Well the time has come. This is my last night in Singapore, as tomorrow morning I will be getting on a plane to begin my loooooong journey home. I am so ready to go home to re-unite with my friends and family, and to get back into "normal" life, as I once knew it. I have so much to look forward to this summer that it's hard not to be excited about going home. However, that being said, Singapore will always have a special place in my heart....my temporary "home away from home" which has granted me with such amazing opportunities of both world and self-discovery.
During our recent trip to Bali (which I returned from today, and wasn't the greatest trip I've had thus far due to a nasty bout of food poisening), it came up in conversation a few times about our "most memorable moments" during these past few months. It got me to pause and reflect on my time here, remembering the good, the bad, the ugly, and the absolutely life-changing.
As I'm sure you may have guessed from my 9-billion word post on my Cambodia trip, Cambodia was, by far, my favourite country that I've visited here. My number one most memorable and cherished memory from this entire exchange was the day we got to volunteer at Savong's orphanage and school. There is nothing else in my life that I can compare that day to, and it is a memory that I will always hold dear. I am still planning on fundraising for these orphaned children this summer, and am also interested in figuring out how we can get them connected with an NGO for sustainable funding in the future. These nine little boys, with mismatched dirty clothes and hearts of gold, really gave me something to think about. If they have absolutely nothing, and can still be so kind and so happy, what would their lives be like if they knew where their next meal was coming from, or if they could see they had a future? I have a passionate curiosity to find out.
In addition to wanting to help these children, I think I may have decided what I ultimately want to be when I grow up! That's a relief, because I graduate in August, and really had no idea what my career path goals would look like. I am a planner by nature; Ilove to plan and coordinate events. At one point I thought I would want to be a wedding planner (and I'm sure I would still love to do that) but now, after seeing the poverty, and the need for assistance in places such as Cambodia, I am compelled to do more....... I think that I want to marry my passion for planning, and my passion for helping those who are without, and work in some kind of coordination/planning role for an international aid NGO, working to reduce poverty in countries in places of extreme need.
Some other highlight memories from this exchange include:
-Janene and I sitting on the top deck of our Haloong Bay cruise boat early in the morning, before anyone else was up, sipping tea, while the boat sailed slowly and calmly between the small limestone islands. There was a light mist, and the ocean was like glass: probably one of the most peaceful moments I can recall ever having.
-Swimming in a waterfall in Nha Trang, Vietnam, after hiking up a small mountain.
-Angkor Wat, in Cambodia
- Spending the day on a private beach in Ko Tao, Thailand, with nothing to do all day but float, read, sleep,and eat.
-Watching Janene pet a penguin for the first time
- Full Moon Party in Thailand
- Weekend in Bin Tan, where we got to know the other exchange students from our school, NTU.
I'm sure there are plenty more that I will think of later, but these are a few that come to mind right away.
It's hard to think that I've been here for four months, and that this exchange has really come to an end. It's been an incredible journey, and I know that I am a changed person from my experiences here. One day, I hope to come back to Southeast Asia and do more travelling with Sean, showing him the things that I got to experience during my time here.
That being said, I am extremely excited to return home and begin the next chapter of my life, whatever it may bring.
So long, Singapore, thanks for everything.
xoxo
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Monday, April 13, 2009
Much Ado About Nothing
I know what you're thinking: I've been terribly neglectful of my blog. I apologize. The problem is, there hasn't really been anything of interest to write about. The day after we got back from Thailand, I started feeling very ill, which continued for the next few weeks. After seeing the on-campus doctor a number of times, he referred me to a Endomologist at one of the private (read: pricey) hospitals here. I had a bunch of tests done, including an endoscopy and a stomach biopsy. They found a stomach bacteria called Heliobacter Pylori. Apparently I could have picked it up in Vietnam (likely) or Cambodia (even more likely). If untreated, this bacteria can cause ulcers, or even stomach cancer, so I'm glad it's been discovered. As a result, I've been on intense antibiotics for the past week, taking 20 (no exaageration) pills each day. Starting tomorrow I'll be down to only 10 pills a day. They seem to be helping a lot; I'm able to eat again, and I'm not confined to my bed in pain anymore, so all is well. Hoping it will be all better by the time I get home. What is it about Asia and crazy bacterias? I always hear of people coming back from places like Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, with super crazy, super intense bugs. I guess we HAVE been to some pretty dirty places, so I shouldn't be all that surprised.
