Raffles Institution Exchange 2018 - Charles Nissen, Cameron Jacobson, Pat Killian.
Day 1:
After an arduous sixteen hour flight from San Francisco, the plane arrived in Singapore’s Changi Airport. Full of excitement, We quickly walked through the terminal, through customs, and to claim our baggage. While waiting for our transport to the Raffles Institution, I noticed an area of restaurants in the lounging area of the international airport. Being in Asia, I would not have expected to see “McDonalds” before anything else. Then I saw Mexican and Italian restaurants, each serving their respective foods before sunrise. I somehow found a Malaysian restaurant in the midst of the highly westernized airport, and ate a delicious chicken meal with rice and a kind of crunchy fish (I did not know they were fish until later). We then met Vanessa, our primary guide for the trip, who took us to school and shared her immense local knowledge. When we arrived in our quaint, yet cozy dorm, we dropped our bags and headed out into the waking city. We ventured to a nearby mall called Junction 8, which was full of stores of all variety and many different food options. Malls and food are staples of Singaporean lifestyle. There are food stalls around every corner, each presenting an unique flavor. We eventually returned to the hotel after eating Indian food at a local stand. The school day was just ending, so we met our host students. Although studious, these students became instant friends and we bonded over various topics (mostly comparing our two homes). We even went with some students to eat dinner. They were fantastic hosts (all 18 or so of them). All three of us ended up crashing at about 7:30 pm after a long day and crazy jet lag due to the thirteen hour time difference from Nashville. The first day was quite fun and a truly fantastic welcome to Singapore! I look forward to the coming week and experiencing more of the city, people, and culture.
This is the nature reserve where we saw many different types of wildlife.
Day 2:
With 11 or 12 hours of sleep under our belt, we prepared for our first day of school. The Raffles Students start the day the same way on every day except Monday, with a morning assembly consisting of military commands (In Malay, nonetheless) to attention and at ease while the Singapore National anthem and the Raffles pledge are played on a speaker system in a very large gathering place where all 2,400 year 5-6 students gather. Jay Hong, one of our host students and the Student Body President, reads the announcements and introduces the (comical) acts produced by the students about events such as the World Cup. Cameron, Charles, and Coach Killian were also asked to give a short speech in front of the student body at this assembly. After the Assembly ended, Jay Hong walked Cameron and Charles to our first class, Y5H2 ma. A math tutorial class, meaning it is not held in a lecture hall. No one was excited to start off a day with math, not even the students. Due to the teacher’s eagerness, the students remained engaged throughout the entire 50 minute period. Finally after 4 other tutorial classes and 1 lecture class we have a chance to try out the food in Raffles’ Canteen. Instead of having a dining hall like MBA’s, Raffles has a line of shops (all of which are not provided by the school) that offer cheap food for the students. The stalls have Indian food, Chicken Rice, classic Chinese dishes, Western Food, and many other foods for less than $4 a meal. After this short 25 minute break, we had Combined Civics, which was a class where the teacher finds Raffles Alum to come and speak to the students. That was our last class of the day. After that we all went back to our rooms and waited until Cameron had to leave for field hockey practice, and Charles and Coach Killian met with one of Coaches' classmates and MBA alum, Daltonc. Dalton is credited with helping move Ninja (also founded by an MBA alum) to Jakarta. After field hockey was done, Cameron met Charles, Coach Killian, and Dalton at a park soccer field for a small game put together by people in the Singapore branch of the company Dalton works for, Ninja.
Day 3:
We began day three with an alarm clock in our cool dorm room. After a refreshing, yet useless shower (Singapore’s humidity never faults), we travelled across the boarding courtyard to the primary dining hall. There I ate a delicious peanut butter and jelly sandwich and headed to our morning classes. We began the day with an economics tutorial which was about as fun as it sounds. As a rebound for our tiring first block of econ, I travelled to a history lecture which featured the Cuban Missile Crisis. Here, students learn about the Cold War struggle which is a core part of their International History subject. I remained in the same lecture hall after history, watching a Literature class functioning very similarly to MBA’s English classes. It was a discussion on the poems within Astrophel and Stella, Philip Sidney’s primary work. We then had the unique opportunity to tour Raffles’ Science Labs. These intricate, high tech labs are any American school’s dream. The labs feature technology which even major companies do not have access. Students of Science may use these labs through the day to conduct experiments ranging from things like Marine Biology to the synthesis of a compound in a highly specified Chemistry lab. These Science facilities cater to the needs of the student. After we finished our tour of the labs, Vanessa surprised us with a cultural food tour. We went to an older part of town where we sat in a “coffee shop” (food court in America). Vanessa travelled through immense crowds of hungry civilians to buy her favorite dishes from various food stands. We tried things like carrot cake, which was a Chinese radish mixed into a fried egg. We sampled various noodle dishes and Singaporean/Malaysian delicacies. The food was delicious! We then had desserts-- primarily consisting of coconut. There was no bad food. Vanessa then took us to the center of public housing in Singapore where we leaned the process of housing selection and payment. It is basically a lottery where people queue to get an appointment where they select an apartment that they may or may not be able to obtain depending on the market and what is available. We then returned to our air-conditioned dorm rooms for a brief break before heading out for the evening. First, I visited sky gardens utop the tallest apartment building in Singapore. The views here were absolutely incredible; I could see the entire city. After taking countless pictures, I walked a short distance to Chinatown. Upon arrival in Chinatown, I was greeted with the aroma of Asian delicacies combined with visuals of imported Chinese items. These items ranged from chopsticks and calligraphy brushes to priceless jade sculptures. Eventually the immense crowds drove us from Chinatown, but it was a once in a lifetime experience of true Asian culture. We took a short train ride to Clarke Quay, a popular shopping and nightlife destination. I was in the mood for Thai food, so we found an outdoor Thai joint on the water. I ordered Pad Thai which was delicious. Clarke Quay was cool because it included a multitude of shops and local restaurants. We finally returned to the school and crashed after a very long day.
