So I realize that this is about a month late...

Hey! You're still here, awesome. Sorry for the delay on my last post! I have a large list of excuses of how busy I have been, of which I'll probably pepper in throughout the post. (And by pepper in, I mean front-load them all in the following paragraph) But I would like to start off by apologizing for the delay on this final wrap up.

I've been gone so long it almost merits a new introduction.

Hi, I'm Chris. I got this really cool watch lately, you should see it, I like it a lot. Oh also, I now work 3 jobs, one of which as the Director of an Ad Agency that I wasn't supposed to announce yet. So, shhhh. The first 3 chapters of my novel just went to editors so that's a big deal for a perfectionist like me. (Who spent a while deciding exactly how many "h"s should be in the previous "shhhh".) My new apartment doesn't have internet which is becoming much more of an issue than I previously anticipated. And last month, I got back from living in Singapore for half a year.

So this is it! This is my final wrap up and thoughts on my travels in Southeast Asia.

You can also see my posts on the Foster Study Abroad Blog.

Looking back at Singapore

As I look back at my time in Singapore, its difficult to pick some final thoughts to summarize everything I experienced. When people ask what my favorite part of the experience was, I tell them it was the traveling. I mean of course it was; Bali, Thailand, it's hard to beat that. But that's not where I lived or what most of my experience was. Singapore is a unique place and a unique way of living. It's something you have to experience to understand, and while I'm glad I got to experience the country, I'm very happy with where I live.

Singapore to me was my chance to see the world. I'm so happy that I got to see so much of that region just with one trip. There are things that I wish I had gotten a chance to do or see, but the trip is not one that I regret in anyway. Even throughout some of the stresses and hardships (4am skype job interviews during exam weeks are not the greatest) Singapore was a great experience and I'm so happy that I got to take part of a Study Abroad program. And if nothing else, I have a lot of crazy stories now.

Coming back to America

I had always heard before I left that "adjusting back is the hardest part", that the adjustment to home is much more difficult than adjusting to the foreign culture. In my experience, I found this untrue. When I came back, it was shocking how little had changed.

Upon returning to meet with my Study Abroad counselor, I did however discover an important fact: I passed all my classes! I even did fairly well in some of them! Even that one I was complaining about, you know, the one where people cried during the final? Yeah. I got average. And I've never been happier to be average.

One of the biggest helps to adjusting back was seeing my friends and family. Returning to cooler weather was a relief and the American food was very welcome. My first day back I had a few Dick's burgers and went to the Metropolitan Steak House, so I'm very ok with that.

The length of time was perfect. I felt ready to go back after one semester, and I met a lot of people who were there for a full year and they felt burnt out and ready to go home a few weeks into their second semester. This may just be specifically for a more fast-paced place like Singapore, which can take it out of you if you let it.

As for Study Abroad in general, I believe it can be one of the most valuable experiences in a college education. There's a lot more to life than what can be taught in a classroom and there is a lot more to the world than can be seen in your own home country. Study Abroad is a unique experience and anyone who is even remotely thinking about doing it should talk to me so I can convince you to go. (Or at least help you in any way I can)


So is this the end? Have we finally reached the conclusion to this tale?

Yeah, pretty much. Kinda anti-climactic right? I mean, it's not like I die after this. I'll go back to UW, back to my teaching job, and to the Ad Agency. I'll go back to hanging out with my really cool, totally not weird friends. I'll go back to working on my novel, staring hopelessly at my second symphony, and continuing to know too much about Star Wars.

But this is it for my travel blog, as I'm pretty traveled out for the next year or two I think. However, I have toyed with the idea of starting a new blog for my novel or just the countless sarcastic thoughts I usually try to keep to myself throughout the day. I'll keep you posted on that. Any updates on that will be on my Facebook or Twitter though, not here.

I'd like to say thank you to everyone for reading this whole time and bugging me when I took forever to post. Even that really long one with no pictures, thanks for reading that one.

So, without further ado, I shall finally put this URL to rest. Thank you all.

Until next time!

(I am an adult)

Finals, Bridges, and America. Plus that thing I forgot to tell you.

Oh hey there! Long time.

For those of you who don't know, I'm back in America now. I apologize for the lack of posting as of late. Unfortunately right as soon as finals were over I was swamped with packing, setting up my job, and taking care of my summer lease situation. But now that things have settled, I can recount a few things from my last week in Singapore as well as give a final thoughts blog post before I bring this travel blog to a close.

Finals. Well, final. I only had one during the actual "finals" week at the National University of Singapore. It was brutal, and while I wasn't one of the people who walked out in tears, there's not much that I actually want to recollect concerning it. It was exactly what I expected, which doesn't mean I did well, I just went in knowing that it would be rough. I can at least take solace in the fact that I think some of the locals were in the same boat as me. We'll see when the curve comes out I guess.

On a more lighthearted note, amidst packing, a broken laptop power cord, and an endless flood of emails I managed to get out of the house for a little bit to take an adventure to one of the only nature reserves in Singapore.

The MacRitchie Reservoir is surprisingly located in the middle of the island, and is a strange spot of nature that seems out of place in Singapore. It's a little difficult to find the first time, despite it's central location, but it is definitely worth a visit if you are craving some green while in the city. While some of it is constructed and a little fake, a lot of the actual nature is still in place, which is a rarity in Singapore. It's a great place to hike or run if you're there, however I don't recommend it for hot or humid days, as it was pretty rough heat-wise while I was there. While the entire reservoir is not exactly what you would call "isolated from the city" (parts of it we were not only next to paved streets, but walking on them) there were sections that were surprisingly secluded from the hustle and bustle of the city.

One of these secluded sections is also one of the highlights of the reservoir; Treetop Walk. This section is not only home to an obscene amount of stairs for how humid it was, but more importantly it has the suspension bridge, which was easily my favorite part of the hike. It was quite the bridge and quite the view; a unique experience to look out over some of the last remaining undeveloped nature in Singapore.

