Melaka & KL Weekend

First of all, peanut M&Ms taste very different here. It's almost like their a little stale, but I kind of like it. They remind me of the M&Ms that I used to eat in my dad's office back in Peoria. If you can't tell, I'm currently snacking my life away on these candies that come in a much smaller portion in Asia--no wonder everyone is so little here.

So last weekend, we decided to go to Melaka (also known as Malacca) and Kuala Lumpur for Chinese New Year. Singapore also has a huge CNY celebration, but we agreed that we were ready for the trip. Since we booked our buses pretty late, we ended up on two separate buses. 5 went on the first, and the rest of us went a half hour later. I ended up with Greg and AG, because they had class, and I had some work to finish up. These two guys had very little concept of time, and left me waiting for 45 minutes at the train station. I forgive them though, because after running around the city, getting a little lost, taking a bus, MRT, and taxi, we ended up at the station right on time.

The way there started pretty normally; however, once we reached the border, we realized that AG, being an Indian citizen, needed a Visa from Singapore to enter Malaysia. The rest of us just need our student card. Unfortunately, he was sent back to Singapore at the border. :(

After AG was deported, Greg and I both realized very little information about where were going, because we both didn't think to get the address of the hostel. We knew the name, but that is definitely not enough in Malaysia. After crossing the two stations at the border, we lost cell phone service before we could call our friends on the other bus. Since we had no options or ideas, we decided to figure it out as we arrived (or as my dad would say, "cross that bridge when we come to it"). A nice couple from the US taking a 6-month honeymoon gave us a few pointers about wandering around Malaysia at night, and our prospects were not looking too good. After another 4 hours of playing Unblock-me on the bus, we finally arrived at 1am. Getting off the bus, we ended up in an extremely sketchy looking bus station with no money, no cell phone, and no address. ATMs apparently close early here, so we awkwardly just followed this couple around the station.

We get  to a cab, and they thankfully offered to split it with us. We just decided to go to their hostel, because that was probably safer than the bus station. We ended up in deserted Chinatown in front of a locked gate. After calling the owner several times we managed to get inside and use wifi to find our hostel--only a km away. With more confidence, we strutted to our hostel only to see that it was closed. As we had no other options, so we stumbled upon a little outdoor cafeteria and ordered some tea to kill the time. An hour or so later, Greg and I noticed a group of western looking people unlocking the door to our hostel. Luckily, our friends were also wondering the city, so we finally got into the house around 3am.

We spent the next day eating, exploring, shopping, and just loving Melaka. It was a small place that you could see in a day, but still had tons of character. We watched a lady in the market smash a frog against the counter, and then we ate it. Delicious! I also loved Popiah, which was this delicious dough wrap with chili sauce and an unidentifiable vegetable. After a fun night of playing cards and hanging out in the Chinatown Night Market, we tried to find the beach with no success. We gave up and got ready for our trip to KL in the morning.

Kuala Lumpur was definitely a more crowded city. Everyone warned us about pickpocketers so we kept a very good watch on our stuff. We arrived in 2 hours early in the day and checked into our guesthouse called the FernLoft. It was extremely clean, and we stayed in a 24-bed mixed dorm with co-ed bathrooms. My first experience with this wasn't bad at all.

We were a little overwhelmed by the complexity and hectic crowds in KL, especially in comparison to perfect Singapore. Traveling around took a while, and we needed to take frequent food/water/bathroom breaks. Squatter bathrooms were usually the only option unfortunately. Exploring Chinatown was definitely my favorite. With so much food and shopping for cheap knock-offs, we were never bored. I love mangosteens, by the way. Google it; it looks weird, but I may like it even more than watermelon!

I may be getting my days mixed up, but we also spent some time visiting the huge Petronas Towers. It was SO hot, so I ate about 3 ice cream cones a day. Street crossing was a hassle, but finally (after splitting up with boys and escaping for an AC break), we discovered the Buddy Bears. These were painted bears that represented several countries around the world. These were definitely a tourist attraction worth seeing! India's and Canada's artwork was not the best, but Cuba's and Singapore's bears were pretty adorable.

After the Petronas Towers, we wandered around Chinatown to find a restaurant and attempt to celebrate CNY. We ate, drank plenty of nice juices among other things, and shopped some more. After we ended up at a tourist bar, called the Reggae Bar. We counted down CNY with plenty of tourists and zero reggae music. It was still a ton of fun, and we ended up running into some other NTU friends on our way out.

