I am sitting in the canteen of hall 2 on the NTU campus. The smell of fried rice merges with those of the other foods I cannot yet pronounce and creates a unique odour that every canteen here has. I am having ice-cold watermelon juice to pamper my body that I just have forced to obey my will in the gym for two hours. Good life!
Within the last weeks, I have established some kind of a routine and a preliminary week plan that allows me to pursue the completion of my master thesis (Diplomarbeit) on the weekends. Yet, there is no time planned for much travelling. Good thing I do not care too much for travelling...
The weather is changing. Some locals in the gym told me that the rain season has arrived, with swift alternations from heat to heavy rain....or both at the same time. Those rains here are tough indeed. You are completely wet in a matter of seconds. Yes, we have those rains in Germany too, but rarely. Certainly not every few days. My good friend, the small black umbrella, is always by my side. No matter what people tell me (literally every Singaporean warned me about the weather), I really like it. However, it demands a good stamina and a trained circulatory system. My mum would hate it as she never does any sport. So would our dog.
Let's talk about my classes. All of them, apart from one tutorial that seriously sucks, are very interesting. I am taking Singapore Society in Transition, Government and Politics of Singapore and - interestingly enough - Psychology. What is my major again? Business. Does it make sense to study sociology with a business major? Of course. Business I can study anywhere, there is little magic to it. I have studied business for some years, have become accustomed to most concepts. I am finishing my second Master's degree in a business-related field. Why would I study business in Singapore then? Yes, the local business school is good in some rankings. But then again, I know how these rankings are created and I do not necessarily believe in their relevance. Singaporean, or more broadly, South-East-Asian sociology, on the other hand, is something I definitely cannot study in Germany. The curriculum of my studies back home lacked intercultural competence. So I added it myself throughout the years. Needless to say, I am also simply interested in those subjects. It goes with my general attitude to really live out exchange terms. I have seen so many students just partying and travelling all their exchange semesters. Patying are travelling are cool things, no questions asked. But these people took the thing as a holiday and behaved like tourists, with no interest in local circumstances whatsoever. Not only in Germany, but also in the US and of course - right here, right now. People's minds are free - and if those people deem it best to do so, fair enough. For me, this is a waste of time. Tourist, I can be all my life. Diving into another culture without having to work 40-50 hours a week is a rare chance. I intend to seize it.
OK, time to eat. Will get fried rice with fish. Bon appetit for me.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Short Stories about Singapore
I haven't written for so long, and I don't have time right now either, actually. Why not? Am I doing so much? Not really. Trouble is that in Singapore, everything takes longer. Literally everything. The most apparent reason is transportation. Although, in the public opinion, the mass transport system in Singapore is extremely good - it is not. As in most things, people from Singapore compare with what they know, being mostly other countries in South East Asia that one has to call developing countries. Of course, the system here is much better than in, say, Bangkok. But compared to almost any European city I know (and even Portland, Oregon), the system here shows huge flaws. Do I go into detail? Well, OK. First of all, there is no timetable. There are no timetables! You just go to a bus stop and....well, wait. Sometimes up to 20 minutes. For people that value their name, this is highly annoying. Then, the busses and the MRTs (kind of a metro) are not soundly connected. I would rather describe them as 2 parallel systems serving about the same objectives - there are no real synergies. The system is quite cheap, though, at least for locals. Poor exchange students have to pay for each ride, and I will probably end up spending about 200 to 300 Singdollars per month for public transportation.
Food is another thing. No questions asked, I love the food here. I could eat rice and noodles every day and I do basically. Sometimes I take the wrong sauce and all taste like peanuts or salt, but that is OK. However, it is cultural habit here that people always eat out and basically never at home. This means that....supply demand blabla....the groceries are relatively rare and more or less expensive. One just eats out, for about 2 bucks per dish (1 Euro!!). So when you are hungry, you rarely open the fridge but walk to a food court nearby. Altogether, this takes at least 30 minutes whereas at home, I would eat a bread in 5 minutes. But again, the food is great. It is worth waiting, everything is made for you freshly by usually somewhat friendly and words-in-Chinese-shouting people at the food courts or Hawker Centres.
Another plus: They don't use milk.
Oh! By the way, Singaporeans watch Germany's Next Top Model online on Youtube with English subtitles. God knows why. In general, I have to say that those guys here have nothing against us whatsoever. After England (former colony, understandable), the most soccer jerseys you see here are Germany or FC Bayern. People study German here also. You sometimes meet people in clubs that approach you as they speak your language. I find German instructions and ingregients on almost every goods I buy here as well. OK, I don't really buy Chinese stuff anyway. There will be a bias.