After the hike, the rest of my week was spent packing and preparing for the long trek home. After 12 hours in the progressively-less-exciting-over-time Changi Airport and a 18-hour flight through Tokyo and across the Pacific, I returned to America. It was quite a busy time for me as soon as I landed so I can't really say that I stopped to smell the freedom or anything like that. (Though I did have 3 cheeseburgers within an hour of landing)

I will be posting again within the next week (work schedule permitting) concerning my look back on the experience as a whole and my final thoughts as I wrap up this travel blog. My next post will also hopefully have links to the posts that I've sent to the Foster School of Business, we'll see.

Until next time!


Oh, PS:
Remember that whole section of the Bali trip where I had a secret project? Yeah, so, Bali is famous for coffee. But, it is also famous for it's silver jewelry. While I was in Ubud, I took a silversmithing class to learn how to craft silver jewelry. (Under heavy tutelage) It was an awesome experience and I highly recommend it. (it's on TripAdvisor for anyone interested) Unfortunately I was a little busy with bending, welding, and sanding hot silver so I wasn't able to take pictures while I made the piece. So here's an image I stole of Google from the same silver workshop! (Not me in the picture, I know you were confused)

Quest for the Black Sand Beach (Bali Part 2)

And so the adventure continues. We left our hero falling asleep on the drive from Kintamani to his next beach destination. (Read Part 1 if you haven't)


Padang Bai

Padang Bai is a fishing and Scuba village on the Southeastern coast of Bali. An interesting choice of location for me, as the village is used mostly as a pitstop for people traveling to Lombok and the Gili Islands, and for Scuba Divers. As I was neither, I got a chance to enjoy the quiet village, and the nearby beaches. It was the only city where I stayed two nights in and the quiet nature of the area allowed me to catch up on sleep and relaxation that I had been in need of for some time, especially right after my volcano trek.

One of my biggest adventures here, was the search for the Black Sand Beach.

I would first like to preface this adventure with this-- There are a number of black sand beaches in Bali that are A: Not in the region I went to, and B: Much easier to get to. If you are looking for one, I'd recommend West Bali or North Eastern Bali (Near Lovina or Amed). However, rumor on many of the travel sites that I went to, is that there are a few EXCELLENT beaches on Bali, both white sand and black sand, that have avoided heavy traffic. The have avoided the eye of tourists and remain local secrets by being either hard to get to or not directions not being publicized. These beaches are legendary and, if their secrets are kept, beautifully perfect for anyone who takes the time to look for them. Soka beach is one of such beaches somewhere along the Southwest coast that is now becoming less of a secret to exploring tourists, though still directions and exact locations remain relatively secretive.

So I will do my best to preserve what I found. Especially because there are not many black sand beaches in the Padang Bai area and it was quite the gem. I had heard that this relatively hidden beach was one of the best black sand beaches in Bali, but there was very little information, except for another blog that I found like this, describing their search for it.

I started my adventure by asking some locals in Padang Bai who ran restaurants and travel services. When I asked directions for "Black Sand Beach" (I don't think it has a name, it's just called "Black Sand Beach") many said, "You mean, White Sand Beach?". "White Sand Beach" used to be called "Hidden Beach", also known as Bias Tugal, it was once one of the more secretive beaches, a small cove that took an uphill hike and then a steep drop to get too. Now it is on many maps and decently trafficked. However, while I did visit this beach (it was pretty nice, though I think there are better white sand beaches on the island, if you are going, try to find a hidden one), I had my eyes set on the black sand.

Finally, one of the locals I talked to said he knew it and was willing to point me in the right direction. However, he decided to point West. Past White Sand Beach. Somewhere. And with that descriptive knowledge, I walked. After the first two hills and a little trailblazing, I started to regret my choice of flip flops, especially because of a few friendly snakes I encountered. But I trekked on. Using a few slightly overgrown paths, I found a road, and followed it past a few houses and up another hill. I won't put the exact location on here, but while it's quite a trek, it's not too hard to get to if you know where you're going which I now do. Message me if you are ever interested.

But after long last, I came up over the hill and saw it spralled out before me.

With a beach so big that I could see much of the Southeastern coastline, I'm not sure how it has remained a secret to tourists. When I arrived, there was one local fisherman on the beach holding a line in the waves and picking up little scraps of trash that washed up on shore. He grinned when he saw me stumble down the steep slope and onto the beach. Walking over to me he smiled and told me to walk near the water so that the waves would wash away my footprints. The beach was clear and pristine, black sand is truly something to see and I highly recommend a visit. It gives the beach this clear, untouched look.

Walking farther along as the sun went down, some locals came out from their homes nearby to eat near the beach. I walked over to a group of kids who came out to play soccer in the sand and had a great conversation with their teacher. They all looked amused to see a foreigner on the beach.

The beach was large enough that while some locals did come out to eat, play, and fly kites, there were stretches of the beach where I couldn't see anyone from where I walked. It was a huge highlight from the trip and my favorite beach in the world so far. If you go to Bali, don't just settle for the popular beaches, though they are nice, I recommend you at least look for one hidden one, it could make your trip.


Kuta

Finally, my trip came to an end with a night in Kuta, which is relatively near the airport and in the heavily touristed Southern part of Bali. I wanted a place that I could stay before my flight and also to experience what Bali was like in the heavily touristed areas. In my opinion, it didn't feel like the Bali I had come to know and love. Kuta reminded me a lot of other over-established, over-touristed areas of Southeast Asia (like downtown Phuket, but worse). Not to say that this is particularly a bad thing (especially if you like Magic Mushrooms, not my thing, but there are advertisements everywhere), Kuta is a great vacation spot, and excellent for tourists. Many shops and restaurants, and GREAT beaches, the region didn't get heavily trafficked for no reason. The hotels are great, and I actually welcomed the established nature of the place after my days of travel.

