Hello Singapore. Have we met before?

The first time I went to Asia, landing in Korea in January of last year, I felt culture shock immediately. I was strongly aware that I was on the other side of the world and that I stuck out significantly in the crowd of black hair and brown eyes. I remember my heart racing from the moment I stepped onto the streets of Seoul, not out of fear, but out of thrill. But this time something was different. It was more like “Hey Singapore, what’s up?” It felt comfortable and familiar. Of course the prominence of English and the friendliness of the taxi driver helped out with that.

me in front of the spitting lion in downtown Singapore

I arrived at my hostel at 2am, and I guess I kind of slept for a few hours. By 9am, I was out and about exploring Singapore with the short amount of time I had. The best way to do that was by walking from my neighborhood, Little India, to the downtown marina area. On the way I passed by many churches, mosques, and temples, showing how truly diverse Singapore is. The city-state is a mix of Chinese, Malay, Tamil, and more. Most everything is written in English, but the second most popular language is Chinese. At times I felt like I was in London or Hong Kong.

Hindu temple in Little India

Walking around Singapore was a great way for me to get reacquainted with Southeast Asia. It is truly a shock to the system to go from 60 degree Pittsburgh to 100 degree Singapore. I had to relearn very quickly how to survive in such heat, which is pretty easy to pick up from the locals. The first and most crucial rule is: do not stand in the sun unless you have to. When waiting to cross a street, do not stand on the corner if it is sunny. Stand back as far as you need to in order to be in the shade. I also fell into the Asian umbrella trick, which is really pretty great. It’s amazing how much money I can save on sunblock if I just whip out the umbrella more often.

Lunch in Singapore meant one thing to me: find Anthony Bourdain’s favorite chicken rice. Chicken rice is exactly what it sounds like. There are some sauces to it, and I guess the chicken is boiled or something to make it really juicy. But it’s a very straightforward dish. I went to the food stall area that Tony loves, but I wasn’t sure which chicken rice vendor was his. They all looked the same! So I picked one randomly and it turned out pretty good! Thanks Tony.

Singapore Parliament

boat on the Singapore River going past all the restaurants

I guess the coolest things I saw in Singapore were the Merlion and the riverwalk. The Merlion is like a mermaid lion, tail and all. It spits out water. It’s really big and you can get sprayed with the water if the wind is blowing, which is a great relief in the heat. He’s facing the other side of the bay, where the giant ferris wheel and the new double helix bridge stand. There is also a huge building that I think is a casino. It looks like three buildings with a boat on top connecting them all. The riverwalk is all around the Singapore River, and it’s covered in restaurants and bars that look like they would be quite fun with friends or at nighttime. There are boats going down the river and under the pretty white bridges that apparently were made in Scotland.

I took the wonderful subway system to the airport that afternoon. I went through some seriously wealthy neighborhoods with luxury high-rises. The airport is very impressive as well. It feels more like a hotel than an airport! I highly recommend it. From Singapore, I boarded my final flight on this crazy-long journey: to Surabaya, Indonesia.

And I’m off!

I’m leaving Pittsburgh tomorrow morning for Indonesia.  My route and flight time is so insane that I cannot fully grasp it: Pittsburgh to Charlotte to LA to Tokyo to Singapore to Surabaya.  Huh!?  Luckily I have a 15 hour layover in Singapore so I will actually spend the night there and see the city for a half day.  I am not sure how I am going to handle so many flights that are SO long.  Over 40 hours of flying.  Insane!

I have no real understanding that I am leaving tomorrow.  Leaving my home for three months is strange this time.  I think because I feel much more at home here in Pittsburgh that I ever did in DC.  And now I have a doggie, and how could anyone want to leave this face?

Marshall my love

I think this trip isn’t real to me yet because I am going alone.  When I went to study abroad, most of my friends were going, too.  When I went on a trip around the world, Jon went with me.  But this time, everyone is staying here.  Jon will be home with Marshall.  It seems so bizarre that I am just stepping out of the picture for three months.

the fam

But of course, I’m going to Asia.  I’m going to be visiting Indonesia, a country that I have been learning about and working with for months, and living in China, a country I have been obsessed with for over a year.  I’m actually going to live in Beijing, not just be a tourist this time.  This kind of opportunity is so awesome; any fear or uncertainty I have has to stand aside.  So wish me luck, keep in touch, and let me know what knock-offs you want me to bring you back from China!

he'll be waiting for me

Welcome, Marshall!

I really wasn’t sure if this day would ever come.  When Jon and I first moved to Pittsburgh, we made sure to get a dog-friendly apartment just in case.  But it looked like we would never actually follow through with our dream, with our busy schedules and student-lack-of-income.  Until now.  One day while Jon and I were both at work chatting online, he said to me that he wanted to get a dog so that he would have someone to hang out with at home while I was gone in Asia this summer.  I could tell he was serious, so we started our search right away at three different Pittsburgh shelters.

A couple of weeks later, we found Marshall.  We met him on a Friday at the Humane Society of Western Pennsylvania.  We went home thinking that he was a very cute pup who may be the guy for us.  On Saturday, we were booked all day long so we didn’t have time to go back and adopt him.  By Sunday, we were terribly nervous that this cute boy had been adopted. We showed up bright and early before they even opened.  We ran over to his cage, around all the black labs and pit bulls, and found our little guy.  I think he recognized us, because he started jumping and smiling immediately.

Hi, I'm Marshall!

That was May 2, 2010, a day we will celebrate as Marshall’s gotcha day.  Marshall is a Silky and Australian Terrier (as far as we can tell).  He has a mysterious past.  He is three years old, and we’re not really sure what he’s been through over the course of his life.  He was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, and made his way to Pittsburgh around mid-April because Georgia’s Humane Society is always overflowing with animals.  He had already been named and housebroken.  He responds to lots of commands and words, like sit stay shake come walk and outside.  He almost knows how to roll over on command.  He clearly lived with a family and maybe even with other dogs, because he is always very friendly and playful with dogs.  He has never acted scared or nervous in any situation.  We have had large groups of new people over to the apartment and he is always friendly and happy about meeting them.

He sleeps on things and looks like a human.

Marshall watches TV.  He has minor sinus issues.  He chases birds.  He loves the tennis ball and sometimes can catch it when it bounces in the air.  He wants to sleep on our bed but we have to have some boundaries.  He sleeps in my papasan chair instead.  We got him a little ottoman so that he can sit on it and look out the window while he is home alone.  He watches us leave the house every morning, eyes fixed on us until we are no longer in his sight.  He isn’t a big barker, but he has started to become more protective of his home, barking at dogs as they are walked down the street.

His full name is Thurgood John Marshall Barbier Bularzik Miller Dawood.

So far we have been able to take really great care of Marshall…actually, we’re spoiling him.  Sometimes he gets three walks a day.  It won’t be that luxurious this summer, with only Jon here to take care of him.  But in the fall, I will be taking less classes than before so I will be able to give him plenty of attention.  It is so wonderful to think that this little guy is going to be a part of our lives for many years.  He is so sweet and fun, and it’s true that being greeted by a dog when you get home is one of the happiest feelings on earth.  Welcome, Marshall!