Instructions is another good point. Singapore calls itself a nanny state. This has several reasons, but the most prominent for me is the ubiquitous instructions. If you don't know how to flush a toilet, there is an instruction. If you are unsure as to whether to do or NOT TO DO in the metro, there are instructions. If you are on an escalator, there is an instruction telling you where not to step. And so on. Mostly, instructions are connected with fines. I intend to make a fine-collage, as it is ridiculous what you are supposed to pay here for certain things. I you ride your bike at the wrong points, there is a 1000 dollar fine. A sip of water in the MRT? 500 bucks! And of course, NO LITTERING! To be fair, hardly anyone gets ever fined. Those laws are more of a preventive mechanism. Is Singapore as clean as most people underline? Well, yes and no. There is few dirt on the streets. Not because people here are so clean, but because of the fines. The common level of hygiene can be seen at places where fines cannot be enforced, where there is privacy. Bathrooms usually look horrible. Plain horrible. I recall my Chinese instructor in my lecture on Intercultural communications when he told me "In Chinese restrooms, you need rubber boots. It is not THAT bad, but still.
Singapore is all about malls. And consumption. It is comprehensible. Was our post-WW2-generation that different? No! They treasured what they then could achieve as opposed to before. Same here. The difference is where Germans have their Fussgaengerzone, those guys here value their malls. Pretty americanized. Funnily enough, some malls are considered tourist sights. Malls! Visiting malls! This was the same in Bangkok, by the way. My friend wanted to show me malls there, not temples. I politely rejected. I go to malls to shop. And to eat. And here to watch movies also (by the way, don't go and see GI Joe. Pretty childish). Consumption is some kind of a culture here. Partly because this very young country, similarly to what I wrote about the US, lags a comprehensive history and own culture. As most of you know, I am taking history and social sciences classes here. There are a few dates you just catch within a few days. Date of independence, date of self-governance etc. I made some experiments and asked some college students on campus if they could tell me those dates. The resulsts, even IN my history class, were rather ....disappointing. Do I say that all German students know the date of when the wall came down and so on? I do not. Because we learn about it in school and that is it. Here, in state-run television, it is mentioned all the time, as well as on the thousands of posters here that still celebrate the 44th birthday of Majulah Singapura. From what I can tell, people here are just not that interested in history and concentrate on their daily lives. That is no bad thing, that is just different from what I am used to.
One of the most interesting things here is how all the races (I still hate that word, in Germany, people would be afraid of even saying it, but that is different here) interact. Pretty nicely. Although the government does its best to - from my perspective - promote racial segregation (I just say CMIO - you have to fill in your race at all kinds of official documents), there is no trouble from what I can tell. The different communities do not really mingle, no. There are Indian circles of friends, Chinese circles of friends and so on, with exceptions, of course. But no stress, even none between religions. Good! What most of you people at home would confuse the most is that I am usually the only "Caucasian", meaning white guy, anywhere I go. There are many expat places, point granted. Clarke Quay, a party area, is full of white people, so I hardly choose to go there. That is not why I am here for. But in my lectures, on the trains, when I eat - I am usually the "only one". Get I get stares? Of course, all the time. Especially as I am REALLY fair and quite tall. But I don't mind. Yes, it is a bit weird if people that sit next to you get up and choose another seat in the bus. This happens. But I rather smile, I am not offended. Maybe they think I have to swine flu or something. Most people are rather interested in Europeans, especially at the university. I like studying there.
OK, time is really up, gotta meet a very nice person downtown soon. There will be more pictures, which should especially make Dennis, Daniel and Alex happy (I know you guys just check out pics ;-) ).
There is more to come. In short: I have a very good time here. I am healthy, I sleep well, I like the food, the people are (mostly) kind and each day, I experience and discover something new. Yes, there is more good to come.
Food is another thing. No questions asked, I love the food here. I could eat rice and noodles every day and I do basically. Sometimes I take the wrong sauce and all taste like peanuts or salt, but that is OK. However, it is cultural habit here that people always eat out and basically never at home. This means that....supply demand blabla....the groceries are relatively rare and more or less expensive. One just eats out, for about 2 bucks per dish (1 Euro!!). So when you are hungry, you rarely open the fridge but walk to a food court nearby. Altogether, this takes at least 30 minutes whereas at home, I would eat a bread in 5 minutes. But again, the food is great. It is worth waiting, everything is made for you freshly by usually somewhat friendly and words-in-Chinese-shouting people at the food courts or Hawker Centres.