We woke up somewhat early in the morning, because we really wanted to see the Batu Caves. After inviting some new German friends along from another school in Singapore, Luca and Thomas, we took an easy local train for about 45 minutes. The caves were absolutely beautiful. To see the actual Hindu temples, you had to climb 272 steps, but it was worth the exercise. Bagi, my friend from U of I who is also Indian, and I felt right at home! :)

On our way back, we noticed that trains in KL have a Ladies Only coach. Alex, Julianna, Bagi, and I were unsure where to sit, but we decided to just go with the boys. After arriving closer to home, we split from our new friends and went to the National Mosque. After getting fully covered-up, we explored the quiet, simple Mosque (or Mosquee as our French friend Erwan says). This Mosque is one of the biggest in the world, and I definitely felt like I learned a lot.

We grabbed some absolutely delicious Malaysian-Indian food (Garlic Cheese Naans and Tandoori Chicken) from a local market and headed back for a nap/break. After recovering from our very spiritual day, we decided to explore the disappointed Merdeca Square. Heading back to Chinatown was the right decision, because we saw an amazing Dragon Dance show for CNY. Finally, I got my fill of a Mulan-style celebration. The firecrakers were a little painful, because they kept on hitting us, landing in our beers, and filling the streets with a think layer of smoke. All worth it though! After some more exploration, sunglasses/purse shopping, and more and more and more mangosteens, we hung out with a bunch of travelers on the rooftop of our hostel. Swapping stories and getting travel advice was one of my favorite parts of the trip! We, once again, tried to go to the Reggae Bar, but we ended up eating more ice cream instead.

The trip back was pretty rough: a 30 minute taxi, a 5 hour (luxurious massage) bus, a 30 minute line, a 20 minute bus, a 30 minute line, 20 minute bus, a 40 minute MRT, and a 20 minute bus. We left at 11am and made it back in the evening.

We randomly found a cheap deal to the Philippines, so I'm packing for that right now. The weekend after is Phuket! I'm also going to Bali and India this month, so my life is getting better and better!!

Thanks for reading!
--Ishmeesh

Weekend AdveNTUres.

I think I will definitely get used to having five day weekends. A group of 8 of us finally decided about where we would like to spend our Chinese New Year long weekend (which will be a 6 day break for me). We will be taking a bus to Malacca, Malaysia and hopefully going to Kuala Lumpur after a few days as well. We're extremely excited for our first trip outside of Singapore.

Still within Singapore, we have been keeping ourselves very busy. On Friday night, we went out to Clarke Quay for a dubstep show. However, since the line was too long, we ended up at Attica. Since we have free passes for the entire semester, I bet we'll be there quite a bit. After a few hours, we finally made it to the the Skream & Benga show. I love that all of the clubs in Singapore are so air-conditioned that I actually am freezing when I enter. This makes dancing way easier, and it is always wonderful to escape the hot and humid air. 

The next day (Saturday), we had another party decision to make--whether to go to Sentosa for a beach party or to go to the famous Avalon club in Marina Bay. Since Avalon was free, four of us girls (Alex, Julianna, Megan, and I) decided to go to that. Since we got there extremely early, we relaxed by the absolutely beautiful Marina Bay for an hour. When we made it inside, it was pretty empty. After having the dance floor to ourselves for a little while, Avalon was all of a sudden filled with hundreds of exchange students. As we were ready to head back, it started to pour. We returned to our halls around 3 or 4am.

Our friend from France, Arthur, invited us to Chinatown for brunch the following morning. We found a perfect sized table at a Chinese restaurant for the seven of us. Vincent (from Montreal) took the lead in ordering us a few dishes to share. Everything was absolutely delicious. When we got the bill, we were surprised to see that Chinese restaurants charge customers for napkins! We always joke about how the canteens never have napkins or garbage cans, and now we understand why. Food at restaurants is definitely more pricey than the canteens, but it's nice to have a change. 

After eating, we lost a few in the busy streets of Chinatown. In Singapore, however, you can always find your way back. All of us were craving ice cream, so we stopped by a hawker center for dessert. Instead of taking the traditional route, Alex, Luke, and Vincent ordered some ice dessert. Alex asked the guy at the stand to make his favorite dessert, and we ended up with a block of ice covered in condensed milk, red beans, molasses, and sprouts. This was definitely not our favorite thing--except for Luke. He helped us finish it off.

