The immigration process seems quite easy - as I've already been "pre-approved" for a student pass on their online system.
So what could be so bad?
- I have no less than 8 forms I have to fill out and sign....
-I had to go through a medical examination, which included a test for HIV and TB (both of which were of course negative).
-In theory, I still have to do a "chest x-ray" the only point of which would verify that I don't have TB. The American doctors seem to think this procedure is pointless and refused to do it.
-NUS has declined to offer me accomodation, leaving me on my own to find a place to live.
I'm hoping this stuff will get easier once I get to Singapore... but for now I'm a bit frustrated.
I will keep you all updated!
Just a few updates:
Regarding my failed internship.... I finally heard in mid-June that I was cleared. At that point it was too late because I already had my 21 July flight to Singapore booked, but even if I changed my flight, started the internship at the earliest time possible, and got to singapore at the lastest time possible, I would only have had 5 weeks at the internship- which doesnt seem worth it.
Regarding NUS....
I never knew just how complicated this all would be! I mean.... going to McGill was complicated, and this isn't necessarily worse...
-So after a long and awkward wait, in early July, I was finally notified of how "pre-registration" works, and they finally updated their list of modules (ie courses) for the upcoming semester. The immigration process seems quite easy - as I've already been "pre-approved" for a student pass on their online system.
So what could be so bad?
- I have no less than 8 forms I have to fill out and sign....
-I had to go through a medical examination, which included a test for HIV and TB (both of which were of course negative).
-In theory, I still have to do a "chest x-ray" the only point of which would verify that I don't have TB. The American doctors seem to think this procedure is pointless and refused to do it.
-NUS has declined to offer me accomodation, leaving me on my own to find a place to live.
I'm hoping this stuff will get easier once I get to Singapore... but for now I'm a bit frustrated.
I will keep you all updated!
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Early Summer Thoughts
So, I just thought I'd update you guys on some things happening in my life. A good old fashioned social commentary blog entry should come pretty soon.
Leaving Chile
I left South America less than two short weeks ago. A long flight route which I was dreading was actually much smoother than I had anticipated, especially considering the problems I encountered at the last minute about my ticket! To make a long story short, the folks at TACA had two tickets for me to go one way from LAX to SCL (Santiago de Chile). Obviously I only went on one of the itineraries, making me a "no show" for the other, which told TACA to cancel automatically the rest of my itinerary (ie, my flight back to Montreal). After several aggrevating phone calls (and one trip to the airline's office) I restored my flight. At first, they only decided to restore half the itinerary, but at the end, it all worked out well. I left Santiago at the ungodly hour of 6 am, with a short layover in Lima, Peru, and then a very long layover in San Jose, Costa Rica.
Not lacking the energy and optimism I had during my layover in San Salvador (and not willing to pay any entrance fees and departure taxes, and not sure if there was anything worth seeing in San Jose, or if it was even safe to walk around!), I decided to wait out the 6 hours in San Jose's airport. Unfortunately, San Jose's airport is most certainly not the best to kill a long layover - even San Salvador had a nicer airport. I would even go so far as to say San Jose has the worst airport I've ever seen (well.... maybe with the exceptions of Vientiane and Rangoon). It wasnt even so bad because it was dinky and third world (although it was- to some extent). I hated it because it seemed like a run-down American airport. In other words, it both lacked the charm found in many non-North American airports, and the vastness of many American airports. To give an example, the food court (and ONLY food options) consisted of three watered down American chains, with prices even higher than one would find in most American airports!
Fortunately though, it only cost $30 for the VIP lounge. While paying this fee might make me a sinner in the eyes of the backpacker gods, for a 6 hour layover in an otherwise depressing airport (while running on a dire shortage of sleep) seemed like a worthwile investment. I was, sadly, unable to get the sleep I so badly wanted (mostly because of my own inability to sleep in non conventional places), but, I had complimentary snacks, juice, coffee, and internet access. In the end it wasn't all bad.