Another plus: They don't use milk.
Oh! By the way, Singaporeans watch Germany's Next Top Model online on Youtube with English subtitles. God knows why. In general, I have to say that those guys here have nothing against us whatsoever. After England (former colony, understandable), the most soccer jerseys you see here are Germany or FC Bayern. People study German here also. You sometimes meet people in clubs that approach you as they speak your language. I find German instructions and ingregients on almost every goods I buy here as well. OK, I don't really buy Chinese stuff anyway. There will be a bias.
Instructions is another good point. Singapore calls itself a nanny state. This has several reasons, but the most prominent for me is the ubiquitous instructions. If you don't know how to flush a toilet, there is an instruction. If you are unsure as to whether to do or NOT TO DO in the metro, there are instructions. If you are on an escalator, there is an instruction telling you where not to step. And so on. Mostly, instructions are connected with fines. I intend to make a fine-collage, as it is ridiculous what you are supposed to pay here for certain things. I you ride your bike at the wrong points, there is a 1000 dollar fine. A sip of water in the MRT? 500 bucks! And of course, NO LITTERING! To be fair, hardly anyone gets ever fined. Those laws are more of a preventive mechanism. Is Singapore as clean as most people underline? Well, yes and no. There is few dirt on the streets. Not because people here are so clean, but because of the fines. The common level of hygiene can be seen at places where fines cannot be enforced, where there is privacy. Bathrooms usually look horrible. Plain horrible. I recall my Chinese instructor in my lecture on Intercultural communications when he told me "In Chinese restrooms, you need rubber boots. It is not THAT bad, but still.
Singapore is all about malls. And consumption. It is comprehensible. Was our post-WW2-generation that different? No! They treasured what they then could achieve as opposed to before. Same here. The difference is where Germans have their Fussgaengerzone, those guys here value their malls. Pretty americanized. Funnily enough, some malls are considered tourist sights. Malls! Visiting malls! This was the same in Bangkok, by the way. My friend wanted to show me malls there, not temples. I politely rejected. I go to malls to shop. And to eat. And here to watch movies also (by the way, don't go and see GI Joe. Pretty childish). Consumption is some kind of a culture here. Partly because this very young country, similarly to what I wrote about the US, lags a comprehensive history and own culture. As most of you know, I am taking history and social sciences classes here. There are a few dates you just catch within a few days. Date of independence, date of self-governance etc. I made some experiments and asked some college students on campus if they could tell me those dates. The resulsts, even IN my history class, were rather ....disappointing. Do I say that all German students know the date of when the wall came down and so on? I do not. Because we learn about it in school and that is it. Here, in state-run television, it is mentioned all the time, as well as on the thousands of posters here that still celebrate the 44th birthday of Majulah Singapura. From what I can tell, people here are just not that interested in history and concentrate on their daily lives. That is no bad thing, that is just different from what I am used to.
One of the most interesting things here is how all the races (I still hate that word, in Germany, people would be afraid of even saying it, but that is different here) interact. Pretty nicely. Although the government does its best to - from my perspective - promote racial segregation (I just say CMIO - you have to fill in your race at all kinds of official documents), there is no trouble from what I can tell. The different communities do not really mingle, no. There are Indian circles of friends, Chinese circles of friends and so on, with exceptions, of course. But no stress, even none between religions. Good! What most of you people at home would confuse the most is that I am usually the only "Caucasian", meaning white guy, anywhere I go. There are many expat places, point granted. Clarke Quay, a party area, is full of white people, so I hardly choose to go there. That is not why I am here for. But in my lectures, on the trains, when I eat - I am usually the "only one". Get I get stares? Of course, all the time. Especially as I am REALLY fair and quite tall. But I don't mind. Yes, it is a bit weird if people that sit next to you get up and choose another seat in the bus. This happens. But I rather smile, I am not offended. Maybe they think I have to swine flu or something. Most people are rather interested in Europeans, especially at the university. I like studying there.
OK, time is really up, gotta meet a very nice person downtown soon. There will be more pictures, which should especially make Dennis, Daniel and Alex happy (I know you guys just check out pics ;-) ).
There is more to come. In short: I have a very good time here. I am healthy, I sleep well, I like the food, the people are (mostly) kind and each day, I experience and discover something new. Yes, there is more good to come.