I caved and went to the Hard Rock Cafe. Don't judge me! I had to, I've been to them all over the US and now all over the world. Plus, I had a need for some really intense Western food, and a 10 ounce burger and a milkshake was perfect. I could actually go for another right now. The Hard Rock Cafe also has a resort attached to it that has very high ratings, as well as the number one family resort award on trip advisor. If you are coming with children, sticking to the touristed South may be a good idea and this hotel comes highly recommended.

While there are many beaches and sights to see in South Bali, I stuck to the beach and the restaurants and actually didn't get a chance to head out to other hot spots in the area. If I ever go back, I will hopefully check some of them out. Bali is one of those places where everyone who goes wants to go back, and there's no way you can see it all in one visit.


Well, there's much more I could say about the island; whether it's the technical stuff like the visa on arrival, or the subtleties like the extensive number of traffic weaving motorcycles throughout the island. But, I think I'll stop here, I've written a short novel, and I really should focus that effort on studying for my last final (or actually writing for my novel).

I have my last final coming up and I will be flying home again in 2 weeks. As my time here draws to a close, really all I have left is my birthday, this final, and then hopefully another trip where I hope to climb an actively erupting volcano if I can get the permits and the paperwork cleared in time. I'll keep you posted! It's crazy to think that my time in Asia has almost come to a close now, but I feel ready to come home. Exciting things to come, and I look forward to sharing my deep inner thoughts and beach adventures with you.

Let me know if you have any questions about Bali in the comments below, I'd love to talk about it more! Until next time!

Volcanoes and Good Coffee, what more do you need? (Bali Part 1)

Landing in Bali was an instant breath of fresh air (very warm fresh air) the second I stepped out of the airport. Feeling the weight of a stressful and high blood pressured Singapore and Presentation Week, reaching the island paradise was exactly what I needed. The people of Bali and the atmosphere were what struck me the most. While the island has embraced it's high tourism, it has managed to not succumb to many downsides that I've noticed in other places; the people are extremely friendly, not too pushy in my experience (especially compared to Thailand), and very accommodating to tourists. Even while chatting with my drivers about life and Bali as they politely honked their way through the busy streets (yes, polite honking is a thing apparently), I could see a different attitude among the people who interacted with tourists. It was refreshing.

And despite it's high tourism traffic, it wasn't difficult for me to find the less traveled areas of Bali in an attempt to get a taste for what all the island had to offer other than beaches and resorts (which are fabulous, don't get me wrong).

My Bali vacation has easily been one of the top highlights of my time abroad so far, and the bottom line to all of this is: GO! Bali is very diverse and will provide whatever kind of getaway you are looking for. I made it a point to see as much of Bali as I could in my short visit, and like most people who visit, I want to go back! There's so much of the island I didn't see, even though I spent my 6 days in 4 different regions of Bali. This will be a longer post, so I will split this into two parts; the first covering the first 3 days in Ubud and Kintamani, and the second covering the last 3 days in Padang Bai and Kuta. So let's get started!

Ubud

My first stop was the Biyukukung Suites in Ubud, a nice little accommodation in the heart of Ubud and nestled among a few rice paddies. Relatively cheap, but with great service and actually one of the better rooms that I stayed in over my trip. I had a wonderful conversation with the owner of the hotel for a good hour; discussing Singapore, America, Obama, world traveling, and life. Surprisingly wise words and a very friendly man, I highly recommend his place!

Ubud is a great center for arts and food. Hundreds of craft shops and cafes line the streets, and with it's central location in Bali, many stay here and schedule tours and travel to other parts of the island. I can't exactly share what my main reason was for coming to Ubud, as it involves a gift for someone who will read this, which I'm trying to keep a surprise. But, I will hopefully mention it in a future post, and if you have any questions, just message me. But if you find yourself asking "Huh, I wonder if I should do this thing in Ubud that looks pretty cool and is highly rated?" Do it. It's cool.

Aside from my secretive motives, I was also coming to try one of the highest rated coffee shops in Bali, and as someone who loves coffee and lives in Seattle: Wow. Easily some of the best coffe I've had. (and the iced coffee with a martini shaker? So smart, why haven't I thought of doing that?) In fact, when you're this close to Java, it was hard to have bad coffee in Bali, but this place took the cake for not only coffee, but atmosphere and style. It reminded me a lot of cafes in Bellingham or Seattle, just with crazy good coffee. (no hate, Northwest Washington, I miss your coffee, but this stuff was excellent)

(Best Coffee in a Jar I've ever had)

After a day in Ubud, I headed over to the Kintamani region. To travel in Bali, many use scooters or motorcycles. There are shuttle buses available, but run only once or twice a day at times that were not good for me (specifically early morning. I consider 9am early.) Bicycles can be used for shorter distances, but as I was covering most of the Eastern half of the island and I can't drive a motorcycle, I stuck to taxis and chartered transports. Compared to Singapore, taxis are very cheap, use the blue ones if you go. Private charter is what I used for most of my travels and it was very easy to find in all of my hotels and cities. It was also easier for me to schedule them when I wanted and while I had to pay another 10 or 20 dollars more at times, it was worth it for me.

In fact, while on my drive from Ubud to Kintamani, my driver took me to a great coffee shop where I got to try Kopi Luwak. It was great, even though I was very skeptical at first, wikipedia it and you'll see why. My driver no doubt got compensated by the company to take me to these places but in the end what does it matter. He even helped me schedule my climb in Kintamani, which was the main reason I traveled to that region.


Kintamani

I came for the volcano. As most who visit this region do, Mt. Batur is hard to miss here; it's the most active volcano on the island and one of the best climbs next to Mt. Agung (which takes multiple days and was unfortunately closed during April. Highest mountain in Bali though). There are a lot of issues on travel sites with climbing Mt. Batur, as you are forced to pay for a guide. The mountain trek is monopolized by one guide company who has grown accustomed to physically forcing trekkers to pay outrageously high prices for a guide. Some try without and their interactions with the agency and the guides can be borderline violent and ruin the trip, which I wanted to avoid. As it was something I really wanted to do, I was ok with the price (I paid close to $60 USD, which seemed about the average for my group, but I heard of people who got everywhere from $30 to $90). If you come expecting to be over charged, it really won't be an issue, and the currency exchange rate really helps put a damper on financial woes here.

