So instead of summing up what I've been up to in Singapore, I decided to change things up...
   On one of our last days in Singapore, we had free and easy time to go wherever we liked so long as we were back by 7:00 p.m. at the YMCA Metro in order to make it to the Night Safari.  So, all of us divided into groups and we went off.  My group, which consisted of 3 guys and 3 girls went to off visit Little India, Chinatown and a few Hindu and Buddhist temples in between.  We took the MRT (subway) and ONE bus to get to Little India, where we had a mid-day snack of Roti Canai, dumplings, and Naan and then we shopped around the tiny, brightly colored shops one typically visualizes when you think of India.  We were able to visit a Hindu temple during an evening prayer time where different incense could be smelt from meters away, the drone of the pungi made the scene very relaxing and the sight of many Hindus praying was beautiful.  Although some kids in our group felt uncomfortable being in the temple during a ceremony, I felt very welcomed and fascinated by all what was happening.  Back to the story now...
   Once again, we took the MRT for 2 minutes to reach Chinatown, where we visited another Hindu temple and saw a Buddhist one, shopped and ate dinner at a couple of Hawker stalls. We thought we knew where we were going so we decided that we didn't need to rush eating our dinner and rather take our time to enjoy the food.  We assumed that since it was so easy to arrive at our destinations that it would be fairly easy to make our way back.  We might of miscalculated that...

   We knew the correct bus number that would get us back, but we didn't know which direction we were supposed to take it in. Since the streets are one way, it gets fairly complicated to navigate.  We gambled on which direction we were supposed to go and we learned after 15 minutes that it was the wrong one but we could transfer over to another bus that would bring us to the correct direction that would bring us to the YMCA Metro.  But the bus driver misunderstood us and assumed we were going to the other YMCA in town and gave us directions to go to there.  Fortunately, we asked the people working at that YMCA and they gave us directions to get us back.  Panicking because we knew that we were insanely late to when we were supposed to meet up, we frantically called our leaders, but their numbers weren't working.  We were all devastated that we were late because that meant no Night Safari for us. (That didn't make the situation any more sweet.) After getting off at the wrong stop one more time and having to wait for an empty bus to pick us up, 2 hours and 30 minutes past the time that we were supposed to be back by, we arrived at the YMCA Metro to find a group of other students who were late and didn't go on the Night Safari.  But at that point, all we could do was laugh and tell our story.

What we learned from this was...
-be extra specific when asking for directions
-make sure people can understand where you need directions to
-just roll with the situation
-you learn from your mistakes (now we know what to do if we get lost in another city!)
-stay as calm as possible because it doesn't help to be frustrated and angry. It just makes the situation more tedious for others.


On another side note, we were able to go to the Night Safari the next day after we explained our idiotic night to the program directors!  So everything turned out to be just fine, if not, then better than what I expected.

Beautiful Singapore!

It's crazy that we're already done with Malaysia and we're currently in Singapore right now! We've been busy nonstop since our arrival here so it has been hard to get on and post. In the first couple of days here we've covered a lot of subjects ranging from government to sustainability all the way to culture!

The day we arrived in Singapore, we were able to visit with the US Embassy, who were preparing for VP Joe Biden's arrival in two weeks. He's going to be conducting a meeting in the same conference room that we were in! We spoke with two diplomats who really encouraged us to persue our international dreams and they've got me looking into their career paths of being a foreign service officer!
We've also been visiting nature reserves and features that make Singapore such a sustainable, progressive city. We visited the NEWater water plant that recycles used water through the process of undergoing advanced dual-membrane (reverse osmosis) and UV radiation. This reduces the amount of water being wasted by 80% (I believe.) Although Singapore is small and lacks resources, they have been able to rely mostly on their own supply of water through any of their 3 main ways: desalination, NEWater and water catchment/ fresh water reservoirs. This state is a very forward looking, environmentally aware society. In libraries here, they have entire floors dedicated to information regarding the environment, sustainable development and general sustainability. That shows something about culture there.
We've also learbed a lot about population growth and transportation. In order for roads to be less congested, cars must pays tolls in designated areas so that they know they are a part of causing traffic. The tolls range in costs, depending on how heavy traffic is. They also encourage the use of public transportation. Their is a bus lane that only buses can use (makes the system more reliable and more appealing since there isn't traffic in that lane.) They also have a subway system whichtheir goal by 2020 is to have a station within a 10 min walk of every house or living quarter. Ambitious? Yes, but they're super close to completing this goal.
Sorry for the long lecture! But honestly, we can learn so much from Singapore. 

