Hat Trick (SCS, Broseph, Penang)

Three things from the last two weeks to write about:

1. Camp with Students Care Services
This was definitely a learning experience. I helped organize a two-day camp for seven 13-year olds that involved games, activities, reflection, spending the night at a chalet, and hiking around Pulau Ubin. It was quite the time. Overall, I really enjoyed it, but at the time, it was very difficult. There were teens there that were supposed to help with managing the kids and leading activities but expectations were not set for them and they ended up being more trouble than the kids who were supposed to be participating. It was exhausting trying to get them to set a good example while also leading activities and managing the younger kids. Especially during the value session I led (it went relatively well, all things considered - meaning, rowdy teenage boys who didn't listen to any of the rules and the fact that Singaporeans, in general, don't like to share/talk about feelings).
One thing that I found very different from the states was the issue of liability. In the US, everyone is afraid that everyone else is going to sue them so lots of precautions are taken into consideration. This did not seem to be true in Singapore. For example, I was put in charge of the First Aid (something that I'm really not that qualified for even with my First Aid certification) and found numerous pills in the box that only doctors should be giving out. This was after I found two girls rifling through it while a staff member let them without watching what they were doing. At the end of the camp, the kids were allowed to leave the center on their own and find their way home. In the states, at the end of a camp session, parents have to come claim their kids (sometimes, people even check ID to see if the person is who they say they are) because the camp is considered liable for the child until responsibility is handed off to someone else (preferably a parent).
All in all, though, the camp was a good, fun experience. I especially enjoyed working with the two young women at SCS that invited me to help them plan the camp (I still can't believe they did!). I really missed working with kids and it was especially challenging but interesting to spend time with young teens who could speak English with me but then Chinese to each other when they didn't want me to know what they were saying. Tricky tricky.

2. Broseph in Singapore!
The night after the camp, Joe arrived at 2am and was surprised at how hot and humid it was, even so early in the morning (this surprised turned to displeasure and continued the week he was here). He stayed eight days and we did a lot of different things. I'll list some (or most):
-Wakeboarding (twice, actually. There's a man-made lake specifically for it but you hold onto a cable connected to another cable - not a boat. Joe learned quickly and was attempting jumps by the end and I actually made it a fair distance for my first try!)
-Walking tour of Singapore (saw the Merlion, of course)
-Rock climbing (at one of the gyms with my friend, Liz. Dad bought me a new harness and sent it with Joe and I love it!)
-Lunch with our kind-of uncle and his family (really nice for Joe to meet them)
-out late and long with my friends
-hiking in Bukit Timah Nature Reserve (saw monkeys, one of which stole my apple from my hands while I was looking the other way - the highlight of Joe's week and incredibly unexpected considering she jumped really far to grab it and had a baby hanging under her)
-ate prata and kopi
-class (he came to one - his first college class!)
I'm sure there's more that we did, but that's what comes to mind. It was really fun having him here. He's incredibly social - I can take him anywhere and he fits right in. He got along great with my friends, which made life with him here so much easier. It was weird sending him back to Portland because it'll be another five months before I see him again and in that time he'll have graduated from high school, figured out his plans for next year, had an entire summer, and turned nineteen. And who knows what I'll have done by then. Whew.

3. Weekend on Penang, Malaysia
On the plane to Singapore I met this woman, Gloria, who lives part time with her daughter in Portland and most of the time on Penang, an island off the west coast of Malaysia, and she invited me to come visit her there. Karlijn (my best girlfriend here) and I left early Saturday morning (after I slept an hour Friday night since I had to take Joe to the airport at 4am). It was a crazy day of traveling. We took a public bus across the border to Johor Bahru in hopes of getting a cheaper bus to Penang than we would from Singapore. The trip into Malaysia took about an hour and a half longer than we were told it would and then we were herded onto a last minute bus to Penang that was supposed to be direct but ended up stopping KL where we switched buses. Eventually, we made it to the ferry terminal on mainland Malaysia that was supposed to get us to Penang but it was pouring rain and 10pm, which was two hours later than we told Gloria we'd be. Plus, we hadn't eaten anything except grapes, granola bars, and pringles. After calling Gloria from a pay phone, a quick dinner, 15 minute ferry ride, and hour long bus ride, we made it to her condo and collapsed into bed at 1am, very wet from all the rain. It's a good thing Karlijn was there with me because it ended up being a fun adventure instead of a ridiculously frustrating experience.
We got up early the next day and took two buses to Penang Hill where we met two Americans and spent the day riding the very, very, very steep cable car that looks a hundred years old up the hill and then walking around on the top and taking pictures of Georgetown (the really nice town on Penang). It was a long but very nice day. For dinner, we went back to Gloria's and met some of her Dutch friends who ended up living just down the road from Karlijn's house in Holland. They know many of the same people - what a small world.
Monday we spent the morning at the pool at Gloria's condo, ate lunch with her, and then took the bus to Georgetown and spent the afternoon/evening walking around. We both loved Georgetown. All the people were really friendly, there aren't very many tall buildings and most of the architecture is interesting and old. It's easy to walk around, the traffic isn't too bad, and the pace of pedestrians is easygoing. We found this little outdoor cafe in an alley and it turned out to be a highly acclaimed local coffee and toast place. We also got full body massages, which was a lovely way to spend the end of our little holiday.
The night bus left at 10:30pm and we arrived in Singapore at 7:30 this morning. Today and tomorrow will be work days (gah, presentations and group projects!) and then I'm off to Indonesia this weekend with Karlijn and our other really good friend, Gerrit. I'm excited for the three of us to travel together, I think we'll have a wonderful time.

That's all, folks! For those of you in the Pacific Northwest, give it some love for me! Having Joe here sure made me miss the Oregon climate. Not like I didn't before or anything...