I didn't let petty scams ruin the trip, and in my opinion the experience was well worth the money. My climbing group was made of 3 other travelers, we all met on the trip (except for two who met in another part of Bali) and together, we all came from 4 different continents, which was very interesting. Meeting people can be the best part of traveling and conversation was excellent between all of us and our guide, a local college student, was very friendly. We started our trip at 3am and climbed for 3 and a half hours to reach the summit by sunrise, and what a sunrise it was. The view was gorgeous and lent to many excellent pictures (I'll restrain myself to two, but there's more on Facebook). What was exciting to me was that not only did it provide an excellent view of the island, but you could see the coastlines of the entire Eastern half of Bali from that height, as well as Mt. Rinjani on the neighboring island. To add to the view of the neighboring islands and ocean was an excellent view of Mt. Agung and the scorched earth near Batur which was stained black from past eruptions. It was well worth the early morning and the hike. Not too difficult a climb, especially if you've had experience trekking or summiting before, though if I had climbed the mountain in the heat of the day, I might have had a little trouble.

(Just before Sunrise, Lake Batur and behind the near mountain you can see the top of Agung)

(Obligatory Sunrise photo, in the distance on the horizon line you can see Mt. Rinjani faintly)

Climbing Mt. Batur was easily one of the biggest highlights for my trip and got me even more excited about hopefully climbing more mountains and volcanos in the region. I stayed the night at Lakeview Hotel on the lake near the mountain, which boasted excellent views as well and afterwards headed off to the small coastal village of Padang Bai and the second half of my Bali vacation.

To be continued...

Ah, It Feels Good to be Back to the Normal, Unrelated Titles

Well hello there. I'd like to start off by saying thanks for putting up with that long essay that I posted, I actually got some great feedback and conversation from that. And thank you to the two readers who check my blog every day, even when I don't announce that I post, it's very sweet. (Mom and Dad, stop using Internet Explorer, I can track what browser you use) (Also to the people using safari... stop... even the iPhone has a Google Chrome app, you have no excuse)

Anyway, I digress. I promise I won't judge you on your browser choice.

Another week survived. It was touch and go with a few of the projects and presentations that were due this week, but with a little bit of the Team America Theme Song, I was able to pull through. (I mean I was called smartest person in the class by the professor. I'm not bragging or anything, I'm just saying what happened) (Marketing group, don't ruin this for me, let me have my moment) But despite all the school work, I took the time to reward myself a little this weekend before heading back into the fray of final projects and presentations.

This weekend was filled with great music. Friday night was spent at the Sultan Jazz Club. A wonderful little hole in the wall where I got to revive my love for jazz and relax after a very stressful week. Seriously, I miss jazz a lot, probably one of the only times in about 2 years that I've really missed improv jazz on my saxophone back home. It was a tribute night to the songs of Nina Simone, and I fan-girl yelled in the coolest, manliest way possible when the first few notes of "Feeling Good" came out of what really was a great jazz group. If you're not familiar with the song, google it, it's one of my favorites. (Yes, even if it is "mainstream" and Michael Buble did a cover of it, be quiet jazz hipsters, let me have my moment)

(Great atmosphere, Great crowd, Great Group)

The venue and the group were just what I needed after a long week and I had a wonderful night. I recommend this if you are a jazz fan and in Singapore. Which, I mean, is very unlikely that you are and reading this, but hey, who knows.

The following evening in my musical adventure of a weekend, I flipped to the opposite spectrum for a very different concert. I took a trip to the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, and even if you aren't into classical music, or symphonies, the Esplanade is a beautiful place to visit while in Singapore. The mall, the food and park area, as well as the indoor and outdoor theaters are great. The Esplanade concert hall is the location for the top performances in the country and is quite a beautiful building inside and out.

(It's the one that "Looks like Epcot at Disney" as my Dad said while my family was visiting)

The concert itself was great, and I had a wonderful time. But I mean, I'm into that kind of stuff. Great collection of pieces surrounding Turkish themes and colors. The program was mostly Mozart, but had a piece by Beethoven and one by Haydn. I do not remember the conductors name, though he was a very charming and reputable man I'm sure. (And yes, I'm too lazy to reach over and look at my program that I still have) However, the Violin Soloist I do remember. Jennifer Pike was phenomenal and after her performance in Mozart's concerto, and after a lot of applause, she graced us with a beautiful performance of "Partita No. 3" by Bach. Which I think she may have taken a few clicks to fast, but I mean hey, it was even more impressive that she played it impeccably. Easily one of the highlights for me, great violinist.

It was fun to change pace from a chill jazz club, where hooting and yelling in the middle of a song was encouraged, to a symphony hall where there were rules about applause. (Rules that always one person forgets, I mean come on, stop clapping in between the movements, his hands were still up and everything) But all in all, it was a great weekend. (Oooh, was that a little too 5-paragraph-essay-conclusion-sentence from elementary school? I think it was. Was I the only one who had to underline things like that in colored pencil?)

(My view before the concert began)

Thank you non-music people for enduring my slight nerd session over jazz and classical pieces. I promise I'll get back to more beaches and travels soon so you aren't bogged down by classical analysis and long essays on cultural differentiations. (Could have said differences, chose differentiations. Not sure why. Or if it's grammatically correct) In fact, I am just finishing up my reservations for my excursion across the island of Bali. I'll be traveling to 4 cities over the span of 6 days on the island, and I'm leaving next Sunday. Hopefully I'll get another post off before then, but we'll see.

It's crazy to think that I'm going into my last week of classes here. While I feel ready to go home, this has been quite an experience, and something that I've learned a lot from. As my birthday approaches and my time in Asia draws closer to an end, I hope that you'll indulge my sentimental-philosophical-inward-thinking-over-adjectived posts about life and crap like that. I might mix a few in there, in between the tropical islands and volcanoes. (Plus I have to figure out if I should keep blogging or not, but I mean, that's a whole different topic) But that might be jumping to conclusions a little too quickly, for now, I will continue to procrastinate on my studying and plan which beaches I'm going to lay down on.