Monday, August 10, 2009
Walking home in Singaporean rain
OK so last day was really National Day. I met with another exchange student to see how the folks celebrate here. It was funny to see that most people tried really hard to dress in the country colors red and white. I was quite a few Turkey football jerseys also.... they just wore what they could find ;-) The celebration itself was crowded and quite militaristic. The army (and some other people in uniforms) paraded in the streets. A couple of helicopters flew around, one of them carrying a gigantic Singapore flag. I also saw three fighter jets and a good dozen of little boats driving around. Yet, the fireworks were a little disappointing and not worth the wait. For people from Stuttgart: The Lichterfest fireworks were about 3x as much as this here. By the way, it seemed to me that most Singaporeans are not necessarily patriotic. The enjoyed the fireworks and the show and cheered a lot. But that was it. America on Independence Day was completely different.
When the event was over (at about 8:45pm), I rode the MRT home to change my clothes – you should not wear long pants during the day, but for going out, you need them. This proved to be quite difficult. Not only had I no idea where the next MRT station was. The police had also constructed barriers so that you could not walk freely. After good 30 minutes, I eventually found Raffles Place. At home, I had dinner. Then I waited for my flat mate to arrive as he wanted to hit the clubs with me. Most of the international students had stayed downtown because they live far off on campus. Hence, they had started long before we eventually arrived at Clarke Quay by cab. From my place, it is only 6 bucks. Great! This makes a true Swabian happy. I found a huge group of the internationals by accident and ran into some 10 others that I had gotten to know before. It sounds weird but you could hear German everywhere at Clarke Quay. Not only from people I know. There were just so many of us – a little bit annoying actually. I didn’t come to Singapore to talk about the Bundesliga with some dudes from Hamburg. Someone decided to go into a club named Attica which turned out to be a very stupid decision. The club was still empty at about 12:30am and filled up very slowly. Trouble was, it was full of expats. Boring! Boring, boring, boring. We met some other Germans, again....
It also occurred to me that there were many “pay-per-visit”-women i.e. hookers. It is unusual that so many women dare talking to me as I usually come across as arrogant, especially when I drink. But it happened a lot of times. However, some of them did a crappy job as I made them buy me drinks. Funny world. Drinking is comparatively expensive in Singapore. Not as expensive as I had been warned, but still. Good thing is, there is a Seven Eleven right next to the clubs so true Swabians go out of the place, buy an alcopop and get in again. At sixish, we decided to leave. However, my room mate had other plans. He just went on to the next club... So two of us were left. I knew that the MRTs start driving at about 6:30am. It was clear for me that I would not take a cab and save some bucks. The trouble was again that we had no idea where we were and no idea whatsoever where the next MRT station was. So we made a smart decision – looking for the tallest building we could see and approaching it. It turned out that this really worked and we did find the station after some minutes. After taking the wrong train at first (it was late, understandable), we managed to jump on the East-West-Line which I left again at Queenstown. I intended to walk home, but it rained a lot. So I went half-way and took the bus from there. At 7:30am, I crawled into my bed, just after seeing my flat mate sleeping on the sofa with his iPod plugs on. He obviously left the other club quite soon and took a cab.
That was a good night.
When the event was over (at about 8:45pm), I rode the MRT home to change my clothes – you should not wear long pants during the day, but for going out, you need them. This proved to be quite difficult. Not only had I no idea where the next MRT station was. The police had also constructed barriers so that you could not walk freely. After good 30 minutes, I eventually found Raffles Place. At home, I had dinner. Then I waited for my flat mate to arrive as he wanted to hit the clubs with me. Most of the international students had stayed downtown because they live far off on campus. Hence, they had started long before we eventually arrived at Clarke Quay by cab. From my place, it is only 6 bucks. Great! This makes a true Swabian happy. I found a huge group of the internationals by accident and ran into some 10 others that I had gotten to know before. It sounds weird but you could hear German everywhere at Clarke Quay. Not only from people I know. There were just so many of us – a little bit annoying actually. I didn’t come to Singapore to talk about the Bundesliga with some dudes from Hamburg. Someone decided to go into a club named Attica which turned out to be a very stupid decision. The club was still empty at about 12:30am and filled up very slowly. Trouble was, it was full of expats. Boring! Boring, boring, boring. We met some other Germans, again....