So, we are all done classes now, and studying for exams. Joy. A few days ago our massive Com 470 research papers were due (the one that we were granted to write, instead of taking that Financial Risk death course). Mine came in at 28 pages.......and I was more than happy to hand it in and get rid of it. It's nice not to have to think about it anymore. The title of my paper was "Small but Mighty: Environmental Sustainability in Singapore." I have a passion for sustainability, and was President of the UVic Business Sustainability Club last semester, and the Director of External Communications the semester prior to that, so the interest is definitely there. That said, it was actually not too bad of a paper to research; I learned a lot about what Singapore is doing in the name of Environmental Sustainability (which is A LOT, by the way)......the other thing that came out of my research was how very little CANADA is doing for the same cause. Singapore's Green Plan is very detailed, with set, specific goals to meet, such as reducing food waste by 30% by the year 2012......they're already at 9%. Canada, however, has goals like "conserve water and make sure it's clean". It's so vague, and modest, and down-right frustrating. If this tiny little country of 4.5 million people can be so environmentally sustainble, and so responsible, why can't we? Why aren't we leaders in environmental sustainability? It's incredibly frustrating. I'm so proud of Singapore for all that it is doing, and yet so disappointed by our own country at the same time. While the Singapore government is dragging it's population (in a good way) towards environmental sustainability, Canada is simply whispering a gentle suggestion that we should start thinking about it. Awesome.
Sorry for the rant. I guess I'm still in my analysis mode from my paper. I guess I liked writing about it more than I thought? ..... :)
Heather and I actually did a quick little trip to Kuala Lampur last week, on a whim. Just two days, one night. One evening we were studying together in my room, and started talking about the fact that we were bummed we never went to KL, seeing as Malaysia is RIGHT there. We started batting a few dates around, none of which worked. Then I said (half jokingly) "we could go tomorrow morning?" And with that, at 9pm, we booked our flights, went to bed, and were at the airport by 5:30am the following morning. We shopped, and saw the Petronas towers, and shopped, and went for dinner, and shopped. It was great fun, and definitely the break that we needed.
The day after we got back was Janene's 22nd birthday. As I'm sure I've mentioned in a previuos post, she loves penguins. Obsessively. It is one of her life-long goals and dreams to pet a penguin. The morning of her birthday, her and I went to the Jurong Bird Park, just because she wanted to see penguins on her birthday. While we were looking at them, I had an idea, and went to talk to the staff. It took about 25 minutes, and a bunch of phonecalls, but it was worth it. The penguin zoo-keeper brought Janene into a little roped off area, and put a penguin right in front of her to pet it. It was incredibly cute, she was so overwhelmed. I got it on video, so she can re-live the moment. It was so nice of the staff at the zoo to let her do that, and was a great start to her birthday. Then we went shopping for the afternoon (naturally), and the five of us got dressed up for a nice dinner out at Indochine. It was definitely a great day.
Now we're stuck studying until April 22nd, when our final final is. We have Services Marketing on the 16th, Corporate Lending on the 20th, and Malay on the 22nd (which, by the way, will be the end of me, I'm sure of it).
April 23rd, however, will be a good day. That day, we leave for 8 fun-filled, sun-filled days in Bali, and we will definitely need the R&R after this study binge we're in the middle of. It will be our last Southeast Asia trip, so we're going to make the most of it with as much relaxation as possible.
I'm home in 16 days. 16 days. When I got here, that number was something like 134. I can't believe it. It feels like the time has flown by, yet at the same time I feel like it's been years since I've been home. A lot happens in four months, when you're travelling, and I think that this was an amazing growth experience for me. Nothing opens your mind like being chucked into unfamiliar cultures. I am so glad that I took advantage of this opportunity. It's truly been life changing.