This was followed by another long layover at JFK, which I was dreading even more. The plane landed at about 2:30 am, and my next flight was at 8. But by the time I got off the plane, went through passport control, got my baggage (which came quite late), it was already 3:30. To my hapiness, I discovered that there is life at JFK overnight... I even found arcade games I could kill some time (and a little bit of money) at. By the time I changed terminals and got my next boarding pass, it was already almost 5, and I slept an hour on the floor of a surpisingly nice American Airlines Terminal. By 10, I had arrived in Montreal, where, for the first time (ever!), I was greeted and welcomed at the airpot (by some really cool people).
Graduation Week
By Tuesday the first of my coterie of relatives (my mother and stepfather) had arrived. By Saturday, I didn't want to see a lot of them for a long time. I guess that's exaggerating a bit.
Thursday was the graduation ceremony. I was looking forward to a graduation similar to what the folks experienced last year. Well, the ceremony itself was fine, but shortly thereafter it became cold and rainy, and the reception was awkardly moved to the lobby of Leacock. Not really the lasting image I wanted for myself or my family. TO make matters worse, I come from a family of perpetual complainers, who wanted to make sure I understood very clearly how miserable they were in the inclimate weather.
That night, I was allowed to pick a restaurant. After all, it was my special day. This restaurant selection, of course, came with a large restriction: it couldn't be anything exotic (which, anyone who knows me well enough might know that these are my favourite restaurants) - since certain members of my family won't eat anything not traditionally eaten by white people. This left me to book a French/Italian restaurant in Montreal. Couldn't go wrong right? What I didn't count on was the worst transit crisis in 7 years. Three lines of the metro were shut down, and there weren't any taxi cabs available. The utterly miserable weather made it a pretty unviable walk, especially for most members of my family for whom mobility is limited. After an hour of having to listen to bickering and complaining, and faced with the possibility of having my graduation dinner in the hotel restaurant, we were all finally able to find a cab. Happily, the restaurant itself was actually quite nice, and I think everyone there enjoyed themselves (we also had the whole restaurant - and pretty much all of Old Montreal - to ourselves). I also had a special someone with me, making the experience exponentially more variable.
The following day was perhaps the most anticlimatic birthday I ever had. Waking up, it was actually easy to forget that it even was my birthday! That night, for some reason or another, my relatives which were still in Montreal (my grand-parents had left, leaving my mom, stepfather, brother, sister-in-law, and nephew), decided it would be appropriate to have dinner. There was a long ordeal of finding a restaurant suitable for everyone... which involed the older (ie, over 30) folks bickering about restaurants, walking out of two of them, probably forgetting that it was someone's birthday at all! Despite all this complaining and unpleasantness, the restaurant we ultimately found was pretty good.... and the complaining itself aside, I (ironically) had nothing to complain about!
My departure from Montreal was rather awkward. Saturday was moving day. I had only started packing on Friday night. I attribute this partially to my own irresponsibility, but also partially to the constant juggling of high-maintanance relatives and the emotional difficulty of packing up my Montreal life. This left me in a panic on Saturday morning, exacerbated by certain irritable members of my family, and the fact that not everything I wanted to keep even fit in the car! (Luckilly, I had a Montreal friend come and pick up what remainted)... I even had to trash things I might have considered keeping.
To make matters worse, I got a rather mean and emotionally unsettling email from my previous landlord, whom I had gotten to know as a friend over the last two years. I will not go over the details in the email (which was probably about 50% unreasonable ... he even started to blame me for the potential break up of his current marriage!), but let's just say he's never going to want to see - or hear from me again. Objectively speaking, I shouldn't be so upset- since I was never going to see him again anyway. It's just sad to have what I considered a nice relationship end on such a horrible note, and most of it be my fault.... it's a humbling thing I hope to learn a bit from.
Happily, this will not be my last experience with Montreal, because....
Dep't of State Fiasco
Those keeping track of my prior entries might remember that I was planning to intern with the department of state this summer. This of course was pending an extensive security clearance process, which commenced back in early February. I was told it would take about 90 days, but as of today, I have not yet heard the results from it. In mid May (while in Easter Island), I emailed them, and they responded telling me that they do not know when (or if for that matter) I will be cleared. Of course, at this point, even if I found out tomorrow that I was cleared, it would be too late, as I have less than two months left in the summer.
