Vietnam!

Hi everyone! Things are busy as ever in Singapore as the semester is starting to draw to a close. I see Obama Mania all over the internet, but right now I feel so far away from it all. It is very surreal for me sometimes to experience everything going on at home through a computer screen, but I am so glad that I at least have the internet to communicate across the world. I did send in my absentee ballot, and my friends and I will be watching TV starting at our time Wednesday 8 AM! I am hoping for the best! 

I promise to give some large updates about Singapore soon, but, as you can see from the size of this update, I have been working on this post about Vietnam for a long time. I haven't even begun writing about the food or the people I met, but I think I need to post this and move on with my life! If you get bored reading, scroll to the bottom for pictures!!

Emily and I left for Hanoi on the evening of Thursday September 18th, and when we got off the plane I felt like I was on another planet. Gone were the big bright multi-language Singapore signs; the well-structured efficiency that is everywhere in Singapore seemed to be completely absent in Hanoi. Emily and I shifted through crowds of rushing people and finally found our "airport shuttle" outside- a small poorly labeled van that would take us to the center of the city. For $3 USD each we got a 45 minute trip to the stop near our hostel, and for 1 more USD they brought us to the door.
This ride showed me two staples of Hanoi society: the first was CONSTANT loud honking from cars, trucks, and motorbikes as all the vehicles attempted to pass each other and go as fast as possible. Safety definitely seemed like a secondary concern, but luckily all the drivers seemed quite well versed in their swerving style of driving, so maybe I shouldn't have worried so much. The other fundamental of Hanoi that struck me right away was the "roadside life". It might be safe to say that more people gather outside their homes and shops than inside them. Locals all sat and had late night meals on the side of the road on the smallest little stools I think I've ever seen. They looked like chairs for toddlers, but everyone sat on them- when I later tried to sit on them I didnt find it so comfortable, but it seemed to be the chair of choice in Hanoi.

In describing my trip, I will have to use the word "seem" a lot. There is very little that I actually KNOW, because I was viewing the place completely through a visitor's eyes with very little input from those who live there. I guess I was more surprised than I should have been that the Vietnamese people we met knew very little English. What surprised me even more was that those who did know English were only interested in talking to us if we bought whatever they were selling. Unlike the locals in Malaysia(see entry from August 9th) who were enchanted by talking to foreigners, locals in Vietnam seemed to see Westerners merely as "money making opportunities", as Emily so eloquently put it. This is understandable considering that a luxurious 3-course meal there costs about 70,000 Vietnamese Dong but only $4 USD- to them we are very, very rich. The only Vietnamese person I was really able to talk to and ask questions was our tour guide on the second part of our trip- and the fact that he spoke fluent English and had a job in tourism already put him, I believe, in a much different class than most of the locals we saw in Vietnam.

All that being said, there was a lot of beauty in Hanoi as well- not only in the picturesque temples and the serene lake and greenery, but also in the arts- painting galleries, silk shops, porcelain shops and other craft shops were almost as plentiful as the motorcyle and sewing machine shops (for some reason those two are often sold together!). The daily life that we were able to observe on the streets was also quite nice. Women set up their fruit baskets on the street corners to sell produce while they brushed their daughters' hair and made food. Men took naps on their motorcycles, but usually woke up just in time to chase us down and shout "MOTORBIKE!", offering a ride for a fee.

On our first full day in Vietnam Emily and I visited the Hoa Lo Prison, or "Hanoi Hilton" - the prison used by French Colonists in the 1800s and also for American POWs in the Vietnam War. It is now converted into a museum. Visiting the prison was very depressing and certainly showed the darker side of Vietnam's history. We read a lot of ugly stories and various pictures and artifacts really brought the place to life. I was slightly amused by the celebrity status John McCain seemed to have there- since he was a POW at the prison, they proudly display his flight suit in a glass case, and show pictures of him in the prison as well. I haven't figured out if this is making a proud statement for capturing him back in the day, or if it is to attract Westerners to visit the prison. Either way, it is interesting.