We wondered back to the MRT Station. With nothing to do and no place to be, we killed some more time by heading the the famous Raffles Hotel. Thanks to tour guide Luke, we got lost and stumbled upon an ice cream sandwich store. An ice cream sandwich here is literally a block of ice cream with white bread around it. It was surprisingly so delicious that Julianna had two! 

After another few blocks, we found the hotel. As a Singapore must-see, we tried Singapore Slings at the Long Bar. Although each drink was $26, it's something that everyone must try. The Raffles Hotel was extremely beautiful, and it's definitely a place for people who have money to spend. We probably won't be heading back any time soon, but it was worth it for the experience.

Next on our self-guided tour, we went to C.H.I.J.M.E.S. This is a place that used to be a huge church, and now it is filled with bars and restaurants (ironic, right?). We were getting hungry for some dinner, but we wanted a break from Asian food. Just like any typical westerner, we got some pizza. Service here is extremely different than in the states. Waiters/Waitresses do not communicate with you at all, unless you tell them you want to order or get the bill. No one checks on you to make sure that you're doing alright. It's not bad--just different. The pizza was SO good, and it was a great end to our fun day. 

The next morning, we made plans to visit Pulau Ubin since a lot of us do not have class on Monday. After a 2-hour journey involving 2 buses, a train, and a ferry, we made it to the beautiful remote island off the north east corner of Singapore. A few new friends from Scotland joined us on this mountain biking adventure. We attempted to explore the jungle for a little while, before escaping the huge bugs and large branches in our way. We visited the Chek Jawa wetlands for the great view. Although there was no waterfall, it was a beautiful place. Starving, we biked for another 20 minutes to eat some fresh seafood in a small waterfront restaurant. Not only was the food delicious, the experience was relaxing and peaceful.

Next we visited a Buddhist temple and went to the island's resort. They had two small lakes, one for kayaking, swimming, and snorkeling and one for sharks and other larger sea animals. We went kayaking and swimming with the fish, then we headed back home. 

On the way back we stopped at a famous restaurant for Chili Crab. Although splitting the bill was a lot of work, the crab was definitely worth it. We put on our bibs and ended up with sauce and crab all over ourselves. Food here is beyond delicious! 

Now I'm sitting around dreading my next class, Finance. I'm starting to realize that Study Abroad does involve some school work, even though I only have motivation for traveling right now. Once school starts getting a little more difficult, I'm sure the "honeymoon phase" will wear off a little bit. I'm getting pretty settled, but I'm having trouble sleeping due to the heat. Hopefully, I won't stop having this much fun! I also think I have enough pictures to make a Facebook Album, so look out for that!!

Thanks for reading if you made it though the novel I just wrote! Talk to you soon!

--Ishmeesh 

First Week of Class

The dreaded first week of classes started on Monday. Since I only have two classes (Tuesday & Wednesday), I don't really see myself stressing out about school. I'm still trying to finalize my course registration schedule, because it is extremely difficult to change classes at this school. Since courses usually have little to no vacancies, it's nearly impossible to pick up other classes.

In other news, the people of Singapore are constantly planning/renting out clubs for exchange students to meet and hang out. On Tuesday night, we had the option to go to the Pan Pacific Hotel or to a club called Attica. Most of the people I met here preferred to go to Attica, so we dressed in white and headed over the bridge. Since I'm not used to clubs, every night is new and exciting. The nightlife culture is extremely different than Champaign, but usually we feel like celebrities. Honestly, the biggest stress I have here is about which event to attend.

Wednesday was my first Ladies Night, and we went to a place called Zirca. Here, they allow women in for free on Wednesdays, while men have to pay $20-$30. This place was a blast, and the exchange students mostly ended up at the same club. We grabbed some late night food at the very fancy Burger King Bar before heading back to campus.

We also went to the Night Safari last night. It was absolutely amazing--ranked one of the best zoos in the world. Rather than have cages with animals in different areas, this zoo allows visitors to walk through the jungle. Each habitat blends in with one another hiding any signs of cages. This was a school organized trip, and (unless you don't like zoos) I think this is a must-see.

Even though this city/state/country is small, I have never been bored. With so many people to meet and trips to plan, my days fly by. Today, I'll be heading to the pool to meet some friends. I have yet to do anything academically productive, and I don't plan on changing that. Thanks for reading!

Lots of love,
Ishmeesh

No Reservations

The past few days have been extremely busy, but I feel like I have a good understanding of the city and the train/bus system (MRT). Yesterday morning, I woke up pretty early, because a bunch of us signed up for a tour of Singapore. We went to different neighborhoods, such as Little India and Chinatown. We only spent about 15 minutes at each stop though, so it was mostly helpful to figure out places that we like.

