So... tell me about your upcoming election

Teaching the lesson on women in politics to the Hwa Chong students also provided an incredible opportunity for Ms. Relator and I to learn more about the upcoming elections in Singapore.

As a one-party parliamentary government, Singapore's electoral system is incredibly different than the U.S. two party system, and unapologetically so.  The Prime Minister recently explained in great detail why a one-party system is most suitable for Singapore.

Most Americans don't realize that in a parliamentary system there are often not fixed election dates (like we have in the US with our first Tuesday after the first Monday in November).  I was confused our first few days in Singapore because I kept hearing on Channel News Asia (the largely government run television station) that the PAP (People's Action Party-- the main political party) had announced its new candidates-- yet no one could tell me when the election would be.


A few days later an election day was announced, May 7th.  By the American concept of elections, this seemed like very little time to conduct a campaign.  However, like everything in Singapore, this short turn around to the election date is purposeful and pragmatic, as it greatly reduces the cost of campaigning and the campaign fatigue that voters sometime experience in America (not that getting tired of the campaign would be issue in Singapore, since voting is compulsory).

One of the most interesting anecdotal things Mrs. Relator and I came across in examining the role of women in politics and probing the Singaporean students for their opinions on the upcoming election was the controversial candidacy of Tin Pei Ling, the youngest woman candidate ever from the PAP.  A quick google search revealed a number of youtube parody videos mimicking Ms. Tin, very reminiscent of Sarah Palin's candidacy for Vice President in the states.  Students were divided on why exactly Tin Pei Ling's candidacy was under such criticism-- was it her age?  her gender?  her immaturity?  her intellectual shortcomings?  They were nearly unanimous in the view that she was not a good candidate.

It will be interesting to see how the election in Singapore unfolds after we depart.  Undoubtedly, the PAP will maintain power, but how many seats will the Opposition Parties obtain, and how will this shape the future of Singapore?

Women in Politics, SG & US

This morning Mrs. Rodgers and I had an excellent opportunity to learn more about the Singapore political system from Hwa Chong students in Ms. Huo's English Studies Class. The students compared the political culture of the United States and Singapore concerning the influence of women on public policy and the portrayal of women in the media. One difference the Hwa Chong students observed was the fact that American media focuses more on women's physical appearance and Singapore media focuses more on the merit of the individual. After pointing out many similarities and differences between the two systems, students became political consultants. In groups they created "Pokemon candidate cards" to show the characteristics valued in female candidates in Singapore and the United States. Mrs. Rodgers and I are very grateful to the English Studies class for their excellent participation in today's lesson. It was a wonderful experience to spend two class periods with these thoughtful and gracious students. They were very open to learning about the U.S. political system and sharing with us valuable insight into the Singaporean political system.

• To read more about the opinions of these Singaporean and American students, take a look at the discussion between Dominion and Hwa Chong Students concerning women in politics at this blog set up by Mrs. Rodgers, http://www.dominionandhwachong.blogspot.com/

A Day in the Life of a Hwa Chong Student (by Jennifer Coupland)

(written by Jennifer Coupland)

A Day in the Life of a Hwa Chong Student

As we arrived to Hwa Chong, that resembled more a college campus than a high school, we were overwhelmed by everything it had to offer. Not only that, but the dynamics of how the school is run is very different from what our American customs are in a school setting.

Guys, there's no more gross cafeteria food where the hot dogs bounce when you drop them. They have two or three different restaurants, on the campus, for you to choose from. Not only that, but they have everything from local dishes to western cuisine. Sounds like a dream, right?

But, ladies and gents, there's something that we have taken for granted over the years of going to a public high school: our leniency in our rules. For instance, ladies, if you were to have your hair touching your shoulders at school they would ask you to either get a hair cut as soon as possible or tie it up in a pony tail. Also, you are NOT allowed to wear make up. You cannot wear open-toed shoes, only sneakers of some sort. There are absolutely no playing cards allowed at school, they will confiscate them and so on.

Their schedules change every day, much like that of a college student. They all wake up every day around 5:00am and head off to school where some stay until 9pm. From there, they must find time to fit in finishing their mass amounts of homework and doing extra-curricular activities.

Another thing to keep in mind is that in their graduating class alone, there are about 1000 plus students. Even our beloved SCA President, Daryl Wilkinson, could not go around and know every person there. We realized how difficult it must be to hold school sponsored events outside of school; until we saw the Artemis Faculty Outing.

I feel like this deserves a blog entry for itself. Guys and gals, this was held in a club. Not only this but they had the freedom to talk about PMS on stage, quote one of Katy Perry's famous, but inappropriate, songs, and play songs such as "I'm On a Boat" uncensored. Now before we all get the wrong idea, because this was a school sponsored event, there was no drinking, no inappropriate dancing, none of that. But it is pretty interesting that for such a conservative society, they would hold such events in a club, and play music uncensored.

As everything slowly comes to a close I will forever be fascinated by school dynamics at Hwa Chong Junior College (aka high school).

Zai Jian!

Jennifer

MVI_2046.AVI

Greetings from Singapore.  We made this video for the DHS morning announcements.