So, what happened? It seems unlikely that I actually failed the security clearance.... after all, I don't think there is any evidence that I pose a threat to the US. More likely, this was just a low priority for them (especially with all the other issues going on), and they haven't gotten around to clearing me yet.
This is not the end of the world.... it was tight as it was, and I could always just try for it again after I finish grad school.
Rest of the Summer
Where does that leave me for the summer? Well, it's June 4th now. I actually HAVE to be at NUS by July 29th to register in person (apparantly they don't do these things online). I thought I would give myself a couple of days to recuperate from Jet Lag. So, I leave the US on July 21st and arrive in Singapore on the 23rd. This actually leaves me about 6 weeks - enough time to be bored, but not quite enough time to undertake anything seriously.
Fortunately, I have friends in Montreal this summer, and although I no longer have my appartment, I have people who will set me up. I have nothing to do there except see people, but I suppose being bored in Montreal is always better than being bored in old Robbinsville.
So my plan is to split up my time. Next week (mid or late week) I will head up to Montreal for a couple of weeks, come down here for a week or so, head back up there, and come down here by the 17th of July (I have a wedding to go to on the 18th). Actually, I'll probably have to make two trips just to take the remainder of my stuff back down.
Grad school and beyond(?)
Which leaves us at end-summer and grad school. Although I have long been looking forward to this, the imminence of going to grad school leaves me with a lot of doubts. AM I cut out for grad school? WIll I manage my thesis? Will I enjoy my time in Singpaore / at NUS? Was NUS the right school? Will people respect my NUS degree? And, given the awkwardness I experienced in moving this past week.... where will I go after that?
I of course have an answer to all (or at least some) of these questions. Singapore is not the most fantastic city I've ever seen, and I don't expect to utterly fall in love with it. It is, however, a nice enough city which I expect to make an adequete base for the next two years. As for whether going to grad school (or, specifically, doing my masters in social science) is the right decision, I can't think of a viable alternative. Getting a job (with a BA, no real experience and a shitty economy) is almost a laughable idea. Law school could have been an interesting alternative, but I would probably have had to go to a university which did not appeal to me so much- and pay them lots and lots of money.
So, is NUS the best place to go? Well, it is ultimately the only place that took me (even though I only applied to one other school), and I'm not sure if there are many (or any) univeristies which seem so much more appealing to me. When push comes to shove, I'm not paying them anything, and it's enough to buy some time until the job market gets better (hopefully getting some legitimate qualifications at the same time!).
Conclusion
No, I did not intentionally structure this like a term paper. It's just that right now this is a very awkward time and I have some awkward thoughts in my head. The transient life path that I have chosen is one that comes with its own set of ups and downs. I get to see things and experience things (and meet interesting people) that many people, especially Americans and especially in my own family, have no clue about. For this I am utterly thankful. I, however, have to deal with such unpleasant things as moving periodically, reducing the stuff (valueable, sentimental, and otherwise) that I accumulate, losing friends, and dealing with logistical annoyances.
I am in a strange phase right now. I have no place I really consider home... in other worse, no place I can see myself living in for more than a few years. I have a family with whom I feel mostly out of touch. I have a few friends with whom contact is greatly restricted by geography. And I have a future career path which is far from certain- not only in the economy, but in my head- as I do not have as clear of an idea of my future as I would like to at this point.
So I write this not to complain or to evoke sympathy... I write this so that I can let people know what's been going on with me, and so that I can think aloud and help myself figure things out.
Thanks for reading and take care!
Leaving Chile
I left South America less than two short weeks ago. A long flight route which I was dreading was actually much smoother than I had anticipated, especially considering the problems I encountered at the last minute about my ticket! To make a long story short, the folks at TACA had two tickets for me to go one way from LAX to SCL (Santiago de Chile). Obviously I only went on one of the itineraries, making me a "no show" for the other, which told TACA to cancel automatically the rest of my itinerary (ie, my flight back to Montreal). After several aggrevating phone calls (and one trip to the airline's office) I restored my flight. At first, they only decided to restore half the itinerary, but at the end, it all worked out well. I left Santiago at the ungodly hour of 6 am, with a short layover in Lima, Peru, and then a very long layover in San Jose, Costa Rica.
