Yes, I know well that it's been over six months since my last update!
I write now from the comfort of my computer room at home- All year I saw my family sitting at this same computer while they Skyped with me. And now I'm here!
The main reason that I did not blog for so long, is because I really didn't feel that I had anything interesting to update about during the second half of my year in Singapore. Instead of particular events that stood out, this was a slow time of transition from a "complete foreigner" to "one who could pass as an expat".
I would call my second semester of school, starting Mid-January, a time of getting comfortable. I moved much closer to school, so that I didn't have to commute 45 minutes back and forth every day. As the new and disoriented exchange students arrived in Singapore for a new semester, I was able to help them find their way and answer their questions, the same way others had done for me back in August. Things that originally seemed so weird when I arrived began to feel incredibly normal.
I became accustomed to the absurd Singlish accent (for an example, check out this
video or the
Wikepedia article). I began to say "can?" instead of: "is this possible?" (for example, you see a bus in Singapore and you want to know if it gets you where you're going. all you have to say is "can?"). I also said the word "lift" without thinking, since the word "elevator" makes everyone so confused...I asked somebody in the US how their "Sem" was going, forgetting that we don't shorten the word "semester" back at home. I had to say "air-con" instead of "AC" or "air conditioner". I no longer got surprised when everyone said "specs" instead of "glasses". I ordered "
teh tarik" and "kopi beng" (iced unique SE-Asian coffee) and "soya milk less sugar", and I began to ask the servers at food stalls
in Chinese if their food is vegetarian.
My daily life during the semester was fairly unexciting. When I wasn't teaching, I was usually preparing for my first graduate recital or orchestra auditions. Many hours were spent alone in a practice room. However, I began to develop stronger friendships with both the students at school and the very warm faculty that we have. I made some exciting musical discoveries and developments while working closely with my amazing violin teacher. I also became much more comfortable performing, simply due to the greatened number of times that I had to appear on stage.
Near the end of the semester, after my recital was over, i had a little more time for fun, and went out and explored the east side of Singapore (everything I had to do previously was in the west or central part). My favorite adventure was meeting some new friends one night and getting
durian at 4:30 AM with them from a fruit-stand that was opened all night. It's amazing to live somewhere where there is always an opportunity to meet immediate friends, and it's always fun to tell a taxi driver, "we just want to eat durian!" and watch as he amiably takes you to the perfect place! I got to spend quality time with my friends who were graduating and/or leaving Singapore at the end of the year, and I'm grateful that we had a few weeks to have fun together before we all went home.
As the year was drawing to a close, I wondered how I would feel when I returned to the US, where there is no prata shop across the street from my house...where I wouldn't see chinese shrines and incense in random corners of buildings and on almost every street. During the year I got used to taxi drivers who did not want to drive in certain areas at night- not because of high crime (Singapore is actually astoundingly safe), but because certain places were "too haunted" to drive by in the dark. I had gotten used to planning my violin teaching around the inevitable tropical storms that showed up mid afternoon. I became a fiend at using chopsticks. ALL of these things were new when I arrived in Singapore, and I was apprehensive that I would once again feel like a fish out of water when I returned home.
But I was wrong!
I've learned this summer that there is truly no place like home, and I'm so happy to be back for a bit! I have been home since early May, and I have visited family in Connecticut, friends in Baltimore, Washington DC, and San Francisco. I also spent 3 weeks in Sarasota Florida at Sarasota Music Festival. It has been so wonderful to see everyone that I missed, and I am sad to have to say goodbye to everyone for another year!
My travels within the country this summer have spanned thousands of miles and yet- wherever I go, I feel the incredible comfort of being in my own country. During this summer it has been so refreshing not to be stared at while I'm walking down the street, or sitting on a bus, or walking into a store. If I need to stop and ask someone for directions, I don't have to cross my fingers and hope that they speak enough English to communicate with me (don't get me wrong, most people in Singapore speak excellent English, but I HAVE had some very awkward encounters both in Singapore and in neighboring countries with a language barrier). Nobody confusedly asks if I'm from Australia or Russia. At home there are no daily confusions over subtle cultural differences (like the time I affectionately called one of my students in Singapore "silly" and she almost cried- apparently the word silly means "stupid" in Asian culture).
I truly believe that as I explore other parts of the world it is completely natural to be uncomfortable- getting out of my element is what opens me up and helps me to learn. However, it has been very nice to be completely good old American me for a few months :).
Since this entry is getting pretty long, I will make another post with picture highlights since January!
There's my neighborhood! I moved there in January and it's lovely! The building to the left is where I lived.
This was the crowds in Chinatown on Chinese New Year! The whole country shuts down for 2 days while everyone celebrates
Some friends from school and I celebrating Chinese New Year
Game night with the studio! Third from the right is my violin teacher, and the rest of us are her students
My good friends all came out to celebrate with me on my birthday in March! From left to right is: Jolene (roommate from first semester and one of my closest friends in Sg), Yoon-Tae (an extremely friendly Korean engineering student), Zak (an exchange student from England), Lauren (my wonderful Australian roommate during 2nd semester), me, and Golnar (a wonderful and vivacious clarinet student from Iran).
The whole table of us out for my birthday! (and my friend from school Emily's bday as well!)
When the director of Peabody came to visit Singapore, the maestro of our orchestra took him out to dinner with me and Peter, an exchange student from Peabody. Here we are at a popular and delicious dim-sum restaurant called Crystal Jade!
Pictured here are me and Peter again, with Leon Fleisher and his wife, after Mr. Fleisher conducted and soloed in our conservatory orchestra concert!
Karaoke, always a popular pastime in Asia!
Playing "Fratres" for violin, string orchestra and percussion at my school. All my friends generously donated their time in exchange for pizza, to play with me at my recital!
Performing Elgar Violin Sonata with Imma, my duo partner for the semester. Imma is from Indonesia, and she has been teaching me the English slang of S-E Asia!
With my fantastic teacher, Qian Zhou, after my recital. Ms. Qian was so helpful as I learned my repertoire, and I never could have improved so much this year without her!
The night/morning we got durian at 4:30 AM
Downtown Singapore by the river