It also occurred to me that there were many “pay-per-visit”-women i.e. hookers. It is unusual that so many women dare talking to me as I usually come across as arrogant, especially when I drink. But it happened a lot of times. However, some of them did a crappy job as I made them buy me drinks. Funny world. Drinking is comparatively expensive in Singapore. Not as expensive as I had been warned, but still. Good thing is, there is a Seven Eleven right next to the clubs so true Swabians go out of the place, buy an alcopop and get in again. At sixish, we decided to leave. However, my room mate had other plans. He just went on to the next club... So two of us were left. I knew that the MRTs start driving at about 6:30am. It was clear for me that I would not take a cab and save some bucks. The trouble was again that we had no idea where we were and no idea whatsoever where the next MRT station was. So we made a smart decision – looking for the tallest building we could see and approaching it. It turned out that this really worked and we did find the station after some minutes. After taking the wrong train at first (it was late, understandable), we managed to jump on the East-West-Line which I left again at Queenstown. I intended to walk home, but it rained a lot. So I went half-way and took the bus from there. At 7:30am, I crawled into my bed, just after seeing my flat mate sleeping on the sofa with his iPod plugs on. He obviously left the other club quite soon and took a cab.
That was a good night.
Friday, August 7, 2009
Singapur hat Geburtstag
Many things happened within the last days. I am settling in. I am finding places that sell food I can eat. I have registered at the university, opened a bank account and so forth. Life here is starting.
On Thursday and Friday, I went to NTU to “do stuff” i.e. to sign forms, register for events and services and what not. Also, I tried to find my ways on the campus without the shuttle service. This was rather unsuccessful. When I was looking for the gym, I somehow ended up at hall 15 (only NTU people will know how wrong I was...) and thought I’d just have to walk the Nanyang Crescent all the way to the rec center again. Although this was possible and I reached my destination, it took me about 45min of walking in the heat and sun. In the gym, I decided to skip the treadmill because of that.
However, I accidentally ran into 3 other Germans in the gym and about 10 others around campus. I can’t really tell how we recognize each other, but it usually works. There are sooo many Germans here, it is weird. Almost too many for my taste!
I like the food courts here. Not because I have tried and consider it delicious but because there is variety, it is cheap (really cheap, good for students) and they make it on the spot. Also, you can get fresh-squeezed juices for a dollar – I had watermelon juice for the first time in my life yesterday and I can recommend it.
Furthermore, some people organized a party for the exchange students last night. We started at the Staff Club, a rather....common.... bar/lounge on the NTU campus and went on to a club called Powerhouse around midnight. Despite of what most people had told me, clubbing is not that expensive in Singapore. The cover fee (which is waived if you come before 11pm) was 20 bucks – 10 € - and included 2 drinks. Drinks are reaaaally weak here. But still. 10 € for cover charge and 2 drinks is perfectly OK. The music reminded me of US West Coast clubs, and so did the people there. They dance MTV-style which is very nice to watch ;-) Unfortunately, the night ended early for some people that had not brought their IDs. What a pity. Note to myself: Cabs to my place are really cheap! From Powerhouse I paid 8 bucks. Nice. I live exactly on the way between downtown and NTU – so taxis can easily be shared. Today is Singapore’s birthday. Congratulations. You wouldn’t believe how many flags those guys have here. The US was a joke against that. But I have to stop writing now as I still need a few things before Sunday: swimming goggles, a new polo shirt and linen. Will I get all those things in one of the 1000s of malls here? We shall see! After that, I will look out for some Singapore-birthday-related events....
On Thursday and Friday, I went to NTU to “do stuff” i.e. to sign forms, register for events and services and what not. Also, I tried to find my ways on the campus without the shuttle service. This was rather unsuccessful. When I was looking for the gym, I somehow ended up at hall 15 (only NTU people will know how wrong I was...) and thought I’d just have to walk the Nanyang Crescent all the way to the rec center again. Although this was possible and I reached my destination, it took me about 45min of walking in the heat and sun. In the gym, I decided to skip the treadmill because of that.
However, I accidentally ran into 3 other Germans in the gym and about 10 others around campus. I can’t really tell how we recognize each other, but it usually works. There are sooo many Germans here, it is weird. Almost too many for my taste!
I like the food courts here. Not because I have tried and consider it delicious but because there is variety, it is cheap (really cheap, good for students) and they make it on the spot. Also, you can get fresh-squeezed juices for a dollar – I had watermelon juice for the first time in my life yesterday and I can recommend it.