Not lacking the energy and optimism I had during my layover in San Salvador (and not willing to pay any entrance fees and departure taxes, and not sure if there was anything worth seeing in San Jose, or if it was even safe to walk around!), I decided to wait out the 6 hours in San Jose's airport. Unfortunately, San Jose's airport is most certainly not the best to kill a long layover - even San Salvador had a nicer airport. I would even go so far as to say San Jose has the worst airport I've ever seen (well.... maybe with the exceptions of Vientiane and Rangoon). It wasnt even so bad because it was dinky and third world (although it was- to some extent). I hated it because it seemed like a run-down American airport. In other words, it both lacked the charm found in many non-North American airports, and the vastness of many American airports. To give an example, the food court (and ONLY food options) consisted of three watered down American chains, with prices even higher than one would find in most American airports!
Fortunately though, it only cost $30 for the VIP lounge. While paying this fee might make me a sinner in the eyes of the backpacker gods, for a 6 hour layover in an otherwise depressing airport (while running on a dire shortage of sleep) seemed like a worthwile investment. I was, sadly, unable to get the sleep I so badly wanted (mostly because of my own inability to sleep in non conventional places), but, I had complimentary snacks, juice, coffee, and internet access. In the end it wasn't all bad.
This was followed by another long layover at JFK, which I was dreading even more. The plane landed at about 2:30 am, and my next flight was at 8. But by the time I got off the plane, went through passport control, got my baggage (which came quite late), it was already 3:30. To my hapiness, I discovered that there is life at JFK overnight... I even found arcade games I could kill some time (and a little bit of money) at. By the time I changed terminals and got my next boarding pass, it was already almost 5, and I slept an hour on the floor of a surpisingly nice American Airlines Terminal. By 10, I had arrived in Montreal, where, for the first time (ever!), I was greeted and welcomed at the airpot (by some really cool people).
Graduation Week
By Tuesday the first of my coterie of relatives (my mother and stepfather) had arrived. By Saturday, I didn't want to see a lot of them for a long time. I guess that's exaggerating a bit.
Thursday was the graduation ceremony. I was looking forward to a graduation similar to what the folks experienced last year. Well, the ceremony itself was fine, but shortly thereafter it became cold and rainy, and the reception was awkardly moved to the lobby of Leacock. Not really the lasting image I wanted for myself or my family. TO make matters worse, I come from a family of perpetual complainers, who wanted to make sure I understood very clearly how miserable they were in the inclimate weather.
That night, I was allowed to pick a restaurant. After all, it was my special day. This restaurant selection, of course, came with a large restriction: it couldn't be anything exotic (which, anyone who knows me well enough might know that these are my favourite restaurants) - since certain members of my family won't eat anything not traditionally eaten by white people. This left me to book a French/Italian restaurant in Montreal. Couldn't go wrong right? What I didn't count on was the worst transit crisis in 7 years. Three lines of the metro were shut down, and there weren't any taxi cabs available. The utterly miserable weather made it a pretty unviable walk, especially for most members of my family for whom mobility is limited. After an hour of having to listen to bickering and complaining, and faced with the possibility of having my graduation dinner in the hotel restaurant, we were all finally able to find a cab. Happily, the restaurant itself was actually quite nice, and I think everyone there enjoyed themselves (we also had the whole restaurant - and pretty much all of Old Montreal - to ourselves). I also had a special someone with me, making the experience exponentially more variable.
The following day was perhaps the most anticlimatic birthday I ever had. Waking up, it was actually easy to forget that it even was my birthday! That night, for some reason or another, my relatives which were still in Montreal (my grand-parents had left, leaving my mom, stepfather, brother, sister-in-law, and nephew), decided it would be appropriate to have dinner. There was a long ordeal of finding a restaurant suitable for everyone... which involed the older (ie, over 30) folks bickering about restaurants, walking out of two of them, probably forgetting that it was someone's birthday at all! Despite all this complaining and unpleasantness, the restaurant we ultimately found was pretty good.... and the complaining itself aside, I (ironically) had nothing to complain about!
