Fish Eye of Truth

Fun fact: Did you know that popular American Chinese food dishes, such as General Tsao's (or Tso's) Chicken and Lo Mein, don't actually exist in real Chinese cuisine? Also, fortune cookies are not a part of Chinese meals. In fact, those cookies are not of Chinese origin, but of Japanese origin.

Singapore is well known for its fusion of Chinese, Malaysian, and Indian dishes, but if you do some digging you might be able to find authentic foods, or at least as close as ya gonna get, as if you were in that very country. After walking through all of the Chiinese restaurants I could find in Chinatown, Singapore (the closest I will get to China this summer), I figured that I might happen across some delish Chinese dishes that I am used to seeing in America, such as the flavorful Lo Meins and Teryaki Chicken dishes. I looked and looked with no success--not a "Tsao" or "Mein" in sight--but I still perservered. I decided to bug my Chinese buddies that I met here in Singapore about food comparisons in America and China, and they pretty much solidified the cuisine conundrum.

Come to find out, most Chinese people do not like to cover chicken in breading and teriaki sauce because the dish is too heavily laden. American style Lo Mein is also non-existant in China for reasons I can't even explain. What I do know is that Chinese Lo Mein is actually just plain noodles cooked in hot water that can come with shrimp and vegetables--not noodles doused in oil and savory sauces, even though it is good nonetheless. It was funny because I asked a Chinese restaurant clerk for Lo Mein and he just stared, gave me a perplexed look and laughed out loud. I will never look at American Chinese food the same way again.

Tonight, I went to a traditional Chinese home-style restaurant with a few of my co-workers and it was QUITE an experience! The food was actually served in big portions, but not American single-serve portions, these were meant to be shared by everyone at your table. For example, everyone will grab food from one big platter of, lets say, Oat Fried Prawns (shrimp, and very good) and place it on their own plate of white rice. So we ordered five huge platters (Hong Kong-style Medium size grouper, Thai-style Fried Chicken though not Chinese, Kangkong vegetables, and Potplate tofu to name the rest) to share with six people. Everything had a unique flavor that was unlike anything I had tasted before. Shrimps fried in oatmeal was surprisingly delicious and Thai-style fried chicken was actually served with an authentic sweet and sour sauce that was slightly spicy. I topped it off with a lime juice, which I actually liked better than lemonade. There is one moment that I will never forget, hmm maybe I shouldn't share but hey I shall continue! So, the grouper fish was brought whole (I have pictures), which was a shock to me, and after the fish was almost gone, I decide to take the little bit of remaining meat near the head without actually touching it. So I pull and what do I do? I ended up pulling the fish spine OUT with an eyeball still attached... no comment.

On another note, it was someone's birthday today so a cake was brought out at the restaurant and we wished him a happy 23rd birthday. Afterwards, we played an interesting numbers game such that if you pick the wrong number, you have to take a shot of the hottest pepper sauces mixed together, and thank goodness someone else picked the wrong number before me (whew!). Then I come to find out that there is a little tradition with my lab group that the last piece of cake has to be eaten by somebody or else the birthday person will get caked in the face, which was pretty funny because that actually happened today lol. My birthday is next week and my co-workers are already planning on a cool place to go!

Overall, my chosen favorite Singaporean dish is Laksa, and drinks are Sugarcane juice and lime juice. Laksa is a noodle dish with shrimps and chicken in a coconut-based seafood broth served with lime. That's all for now!

An Introduction to Me and Mexico

My name is Ashley Wenke and I am writing this online journal, to document the experience of studying abroad in Oaxaca, Mexico. I am currently a Biology Major and an Environmental Science Minor at Rutgers University. This summer I will be studying Public Health in Mexico. This one-month program will entail personal Spanish classes, many seminars, community service experience, and several adventures across the country. We will be partnering with ProWorld in our community-oriented activities.

I chose this program because of the particular focus on community health. Not to mention my Spanish skills need a revitalization because they are now almost non-existent. As a biology student, I have recently become exposed to a different side of the medical field; this is especially true in Systems Physiology class that I recently took. Since then, my interest in the medical field has only grown stronger. Back in January, I began volunteering at the Princeton Oncology and Hematology Treatment Center. The majority of the time I spend there involves interacting with the patients. I never imagined that I would be so comfortable in this setting, but I always look forward to my weekly visits. Each time I learn something new, and I feel like I am able to give back to those in need. I have come to realize that the joy that I experience in helping others will be an important part choosing a career.

This trip to Oaxaca, Mexico, I hope will be another confirming step in the importance of community service in my future. There are a couple of community centers that I could work in this summer. I believe the entire list includes an orphanage, a senior citizens home, a school for the hearing impared, and a hospital. All of these places offer amazing opportunities, but I am hoping to be chosen to work inside the hospital.