By the way, nobody in our group has been fined for anything! We've refrained from chewing gum (we instead eat mentos,) we NEVER j-walk, none of us have eaten or drank anything in certain public areas like subways and buses, and my favorite- none of us have brought a durian out in public! Phew!

Village Homestays and final days in Malaysia

Over the weekend, we stayed in Ayerlimau for a traditional Malay village homestay. This community was predominately Muslim (all but 2 families out of 1,000 people were Muslim) and they lived a very modest, traditional life.  I stayed with 3 other girls: Valerie, Jamie, and Sophie in a small, hot pink house with the grandma, mother, son (aged 27) and a family friend. During the time we stayed with them, it was Ramadan, that if you all don't know, is one of the five Muslim pillars in which they're supposed to fast from sunrise to sunset for a month. So we fully immersed ourselves into their religion and culture. We got up at 4:50 a.m. with the family to eat with them. The first day we had Roti Canai (an Indian tortilla, I LOVE it) and the second, we had spicy rice with octopus. Let me tell you how hard it is to eat spicy food or seafood before your brain is even functioning! We participated in many activities so we didn't fast until sunset. But I have a new respect for them for being so dedicated to their religion and resisting temptation.

In the village, we learned how to traditionally cook pourage for entire communities, play cultural games like Chinca (similar to Mancala,) learn how to fish with a pan and even our bare.hands (I caught 2 fish with the pan and one with me.bare hands...success), and even take part in a mock wedding! However, the most fascinating part of the trip was either one of two things....
-Dressing up in a traditional Muslim outfit (everything was covered from my face to my feet) in 90° degree weather.
-Learning how to overcome language barriers through drawing, playing charades, and through facial expressions

Both were valuable life lessons that I'll be able to take with me throughout my life and travels. The first one especially allowed me to understand a commonly misunderstood religion and help them avoid stereotyping Americans, too. So even though there were some rough patches here and there, it was a great way to complete our visit to Malaysia. Now we're off to Singapore!

The prettiest place on Earth

We went to the Batu Caves today, which were stunning! This place is a Hindu temple that many Hindus in SE Asia make pilgrimages to. There are 272 steps to get there, but every step was exciting because there was always something new...You could see monkeys playing or climbing up the steps 3 feet away from you, a new scenic view or even just the excitement of seeing the inside of the caves.  This place was absolutely stunning and it was probably one of the most beautiful places I've visited. While we were there, we saw a mommy and baby monkey, we posed like the statues there and got to see a baptism like ceremony take place real briefly. It was fun to explore this culture one typically doesn't find back home in CO.

A visit to an orphanage

This photo was taken by a special girl in the orphanage we visited outside of KL. The two of us developed a bond from the time we arrived in the orphanage. She tugged on my skirt and brought me to a place where I could do a craft with her and her friends. Although she didn't speak English and I barely got her tobtell me her name, we learned how to communicate without using any words. We spoke through facial expressions and gestures that particularly caused her to smile and giggle. Once she saw my camera, she had a field day of taking plenty of pictures of whatever she wanted to take and then viewing the picture later (and you could see a feeling of accomplishment on her face.) Just  simple activities that most of us don't appreciate, these kids took for granted. You could see beams of happiness radiating from their smiles as they learned oragami and played with us. It was a very special moment of just giving back and loving on kids that normally don't get special one on one attention. I'll always look back on going to this orphanage and remember that I should be thankful everyday for the way I've been brought up and that giving back is the greatest accomplishment in life.

Homestay!