My departure from Montreal was rather awkward. Saturday was moving day. I had only started packing on Friday night. I attribute this partially to my own irresponsibility, but also partially to the constant juggling of high-maintanance relatives and the emotional difficulty of packing up my Montreal life. This left me in a panic on Saturday morning, exacerbated by certain irritable members of my family, and the fact that not everything I wanted to keep even fit in the car! (Luckilly, I had a Montreal friend come and pick up what remainted)... I even had to trash things I might have considered keeping.
To make matters worse, I got a rather mean and emotionally unsettling email from my previous landlord, whom I had gotten to know as a friend over the last two years. I will not go over the details in the email (which was probably about 50% unreasonable ... he even started to blame me for the potential break up of his current marriage!), but let's just say he's never going to want to see - or hear from me again. Objectively speaking, I shouldn't be so upset- since I was never going to see him again anyway. It's just sad to have what I considered a nice relationship end on such a horrible note, and most of it be my fault.... it's a humbling thing I hope to learn a bit from.
Happily, this will not be my last experience with Montreal, because....
Dep't of State Fiasco
Those keeping track of my prior entries might remember that I was planning to intern with the department of state this summer. This of course was pending an extensive security clearance process, which commenced back in early February. I was told it would take about 90 days, but as of today, I have not yet heard the results from it. In mid May (while in Easter Island), I emailed them, and they responded telling me that they do not know when (or if for that matter) I will be cleared. Of course, at this point, even if I found out tomorrow that I was cleared, it would be too late, as I have less than two months left in the summer.
So, what happened? It seems unlikely that I actually failed the security clearance.... after all, I don't think there is any evidence that I pose a threat to the US. More likely, this was just a low priority for them (especially with all the other issues going on), and they haven't gotten around to clearing me yet.
This is not the end of the world.... it was tight as it was, and I could always just try for it again after I finish grad school.
Rest of the Summer
Where does that leave me for the summer? Well, it's June 4th now. I actually HAVE to be at NUS by July 29th to register in person (apparantly they don't do these things online). I thought I would give myself a couple of days to recuperate from Jet Lag. So, I leave the US on July 21st and arrive in Singapore on the 23rd. This actually leaves me about 6 weeks - enough time to be bored, but not quite enough time to undertake anything seriously.
Fortunately, I have friends in Montreal this summer, and although I no longer have my appartment, I have people who will set me up. I have nothing to do there except see people, but I suppose being bored in Montreal is always better than being bored in old Robbinsville.
So my plan is to split up my time. Next week (mid or late week) I will head up to Montreal for a couple of weeks, come down here for a week or so, head back up there, and come down here by the 17th of July (I have a wedding to go to on the 18th). Actually, I'll probably have to make two trips just to take the remainder of my stuff back down.
Grad school and beyond(?)
Which leaves us at end-summer and grad school. Although I have long been looking forward to this, the imminence of going to grad school leaves me with a lot of doubts. AM I cut out for grad school? WIll I manage my thesis? Will I enjoy my time in Singpaore / at NUS? Was NUS the right school? Will people respect my NUS degree? And, given the awkwardness I experienced in moving this past week.... where will I go after that?
I of course have an answer to all (or at least some) of these questions. Singapore is not the most fantastic city I've ever seen, and I don't expect to utterly fall in love with it. It is, however, a nice enough city which I expect to make an adequete base for the next two years. As for whether going to grad school (or, specifically, doing my masters in social science) is the right decision, I can't think of a viable alternative. Getting a job (with a BA, no real experience and a shitty economy) is almost a laughable idea. Law school could have been an interesting alternative, but I would probably have had to go to a university which did not appeal to me so much- and pay them lots and lots of money.
So, is NUS the best place to go? Well, it is ultimately the only place that took me (even though I only applied to one other school), and I'm not sure if there are many (or any) univeristies which seem so much more appealing to me. When push comes to shove, I'm not paying them anything, and it's enough to buy some time until the job market gets better (hopefully getting some legitimate qualifications at the same time!).