Well, with that said, I probably won't be writing again until right before I go home to Canada. Unfortunately I can hear my Malay notebook calling me "belajar, belajar!!" (study, study). How do you say "shut-up" in Malay? hmmm...should look that one up.
So, we are all done classes now, and studying for exams. Joy. A few days ago our massive Com 470 research papers were due (the one that we were granted to write, instead of taking that Financial Risk death course). Mine came in at 28 pages.......and I was more than happy to hand it in and get rid of it. It's nice not to have to think about it anymore. The title of my paper was "Small but Mighty: Environmental Sustainability in Singapore." I have a passion for sustainability, and was President of the UVic Business Sustainability Club last semester, and the Director of External Communications the semester prior to that, so the interest is definitely there. That said, it was actually not too bad of a paper to research; I learned a lot about what Singapore is doing in the name of Environmental Sustainability (which is A LOT, by the way)......the other thing that came out of my research was how very little CANADA is doing for the same cause. Singapore's Green Plan is very detailed, with set, specific goals to meet, such as reducing food waste by 30% by the year 2012......they're already at 9%. Canada, however, has goals like "conserve water and make sure it's clean". It's so vague, and modest, and down-right frustrating. If this tiny little country of 4.5 million people can be so environmentally sustainble, and so responsible, why can't we? Why aren't we leaders in environmental sustainability? It's incredibly frustrating. I'm so proud of Singapore for all that it is doing, and yet so disappointed by our own country at the same time. While the Singapore government is dragging it's population (in a good way) towards environmental sustainability, Canada is simply whispering a gentle suggestion that we should start thinking about it. Awesome.
Sorry for the rant. I guess I'm still in my analysis mode from my paper. I guess I liked writing about it more than I thought? ..... :)
Heather and I actually did a quick little trip to Kuala Lampur last week, on a whim. Just two days, one night. One evening we were studying together in my room, and started talking about the fact that we were bummed we never went to KL, seeing as Malaysia is RIGHT there. We started batting a few dates around, none of which worked. Then I said (half jokingly) "we could go tomorrow morning?" And with that, at 9pm, we booked our flights, went to bed, and were at the airport by 5:30am the following morning. We shopped, and saw the Petronas towers, and shopped, and went for dinner, and shopped. It was great fun, and definitely the break that we needed.
The day after we got back was Janene's 22nd birthday. As I'm sure I've mentioned in a previuos post, she loves penguins. Obsessively. It is one of her life-long goals and dreams to pet a penguin. The morning of her birthday, her and I went to the Jurong Bird Park, just because she wanted to see penguins on her birthday. While we were looking at them, I had an idea, and went to talk to the staff. It took about 25 minutes, and a bunch of phonecalls, but it was worth it. The penguin zoo-keeper brought Janene into a little roped off area, and put a penguin right in front of her to pet it. It was incredibly cute, she was so overwhelmed. I got it on video, so she can re-live the moment. It was so nice of the staff at the zoo to let her do that, and was a great start to her birthday. Then we went shopping for the afternoon (naturally), and the five of us got dressed up for a nice dinner out at Indochine. It was definitely a great day.
Now we're stuck studying until April 22nd, when our final final is. We have Services Marketing on the 16th, Corporate Lending on the 20th, and Malay on the 22nd (which, by the way, will be the end of me, I'm sure of it).
April 23rd, however, will be a good day. That day, we leave for 8 fun-filled, sun-filled days in Bali, and we will definitely need the R&R after this study binge we're in the middle of. It will be our last Southeast Asia trip, so we're going to make the most of it with as much relaxation as possible.
I'm home in 16 days. 16 days. When I got here, that number was something like 134. I can't believe it. It feels like the time has flown by, yet at the same time I feel like it's been years since I've been home. A lot happens in four months, when you're travelling, and I think that this was an amazing growth experience for me. Nothing opens your mind like being chucked into unfamiliar cultures. I am so glad that I took advantage of this opportunity. It's truly been life changing.
Well, with that said, I probably won't be writing again until right before I go home to Canada. Unfortunately I can hear my Malay notebook calling me "belajar, belajar!!" (study, study). How do you say "shut-up" in Malay? hmmm...should look that one up.
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