Good Friday

On this past Good Friday, all the students in Singapore had the day off as a national holiday. To take advantage of this, our teachers worked to set up a community service project for us to take part in. In Singapore this is called a CIP or community involvement project. All students are required to do a certain amount of CIPs. The americans and our buddies, along with some other Hwa Chong students went to a methodist children's home and took the kids out for a day of fun. These children have either lost their family or their family is unable to take care of them full time. We took the kids to a sport center with plans to go bowling and ice staking. Upon arriving we realized the 'queue' (or line) for ice staking was two hours long! Instead we bowled for two hours, played in the arcade, and had ice cream! All in all it was a great day for both the kids and the volunteers!

Flyer and the Food Trail

Today was another interesting day in Singapore as we saw the magnificent view of the city within thirty minutes! One of Singapore's most famous attraction sites is known as the Singapore Flyer which Virginia, Leah, Jennifer, Rachel, and I got to experience. It is one of the tallest ferris wheel's in the world as it reaches approximately one hundred and sixty-five meters which can be equivalent to about a forty-two stories high. To go around once takes around thirty minutes which was all it took to amaze us with Singapore's beautiful landscape.

Unfortunately, it was pouring down rain in addition to some violent thunder and lightening when we arrived to the Flyer. Because of the terrible weather, the Flyer had closed. We simply waited out the rain and we kept busy with the food trail at the Singapore Flyer. We had a brilliant idea where each individual bought a different dish and we combined the food to make our own buffet. This was a great way for us to experience different cultural foods in one meal!

Because of the unfortunate weather, we were not able to continue our day with the tour of the Marine Barrage. Even with the rain, our day at the Singapore Flyer was filled with excitement and many memories. Hopefully you and your families will make a trip to Singapore and experience the outstanding view of the Singapore River and Sinapore's many gorgeous skylines and beautiful landscapes of the country itself from one of the world's largest ferris wheels.

Singaporean Perspective on World War 2

Today we went to the Changi Museum, a sort of memorial for what Singapore went through during World War II when they were taken over by Japan. Though it was really sad seeing all the terrors that the Singaporeans went through, it was also pretty interesting. We found out that they got a lot of help from the Australians, British, Indians, and several others. Since the Indians were under British rule, they automatically volunteered to help out. The Japanese offered to help them break away from British control if they joined the Japanese, and many Indians were tempted since British people still treated them as their subjects. About one third of the Indians switched to the Japanese side.

We also talked about how in America we pretty much learn just about how the U.S. "saved" everyone during WWII. Instead, in association with Singapore, Americans played a really small role in the war. This was the first time most of us were hearing about the war from a viewpoint other than the American one.

After the museum we all got some delicious frozen yogurt and educated our Singaporean buddies on the American way of life. We talked, played games, and got to compare teenage life in both countries. It was very interesting! :)

"Morning Announcements" and neighborhood visits

Day three of Singapore and we had a great time! We started off the day with their way of morning announcements, which is much different then ours. There's this giant space where all the students meet and a railing for the kids or staff to make an announcement. Imagine if Dr Brewer did that! We were "presented" to the school, which meant we had to stand on this "bridge" 20 feet above the hundreds of students below and Leah gave a brief speech to introduce ourselves.

We then started our journey into Singapore, visiting the Malaysian/Muslim section of the city. We were able to walk into a Mosque, but had to put a robe because of their religion, and did some amazing shopping.



Next we went to Little India, where we all got henna tattoos and explored the streets seeing the many different shops and housing. We made it just in time to visit a Hindu Temple, and learned more about their culture and religion.

The next step was the Supreme Court, which was Mrs Rodgers favorite. Singaporeans say the building looks like a UFO. The architecture features a lot of glass to represent "transparency" in their judicial system.  It was very interesting to see how different the government was compared to the United States. Did you know it's a $500 fee if you're caught chewing gum?!

Our last stop was Chinatown, which is where we ate our lunch. I had the lemon chicken, and was amazed at how different the food is compared to American food. For starters, you can find a lot of traditional Chinese, Indian, Malay, and also Singaporean food. After we went into a museum about the Chinese heritage. The Chinese went through a lot of hardships back around 1800s. With such tiny living space and hard work, these people showed how their determination got them through many difficult times.

Day One Photos: Durian and Dim Sum

                                                        Dim Sum welcome lunch

                                                              Durian.... a Singaporean rite of passage

Day 1

After waking up from our jet lag, we immediately starting filling our Singapore experience with amazing events. We each enjoyed a yummy breakfast with our own Singapore buddies. I went to a Hawker center for breakfast which is an outdoor food market made up of individual food stands.

Everyone then met at 3pm for a welcome lunch at a Chinese restaurant. There was a large amount of unique food for everyone to try with a great deal of diverse tastes. One of the most unique fruits Singapore has to offer is called the durian fruit. After lunch we each tried some of this at one of the market stalls. It has a very interesting flavor that is like nothing i have tasted in America.

After lunch we walked through an outdoor market place and then made our way to one of Singapore's many many shopping malls. When we were done hanging with our new Singapore friends, we each returned home to our host families house to get ready for another exciting day tomorrow!

-Leah

30 Hours Later...

We're heeeeerrrrrrrreeeeee!  4 Airports.... 14 time zones.... 4 bad airplane meals..... and we've arrived!  Here's a before and after picture of our long journey.  The first picture is at Dulles Airport at 8 AM EST Friday morning.  The second picture is at 1:00 AM in the Singapore Airport.

3 Days until Singapore!