Over the past weekend, I stayed with the Naraindas, an Indian Malaysian family who lived in the suburbs of Kuala Lumpur (KL.) Prior to knowing the family I was assigned, I assumed that we would be staying in a household that spoke little English and lived quite modestly. But my family was different. They had two maids, a chauffeur, a fairly large house and were well traveled, though the first two traits I mentioned are typical in upper middle class families. My host family had four sons between the ages of 18-31 who were all so kind and welcoming. But we not only interacted with them but rather with their entire extended family, totaling about 30 people. It was crazy and, quite fankly, organized chaos, which I'm not used to since my family is small and my extended family lives across the US. But it was a great experience to see how a large, tight knit fsmily operates and that is a major factor to understanding Asian culture since family is the top priority there.
On Saturday, we celebrated a birthday within the extended family, so all of the family gathered at the house where the grandparents lived and cooked traditional foods (lots of curries, rices and noodles, and spices.) Then everybody sat down together and ate serveral rounds. I was so stuffed again since I tried everything on the table. I'm learning on this trip that food symbolizes and brings together cultures and diverse societies, like Malaysia. There are 3 major ethnicities (Malays, Chinese and Indians) who all have different cultures and belief systems, but what brings them all together is food. At the lunch I had that day, there were several dishes coming from all of those ethnicities despite the distinct taste. I just thought that was a cool insight. We also went into the family's Hindu shrine and learned a little about the foundation of Hinduism (I learned a lot more in that conversation about their religion that I have learned through a text book.) We also did some sight seeing surrounding K.L. We visited the National Mosque, both the new and old Palaces, Chinatown, the Central market, China Town and a whole lot more. Probably the coolest activity I did was get my feet cleaned by fish, which was terrifying for the first 30 seconds but relaxing and soothing from that point on. We also ate a lot more in the evening and visited one of the family's favorite Hawker stalls, where I sampled a lot, including Stingray (which was SO good,) fish, chicken, and a watermelon drink in an Oktoberfest pitcher. Yet again, everything was great!
On Sunday, we drove 2 hrs. to Melaka, a old Portugese colony. We did a lot of sight seeing, walking and exploring. It did notvlook like we were in S.E. Asia, but rather like Central America with all of the white building and the flower vines growing on houses and a slight sea breeze blowing throughout the city (not to forget the picturesque views.) But I looked it there. The city also had a beautiful river running through the city which many people use to navigate around town. It was lovely. I loved everything about the city. Being me, I saw the beach there and I had to put my feet in the water and listen to the crashing of the waves, so I weaseled my way to the ocean. But I encountered a bit of a problem...the sand was sink sand...Naturally, I didn't realize this until I stepped in it. But I got out and rinsed my feet in the ocean (victory!) We got back home at midnight, just in time for dinner! By then, I reached my absolute maximum capacity and had a hard time pushing through the food. But we had one of my favorite dishes, Roti Canai, so I persevered.
All in all, I learned a lot about Malaysian life. Family comes first with food not too far behind it. They experience similar obstacles that we face and live quite.similarly to how we live. However, I did notice that they like to eat family meals together more often than the average American family and also eat more meals throughout the day and snack less. They also stay up much later (to eat and take part in the night life.) As their saying goes "the later it is, the better the food and people become." Also, the ethnicities don't seem to interact much together. They all seem to clique and have little interaction amongst each other. Yet at the same time, they all coexist since they are surrounded by each other and noone seems to mind that. I wonder what causes this social issue here...

Day 2: A warm welcome from a high school

Today we visited SMK Sri Bukit, a secondary school in Seremban. They had been planing this day for several months now, which is so surreal and bizarre to think about that they done all of this for us. 18 teenagers. All of the students came outside to welcome us to their school as well as a percussion ensemble which played as we entered their assembly. Everyone was so excited to meet the students at this school and see what school is like here. After the welcome ceremony, we took a tour of the school and had tea with the principal and student ambassadors representing the school. During this time I realized how similar this school is to Rocky even though it's 9,000 miles away. They have similar clubs (like language, service, debate/speech and hobby clubs,) took similar classes like Chemistry, Bio, Calculus, and history. In fact, they did similar labs to what I've done in science classes! These teens were so outgoing and friendly-I aspireto be like them...they aren't afraid to step outside of their comfort zones and introduce themselves and speak in English to us. Instead they seized the opportunity. While we were there, we too km part in planting 7 trees, which symbolized the bringing together of two.different countries through us, kids. We also watched multiple performances, like speeches, plays and even a Kung Fu performance and they even taught us how to make traditional crafts, like weaving baskets (or penholders in our case!) It was so hard leaving these students at the end of the day. Although we only visited the.school for a.few brief hours, the bonds developed between these kids and us are unbreakable, not even by distance!