I was surprised to see that some areas, such as Little India, were completely dead (on a Saturday). It was a ghost town. Only tourists filled the streets, but it was hard to find locals. Later I learned that these areas empty, because the locals work everyday besides Sunday. On our visit the next day, it was so crowded that I could not even walk!

We returned from the tour and decided on a meeting time to head to Clarke Quay. We went to the bridge to meet all of the exchange students; over 100 people from different schools in Singapore were there! We explored the nightlife by visiting a few overpriced spots. In comparison to back home, places all have very extreme themes. There were very few bars; instead nightclubs with cover bands and loud techno music attract tourists. The cost of going out will definitely be something that we all have to adjust to. Just the cab ride alone is about $10 a person.

I woke up the next morning, and Claudia/Prashant took me out for brunch (which starts at 12:30pm in Singapore). The food was amazing, and it was nice to have a break from the canteens. It was great catching up with them, and the kids are so fun. I definitely will be spending a lot of time in their condo; it feels like a vacation home! I'm incredibly grateful to have them here, because it's like having some family to visit.

Instead of heading back to campus after brunch, I decided to meet up with a few of my friends in Little India. Although it was incredibly crowded, this is one of the best decisions I have made! We all hung out with local South Indians over some freshly made naans. Our new friend, Siva, told us several stories about his time in Singapore, and took us to his favorite spots. I honestly feel like hanging out with locals is more fun, because we had the opportunity to become entirely immersed in Singaporean culture. He treated us to all of his favorite dishes and drinks, making us feel like we were on Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations.

Later, we climbed the Art Building, because the roof is covered in grass. Several exchange students were hanging out up there, so we decided to join them! I feel like I meet several new people each day, and I have no complaints.

Today, I spent the entire day relaxing and killing time. This is the first time in several years that I have absolutely nothing to do while school is in session. Although I skipped my only Monday class (I'm dropping it), all of the business students had a hard time registering for courses. Not only is the system entirely unorganized, most classes are always full. I'm not sure how a country so modern can have such poor systems for course registration. I still have some schedule stuff to figure out, but I don't want to worry about it right now.

After the meeting to register for classes, all of the exchange students met up at Staff Club once again. On the way back from the meeting, I--of course--got incredibly lost. Luckily, some extremely kind Europeans showed me the way, and I convinced them all to join us tonight. I actually just got back. I have to admit that every moment so far has been incredibly fun, mostly due to the wonderful local and international people. Everyday is exciting here!! We have two exchange student welcome parties tomorrow, and I never plan on studying.

Until next time,
--Ishmeesh

Sentosa Island and Staff Club

I started the day by texting every exchange student that I could find in my contacts and making a few plans to head to the beach. I was extremely excited to see that about 25 people showed up ready to head to the beach. A few people changed their minds and ended up staying around the Jurong Area, while the rest of us braved a bus, two trains, and a shuttle to Sentosa.

Several local students warned us that Sentosa is not the greatest place to hang out, but we were so desperate for a beach and went anyway. Keeping track of 19 people was a little difficult, and we actually lost a few during a bus transfer. As our numbers slowly decreased, we arrived at the absolutely beautiful island (which is also the Southern most tip of continental Asia). All of us exchange students had an amazing time soaking in the sun and playing rounds of beach volleyball.


A few of us ended up getting separated on the way back, so I ate dinner at the mall food court with a few others. I ate--with chopsticks of course--a sizzling hot plate of chicken and rice. Just like all of the food here, it was delicious!!

We ended up getting back later than expected, so everyone got ready quickly and met up at the only bar on campus, Staff Club. When I asked my exchange student about nightlife on campus, she mentioned that students were actually not usually allowed to go to this "bar." Since other exchange students had all heard about it, we broke the rules and tested our luck. After being escorted by two fabulously great local students, Alex and I arrived. Luckily, there were about 100 exchange students there ready make friends.

We spent a few fun hours mingling, and we noticed that there were a few professors there as well. Unlike what I am used to, the professors openly mingled with students almost inappropriately. Once the bar got a little too rowdy (a professor named Melvin started pouring drinks all over himself and other people), we called it a night and cleared the place.

Even though I've only met a lot of these people yesterday and today, I already feel like I've made amazing friends. I know this semester is only going to get better!! A bunch of us are taking a tour for exchange students tomorrow to see Chinatown and Little India, and then we'll be hitting up Clarke Quay again. Can't wait!