Furthermore, some people organized a party for the exchange students last night. We started at the Staff Club, a rather....common.... bar/lounge on the NTU campus and went on to a club called Powerhouse around midnight. Despite of what most people had told me, clubbing is not that expensive in Singapore. The cover fee (which is waived if you come before 11pm) was 20 bucks – 10 € - and included 2 drinks. Drinks are reaaaally weak here. But still. 10 € for cover charge and 2 drinks is perfectly OK. The music reminded me of US West Coast clubs, and so did the people there. They dance MTV-style which is very nice to watch ;-) Unfortunately, the night ended early for some people that had not brought their IDs. What a pity. Note to myself: Cabs to my place are really cheap! From Powerhouse I paid 8 bucks. Nice. I live exactly on the way between downtown and NTU – so taxis can easily be shared. Today is Singapore’s birthday. Congratulations. You wouldn’t believe how many flags those guys have here. The US was a joke against that. But I have to stop writing now as I still need a few things before Sunday: swimming goggles, a new polo shirt and linen. Will I get all those things in one of the 1000s of malls here? We shall see! After that, I will look out for some Singapore-birthday-related events....
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Still alive
I haven't written for quite some time. This had reasons. In Bangkok, I was busy all the time - in a good way. The days were great. Just great. And I had an almost perfect "One Night in Bangkok". I remained to be a nice guy, though....
The first days in Singapore - this is my third one - were tough. I won't go into detail as this would stir up myself too much right now.
Fact is: I have a cool room now. 19th floor of a condo, two bus stations (equals 5-10min) to a mall (or at least what I would call a mall) and 3 bus stations and a little walking to the next MRT station (Singaporean light-rail). Very clean. Own bathroom. Nice room mates.
The food issue troubles me, both physically and psychologically. But as this is the second time already, first one was US, I will manage.
The view out of my room's window:
The first days in Singapore - this is my third one - were tough. I won't go into detail as this would stir up myself too much right now.
Fact is: I have a cool room now. 19th floor of a condo, two bus stations (equals 5-10min) to a mall (or at least what I would call a mall) and 3 bus stations and a little walking to the next MRT station (Singaporean light-rail). Very clean. Own bathroom. Nice room mates.
The food issue troubles me, both physically and psychologically. But as this is the second time already, first one was US, I will manage.
The view out of my room's window:
Friday, July 31, 2009
Siam / Thailand
Tag 6
It is almost noon. Nat is golfing so I was some time to write again. We went out last night. However, as Nat wore flip-flops, we couldn’t go to a club. So we were at a bar instead. Let me just say this: You gotta be jealous of Thai boys. Wow. Wow wow wow.
The ride to Bangkok was a bit funny, by the way. My friend has to use an old car at the moment as the newer one has to be repaired. However, the old one has a problem also; the lights don’t work. Luckily, the street had lighting. Still, my grandma should not hear from this ;-) She is worried enough. And after all, we arrived safely.
I also learnt something new which has to do with culture. Here in Thailand, it is rude not to talk to someone when you deal with him. By dealing, I mean things like ordering in a restaurant or having any other kind of interaction. Even if you speak English or German, just say something. Otherwise, you are considered somewhat weird. And do smile! It is curious as it is completely the other way round in Germany. If you speak a language that your conversation partner probably does not understand, like Spanish or Portuguese maybe, you should not simply start talking to that person. It is considered impolite to babble in a language that the listener doesn’t comprehend.
After going to the bar, we were a bit hungry. Luckily, there was still a restaurant open (2am). Have a guess – seafood! Nat ordered something interesting there. Solid pork blood. I tried it, too....distinctive taste. Distinctive. I was very glad with my shrimp fried rice, though!
Nevertheless, there is one issue in Bangkok that makes life a bit difficult (besides the obvious fact of the overwhelming heat): air quality. It really is a bit hard just to breathe when you are on the street. So there are not many people going by foot. They use the metro or cabs instead – and the tuk tuks for short distances.
Now I would like to give you some information about the history of Thailand. As I don’t have much time but yet think that the following is highly interesting and that people should know about it, I shall bluntly copy from Wikipedia. The text is about the time when Thailand became its name (it was called Siam before, as many of you probably know). What caught my interest was that this transformation was, in contrast to many other countries that suffered from colonialism, self-induced by the Thai leaders as an effort to westernize the society:
The military, now led by Major General Phibun as Defence Minister, and the civilian liberals led by Pridi as Foreign Minister, worked together harmoniously for several years, but when Phibun became prime minister in December 1938 this co-operation broke down, and military domination became more overt. Phibun was an admirer of Benito Mussolini, and his regime soon developed some fascist characteristics. In early 1939 forty political opponents, both monarchists and democrats, were arrested, and after rigged trials eighteen were executed, the first political executions in Siam in over a century. Many others, among them Prince Damrong and Phraya Songsuradej, were exiled. Phibun launched a demagogic campaign against the Chinese business class. Chinese schools and newspapers were closed, and taxes on Chinese businesses increased.