We received a tour of Raffles' science labs.
Day 4:
The weekend was finally here, and today we planned to meet up with our host students to just have fun. We were met by Debbra and Frances at the boarding Lobby and took the train to a bowling alley where we met Suki, Christie, and Cat. No one bowled a 3 digit game, but we had fun throwing gutterballs and spares alike. Everyone had worked up an appetite so we decided to meet Naia at a “coffee shop” (A strip mall with small stalls like the Canteen) and have a communal lunch. A highlight of this meal was Christie buying 40 dumplings, and everyone eating more than they should have. After a little coordination, Emyle joined us at a mall. We went to an arcade, and each won a small rubber animal with lights on the inside. Then we went to Toys R Us, giving Cameron and Charles a flashback to our childhood. Then a shop called Daiso, everything for sale is authentic Japanese items, and only $2. We visited a few other small shops and then went to the beach. It is not as big as a beach in the US, but it was still very popular, with people BBQ-ing and kicking a soccer ball, and some fishing. Singapore is a port city, so the beach had a wonderful view of the incoming thunderclouds, and the MANY ships in line waiting to get in the port. After a quick visit to the beach, we made our way to the Supertrees and the Gardens by the bay where Jay Hong met us for a light show in the trees that was backed by opera music. All in all, today was not a very cultural day in Singapore, however it was a spectacular day with friends making memories.
Day 5:
We began our halfway day with our typical peanut butter and jelly sandwiches before heading out on an adventure. We parted ways in Chinatown, where I remained as the others went to a traditional Chinese orchestra. I was on the hunt for food. I was looking for the hawker center (giant Asian food court-- insane) which had a stall with a Michelin Star. I found it and it’s hour long line. So, I headed to the restaurant location of “Liao Fan’s Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice Noodle.” Luckily for me, I found an even longer line because Liao Fan was behind the stove. I did wait it out, and the five dollar Michelin Star meal was well worth the cost. After making friends with friendly Japanese and Korean strangers at the restaurant’s family-style tables, I decided to get lost by turning off my phone and honing in on the city. This experience was absolutely magnificent (I only recommend doing this if you know Chinese and have an excellent sense of direction). I ended up walking a couple miles from Chinatown to the Shoppes at Marina Bay. This is basically the Singaporean “Harrods.” The mall had everything: Gucci and Chanel department stores, Chinese pottery, a Gordon Ramsay restaurant. Anything desired can be found at this mall-- for an expensive price. The rich and famous of Singapore and beyond travel to this mall where they can extend their elaborate wardrobes. After an awe-inspiring look beyond the Green Hills mall, I took a taxi to Robertson Quay, a residential hub for food and drink. I ate both Mediterranean and Mexican food; they were quite good even though far from their origins. We finally called it a night, and I returned to the dorm after a successful, fifteen mile (walked) day.
Day 6:
Since Raffles does not have assemblies on Monday mornings, and instead a “Protected Time” similar to our break (where a class/CCA meets during the school day), we met with some of our host students at the nearby mall Juncti8n (J8 for short) and had some toast and kaya for breakfast. When it was finally time for class, we started with PE and played floorball (similarly to field hockey with a wiffle ball). The day was rather relaxing for both of us. Cameron decided to go to Art class for the rest of the day in order to finish a project for MBA, until it was time for Water Polo practice. Meanwhile, Charles finished off his day of classes and then relaxed for a couple of hours until both of them met up with Coach Killian to go into town for dinner. As hungry as we were, we took a train and bus to Arab Street and went into the busiest Lebanese restaurant we could find. The man who took us to our table had some kind of arrangement with a nearby restaurant and took us to ANOTHER restaurant and hoped we would be okay with it. So, we did as any normal people would do and found another Lebanese cuisine restaurant.