Conclusion
No, I did not intentionally structure this like a term paper. It's just that right now this is a very awkward time and I have some awkward thoughts in my head. The transient life path that I have chosen is one that comes with its own set of ups and downs. I get to see things and experience things (and meet interesting people) that many people, especially Americans and especially in my own family, have no clue about. For this I am utterly thankful. I, however, have to deal with such unpleasant things as moving periodically, reducing the stuff (valueable, sentimental, and otherwise) that I accumulate, losing friends, and dealing with logistical annoyances.
I am in a strange phase right now. I have no place I really consider home... in other worse, no place I can see myself living in for more than a few years. I have a family with whom I feel mostly out of touch. I have a few friends with whom contact is greatly restricted by geography. And I have a future career path which is far from certain- not only in the economy, but in my head- as I do not have as clear of an idea of my future as I would like to at this point.
So I write this not to complain or to evoke sympathy... I write this so that I can let people know what's been going on with me, and so that I can think aloud and help myself figure things out.
Thanks for reading and take care!
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Greetings from Santiago (de Chile)!
Hello readers,
I am currently at my hostel in Santiago taking advantage of the free internet offered here (and the fact that apparnalty im the ONLY Person in the hostel.)
Just to update you since my last entry.
I left Easter Island on Saturday. THe flight was somewhat unpleasant since they arbitrarily decided only to give some passengers headphones and not others. Clearly, I was not among the privileged.
Arrived at Santiago, but only briefly. Spent the night there, but I didnt really get to see anything becuase it was already dark (by 7 pm), and I had left the next morning to Valparaiso.
Valparaiso is a smallish (about 250 k) city 90 minutes outside of Santiago. IT was a pretty cheap bus ride.... and Chilean buses happen to be exceptional. Valpo (as it is commonly called) is a UNESCO port city, well known for its steep hills, its colourful houses, and its quirky funiculars. These things were of course all there, and were in fact the highlight of my time in Valpo. Basically, Valpo can be divided into the downtown area (El Plan) and the many hills surrounding it. El Plan is nothing special.... reasonably modern, pretty EUropean looking, a little bit dirty..... but nothing worthy of note for the visitor, excepting a few museums and some pretty buildings. THe hills are mostly residential..... a few of them are touristy, but most of them are just residential (read: low income.... and kinda sketch). THe touristy hills (such as Cerro Allegre) are REALLY touristy.... to be fair, they almost succeed in their mediterranean feel. But as interesting an atmosphere as it is, I found it rather boring..... certainly didnt justify the 3 days I spent there. Perhaps it was made worse by being the ONLY Person in the hostel on the 3rd day (on the first two days there werre these two american guys I could talk to). Oh and on the first day, I met this American guy in a cafe. HE used to work with Lehman Brothers in New York... and ever since, hes been living in Buenos Aires. Kinda cliche, eh?
ON my 2nd day in Valpo, I did a day trip to Vina del Mar. Vina, is about the same size as Valpo, and is literally 10 minuts away. It is a upmarket touristy beachside place.... with a ritzy casino and stuff like that. Interestingly, it caters more to Chilean tourists than to Westerners.
Today I returned to Santiago (otherwise known as Santiago de Chile.... in order to differentiate it from other Santiagos out there). THe people I have talked to all told me to avoid spending much time in Santiago.... that it was boring and not meant for tourists. I have found it to be a pleasant change of pace from Valpo. True, its still pretty depressing being alone. And there arent that many tourists around here. There were more in Valpo, even though its low season (half the touristy restaurants were closed there!). But so far I have quite enjoyed my time here.... Santiago is a very nice city. I have only seen the main downtown neighbourhood (called El Centro), so maybe I shouldnt generalise. After all, the city has its not so good areas, some shantytowns, and more than its fair share of stray dogs. But at least the centro is quite nice.... I certainly dont feel like Im in the third world (if I am at all). Its full of shopping arcades, malls, haute shopping, and, best of all, is mostly confined to pedestrians! Its full of people watching opportunities.
I really have to pinch myself to remind myself that Im in SOuth America, and not Europe. That is, of course, until I see the prices for everything!
I have tomorrow and Friday to see some of the sites and the other neighbourhoods. Saturday (very early) I start back up to MOntreal, with a dreadfuly long itinerary (stops in Lima, San JOse, and New York).