Until next time!

Western vs. Eastern Education and a Sourced Excuse for Why I’m Failing Finance

Preview of what will hopefully/eventually be sent to the Foster website for publication. I'll post the link here when that happens. I think it still needs edits, but for now, enjoy my thought provoking, opinionated article. There are no pictures, I'm sorry, your normal programming will return next weekend.

Ok, so I’m not “failing” Finance per say, C’s get degrees as they say, but I know I’m not alone in looking at my own grades with an extremely critical eye. Many of us students spend our days and nights stressing and pulling our hair out over a number typically below 4 that we have deemed to be “a measurement of our future success and self worth as a student”. Recent trends in American Education and Societal values that I have experienced involve a high focus on grades. Before I left to study for half a year in Singapore, I heard more than once from people back home say, when talking about education on an international level, “Well, the rest of the world, like Asia, is getting smarter than us and we need to revamp the education system and get smarter so we can keep up!” (I’m paraphrasing, but you get the idea) This talk is being echoed in American Congress, most recently brought up over the proposition for universal preschool education, as presented by Obama. And while I do agree with the whole “revamp” part of this statement, there is something we need to keep in mind. What is our definition of “smart”?

Years and years of public school have trained me to start off the second paragraph with a quote from Miriam-Webster, stating the “dictionary definition of smart”. But I’m not going to do that. I Googled “Intelligence” instead. And what I found was insanely vague, something about learning and stuff. But it doesn’t really matter what a dictionary says about intelligence and learning, because it is defined differently across the world. A brilliant book that I recently read excerpts from (I’m not going to lie and say I read it all) written by Jin Li titled Cultural Foundations of Learning: East and West, has some great insight on how the two cultures view education and the learning process very differently. (There’s a great NY Times article on the book if you’re looking for a quick summary, Google “The Learning Virtues”)

Jin Li says that Westerners define learning in a cognitive focus; learning is what you do to “understand and master the external world”. Easterners on the other hand take a moral focus and “see learning as an arduous process you undertake in order to cultivate virtues inside the self”. In elaboration, Westerners approach material with active learning and curiosity over certain subject matters. The Western concept of the “Eureka!” moment where you gain sudden understanding is very different from Eastern ideas of the arduous and ongoing process of understanding. Easterners tend to focus on the learning process itself as a source of virtue and morality alongside “intellectual” materials.

But if I learned anything from B CMU 301, it’s that personal experience provides much better ethos than quoting someone else. I am currently in Singapore studying for a semester, and with Singapore being a strange influx of Western themes into a very Eastern culture, I’ve seen this cross-cultural education focus create some interesting situations. For example: my Finance grade.

First off, for those who aren’t aware, I was surprised to see just how much Eastern students study. It was frightening at first, and while I used to love the curve (it carried me through Financial Accounting) now it has become a thing that I fear greatly. But after talking to some students here, they say they study not because they need to understand the material, but because it is a part of the time and effort commitment they have made to the class and the learning process. Which is a lot different from why I study.

Furthermore to explain our different mentalities; one day in Finance the professor mentioned that our next exam would have more long response questions as opposed to quantitative problems. This was met with a small cheer from the Western students that was drowned out in a sea of sighs from the Eastern students. After some discussion, we found that most of the Western students felt much more comfortable with essay questions and short answer problems that focus on cognition and application of big ideas and problem solving. In contrast, the Eastern students were much more inclined to formulaic and qualitative questions that relied on strong base knowledge and memorization. Pulling us back on track to our coursework, the TA then asked what the difference was between public stocks and bonds. For those who don’t know, there are a lot of differences that you could say. The interesting thing is that the Eastern students jumped to the formulaic differences and the taxation details, where as the Western students focused on the different impacts they had on both the company and the shareholder. The trend showed up again: formulaic vs. cognitive.

While most of these observations are solely meant to be thought provoking, they do not hold a political or cultural inner message or preference. And while I believe no one person who reads this is ever going to be in a position to alter the course of American Education, there are a few take-away points that I'd like to mention just to get those wheels turning as you go through your life. And I’m not above standing on a small internet soapbox to preach an opinion that, while not universally correct, has important themes that we should focus on when thinking about education; being it that of ourselves or others.

Take-away Number One: If you are planning to study abroad cross-culturally either way, keep this in mind throughout your studies and your time there. It’s great to learn another way to approach education and I’ve learned a lot while I’m here. And while this observation isn’t universally constant, it is widespread that you may run into it and it could cause problems if you are not ready for it.

Take-away Number Two: Take a class that involves creativity! Or please, engineers doodle in your notebook or something (Take that creative design class, I hear its good). I’m a little biased as a marketing/writing/music focus, but I’m telling you that a creative outlet of some kind can help you a lot in your learning process. Plus it can lower the stress level that we all face when struggling to keep up that all-important-but-not-actually-life-threatening GPA. And for the love of all that is holy, stop cutting arts programs from high school schedules. (Or college for that matter) Do me a personal favor and take an art class or something. I don’t care if you or your parents think it’s a waste of time, at least doodle in that Accounting book before you keel over out of sheer boredom. (Come on, even you accounting majors can’t think its that interesting)

Take-away Number Three: The last take-away is the most important, and has to deal specifically with business. Western students and business leaders should focus less on trying to play ball in another culture’s court. Asia’s high educational dedication and standards should not be this new bar that we have to reach. It’s a cultural difference that has existed long before we ever realized it in the current generations. American business students, I want to talk to you for a second. (Sorry everyone else, I love you all the same)

Business Week posted on their website a list of the “100 most globally recognized brands”. These represent the top companies of the world that have projected their ideas globally into all cultures. One of the most prudent trends that I found in their data was that 51% of these companies were based in the US. 51%. Out of the entire world, America houses more globally recognized brands than all other countries combined. I see this number and I wonder; why are we trying to compete in a game of test scores when we boast some of the most innovative and entrepreneurial minds in the world today? Rather than focus on boosting that GPA, come up with a brand new idea. So please, fellow business school students: don’t enter the professional world expecting to use that test score you got, or that definitely-less-than-four number you have on your transcript. If we’re talking meta, (and we are, because I’m writing this) play to your strengths, don’t try to conform your education or your professional endeavors to compete in an area you are weak in. 

