Singapore

I've been told that I need to update this as soon as I get to Singapore. I've been here a few days and nothing out of the ordinary has happened. No culture shock or anything odd to report. The only thing that really shocked me was this article. It's so crazy to think that I left the Middle East for Southeast Asia and I have to worry about a terrorist attack here. I don't think that article says which metro stop it was- but it's the main one. It's kinda the Times Square of Singapore and my school is a five minute walk away so that would be the MRT stop I would take. Kinda scary. It makes sense though. Singapore is a big city flaunting it's capitalistic ways. We've also seen a few muslim women covered, but very rarely. At the hotel breakfast there is this middle eastern man with 3 wives all wearing the burka and the Asian waitress hate them so much, they throw him hateful looks and refuse to refill their coffee. It's not really about religious intolerance, it's more about women's rights. It makes me just as mad to see something like that and to know that these women are his property in a form of slavery. Disgusting. There are so many religions here it's so awesome. I've seen buddhist temples, hindu temples, mormon churches, mosques, catholic churches, etc. I haven't really taken any pictures yet, but I'll try to post better ones later. These pics are just outside our hotel.

more culture shock

This morning I was asking my dad about the scanner. Our conversation went like this:

Dad: What do you need to use the scanner for?

Me: To scan my passport and email it.

Dad: What?! You shouldn't do that, you need to be careful about identify theft.

Me: What....? How is someone going to steal my identity through an email?

Dad: Well, may I ask who you are sending it to.

Me: My boss in Singapore for my work visa.

Dad: Ohhhhhhh.... Well, that should be fine.

He thought I was just going to scan it and send all my info to some scam online? I may have been out of the country for the past 2 years, but I'm not an idiot. It's funny how there are all these commericals about identity theft, making sure your baby doesn't die from whooping cough, all the diseases you could die from, etc. And the shows are all about how people just snap and kill everyone in their family for no reason. Wow. I feel like I should be afraid to leave the house. It's so similiar to the book, 1984, where the people live in fear of things that probably won't happen to them. Just this past year while driving to work each day in Cairo, I saw 7 dead bodies on the side of the road. Just from crossing the road. It's not unusual to see an entire family riding on a motor bike with the mom carrying a newborn. Obviously without helmets. You know it will only take a bump to kill them all. It's so extreme to see absolutely no safety measures to the extreme American fear of everything. Part of me wants to laugh at the idea of identity theft being the worst thing to happen in your life, but I guess that would really suck if someone stole your credit and stuff. I get it, but it just seems like we have it sooo good here. It's weird how the cops just sit and wait for someone to speed just a little. I hate driving in fear of going slightly over the speed limit. It's a really big change from just doing whatever the hell you want in Cairo.

What I've learned from living abroad

Here are a few things I've learned the last 2 years living abroad.

1. I don't need as much personal space as I think I do.

I was running this morning on the sidewalk and a lady and her dog approached me. They move off of the sidewalk and into the street so that we can pass each other. My thought was geez, there's plenty of space.... This happened 3 more times with various people passing me. In Cairo (and most of the world) people are very close to each other. Physically close. When I would ride the metro and be the only person in the car, a woman would come and sit right next to me- practically on top of me. Why? They feel more comfortable being close to someone. I still need my personal space and sometimes it would bother me when people violate this, but I have come to realize that I don't need as much as I thought.

2. I don't need as much technology as I think I do.

In Egypt, I had a cellphone whose most advanced feature was the calculator. Nothing about it bothered me. I liked that I couldn't check my email every 2 seconds. I'm back in the states for a few weeks and here I am with a Crackberry that I'm already addicted to. I didn't have a tv the past 2 years and learned that not only can I live without it, but I don't even want one. It's very liberating to not have nonsense to distract you all the time. It forces you to sit down and really talk to people. I got to know my friends in Cairo better than I've ever gotten to know anyone.

3. Americans do not have a good reputation.

Sorry y'all, but it's true. When I would meet people while traveling and it would come up that I was American (which is something you want to hide as long as you can) they would get awkward and say something like "We love Obama!" or "Wow, you don't seem like an American, you're so easy going!" or "No, I don't hate Americans.....there was one time I met an American who was really cool...." Americans who travel are typically the biggest a-holes you've ever met. They are super high maintenance and worried about every little thing so they tend to have public meltdowns. When you see or meet English-speaking peeps, you can immediately tell where they are from before you get a chance to recognize their accents. Aussies are always the loud ones trying to get in fights. Kiwis are the same-less intense. The brits are the ones who are badly sunburned, wearing sock with sandals, and already loudly drunk before noon. The obnoxious young backpackers(18-25) are just trying to hook up and party hard. They care nothing about the culture or the people and are just looking for a good time. The Canadians are the ones that are super friendly and apologize for everything. Everyone loves Canadians. I've noticed that while travelling a lot of non-Canadians, especially Americans, have been putting the Canadian flag on their bags so people will think they are Canadian. Smart move.

