Singapore

Sorry I didn:t post yesterday and sorry for the punctuation in this post. The keyboard is all backwards and I don:t know which buttons do what! The keys aren:t arranged differently, they are just programmed differently. Right now it is 7:40 a.m. on Saturday morning in Singapore. We are 12 hours ahead of the US. The weather here is very very humid. I have never experienced humidity like this in my life. When we arrived in Singapore and stepped out of the airport the humidity took my breathe away. It can be suffocating. There is no point in fixing your hair or wearing makeup. Dr. Kennan said he lost 10-12 pounds the last time he was here, so this may be the most expensive diet I:ve ever tried!

We are staying in a hostel called Sleepy Sam:s. It is right beside a mosque. Our first night here I woke up at 5 a.m. to this deep and loud chanting. At first I didn:t know what was going on, but then I remembered the mosque right beside of us. It was a prayer chant. It was kind of calming and lulled me back to sleep.


Yesterday we spent most of the day just walking and walking and walking around Singapore. The city is very nice. It doesn:t smell, there isn:t liter all over the place, it is a very clean and safe city. One of our taxi drivers told us some of the laws in Singapore. If anyone is caught possessing marijuana the sentence is... death by hanging. If anyone has cocaine, the sentence is... death by hanging. The laws apply to Singaporeans and travelers too. I asked about jaywalking, because that will be the only crime I will commit while here. There is a fine for that, but no death by hanging! Guns are not allowed, even for recreational use. However, police officers can have guns. He said women have more power than men, which I love! Recently a man was fined $6000 and received jail time for grabbing a woman:s behind in a club. Several Singaporeans have told us the city is the safest in the world. You can walk through the city at any hour and not worry about anything. Don:t worry mom, I won:t be out walking the streets at 2 a.m. even if this is the safest city!




We met with a graduate student at the University of Singapore. He talked to us about the history of Singapore and public relations in Singapore. Singapore is not big on preservation. The student told us the government will easily knock down older buildings to build newer more attractive buildings and businesses. If you can give up your civil liberties for economic growth then Singapore is the place for you, but if you are a give me liberty or give me death type of person then Singapore isn:t for you. I think I:m a liberty or death type of person. The government has a lot of control over the press and media. A lot! The can detain someone without trial for pretty much as long as they want. The longest someone was held without trial was thirty years. From my understanding, the press is privately owned, but controlled heavily by the government. There are very strict laws as to what can be published.



Last night we went to China Town in Singapore for dinner. I had some type of meat on a stick, which was too spicy so I gave it away and some type of dough ball filled with crab, octopus and prawn. It was pretty good. I:m really excited about trying new food during this trip. While we where in China Town I saw everyone drinking this white drink and I wanted to try it. I eventually saw a vendor with this white drink so I got a cup. I think it was some type of soy milk, but Meghan joked and told me it was probably breast milk and after that I couldn't drink anymore!

I:m trying to post pictures, but this computer is not cooperating. I will find another computer and try again later. Today we are meeting with some people to learn more about public relations and communication in Singapore. Tomorrow we head to Kuala Lumpur!

Thats all for now.