The grade does not make you "smart", that's not what smart means. We define "smart" just like we define graduation requirements and standardized testing. It's why those tests don't always work, and it's why GPA's aren't a measure of worth. Should you still study? Yeah, probably. Is getting good grades great? Yes. Is getting bad grades a reflection of your self worth? No. Calm down.

When thinking about how to make education better (whether it's the entire system, or your own personal education) fostering creative ideas is a part of Western culture, and straying to far from that could be what's making us "fall behind" in some peoples eyes. American business leaders, scientists, and creative thinkers have a history of innovative and powerful ideas that have gone on to make a name for themselves on the international level. And students, you’re not going to be counted among them by worrying about your Finance grade.

This article was written as self-administered validation and therapy and also includes insights to some of what I have learned in my time studying in Asia. I’m going to go study now.

I will be back to my usual posts next weekend, have a great week! Until next time!

Can you paint with all the colors of the wind? I can.

This past weekend, among group projects, working on my book, and watching "A Very Potter Musical" for the first time (Seriously, just search it on YouTube if you haven't watched it, it's a winner. Yes, I'm like 4 years late to this party, I realize this. But hey, nobody was around so I sang Tangled and watched the musical. Sue me.) I also went to a Holi Party on St. John's Island.

St. John is a small island off the Southern coast of Singapore, a quick 15 minute boat ride away from the Marina. We had a blast and were there for 6 hours! It was my first experience with a Holi Festival and it was a great one. (Though I'm having trouble getting some of the colors out) For those who don't know what a Holi Festival is, click here

(I changed colors frequently, this was when we got attacked by orange and pink. More on Facebook)

Many of you will recognize it as a "color festival", there's a few great videos on YouTube is you want a better idea of what happens (Here's probably the best one) and it was a blast! I highly recommend finding one either in your area, or if you are traveling in Asia in the Spring, definitely try to go to one!

With only one month of school left, projects and final exams are picking up. I have a very busy few weeks coming up, but I'm looking forward to some great things too! (Including BALI!) My family is coming this next week and I will be showing them around Singapore and then we will head over to Bintan in Indonesia for some beach time.

My blog has just been contributed to the Singapore Memory Project as well, so it will be available on their website shortly, I'll post the link here when it is. Their project is collecting stories of Singapore as a national initiative, and I'm happy to contribute what I can to it. I even got a badge for it:

I'm still working on a post about education here and working on some blog posts for the Foster School of Business Study Abroad Blog, I'll post them here as well when they are finished (Or at least post links here). But for now, if you'll excuse me I have to go work on group projects, sing more very manly songs, and try to figure out how to get this color out of my white sheets.

Until next time!

100 years passed and my brother and I discovered the new blog post...

Why the hell did I pick that title? Points for getting the joke and not thinking I'm a complete dork. Anyway... moving on.

Well hello there! It's been a long time hasn't it. I'm sure we've all changed over our time apart, but I think we can get along just the same as we did in the old days. You know, back when I posted regularly.

Sarcasm aside, I do apologize that I have been absent from posting, once again I am still alive (though barely, my current GPA projections aren't looking too pleased after that bout of midterms I just crawled through) But I'm back on top and I mean who can complain on a tropical island. (I can, too many bugs and humidity, beaches aren't bad though) But more on how I'm going to fix my regular-posting-issue after this small anecdote that has been long overdue.

Over the week I got the chance to experience part of the Marina Bay Sands Hotel. One of the most popular and recognizable pieces of architecture in Singapore and by far one of the most expensive hotels in the country.

(It's the big one with the boat on top, also next to the science museum and Avalon Night Club)

I got a chance to look around the shopping on the ground floor and then I rode the elevator to the top to spend a wonderful evening in the "SkyPark" of Marina Bay Sands. The skypark houses an observation deck, a restaurant, an all-you-can-eat chocolate buffet, a night club, and the famous infinity pool (Which is reserved for Hotel Guests only)

I recommend coming in the evening if you simply want to visit the SkyPark (If you actually fork over the money for a room here, spend all day in that pool, it's worth it). The view is better at night in my opinion, and the night club and chocolate bar are only open in the evening. While the view is splendid (though I was spoiled by 1-Altitude's much higher view) and the night club is pretty chill (much more lax than other clubs in the area), I came for the chocolate.

The all you can eat chocolate bar did not disappoint. For $38 (alcoholic beverages are a little more, though coffee is free) (Not that I ordered alcohol, Mom.) you get access to as much as you can eat of the 50+ chocolate desserts. The desserts span in quality from small cookies all the way to fine mouse, and while the quality is not exactly the highest in the world, it's all you can eat and in my opinion, well worth the cost. Definitely spend time in the skypark though if you have the reservation to the buffet, as it costs money to get in unless you have the reservation. (Making the cost a lot more reasonable) And my biggest reccomendation is don't eat dinner before you go! You'll regret it when you're there.

I'm going to be staying busy with school here, classes are proving to be challenging and I'll talk about that in a later post. (I have a post that I'm working on about education and ethic differences, but I'm taking my time with it because I'm sending it to the Foster School of Business Website too). However, I do plan on keeping a regular update schedule until I leave Singapore (I'm only here another 7 weeks, it's crazy). I will be posting every weekend from here on out, most likely either Saturday or Sunday (my time, not yours). You can look forward to posts about the Jazz Club I'm checking out here, Shopping in Singapore, and 3 trips to Indonesia including Bali and hopefully summiting two volcanoes!

Thanks for your continued reading! And I look forward to sharing more of my adventures here with you! Until next time!