I am currently at my hostel in Santiago taking advantage of the free internet offered here (and the fact that apparnalty im the ONLY Person in the hostel.)
Just to update you since my last entry.
I left Easter Island on Saturday. THe flight was somewhat unpleasant since they arbitrarily decided only to give some passengers headphones and not others. Clearly, I was not among the privileged.
Arrived at Santiago, but only briefly. Spent the night there, but I didnt really get to see anything becuase it was already dark (by 7 pm), and I had left the next morning to Valparaiso.
Valparaiso is a smallish (about 250 k) city 90 minutes outside of Santiago. IT was a pretty cheap bus ride.... and Chilean buses happen to be exceptional. Valpo (as it is commonly called) is a UNESCO port city, well known for its steep hills, its colourful houses, and its quirky funiculars. These things were of course all there, and were in fact the highlight of my time in Valpo. Basically, Valpo can be divided into the downtown area (El Plan) and the many hills surrounding it. El Plan is nothing special.... reasonably modern, pretty EUropean looking, a little bit dirty..... but nothing worthy of note for the visitor, excepting a few museums and some pretty buildings. THe hills are mostly residential..... a few of them are touristy, but most of them are just residential (read: low income.... and kinda sketch). THe touristy hills (such as Cerro Allegre) are REALLY touristy.... to be fair, they almost succeed in their mediterranean feel. But as interesting an atmosphere as it is, I found it rather boring..... certainly didnt justify the 3 days I spent there. Perhaps it was made worse by being the ONLY Person in the hostel on the 3rd day (on the first two days there werre these two american guys I could talk to). Oh and on the first day, I met this American guy in a cafe. HE used to work with Lehman Brothers in New York... and ever since, hes been living in Buenos Aires. Kinda cliche, eh?
ON my 2nd day in Valpo, I did a day trip to Vina del Mar. Vina, is about the same size as Valpo, and is literally 10 minuts away. It is a upmarket touristy beachside place.... with a ritzy casino and stuff like that. Interestingly, it caters more to Chilean tourists than to Westerners.
Today I returned to Santiago (otherwise known as Santiago de Chile.... in order to differentiate it from other Santiagos out there). THe people I have talked to all told me to avoid spending much time in Santiago.... that it was boring and not meant for tourists. I have found it to be a pleasant change of pace from Valpo. True, its still pretty depressing being alone. And there arent that many tourists around here. There were more in Valpo, even though its low season (half the touristy restaurants were closed there!). But so far I have quite enjoyed my time here.... Santiago is a very nice city. I have only seen the main downtown neighbourhood (called El Centro), so maybe I shouldnt generalise. After all, the city has its not so good areas, some shantytowns, and more than its fair share of stray dogs. But at least the centro is quite nice.... I certainly dont feel like Im in the third world (if I am at all). Its full of shopping arcades, malls, haute shopping, and, best of all, is mostly confined to pedestrians! Its full of people watching opportunities.
I really have to pinch myself to remind myself that Im in SOuth America, and not Europe. That is, of course, until I see the prices for everything!
I have tomorrow and Friday to see some of the sites and the other neighbourhoods. Saturday (very early) I start back up to MOntreal, with a dreadfuly long itinerary (stops in Lima, San JOse, and New York).
Friday, May 15, 2009
´Lana = ¡Greetings from Easter Island!
Hello everyone. I am in (or on... dont know which is correct) Easter Island. They say that it is geographically the most isolated place on earth. The nearest inhabited island is some 2000 km away. The nearest city (Santiago) is some 4000 km away.
This geographic isolation makes it an appealing destination for many tourists. Add to this the fact that Easter Island has probably more archaeological sites per sq. km than most other locations in the world, let alone islands.... and it is quite stunning geographically.
