Culture Shock

Singapore is an incredible city, more western I think than almost any city I've ever seen. I had heard it called the "Switzerland of the East" or something like that, but I had no idea it would actually look like Westwood. The best part of the city (we were only there 2 nights) was undoubtedly the hawker centers. These islands of food court insanity amongst a meticulously planned and well kept urban center provide delectible dishes from all cultures of the country - Chinese, Malay, and Indian. I bet if you pulled the best stand out of each hawker center in the city, they could match up with the best of the food network's over-rated celebrity chefs.
But Singapore is also a strange place politically. The country has seen prosperity in times when the rest of Asia suffered, mostly due to its prowess in banking, so people are living very well. But it is a one party state, and a state with strict laws, like a $500 fine for spitting. Chewing gum was recently allowed again. Most frightening to an American, the government essentially knows everything about all its citizens, tying cell phones to national identity cards, censoring internet access, and so on. Some call this efficiency, I call it the first steps towards civil liberty infringement.
Perhaps the funniest moment in Singapore was when Peri (short for Pericles, our Greek dorm-mate) and Francesco (our Venetian dorm-mate) launched into a discussion about Romania and the European community, which I promptly entered. The discussion was pathetic, because these guys are travelers and not very political, and I know very little about Romania, but get this...drum roll please...
I was wearing boxers and a t-shirt, Scott was wearing the same and just trying to go to sleep, and Peri and Francesco were only adorned in what appeared to be speedo-cut briefs - perhaps purchased in the women's section? The conversation was serious, but as they say, "hindsight is 20/20." We laughed about that all the way to Malaysia.
Alex, a young German student currently interning in Singapore for Siemens, accompanied us to the Long Bar at the Raffles our first night to show us around a bit. I was struck by the architecture of this amazing hotel, one of just a few in the world still thriving from the 1870's. Dad, you would have loved the grand staircase leading up from the bar. One could almost imagine the upper-class Brits strolling about with their funny suits and hats. The colonial feel to a large area of the city is something I hadn't experienced before.
Thanks to Bob and Roseine (family friends), I was able to call my mother with their phone card and relate a bit of our trip over the phone. We also took their advice and toured the city with the Singapore Airlines city bus, a fantastic old people tour! (no offense!). It was perfect, and my favorite spots were the orchid garden in the botanical gardens, Little India, and Merlion Park (there's this big statue of a half lion/half fish because the legend is the Sultanate that discovered the island thought he had discovered this rare beast - it turned out just to be a lion).
We are now in Melaka, SE Malaysia for a couple days. Did you know that Malaysians take line-dancing classes? Very entertaining, like the electric slide at a bar mitzvah with those annoying hired dancers and their fixed smiles cheering the dance floor on! This town is actaully quite touristy, but a must see for it's blend of Portuguese and Dutch history. One street even has a church, Hindu temple, and Mosque all in a row.
It's funny, I thought Malaysia would be dangerous because it is a Muslim state, and I might even stand out as a Jew. In truth, this Muslim state is made up of only 52% Muslims. It is a melting pot of Asia and India, and nobody stands out. People are not dressed in Prada or Banana Republic like in Singapore, but who needs that anyway.
One more funny tidbit I forgot to tell from Bali. A group of Japanese girls came up to me at sunset at the beach and I misunderstood their request to take a photo of them. They wanted ME in their picture! Man that was so awesome, I wrapped my arms around them and took a great photo with these strange oriental beauties - I just wish I had made them take one with my camera too. Ok, I'm rambling, goodnight all, enjoy work and school today. As soon as I can figure out how, I'll try and put some pictures up here. Anyone know how??