Plaek Pibulsonggram
Phibun and Luang Wichitwathakan, the government's ideological spokesman, copied the propaganda techniques used by Hitler and Mussolini to build up the cult of the leader. Aware of the power of mass media, they used the government's monopoly on radio broadcasting to shape popular support for the regime. Popular government slogans were constantly aired on the radio and plastered on newspapers and billboards. Phibun's picture was also to be seen everywhere in society, while portraits of the ex-monarch King Prajadhipok, an outspoken critic of the autocratic regime, were banned. At the same time he passed a number of authoritarian laws which gave the government the power of almost unlimited arrest and complete press censorship. During the Second World War, newspapers were instructed to print only good news emanating form Axis sources, while sarcastic comments about the internal situation were banned.
Also in 1939, Phibun changed the country's name from Siam to Prathet Thai, or Thailand, meaning "land of the free." This was a nationalist gesture: it implied the unity of all the Thai-speaking peoples, including the Lao and the Shan, but excluding the Chinese. The regime's slogan became "Thailand for the Thai."
Modernisation was also an important theme in Phibun's new Thai nationalism. From 1938 to 1942 he issued a set of twelve Cultural Mandates. In addition to requiring that all Thais salute the flag, know the National Anthem, and speak the national language, the mandates also encouraged Thais to work hard, stay informed on current events, and to dress in a western fashion. By 1941 it became illegal, among other things, to ridicule those who attempted to promote national customs. The programme also encompassed fine arts. Fiercely nationalistic plays and films were sponsored by the government. Often these depicted a glorious past when Thai warriors fearlessly gained freedom for the country, defended their honour, or sacrifice themselves. Patriotism was taught in schools and was a recurrent theme in songs and dances.
At the same time, Phibun worked rigorously to rid society of its royalist influences - traditional royal holidays were replaced with new national events, royal and aristocratic titles were abandoned. Ironically, he retained his aristocratic surname. Even the Sangha was affected when the status of the royally sponsored Thammayuth sect was downgraded.
Meanwhile, all cinemas were instructed to display Phibun's picture at the end of every performance as if it were the King's portrait, and the audience were expected to rise and bow. Another aspect of Phibun's growing personality cult was becoming apparent in official décor. He was born in the year of the cock, and this symbol began to replace the wheel. Similarly Phibun's auspicious birth-colour, green, was used in official decorations.
It is almost noon. Nat is golfing so I was some time to write again. We went out last night. However, as Nat wore flip-flops, we couldn’t go to a club. So we were at a bar instead. Let me just say this: You gotta be jealous of Thai boys. Wow. Wow wow wow.
The ride to Bangkok was a bit funny, by the way. My friend has to use an old car at the moment as the newer one has to be repaired. However, the old one has a problem also; the lights don’t work. Luckily, the street had lighting. Still, my grandma should not hear from this ;-) She is worried enough. And after all, we arrived safely.
I also learnt something new which has to do with culture. Here in Thailand, it is rude not to talk to someone when you deal with him. By dealing, I mean things like ordering in a restaurant or having any other kind of interaction. Even if you speak English or German, just say something. Otherwise, you are considered somewhat weird. And do smile! It is curious as it is completely the other way round in Germany. If you speak a language that your conversation partner probably does not understand, like Spanish or Portuguese maybe, you should not simply start talking to that person. It is considered impolite to babble in a language that the listener doesn’t comprehend.
After going to the bar, we were a bit hungry. Luckily, there was still a restaurant open (2am). Have a guess – seafood! Nat ordered something interesting there. Solid pork blood. I tried it, too....distinctive taste. Distinctive. I was very glad with my shrimp fried rice, though!
Nevertheless, there is one issue in Bangkok that makes life a bit difficult (besides the obvious fact of the overwhelming heat): air quality. It really is a bit hard just to breathe when you are on the street. So there are not many people going by foot. They use the metro or cabs instead – and the tuk tuks for short distances.
