Adapting to my Habitat

What a difference a few days makes; I have begun feeling at home on campus. I am finding my way around along with meeting people left and right. In one day I have become friends with Indonesians, a Vietnamese, a Thai, a Philippino, Malaysians, Indians, Chinese, and local Singapore natives. Singapore is in many ways the capital of Southeast Asia, and the top students from all of the aforementioned countries can study in Singapore on a government scholarship. The catch is that they must earn high marks and then work for three years in Singapore upon graduation. Given the stiff competition (for most international students this is their “way out” of the doldrums of their own country) and ubiquitous bell-curve grading scheme, earning high marks is a rarity.

My roommate is a fourth year Mechanical Engineering student from Indonesia. He is working on his final year project (FYP) and is usually at the laboratory until very late. I have been waking up at 5am and sleeping at 10pm so we have only had the chance to chat once. I have many questions for him about Indonesia given that it has the highest Muslim population on earth, it is lagging behind the rest of Southeast Asia in terms of economic growth, and there have been many bombings directed at Westerners in places like Bali.

One of the biggest differences between Singapore and the other places I have studied is how far away the United States is in people’s minds. Whereas China and Hong Kong are always in intimate contact with America, Southeast Asia is a world of its own. Basically, it is not developed enough yet for the average person to focus on the opportunities provided by western countries like America. Similar to how I once felt about Southeast Asia, most of America is no more than a place on a map with a few (largely skewed) mental images and a far-off feel.

This evening I went to the world’s only night-time safari on a university organized international students outing. Despite all the hype, I am afraid it was not as exotic as I was hoping for. In my mind, a safari is only exciting if there is action and the animals are in their natural habitat. Somehow winding through dark jungles and seeing animals across a pit does not feel real enough. Even the animals that came right up to the vehicles had a bored look that seemed to say, “I have seen people like you before.” With all of the U.S. grants, donations, and charities, the standard of American zoos are simply too high for other countries to compete with. I cannot wait until I travel to a nearby country and see the good stuff – men with their head in alligator mouths, feeding frenzies, cock fights, and so on.