Change of Plans

With the outbreak of the coronavirus in 59 countries, everyone has been extremely cautious and vigilant about traveling around outside. Public transportation has much fewer passengers and public spaces like restaurants, libraries, schools, and museums require temperature readings before entrance. My classes have all been canceled in favor of e-Learning to try to contain mass spreading of the virus. Supermarkets and pharmacies have experienced severe shortages of hand sanitizers, flu medicine, surgical masks, and instant food.  My friend and I went to the mall to try to purchase surgical masks a couple weeks ago, only to find long lines at pharmacies and shelves stripped bare. It seemed like a scene straight out of a zombie apocalypse movie and I can’t say that the public panic did not make me very scared and worried about choosing to continue my exchange program in Singapore. With all of my relatives in China and the fact that the United States is at least a 17 hour flight from here, I felt like I had no good options in dealing with the current situation. Having never experienced such kind of worldwide phenomenon before, I have learned a lot during the past couple of weeks. Seeing how governments worldwide are dealing with the outbreak, it really puts into perspective the relationship between citizens and their public officials. Singaporeans place strong trust in their government to track the virus and providing the necessary supplies for them. Mass panic has since abated as the Singaporean government keeps their citizens well-informed on new findings and people place trust in one another to go to the hospital immediately if they feel sick. Overall, I still feel pretty safe while in Singapore.

Despite it being my recess week, I’ve decided to cancel my plans to visit Malaysia and Bali. I actually have not traveled outside of Singapore yet, but in light of the current circumstances, it’s better to be safe than sorry. I have finally started traveling to less tourist locations within Singapore based on local recommendations and actually immersing myself into the true local culture. I ate my first plate of chicken rice at a hawker center, had kaya toast and milk tea for breakfast, and picked up some Singlish slang along the way. I definitely use the slang completely wrong,  evidenced by locals staring at me like I’m crazy when I try to speak Singlish, but it’s always fun to try. I’ve found that Singapore is a unique blend of high-rise skyscrapers and enormous, beautiful gardens interspersed throughout the city. Some districts within the city have their own culture, with Little India selling aromatic spices, Arab Street selling gorgeous light fixtures and colorful carpets, and Chinatown welcoming people to their Buddhist temples. It’s amazing how seamless the transition from industrial cityscape to two-story bakery shops to dramatic gardens is. I find myself falling more in love with this city everyday and I definitely encourage everyone to visit Singapore sometime!