Now I would like to give you some information about the history of Thailand. As I don’t have much time but yet think that the following is highly interesting and that people should know about it, I shall bluntly copy from Wikipedia. The text is about the time when Thailand became its name (it was called Siam before, as many of you probably know). What caught my interest was that this transformation was, in contrast to many other countries that suffered from colonialism, self-induced by the Thai leaders as an effort to westernize the society:
The military, now led by Major General Phibun as Defence Minister, and the civilian liberals led by Pridi as Foreign Minister, worked together harmoniously for several years, but when Phibun became prime minister in December 1938 this co-operation broke down, and military domination became more overt. Phibun was an admirer of Benito Mussolini, and his regime soon developed some fascist characteristics. In early 1939 forty political opponents, both monarchists and democrats, were arrested, and after rigged trials eighteen were executed, the first political executions in Siam in over a century. Many others, among them Prince Damrong and Phraya Songsuradej, were exiled. Phibun launched a demagogic campaign against the Chinese business class. Chinese schools and newspapers were closed, and taxes on Chinese businesses increased.
Plaek Pibulsonggram
Phibun and Luang Wichitwathakan, the government's ideological spokesman, copied the propaganda techniques used by Hitler and Mussolini to build up the cult of the leader. Aware of the power of mass media, they used the government's monopoly on radio broadcasting to shape popular support for the regime. Popular government slogans were constantly aired on the radio and plastered on newspapers and billboards. Phibun's picture was also to be seen everywhere in society, while portraits of the ex-monarch King Prajadhipok, an outspoken critic of the autocratic regime, were banned. At the same time he passed a number of authoritarian laws which gave the government the power of almost unlimited arrest and complete press censorship. During the Second World War, newspapers were instructed to print only good news emanating form Axis sources, while sarcastic comments about the internal situation were banned.
Also in 1939, Phibun changed the country's name from Siam to Prathet Thai, or Thailand, meaning "land of the free." This was a nationalist gesture: it implied the unity of all the Thai-speaking peoples, including the Lao and the Shan, but excluding the Chinese. The regime's slogan became "Thailand for the Thai."
Modernisation was also an important theme in Phibun's new Thai nationalism. From 1938 to 1942 he issued a set of twelve Cultural Mandates. In addition to requiring that all Thais salute the flag, know the National Anthem, and speak the national language, the mandates also encouraged Thais to work hard, stay informed on current events, and to dress in a western fashion. By 1941 it became illegal, among other things, to ridicule those who attempted to promote national customs. The programme also encompassed fine arts. Fiercely nationalistic plays and films were sponsored by the government. Often these depicted a glorious past when Thai warriors fearlessly gained freedom for the country, defended their honour, or sacrifice themselves. Patriotism was taught in schools and was a recurrent theme in songs and dances.
At the same time, Phibun worked rigorously to rid society of its royalist influences - traditional royal holidays were replaced with new national events, royal and aristocratic titles were abandoned. Ironically, he retained his aristocratic surname. Even the Sangha was affected when the status of the royally sponsored Thammayuth sect was downgraded.
Meanwhile, all cinemas were instructed to display Phibun's picture at the end of every performance as if it were the King's portrait, and the audience were expected to rise and bow. Another aspect of Phibun's growing personality cult was becoming apparent in official décor. He was born in the year of the cock, and this symbol began to replace the wheel. Similarly Phibun's auspicious birth-colour, green, was used in official decorations.
A night in Bangkok
Tag 5
I am in Bangkok now. Yippie! I have never been in such a big city before, besides NYC. It was amazing to just drive into it. Skycrapers all over the place, but not too many. The house of my friend’s parents is really cute. I live in his sister’s room – I hope, she doesn’t mind ;-)
Although it is late, we will go out a little in a few minutes. On the way to Bangkok, we came across a floating market which was rebuilt for tourists. There were shrines (in which you had to take your shoes off), many small souvenir shops and very few “real” floating merchants in their little boats. Was very nice to see.
I am in Bangkok now. Yippie! I have never been in such a big city before, besides NYC. It was amazing to just drive into it. Skycrapers all over the place, but not too many. The house of my friend’s parents is really cute. I live in his sister’s room – I hope, she doesn’t mind ;-)
Although it is late, we will go out a little in a few minutes. On the way to Bangkok, we came across a floating market which was rebuilt for tourists. There were shrines (in which you had to take your shoes off), many small souvenir shops and very few “real” floating merchants in their little boats. Was very nice to see.
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