Thailand in One Blog Post

Ok, prepare yourself. This one is a long post, but stick with me on it. I know that I haven't posted in a while, thank you for all the kind messages of "Why is there no post about Thailand yet?" and "Did you die?" No, I didn't die and this is delayed due to a combo of a horrible midterm and me actually doing re-writes on my book (Yay).

Here we go:

Last week was our Mid-Semester Break. It's hard to believe I'm already pretty much halfway through my adventure here. For break, I spent a week in Thailand, staying in two major cities, each for about 3 nights. Phuket and Bangkok. So I'll break it up into two sections.


Phuket

My favorite of the two trips was to Phuket. Located on the West side of the peninsula in South Thailand, Phuket has wonderful beaches and is next to one of the best bays that you will find in Thailand as well as some excellent islands. While the city itself is not what I expected, it was still my favorite location I've been to so far (besides Singapore). What made this trip so great were two things: exploring the islands near Phuket and Patong Beach.

When it comes to island adventures near Phuket, a very common destination is the Phi Phi grouping to the South. While it does come highly recommended by many of my friends and I may want to visit it at some point, we opted for a different kind of adventure. John Gray's Sea Canoe company is a sea canoe tour that lasts a full day (or more if you want/are on a honeymoon), and I can't say enough great things about this company and the experience of their program "Hongs by Starlight".

(Laying down to enter a cavern. A lot more pictures on Facebook!)

(A secluded beach on Hong Island)

Between canoeing through bat-infested caverns that are only accessible through certain tide times, and having to lie down in the canoes as rock ledges pass over you to enter beautifully secluded lagoons, the sights were nothing less than amazing. In addition, the guides themselves were friendly and hilarious (Including pretending to be pirates with us), the food they served was amazing, and the sights they showed us were spectacular.  I highly recommend their company if you are looking for some great sights in Southern Thailand, well worth the money.

Patong Beach is the main beach of Phuket, and while it is a beautiful and large beach with sun, sand, and activities, it is infested with tourists. Typically I would try to avoid something like that, but flights into Phuket are cheaper than any other airport in Southern Thailand, so money is money. And when it comes down to it, I just needed a day on the beach. (I mean who can complain)

(The makings of a good day on Patong Beach)

Phuket as a city is alright I would say. Not in any way astounding, although the interesting Nightlife and wonderful Thai Massages are enjoyable (Literally hundreds of massage places, like more than there are coffee shops in Seattle). If I ever went back to Southern Thailand, I would really like visit one of three places however, so just advice for you future travelers: Koh Samui (Ang Thong National Park), Koh Phi Phi, and Krabi.


And now... Bangkok.

I'm not going to say too much about Bangkok. But, I do have to give a shout-out/recommendation to the amazing bike tour we had. What an amazing way to spend our first evening! Biking through the streets of Bangkok (though a little challenging at times) and being shown the sights all by an amazing guide (Getting a local to show you around is the way to go). Grasshopper Adventures is the name of the company, and its a must in my opinion if you are visiting the city even for a short time.

(Temple of Dawn on the Bike Tour)

Ok... Bangkok. Honestly, not my favorite city in Southeast Asia, I'm a little biased towards Singapore however. If I had one tip for tourists (especially if you are white) it's this: you will get ripped off. Be careful. Haggle as much as you can and always ask for metered taxi. But it's going to happen regardless, sorry about that. I pretended to only speak Spanish one time, but that only helped a little bit. Also, Tuk Tuk's. While they are a cool form of transportation (Little motorbike/cart things), they will over charge you like there's no tomorrow. Be careful about that too.

That being said, the shopping in Bangkok is excellent ($20 knock-off Diesel watch... I'll tell you it's real if you ask me though). We spent a majority of our shopping time at MBK mall. Great place, lots of shops, and if you're willing to haggle and look around, you can get great prices.

(Street markets like this are also great places to shop if you can haggle decently)

We also visited the Royal Palace (Oh, side note  we were very close to seeing the King at the hospital, but unfortunately we barely missed him while biking through) but as far as the Royal Palace goes, it's kind of a waste of time if you aren't planning on paying to get the full tour (which we weren't) however there are great markets around the Palace that we found for food. If you do go, note this: everyone outside the gate is lying to you. It's not closed, you need proper attire but it's offered free inside, no there are no fees, closures, or entry barriers. Just saying, it will happen.

And then that brings us to the Nightlife. There's nightlife, and that's all I'm going to say. Bangkok is... well Bangkok. If you do plan on going out: be safe and research where you want to go.

Would I go back to Bangkok? No, I've seen it once, and while I think it was a good life experience, it's not really my scene. If I ever go back to Thailand it'll be for an island or a beach :)


So there we go, that is my super-condensed version of what my trip was. Sorry for a lack of humor/blowing through topics. I covered many main points but I left a lot out as well, just for the sake of time (Including a museum of dead people, Phuket city details, restaurants, and housing arrangements in both cities). Let me know if you have any follow up questions (send them on here or facebook, cause apparently I suck at Twitter) I'd be happy to go into detail or let you know about some of the other things I did/saw.

This week will be mostly school work, but coming up in the next month I'm continuing to explore Singapore (Jazz clubs, Night clubs, and Chocolate Buffets) as well as lots of school and work on my book. I'll keep you updated!

Until next time!

Muffins, Spitting Game, and Sprinting Over International Borders

Buckle up boys and girls, these travel entries may be long.

This weekend we took a wonderful 2 day trip to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Now I say wonderful very loosely, and I would like to describe why in the form of a story:

Once upon a time, there was a man named Chris. One day, when Chris arrived at the train station for the last train to KL at 11:30pm, he realized that he left his passport back in his room which was a 30 minute cab ride away. The train left in an hour meaning that he would make it back just in time to watch the train pull out of the station. But Chris, he was a stubborn lad, he said "Nay!" and jumped into a cab. 30 minutes later, he jumped back into the same cab at his dorm with his passport, and said "Back to the station my good man!" but the cab driver said, "But lo Christoffe! The train willest be leaving in a mere 30 minutes and there is still immigration and the ticket line, we'll never make it." Our brave hero Chris then spake saying: "If you can get me there in half the time, I'll double the rate I pay you."