A 4th of July to remember

We landed today in Malaysia and had a pretty layed back day, until the evening. We were invited to celebrate the 4th of July with the queen of Malaysia, the American ambassador in Malaysia and several delagates at a reception through the US Embassy. It was an eye-opening evening that allowed me to make international connections and provided me an opportunity to ask questions to professionals in a career thay I'm interested in. I was able to speak amongst several delagates who gave me advice on traveling, careers and internships in the State Department and tips on what to see and do on the trip. They were so friendly and willing to speak to us. It was all round an absolute privallege to attend this event. It was well worth persevering through jetlag abd the desire to fall asleep.

There is no better way to kick off this trip than what we did tonight!

Octopus, a "castle" and anything with spice!

Today (July 5,) involved an abundance of food. To start off the day, we went to a vendor and I got Wantan Mee (pic below) which was a soup *that included* chicken, pork, wontons, peppers and chow mein noodles mixed with a bundle of spices. On top of that, we had coconut shavings in a green Ethiopian like bread. All of it was so good and I.was.so.stuffed! After a long and filling breakfast, we took a 2 hr. drive to Sri Menati, which is a museum and a former house for royalty in the 9th state in Malaysia. It was a beautiful, old estate which resembled a Japanese style with the curved roof. We were fortunate enough to be able to take photos there so long as we had a person in the picture (normally photos are not permitted.)
Now to the interesting part of the day, lunch...We had a variety of foods that I never imagined myself eating. For starters, we had soup with practically everything and anything in it; pork, chicken, peppers, noodles, fish, freshly killed crawfish, and plenty of octopus. Then we moved onto pineapple curry with chicken, which was my personal favorite because of the tropical taste. After, we had rice with octopus limbs, carrots, and pork. It was interesting and well worth trying, however I liked the spicy rice  much more. For dessert (I'm still on lunch,) we had "ABCs," the equivalent to shaved ice for us, Americans. But there's a twist to it...It had beans, corn, pineapple and other less known fruits mixed in it. This sounds like an odd combo, but it tastes delishious and quite refreshing!

We also briefly visited a rice paddy during the "off" season, but it was still an important place to visit. It was a completely different agricultural, high labor intensive process that we take for granted and rarely havethe opportunity to see.

L.A. days 1-3!

Wow! Time is flying by incredibly fast. We have been at Loyola Marymount University in LA this past weekend doing all sorts of activities! We (the students) have all bonded well and we're all having a blast together.  So far, we've been tossed up by the Californian waves , played night games, attempted a traditional Malay dance (which you can see on the AYLP Singapore and Malaysia facebook page) and much more.  We've also attended a few lectures regarding culture and sustainability from all of our projects we took part in every other week for the past 5 months. When I think of lectures, I typically assume they're going to be on the boring side (especially in summer,) but that was no where near the case for this weekend! All of us were interested and engaged in the discussion which caused us to think critically and stand on our own feet. The two best parts of this weekend were sampling a tradional Malaysian dinner and going to the beach (which is always awesome.) In the traditonal meal, we had a veggitarian curry dish with veggies, noodles, rice, and chicken peanut sauce skewers. Ot was d.e.l.i.c.i.o.u.s!!! Rice + noodles = a happy girl! Tomorr

ow we depart for the most exciting part of this experience...we'll be off to Singapore and Malaysia! It'll take 27 Hours (including a layover in Japan and one in Singapore since we go to Malaysia first.) But we're all looking at this voyage rather optimicsticly! It'll be a bonding experience.  Next update will be from Malaysia!