I may be wrong, but aside from the prison I saw few remnants of "the American war" (the name of the war of course changes depending on where you are). My Vietnamese friends in Singapore confirmed that the Vietnamese have no ill feelings towards Americans who visit Vietnam, although the small percentage of men who you see on the street with missing limbs might feel differently.

Next we went to the Temple of Literature in Hanoi. The link I gave covers the gist of the place quite well, so I won't be redundant explaining it here. It was very beautiful though, and I appreciated that a university from over 1,000 years ago was still in pristine condition, despite the littered and chaotic state of the rest of the city. That is one thing I definitely noticed throughout the trip- the sacred things were kept sacred. While the streets, as I mentioned earlier were filled with roaring motorbikes and the gutters filled with trash, the Hoan Kiem Lake and the temple by the lake seemed like it could have looked the same centuries ago. The French theater where we saw water puppets was also in fantastic condition. Water puppets was our last cultural essential that we viewed in Vietnam. The stage is filled with water, and from behind a screen puppeteers control wooden puppets with stunningly elaborate choreography. Meanwhile, the audience also enjoys Vietnamese traditional instruments and singing to go along with the show. Since a picture is worth more than I could ever describe:


After our adventures in Hanoi, Emily and I met up with my roommate Jolene and our friend Kirstine, and took our trip to Halong Bay. This area is filled with sparkling blue water and deep caves and limestone boulders that have been around for thousands of years. When I first saw the beauty of Halong bay after a day in the bustling density of Hanoi I thought, "wow! here is a place that hasn't been taken over by people!" Unfortunately, I was a little wrong about that, as Halong bay, being one of the most popular tourism spots in Vietnam, was teeming with other tourists. While the huge lineup of other tourist boats stopped me from completely enjoying the feeling of being in the middle of nowhere, Halong Bay was certainly beautiful enough.

My friends and I spent 1 night on a boat and then another night on Cat Ba Island, where, unfortunately we spent most of the day in the hotel due to torrential downpours!! We visited caves, went swimming, hiked up the limestone, went kayaking, and just enjoyed the beautiful sights. Emily and I, instead of sleeping in our room on the bottom floor of the boat, slept up on the deck, so that we could open our eyes and take in the scene any time of night.

Spending an overnight on the boat ended up being a great time. I had to bring my violin to Vietnam to practice for upcoming performances at school, and all the other travelers begged me to give them a performance on the boat! I was reluctant at first, but when one of the travelers from England offered to buy me a bottle of wine to share with my friends in return for my violin playing, I couldn't refuse! So, I played some fun songs on the boat, and then the concert expanded to our Vietnamese tour guide and boat crew. I provided a drone on my violin while they sang traditional Vietnamese songs and love songs. I think it was really a special night for everyone, and a very new cultural experience for me!

What I may have loved the most about Halong Bay were the Fishing Villages- or "Pishi Villag" with the Vietnamese accent. These were literally villages of fishermen who lived in tiny houses among the limestone. Whole families lived in tiny one-room houses IN the water, and often they had a dog live with them too! Space did not seem to be an issue to them, as they still had room to cook, room to sleep, and a little bit of room to play. Children who could not be more than 5 or 6 years old went out in rowboats that they rowed with their feet if their hands got tired, and helped their fathers or older brothers with the fishing. It really was a whole different world.

I want to write more, but as it's been over a month since I've been home, I think I should post this in its current form, and stop before you all get tired of reading! Here are some pictures from the trip. Click on any photo to enlarge-

Typical Street in Hanoi

Porcelain being sold on the side of the road

Outside the Temple of Literature

Shadow Puppets for sale!

small house inside temple of literature

Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi (my Vietnamese friend from school saw this picture and said he lives very close by!)

HALONG BAY!

