Happy Chinese New Year! Part 1
Chinese New Year eve started on Jan 31 (Monday) and was celebrated from Feb 1 to Feb 2 (Tuesday to Wednesday). From Monday majority of the stores here closed early and would remain closed during the CNY days. There were also no classes on those days. So many exchange students like myself, stocked up on groceries beforehand. On Monday I was fortunate enough to be invited to CNY dinner at a family friend's home. She showed me a local tradition of tossing salad which guarantees prosperity and good fortune for the new year. The salad is made up of shredded vegetables, toppings, fish, and dressing which each represents a different meaning associated with good fortune. For example having something orange/red such as carrots or radish means "good luck is approaching" or wonton crackers means "flooded with gold". This dish can be catered or prepared, but once the ingredients are assembled, everyone with their chopsticks in hand will toss the salad and recite phrases of good fortune such as "新年快樂 (xin nian kuai le: happy new year)，身體健康 (shenti jiankang: blessed with good health)，恭喜發財 (gongxi fa cai: may you prosper)，萬事如意 (wan shi ru yi: all your dreams come true)“. The food was delicious and in the end I received two red envelopes (also called "hong bao" 紅包🧧) from my aunty and her sister in law. Envelopes are usually given to children or younger people by married couples.
Chinatown for CNY
On the second day of the CNY break, my friends and I decided to spend a day in Chinatown to see if they had any festivities. We first ate dinner at a Vietnamese restaurant that interestingly always had people taking a picture in front of the restaurant's sign. Then we visited a Buddhist temple decorated with red lanterns and is surrounded with flowers and displays that light up during the night.
Museum Day!
My friends and I planned to visit the National Gallery Singapore again because the first time we weren't able to see all the exhibits but, mistakenly we went to the National museum of Singapore. Although there was a mixup, it was interesting reading and seeing Singapore's history from the British colonization to the invasion by Japan's Imperial army. Each exhibition had a specific theme and background sound effects that related to the artifacts within it which made me feel like I was in that time period. Along with artifacts there were also poster boards of recent world events to see and read about. After the national museum we headed over to the national gallery and looked at a exhibit created by Singtel (a phone company in Singapore). The exhibit was called "The Future is Now" and it featured many old televisions and photographs. Some were made into robot sculptures, others we could interact with such as in the bottom right photo.
Cycling Trip
After the CNY dinner with my aunty, she let me borrow one of her son's skateboards! I was very excited to use it, because I liked to use my penny board back at home and now I can continue skating here. I decided to take it out to a cycling/skate path at a place called East Coast Park which is next to the east coast of Singapore. From there people can ride to other connecting districts. So with some friends, two of which rented a bike we traveled all the way to Marina Bay. This day was on the 1st day of CNY, so there were many families and gatherings at the park and the pathways were pretty much crowded as well. We first stopped at a part of the park that has a fun looking path that had multiple humps and we attempted to go through it. One of my friends made it over with a bike but I only made it over the first hump with a bike. Then from there we started our journey to Marina Bay which took about 2 hours within a 10 miles distance. It was interesting to be traveling to another part of Singapore that way and observing its scenery that we don't see everyday. But, my feet did ache from time to time while skating because not all parts of the pathway were smooth, so next time I'll use a bike!
Botanic Garden
The botanic gardens is one of many other places that you should visit when in Singapore. Other than being a great park to take a walk at and see the different plants, there is also restaurants and gift shops. We entered a specific exhibit called orchid garden that required an entrance fee and for students it was $1. Past the entrance the place was full of different types of beautiful orchids of all color and sizes. Below are some of my favorite orchids!
CNY Part 2!
This dinner wasn't done on the usual days of Chinese New Year (CNY) and instead was on the weekend. My friend Alexis who is also Singaporean welcomed me and a few other exchange students (from France, Poland, and the US) to her home to have dinner with her family. Her mother cooked a delicious meal and we participated in a common CNY tradition of tossing salad. The dinner was a nice experience and her whole family was very informational and welcoming. We were as interested in learning about their country as well they were learning ours. After dinner I learned how to play mahjong for the first time. There were many rules that I had to follow but, after a few rounds I think of got the hang of it. It's a intense game and I'd say requires concentration and strategy to win. The night ended with Alexis's mom handing each of us a red envelope (also called "hong bao" 紅包🧧) that contains money and two oranges to symbolize prosperity!
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