What then ensued was little short of the craziest cab ride I've ever had. I didn't know a cab could fit between two motorcyclists like that. But story doesn't end there. While my cab driver was awesome and cut a 30 minute drive in half (earning him $60), I arrived just in time to watch everything close up as the train began leaving. But I wasn't about to be stopped now. After finding the next station that the train would be at, I decided to make a run for it. The next station happened to be across the water... in Malaysia. Some random 3 minute bus ride, 2 hopped fences, and a sprint to the finish later; I ran through Malaysia customs and onto the train to KL, to the surprise of my entire group. Hence this picture.

After a wonderful night train (I recommend it for easy and cheap travel, though bring a blanket and headphones, it's a lot colder and louder than you'd think) we arrived in KL where we took off to see Batu caves before too many tourists arrived. The public transport in KL isn't bad, though its nothing compared to Singapore, which I am convinced is probably one of the greatest public transport systems in the world. The Batu Caves are beautiful on the outside and the steps are amazing, but the inside is fairly plain,  you're only going to spend a little bit of time there if you go, but it's worth seeing. 

(Batu Caves, Lots of Steps)

Another must-see are the Petronas Towers. While it does have a fee to travel all the way to the top, it's one of those things that you need to see in KL, even if it's just from the courtyard out front. There's also food and a mall inside the lobby, making it a great evening dinner spot. We were fortunate enough to get a great hostel in a prime location within walking distance of malls, food, and the towers. The hostel was wonderful as well, and we met some very friendly people who were staying there as well. It's called Sunshine Bedz, they're great people and I highly recommend it! Tell them Chris sent you and they'll look at you strangely and not do anything special for you. Or they might, I dunno, they were nice.

(Petronas Towers, hard to get in one picture)

The next day, before leaving we hit up one of the Mega-Malls in KL. And they are mega. There are hundreds of shopping areas in KL, and I definitely recommend a visit to "Mid Valley Mega Mall". There is a bunch of food, and shops from department store to designer and everything in between. There I was able to get a private designer vest for a great price thanks to the currency exchange and the saleswoman who was hitting on me. After asking mildly suggestive questions about myself and when I was leaving the city, she ended up giving me 20% off... because I spit mad game. We shopped for a few hours, ate some delicious food. I had a muffin, it was sub-par. And then we left!

Great trip overall! Except for the fact that I came directly back to a midterm at 9am and another that I should be studying for right now. But I haven't posted in a while and I needed to tell all my stories before I get more in Thailand!

We'll be heading to Thailand this Sunday and we'll be in Phuket and Bangkok all week, I look forward to telling you all about it when I get the chance! 

Until next time!

(Hey, my title was relevant this time)

Was going to be relevant title, but then I was all, "Chris, that's not your style."

Happy Chinese New Year! This weekend has been great so far! Festivities have taken over the city and I get the next two days off of classes, not too much to complain about there. (Except the rain, I can complain about that. But hey, it's monsoon season, what do you expect.)

(Fireworks in Marina Bay)

On Saturday, Marina Bay was where the party was at for Chinese New Year. Well actually not true, if you are a white tourist who showed up for that day only, then apparently the party was at Chinatown. We visited for a little bit because we heard there was a show, but we were met with a Disneyland-style line to even get out of the MRT (subway) station. Once we got out we found that not a whole lot had changed about Chinatown from earlier in the week, except for the fact that there was a street show that we couldn't see and thousands upon thousands of people.

So to re-clarify, Marina Bay was where the party was at for us.

There was a wonderful set-up on the far side of Marina Bay in by the Helix Bridge with wonderful illuminated decorations, fair food (and even rides), a stage with performances, and just a lot of cool things to take pictures of and to enjoy until the fireworks started. The fireworks were amazing and were shot off in the very center of the bay. I bet it would've looked cool from 1-Altitude or the SkyPark in Marina Bay Sands. In fact, there were events and sights to see all around the bay (including an outdoor jazz concert), but we spent most of our time near the main set up.

One of the many cool illuminated exhibits at the street fair in Marina Bay was a gated off pile of oversized coins. Hanging in the spaces of the coins from different angles were bells, each bell had a meaning to them (Body, World Peace, Children, ect.) and if you threw a coin from outside the gate and hit the bell, you would bring luck to that particular area. I'm interested to know how much was collected because it turned into quite the money sink for the group I was with.

(Didn't hit the "World Peace" bell, sorry, looks like that's not happening this year. My bad.)

After the fireworks at midnight (which were spectacular) we headed back to campus. Over the entire night, while we did visit Chinatown, we spent a majority of our time in the Marina Bay area (specifically on the Marina Bay Sands side). If you happen to be in Singapore for Chinese New Year ever, I recommend spending your time in Marina Bay, there is more to do, great fireworks, and it's a lot less crowded. While you should visit Chinatown while you are here, do what I did and go when it is less crowded. You'll miss the show that they have in Chinatown, but in my opinion Marina Bay is good for New Years Eve, while Chinatown should be seen during the week. (So you can peruse the shops and by things you don't need)

The next day, we had a wonderful little potluck where a few of my friends and I got together to cook too much food in one of the dorm kitchens. It was a lot of fun, and especially handy because many stores and restaurants are closed on Chinese New Year. Plus, I got to make pasta, and I really missed pasta.

I plan on celebrating my next few days off by spending a lot of time in Starbucks working on some things (re-writes on my book, homework, ect.) and just enjoying way too many shots of espresso. I'd actually like to start collecting questions (about Singapore, my trip so far, study abroad, all that jazz) that you guys have for me and I can do a Q&A post eventually where I answer them (on a rainy day when things get boring and I'm not laying on a beach). 

So drop me a question on the comments below, to my Facebook, or to my Twitter (@thechrismorgan). I look forward to answering them!