Halong Bay

Boats like these keep tourists and fishermen alike in stock

The boat crew after our first night in Halong Bay

Jam session on the boat :)

The fishing village are those little tiny houses in the background

Kids off on the boat

My travel companions!! Roommate Jolene, friend Kirstine from Denmark, and Singaporean school buddy Emily!

Dear everyone,
Stay tuned- there will be some mammoth updates posted soon!! I have not forgotten about my wonderful readers ! :)
~Leah

Things are starting to settle down for me in Singapore- there are less surprises every week, and after 6-7 weeks (the fact that I've lost count is a good sign, hehe!) I'm starting to feel somewhat like I belong here.

This post is mainly going to be about violin because, for better or worse, violin has become my life while I'm here!

In the past 2 weeks since I've written I've basically been living at the music school. I leave at 9:30 in the morning, have a leisurely breakfast at school, and then do my morning warm-up routine (about 1 hour of scales and technique practice). Then the rest of the day, depending on what day of the week it is, will consist of more practicing, rehearsals (chamber or orch), violin lesson, or hanging out with some of my lovely new friends at school. I usually get home sometime between 10pm- midnight and crash for the next day.

It feels funny for me to be at the music school for so many hours in a day, but the workaholic atmosphere here is rubbing off on me to the point that I always feel guilty if I am not working as hard as those around me. The practicing is definitely paying off though, because I have received some great feedback from those around me. I've been able to play and perform at a higher level than I was able to even a month ago, thanks to the incredible influence of my private teacher, chamber coach, and peers. The great thing is I am ENJOYING the practicing the performing too, and I'm so happy that music never becomes a drag.

The next few weeks are going to be crazy~ I have a string quartet performance on September 30th, a solo performance on October 10, and I'm playing in the sun festival in Singapore with selected members of the orchestra on October 18th. And I leave for Vietnam today, so I must keep this short!

Since I don't have time to upload photos to the blog, here is the link to my facebook album which shows some of what I have been up to lately!
http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2072967&l=198c8&id=5401136

~Leah

Dear faithful readers,

Sorry for the delay in postings! The opera is finally over and I once again have time to write here.

I had the astonishing revelation a couple nights ago, that I am a foreigner. This may sound painfully obvious, but it's something that took a while to dawn upon me- that the native Singaporeans are "normal", and I am "different". It is an important thing to realize though, as it is hard sometimes for me to get through a day without running into a myriad of surprises- and I need to remind myself that I am in a world that does not care if things are done differently in the US. I am not one who sees a right and wrong way of doing things, but my next goal is to get rid of seeing things as either "familiar" or "weird". As my Chinese roommates examine my measuring cups and peanut butter in the kitchen with confusion and curiosity, I realize that I am just as "weird" as anyone else here.

One thing I have learned loud and clear is that Singaporeans and Chinese people(and maybe all Asians) have a work ethic that puts myself and most people I know to shame. A taxi driver I met put it quite well - "In Singapore people don't stop working. People work till they die". Almost everyone is ALWAYS working or studying or practicing, and it makes me feel guilty for needing breaks sometimes. Inspired by others around me, I am working extremely hard too, and practicing as much as possible, but, unlike others, I like to have SOME leisurely time, especially on the weekends! I guess I'm just realizing that I can't compare myself to others so much and I need to work at a pace that is right for me. Either way, I am really happy with my progress on violin so far since I have come here- my teacher and I already see a lot of things getting better, and of course I have a long way to go, but I am on the right track!

Anyhow, here are some recent pictures!! (click on any picture to enlarge it)


Eating on Banana Leaves in Little India!


This picture has quite a story behind it. As part of being a student at YST Conservatory, all string players get to pick out an instrument from the Rin Collection from the Rin's home (aka mansion) in Singapore. It was a very Chinese evening, with little English spoken the whole time, but I appreciated their kindness and enjoyed my surroundings and the food, and of course, picking out my beautiful 1895 Cavani violin that I get to use for the next two years!