--Ishmeesh on a semester-long vacation

First Night Out

It's currently 3:18am in Singapore, and I love this country more than ever. After meeting up with other U of I students (Alex and Bagi), we went to the new student orientation. Not only did we learn about fungal infections such as Singapore Foot, we also had the opportunity to meet several other exchange students. We tried our best to go around and gather the names and contact information of everyone we met. After the orientation, we went to the mall again to buy a few things from Fairprice Xtra (the Walmart of Singapore). We had an amazing dinner at a Japanese restaurant with a sushi conveyor belt! As it gets later in the night, the mall becomes more crowded and less enjoyable, so we made a quick escape on Singapore's public bus system.

We decided to get ready and head to Clarke Quay. After meeting up with several exchange students, we took a 20 minute cab ride to the Clarke Quay, and our cab driver taught us that it's pronounced Clarke Key. After arriving, we met up with everyone else at the bridge. Unlike other cities, people hang out and enjoy the nightlife on the streets outside bars, pubs and restaurants. Several other NTU exchange students were on the same bridge, making it easy to make friends. Going out in Singapore is WAY more expensive than Champaign or even Chicago. Cover is never less than 20 dollars, and a single drink is somewhere between $15-$30.

We spent a few hours meeting people, and we took a cab home just now. Tomorrow we are planning a trip to Sentosa Island to hang out at the beach. Singapore seems like a permanent vacation, and I have nothing negative to say about it! :) Thanks for reading!

--Ishmeesh

Exploring Campus

Jet lag woke me up around 6am this morning, so I decided to fill my dorm room wall with pictures of family and friends! I printed 100 photos before I left, so my roommate (who I still haven't met) is probably going to think I'm ridiculous. I haven't completed my decorating yet, so pictures will be up later!

After killing some time, I grabbed some breakfast from one of the canteens. To my disappointment, there was only one option: half-boiled egg. I assumed that was the same thing as a hard-boiled egg. Boy, was I wrong. It was like raw egg soup, and I didn't know how to eat it. Most of the cafeteria stared at me while I tried to crack this strange brown egg on my plate. Yuan Han later explained to me that you're supposed to pour the contents in the bowl and mix it with soy sauce. I obviously still have a lot to learn about food.

After having a more delicious bento bowl for lunch, my buddy and I spent a few hours climbing the many beautiful hills of campus. Our campus has several staircases and slanted walkways, because the hills are so extensive. On one side of a building, ground floor could be the fourth floor; on the other, it is the basement. There are two "spines" that contain several buildings for different colleges within the university. Additionally, the greenery on the campus is beautiful. The trees, flowers, and bright grass constantly remind me of how beautiful Singapore is!

View of NTU Residence Halls from student walkway

A few other U of I students arrived today! It was great to see other people that are as lost as I am. We have our exchange orientation bright and early tomorrow, and we're hoping to make friends with people from other universities around the world. I finally get to explore downtown tomorrow, as well! Until then, goodbye, lah!

--Ishmeesh 

First Night in Singapore

I just arrived here yesterday, and I'm definitely jet lagged. It's currently 8am, and I'm hoping that one of the canteens is open so that I can get a snack. The canteens are set up food court style, and I haven't tried it yet. It looks delicious, especially in comparison to the U of I dining halls.

My NBS Exchange Buddy, Yuan Han, picked me up right on time from the airport yesterday. Not only did she answer a thousand questions, she also helped me unpack and took me to the mall. The mall looked similar to ones at home, but I've never seen most of the stores. It was EXTREMELY crowded, and she told me that it was unusually empty. Singapore is such a small country with a population of 5 million, so I guess they have to cram in somewhere.

There really aren't very many houses here, and Yuan Han told me that only the very wealthy have land for a detached home. Most people live in huge 10-story apartment complexes that are government subsidized.

I still don't have a roommate, but I'm hoping to get one soon! My dorm room is getting lonely. (It looks just like the 6 pack dorms with more spiders, new furniture, and older walls.) I finished unpacking, and I feel like the room is empty, even though I brought 3 big suitcases worth of stuff. I don't know where everything went? I had a lost key crisis last night, but luckily I found it in my laundry bag. Typical!

The public transportation is amazing! I bought an EZ-Link card yesterday, so I start using. The buses within NTU are free. However, if you take them outside the school, you have to pay anything from 50 cents to $1.50. It's not too bad! Overall, things are looking good!

Well anyways, I'll keep this updated when I make some friends and do something interesting. :)