Another thing that I am really looking forward too, are our weekend excursions around the area. One of these weekends has been dedicated to a hike up a local mountain at some point on the hike we will have the opportunity to go zip lining! This is something that I am dearly looking forward too, since I am a big fan of heights (when I can, I enjoy rock climbing either outdoors or at the Rutgers gym). On another weekend we will be visiting some ancient ruins. There will also be a trip to a village that dedicates their town income to weaving. In this village we will partake in a healing ceremony. All of these experiences are uncharted territories for me, and I am looking forward to all of them! I hope to capture these and many more happenings in this online journal so that you too can share in my adventures.

Sorry rice, its the circle of life

Hello from Singapore!!
I have now been in Singapore for five days now and everything has been going well.

The plane ride over here was much longer than expected. I don’t know why I thought it would be 13 hours. It was far from 13- try 20 hours on for size. Singapore is exactly 12 hours ahead of New Jersey time; this meant literally turning my night time into day time. Every night has been a struggle to stay awake until 9:00 (or 21:00 on a Singaporean clock).

These past few days have been dedicated to getting myself settled into my apartment and prepping myself for my life in Singapore. I have decided I am not studying abroad- I am working and living abroad (it makes me feel more mature =] ).

I adjusted very quickly to the special dining establishments in Singapore- the food hawker stands. They are super food courts and the offer full meals that range from S$1.40 to S$3.50. They fit my budget and fill my appetite. Overall the food is delicious. I am running under the policy of if you buy it you eat it-this was tested recently by an Indian restaurant whose food was so hot I was only able to eat nibbles between gulps of water. Point for the Indian Restaurant- I wasn’t able to finish my mutton (goat, I will not be ordering it again). However, I in the end was the victor. I took my spicy rice home and washed it multiple times under the sink water. The poor rice lost all its vivaciousness but I was able to eat it without trouble; sorry rice, it is the circle of life.

The weather is hot and humid, I’m glad I chopped off all my hair. Before I came here, I was told that there are torrential downpours daily- so far I haven’t experienced that yet, but I still carry my umbrella everywhere out of fear.

There are some things here that remind me of home-I find the diversity of people comforting. It is like the US, if you go on a NYC train you will see many people with many different skin colors, body types, facial features, ect. The same is true for Singapore, the trains are not uniform with one type of people- there are people from Singapore, Malaysia, China, Japan, India, expats from England, France-really everyone from around the world. It’s like home, except the predominance of certain races is tilted.
Still, people are able to tell that our group of friends id not from Singapore. Jackie and Dibyo, who have the best shot of blending in, say that they still get looks (not angry, just acknowledging or curious stares).

I can imagine that as a group we are a fascinating bunch to see, we comprise of a Blue eyed Caucasian (I think it is my eye color more than my skin that makes me interesting), an Arab, and African, Native American, a Persian, and an Indian.

Today was actually my first day in lab but I will write about what Biopolis is like (gorgeous) and what my project is (still working out those details) later. First impressions are that it is going to be a very good summer

=]

Some Like It Hot

Fun Fact: Did you know that Singapore keeps a running record of every tree that grows in the country? This way, they are able to preserve ancient species of rain trees while accounting for any trees that may have fallen in a rainstorm. Also, the majority of the highways are lined with a dense riparian buffer of rainforest trees, bushes and colorful flowers that are actually meant to reduce noise and dust coming from the passing vehicles for residential areas.

I honestly have never seen flowers, plants and trees co-existing in such a manner as in Singapore. This country feels like a fusion of an ecological paradise and urban sprawl, which is eye-opening because one statement contradicts the other. Also, my apartment room is facing a gorgeous lake with exotic tropical trees. Whenever I have free time, I will walk across the whole lake and take pictures. Also note that this country's weather is always hot, and we are in monsoon season, which is something I have only heard about in the news.

Aside from the beautiful natural habitat and hot rainy weather, the food here is very good, but very spicy!! You can't beat the price either with food costing about S$2.50, or $2.00 in USD. The dishes here are unique as well, ranging from coconut milk seafood curries to Singapore's version of water ice with rose syrup, brown sugar sytup and condensed milk. As long as you can get past the heat, you are definately in for a treat!

In terms of the people, this country is definately the asian melting pot with european and australian sprinklies. Even still, the people can still spot us out as being Americans regardless of our own ethnicity. I try to blend in to prevent looking like a tourist, but I usually end up towering over everyone because of my tall height, which leaves the locals wondering how I got so tall since that isn't the norm.

So far, we have been in Singapore for almost one week, having JUST gotten over jet lag, and I have already begun preparing for my research. In this internship, my research will focus on optimizing glycerol production in algae by modifying various factors, such as the environment as well as the genetics. During my laboratory introduction, I noticed how fast-paced Singaporians are when working with experiments so this should be interesting. I am currently preparing for the next work day, so I will log out for now, la!

Lynnicia M.