Some of the Turandot pit orchestra posing with cast members Pang and Pong!


Turandot Opera orch (plus my friend from Synagogue, Ashira) out at a jazz club for Zhang Yi (far left)' s birthday
The Esplanade and its surroundings at night


One last thing- I just realized only registered users were able to leave comments on my posts before. I changed the settings so that anyone can comment now! Thank you also to those of you who have emailed me, it's always nice to hear from you, and I try my best to respond in a timely fashion :)

Well now it is officially bedtime!

Until next time,
Leah

Unfortunately I don't have any new pictures this week, but I would like to share some stories that have made my new life here even more exciting!

The Jewish World is a small world!!
I generally really enjoy being different from all of those around me here, as it is always a learning experience, but last week I desperately needed to experience something relatively familiar. So, I went to Maghain Aboth Synagogue, the only active synagogue in Singapore. As I traveled to the synagogue, I wondered what the Jewish population was like around here- would it be full of expats? would it be a congregation of Asian Jews? I entered the gate into the synagogue, and I was quickly directed to the Ladies section. That's when it hit me that I was jumping into an Orthodox service! I decided to check it out anyway. Inside was absolutely beautiful. I sat next to a large group of ladies (who ended up being all from the US), and by the way they chatted in whispers throughout the service, I could tell that I wasn't the only person there who was not an Orthodox Jew. I got to talking to the girl next to me, and I told her that I was a new student here from the Philadelphia area, and it turns out that her father is from the Philly area too, and knew of Lower Merion High School, and Har Zion Temple!! Their family lived in DC before coming to Singapore in 2003, and we knew a surprising amount of people in common, including the Szulanski family, whom my mom and I taught the youngest daughter violin and piano before they moved to Singapore in 2002 I believe. While we chatted during the service, I could hardly believe I was playing "Jewish Geography" thousands of miles from home with a girl that I just met! The clincher is that her name is Ashira Greene- not a far cry from my sister, Shira Greenfield!!
So I went to the Kiddush lunch afterwards and learned more about the Jewish population in Singapore. It was mainly Sephardic businessmen and their families, including the family that brought Banana Republic and GAP to Singapore, and the creator of Coffee Bean in Singapore. So a lot of important people in one room! There were some NUS students there as well, mainly very religious and from Israel and/or France. Everyone was so welcoming and friendly, I felt like I had a new family in Singapore! I can't wait to go back again :).

Music Opportunities
I am playing in the orchestra for the opera Turandot, which is a very high-profile event in Singapore right now. I'm really excited to be part of it!! We have a lot of rehearsals, but we're paid so it's okay.
I am also gonna start teaching privately, so I'm really excited about that!
The level of violin playing here really is phenomenal- my teacher and her other students never cease to amaze me. It's at a much higher level than any studio I've seen before. So I'm constantly inspired to work really hard!

That's about it for now! tomorrow I am going to check out Sentosa!

This week was the first week of classes, and there has been one headache after another! The fact that it takes at least 45 minutes to get ANYWHERE is really hindering me, since I'm used to allowing approx. 5-10 min for travel time to get most places. I used to think that Peabody's offices were very inefficient, but they run like a well-oiled machine compared to the administration of NUS. To make a long story short, I spent hours and hours of time trying to get into Chinese Class (which I don't think succeeded through no fault of my own), getting the school to give me my stipend (still has not happened), getting my library card to work, getting into the computer system so that I can book practice rooms, getting my bank account running, and trying to get my students pass. Not fun stuff! Also, since it takes 45 min at least to go between home and school, once I leave for school in the morning, I don't get back here at night usually until around 11 pm. I will need to get used to these long days. I think that once all the administration stuff is settled and I get accustomed to the school, everything will be much easier.

However, musically the first week of classes was very exciting! I met my teacher, and she gave me a lot to work on. She is a fantastic teacher and performer, and I think we will work really well together! I also had my first coaching and orchestra rehearsals, and so I have a lot of repertoire to keep me busy.