This of course makes it a great destination for almost anyone.... but as much as Ive enjoyed all of this, its something else that intrigues me the most about this place. Given the how geographically isoalted it is, it is astonishingly connected to the rest of the world, particularly to Chile. There are (cheap) internet cafes everywhere.... the stores are well stocked with pharmaceutical items, potato chips, and beer - all of which must clearly be imported quite often. My Canadian cell phone even gets service here! The people here.... on paper and in brochures they have a polynesian culture. Geographically, it is part of the polynesian triangle, and its polynesian heritage is a big part of its tourist drawl. In fact, in early February there is a crazy traditional festival that traces its roots back to ancient times. This aside, you feel much more like youre in Latin America. It is Spanish, not Rapa Nui (the indigenous langauge) which is heard most often. Signs are almost exclusively in Spanish, with more English than Rapa Nui. Food is more influenced by Chile than by Polynesia.
Anyway, I have found it to be an incredible destination.... possibly my favourite ever. The downsides include a dearth of available food (I´ve lived on white bread, cheese, and empanadas - a variation of white bread and cheese, with shrimp mixed in). The restaurants that exist are VERY expensive. My first night here I ate in one.... had a (admittedy reasonably nice) shrimp dinner, with a Pisco Sour (official drink of Chile = AMAZING) and a glass of water.... came out to close to $30 US!!!!!!
What have I done here? Cycled around (as lonely planet says, its a two wheel playground!) and read alot... nights are pretty quiet and lonely.
Pictures from EI will be on facebook upon my return to Montreal (a week from this Sunday), along with the pictures I have from Southern California, and my 3 hours in El Salvador.
Other updates: After not hearing much about my Washington internship, I sent them an email a few days ago, asking when I might expect to start, etc. I got a reply (yay!), which told me they didn´t yet know when they would know (oi!). Given that I´m due in Singapore by 29 July, it seems more and more likely that this internship will fall through. A shame, as it would have been a great experience, but not the worst thing in the world. I can probably just go for it later.... this summer was a bit tight anyway. I will keep my loyal readers updated on that front.
For now.... goodbye from Easter Island.
This geographic isolation makes it an appealing destination for many tourists. Add to this the fact that Easter Island has probably more archaeological sites per sq. km than most other locations in the world, let alone islands.... and it is quite stunning geographically.
This of course makes it a great destination for almost anyone.... but as much as Ive enjoyed all of this, its something else that intrigues me the most about this place. Given the how geographically isoalted it is, it is astonishingly connected to the rest of the world, particularly to Chile. There are (cheap) internet cafes everywhere.... the stores are well stocked with pharmaceutical items, potato chips, and beer - all of which must clearly be imported quite often. My Canadian cell phone even gets service here! The people here.... on paper and in brochures they have a polynesian culture. Geographically, it is part of the polynesian triangle, and its polynesian heritage is a big part of its tourist drawl. In fact, in early February there is a crazy traditional festival that traces its roots back to ancient times. This aside, you feel much more like youre in Latin America. It is Spanish, not Rapa Nui (the indigenous langauge) which is heard most often. Signs are almost exclusively in Spanish, with more English than Rapa Nui. Food is more influenced by Chile than by Polynesia.
Anyway, I have found it to be an incredible destination.... possibly my favourite ever. The downsides include a dearth of available food (I´ve lived on white bread, cheese, and empanadas - a variation of white bread and cheese, with shrimp mixed in). The restaurants that exist are VERY expensive. My first night here I ate in one.... had a (admittedy reasonably nice) shrimp dinner, with a Pisco Sour (official drink of Chile = AMAZING) and a glass of water.... came out to close to $30 US!!!!!!
What have I done here? Cycled around (as lonely planet says, its a two wheel playground!) and read alot... nights are pretty quiet and lonely.
Pictures from EI will be on facebook upon my return to Montreal (a week from this Sunday), along with the pictures I have from Southern California, and my 3 hours in El Salvador.
Other updates: After not hearing much about my Washington internship, I sent them an email a few days ago, asking when I might expect to start, etc. I got a reply (yay!), which told me they didn´t yet know when they would know (oi!). Given that I´m due in Singapore by 29 July, it seems more and more likely that this internship will fall through. A shame, as it would have been a great experience, but not the worst thing in the world. I can probably just go for it later.... this summer was a bit tight anyway. I will keep my loyal readers updated on that front.
For now.... goodbye from Easter Island.
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