My initial impression of St. Joseph's International is quite positive. The curricular expectations are high, in part because the school participates in the International Baccalaureate (IB) program, whose excellence is recognized by leading universities around the world. The students at St. Joseph's are competing to get into the best universities. An IB diploma gives them an advantage over the competition.
Aside from the academics, the kids at St. Joseph's are also required to participate in at least one extracurricular activity and in at least one service project. It's not unusual to find students lingering at school until 5 or 6 o'clock, either studying or engaging in other school-related pursuits.
I'm also impressed by the manners of the children. It's taking some getting used to for a student to leave at the end of a lesson and thank the teacher.
The only downside is that the kids seem to be under a tremendous amount of pressure. Education is a national obsession in Singapore. It makes sense because education was one of the tools that the country used to transform itself after the Japanese occupation in World War II from an impoverished country known for lawlessness, gambling, prostitution, and other social ills into a first-world, economic dynamo known for its law and order, far eclipsing the economic development of it's Southeast Asian neighbors.
There's already a societal level of academic pressure, mixed with the IB pressure. It ain't easy juggling numerous activities, and it ain't easy getting into Harvard. I certainly admire the way that most students manage it all.
Prior to school starting, I explored a bit of Singapore, but, as you might image, it's been difficult during orientation and the first week of classes. On Friday, I decided to get out and take a look at one of the local markets, especially knowing we have an extra day off on Monday due to a national holiday.
I checked out the Geylang Serai Market. The first floor consists of merchants selling fruit, vegetables, meats, and other grocery items, but I was more interested in what is housed on the second floor - an array of food stalls featuring delicacies from around the planet.
Geylang is just one of the examples of a hawker center, an open-air food complex. After the war, hawkers tended to sell their wares on the street, but then the government built the hawker centers to dramatically improve the level of hygiene, adding such imminities as running water and restroom facilities.
Having suffered a gastrointestinal disaster last summer eating street food in Cambodia, it's a welcome addition for me, and you can't beat the prices.
The only problem is deciding what to eat. I chose a Muslim dish, in honor of Ramadan, called chicken biryani. It's a spicy assortment of poultry mixed with rice. I'm told it's popular in South India.
Customers are able to carry the food away or find an empty seat at one of the tables. I sat next to two friendly Muslim women who watched me as I ate since it was not yet nightfall, meaning they couldn't yet break the daily fast required during Ramadan.
"I feel bad eating in front of you. Isn't it difficult waiting to eat," I said. "Not at all. Enjoy," one of the woman replied, so I took her for her word. Still, a food court didn't seem to be the best place to fast.
The market is located in the Geylang community. At night, along a particular street lined with bars, women clad in overly-tight, low cut skirts; stiletto heels; and gaudy makeup pace back and forth hoping to attract the attention of men looking for a couple of hours of companionship.Even in a country that prides itself on discipline, certain activities are tolerated. As one person told me, "Don't forget. It's Asia."
Along that particular street, you'll also find some of the tastiest, most unusual food in Singapore. I passed on the frog leg stew, in favor of a vendor selling tiny portions of fish wrapped in banana leaves. I figured I needed an after-dinner snack.
The man placed the fish-filled leaves on top of a tiny grill to cook them. When I approached his stall, I think he was a little annoyed or didn't speak much English because he just turned, and in a stern, militaristic-type manner, pointed to a menu on the wall.
The menu consisted of mackerel, prawn, squid, and several other fishes with which I'm not familiar.
"O.K, how about the prawn, " I said. His English suddenly got better, and in a terse, bothered tone of voice replied, "No prawn, only mackerel!"
Hmmm.....
"I'll try the squid," I said, to which he again replied, "No squid, only mackerel!"
And so, I sampled my first grilled mackerel, which was quite good. The prawn can wait until another day.
Because Geylang has a large Muslim population, each night during Ramadan people flood the streets to visit merchants lined up in tents along the thoroughfares, selling everything from food to clothing to house wares.
Before I close, let me share with those of you who've teased me relentlessly over the years about my aversion to smart phones that both of these pictures were taken with the camera in my phone. If you look closely, you'll spot my thumb in the lower, left-hand corner.
I've still got a lot to learn, but I'm getting there slowly.
No comments:
Post a Comment