I also have still continued to be a tourist when I'm not at school, as you will see from these pictures!

These are all from Malacca, Malaysia:
Photo credits go to Jolene and Emily
Emily and I in the dutch quarters


There are stray cats in Malaysia too!


view from our hotel
we LOVED this cafe!!! delicious food, great coffee, and really nice waiters (such as the one in the picture) who told us all about Malaysian food. We went there twice and hope to go back again!

Me and the roomie

Me and Emily! I was tired, as you can see :)
outside A Famosa

These street musicians were FANTASTIC



Now Back to Singapore-
The one and only synagogue in Singapore. More about that later!


Part of a reeally beautiful sculpture exhibitTemples and synagogues and churches coexist happily on the same street!
This is home- after lots and lots of cleaning and a trip to IKEA!



Hope you all enjoyed!
~Leah

As always, there is never a dull moment in Singapore! A lot has been happening, and I am really excited to get rolling at school tomorrow (Monday). I am the first violinist in a string quartet with 3 lovely Chinese girls, and we have our first coaching with the T'ang Quartet on Tuesday. I am also so honored to say that I am on the first stand of second violins in the orchestra, and we start rehearsing Brahms Symphony No. 2 tomorrow! What a great way to start the year :). I also meet my violin teacher tomorrow, which will really signify the start of everything. I can't wait! Everyone at the music school has been really nice to me, and I have been making some new friends. The school is about 80% Chinese I believe, and the students have taken to thinking that my name is "Greenfield",which I think is so funny! In China, your last name is written first and then your first name is on the end, so when they see "Leah Greenfield", they think that my name is Greenfield and call me that. It's an entertaining change.

As some of you may know, I had an amazing 3 days in Malacca last week! This small state in Malaysia has a fascinating history, but I will let you click on the Wikipedia link above to read about it because otherwise, I will be sitting here writing forever! I'm having a really difficult time writing about this trip, because I was shocked to the core with the drastic change of city conditions, culture, and history. Singapore is so built up and developed and secure, that I almost forgot that the rest of Southeast Asia is quite different.

Malacca is certainly in the process of developing- it has a beautiful historical center and a lot of cultural landmarks such as museums, churches, mosques and temples. We stayed in a 5-star hotel (for very cheap!), and they just built a large beautiful new mall and movie theater close by. They also have a nice outside theater and outdoor market areas. However, on the fringe of town, there are many abandoned buildings that are just standing there, slowly falling apart, giving the area a feeling of disquietude.

I read a story in the paper about an average family in Malacca that lives on 2,000 RM/ year, which is the equivalent of $606 USD/year. I can't even imagine that! The parents, in this article, said that when their son had the flu for 2 weeks, they splurged to buy him some pork, because all they had been eating for weeks was porridge. What shocked me the most about this story was the fact that the mother in this family was a clerk and the father was a plumber. Compared to some jobs, those are relatively skilled professions! I can only imagine what the lifestyle is for unskilled workers.

However, despite the fact that many people live in obvious poverty, we could not have been treated in a more friendly manner by the locals! Our group consisted of Emily (from Singapore), Kirstine (from Denmark), and Jolene and I (USA). They could not have been happier to be "serving" us foreigners! People would jump up to explain the history of Malacca as we toured the ruins- they never asked for money, they only wanted to talk to us. One street vendor swelled with pride as he said he knew about the "Philadelphia Philharmonic", when I told him I was from Philadelphia. One policeman told us that when he woke up in the morning, he never would have imagined having the opportunity to meet us that day.

My camera was practically out of batteries during the whole trip, so I am relying on my friends' pictures to illustrate our adventure! I will post pictures as soon as I get them all and sort through them.

I believe monsoon season is starting in Singapore, there was just a huge flash of lightning/immediate thunder and the sky is dark gray. I should probably turn off my computer!

Until next time,
Leah