Day 7:
After eating our peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, we set out on an adventure during the school day. Instead of class, we traveled to Pulau Ubin, an undeveloped island surrounding Singapore. The trek took almost two hours, but upon arrival, I immediately figured it was worth the travel. The island was a jungle, containing only a small village with bike shops. We rented bikes and set our eyes on the bike trail. As asphalt turned to dirt, the wildlife and trees became immense. Biking to our first destination, the wetland boardwalks, a wild boar crossed just in front of us. We finally found the boardwalks after a twenty minute ride in the drowning humidity. The boards winded beyond shore with incredible views of the island. There was an unstable viewing tower with an incredible view from the top. After a short break, we continued our ride along the hills of the island. The jungle offered shade, but no protection from the heat. We rode and continued along the path. A monkey dropped to the ground from the trees. At once, more monkeys appeared in the dense trees surrounding the path. These monkeys were not shy and were very tempting to pet. But, they got mad at us and began to chase us for food. So, we quickly rode away. We followed a hilly path that killed my legs. Mountain biking paths began to appear, and we decided to try a trail. We quickly realized these extremely narrow trails were primarily uphill, so we had to stop to preserve energy. But, the first path ended at the beginning of the second path, with no alternate options other than through the jungle. So, we ended up accomplishing three mountain biking paths that were not suited for our rusty rental bikes. After a long ride back to the base village, we took a ferry back to the bustling city and found a hawker center full of a variety of food. I once again indulged in chicken rice, the most iconic dish in Singapore. Full and exhausted, we traveled another hour and a half (about 7 miles) back to our dorm. I immediately crashed after a very long forty-eight hours with little sleep.
Day 8:
Following our regular wake up, PB&J ritual, we had a regular day of classes. There was nothing special about this day aside from a set of 2 speakers in their Combined Civics class who was a part of the Mosque we had visited a few days prior. They spoke to the entire lecture hall about how the Mulay population was at a serious disadvantage in the Singaporean lifestyle. The Chinese dominated at 70% of the entire Singapore population, with 20% being Indian, and 5% being Mulay. These statistics were very enlightening and intriguing to all of the students in the room, which then prompted some very specific questions that astounded the speakers. After the end of our day, we went out to another mall, The Orchard, with Suki, Frances, and Christae. At this mall we saw box stores, toast shops, and best of all, the Sushi Train. At this restaurant, you selected what kind of sushi you wanted, and then it would be rocketed to your table, on a train. Cameron was in complete disbelief at this kind of service, at such a cheap price. Both Charles and Cameron then met Coach Killian on the subway, in order to go to Little India and meet with one of Coach Killian's friends, Penny Gupta. We went to two separate restaurants during our visit: one vegetarian, and one having only meat. Both were quite good and expressed the variety of flavor and spice within Indian cuisine. After dinners, we walked the crowded streets of the town and found the Mustafa Centre, a twenty-four hour supercenter. This place had everything: food, drink, tourist items, real sunglasses, fake sunglasses, watches. This place had anything imaginable. Cameron bought various Indian spices and returned on the final train. Note: the subway closes around midnight, so do not get caught without a ride home. We returned to the dorm, where Cameron stored his new spices and slept.
Day 9:
Our final day in Singapore began with a special peanut butter and jelly sandwich. We then went to a semi-full day of school where we said our goodbyes to teachers and students. Following school, we went to a sushi joint in the nearby J8 mall. This sushi place featured no seafood; instead, it focused on seaweed rolls with vegetables and protein like eggs. After our sushi adventure, we said a sad farewell to our close friend group and planned a final evening adventure around the city. First, we travelled to Haw Par Villa which had an extensive network of sculptures depicting Chinese mythology and the ten courts of hell. Although extremely creepy, Haw Par Villa was very cool and a must see only because it was so weird and unusual. Following our mythology quest, we hiked along a coastal park to a gondola station. We took a skyline gondola over Singapore to the island of Sentosa-- where the Trump/Kim summit was held. Sentosa featured all the amazing tourist traps of Singapore. A break from local culture, Sentosa put meaning into overpriced food. It also was the location of Universal Studios Singapore, and the Singaporean Sea World. Tired of the American tourists, we left Singapore for a more cultural experience on our final night. We went to a local ice cream place in Chinatown before heading on a long walk into Little India. In Little India, we saw open air markets with extensive flowers and produce. It was truly a memorable final night. Exhausted, we returned to our dorms and packed for the twenty-four hour journey home.