4. Obama is the best thing that could happen to America.

I don't know about how he's doing as far as running the country. But as far as an international perspective, America NEEDED someone like Obama if we want to be supported by other countries. His reputation abroad is amazing and everyone loves him.

5. I like experiencing new cultures.

I haven't experienced the culture in each country that I've been to, but I like it more when I try to do so. I love how different everything is from the food, the language, the mannerisms, what pisses people off, etc. It's great learning about other people because ultimately I learn more about myself.

6. I do not have the American Dream.

I do not want to live in a suburb with a house, fenced-in yard, dog, and little white kids. There's nothing about that that sounds appealing to me. I would one day like to get married, en shallah (God willing) and have kids. I really really want to adopt kids. I want my kids to be bilingual and live in a culture that is very diverse. I want to have friends from different countries who are nothing like me. I don't want to be consumed in materialism and owning too much stuff. I am an expat and don't regret it.

7. I would like to never own a car again.

That sounds really random, but it's sooo much easier to walk, bike, or take the metro everywhere. A car is so much trouble. You have to worry about gas, oil changes, insurance, etc. I guess that means I'm going to keep living somewhere that doesn't require a car.

8. I love beaches.

This is always my fave place to vacay. There's something sooo relaxing about laying on the beach, reading a book, chillin with friends, possibly with a drink.....

9. I own too much stuff. And I hate it.

This kinda goes back to what I was saying before. When you see poverty on a daily basis you realize that you are sooo privileged and you just don't feel the need to spend money on new shoes or anything that seems excessive. Don't get me wrong, I like to shop and get new stuff. But I have to get rid of stuff when I get new stuff. This also goes with moving overseas. It's like the old saying. "You just can't take it with you." And it makes sense. Why keep stuff that I'm not going to use when someone else less fortunate might use it or even need it.

10. I like to travel.

Ok, that seems pretty obvious. I didn't realize how much I liked doing this until I was travelling every few weeks. I'm pretty sure that 2 years ago, I'd never heard of some of the places I went to- Tunisia, Bahrain, etc. I love it and hope I can keep travelling for many more years.

Mooooooole

Every year I go to the Dermatologist to get checked for skin cancer. I've had more than 1 dermo tell me that I WILL get skin cancer at some point in my life. Very positive feedback, doc. I've had a good friend(who is my age) who had skin cancer a few years ago, so I know it's a real threat. I've had 11 moles removed due to their suspicious appearance. All but one has been benign. One was deemed "precancerous". Isn't all of my skin "precancerous"?? Really? I think that's a made up term. So this time I had 2 moles removed. Now I've had moles removed on my butt, boob, underarm, bottom of my foot, etc. that have been in very uncomfortable places while healing. This one was on my scalp. Yes, my hair had to be shaved to get to it. Not only that but it's HUGE! When they remove a mole, they usually just scrape it off. But with a big one, they have to cut it out. When they finish they burn it so it'll stop bleeding. So now I have this giant hole on the side of my head sans hair and was burned. I look like a freakin burn victim. The doctor even gave me cream for burn victims and she would cringe every time she looked at my head. I was going to get my hair colored and cut this week, but that doesn't look like it'll be happening. Whatever, it is all in the name of skin cancer prevention.

Egypt made me fat.

That's crazy talk, right? No way. It's just facts. I feel like I can officially say this now. I've been back stateside for almost a week and have already lost 5 lbs and I'm sitting here eating a bowl of cereal with chunks of chocolate in it. (Yes, that's what fat people do) Everyone I knew in Egypt struggled with their weight. Guys and gals. It was just a normal part of life there- gaining weight and not being able to lose it.

So why does Egypt make you fat? Oh, I will tell you.

There's nothing to do to stay physically active except for the gym. You can't just go for a quick run. You will be chased by creepy men and stray dogs. You can't even go for a walk for the same reasons. Most likely walking you will be grabbed or groped as I had the lovely experience of screaming at men and boys who do this. The gym is more stressful than it's worth. The meatheads on roids who walk around the gym get in the way of actually accomplishing anything. One day I realized how hot it was at the gym. I actually had to ask the manager to turn on the AC. We are in the middle of the desert, people!! No one does anything more than walking slowly on the treadmill. The only people who are running or sweating are us whiteys. So it's annoying that they occupy all of the cardio machines. Don't get me started on the dressing room as it's a free-for-all. There are attendants in there who do nothing except randomly decide to get out their prayer rugs and pray. I'm all for religious tolerance, but when there is only a 3' by 3' area to access my locker and you are your yoga/prayer time is occupying that entire space, then your praying is now getting on my nerves. Why do they have to do it there? Because the Egyptian mindset is not thoughtful of others. You just do whatever you want, whenever you want. Plus you have to show everyone how religious you are. Like I said, the gym would stress me out.

The food is always soaked in butter before it's cooked. I would get so sick sometimes from eating out just because of the fat added. You can forget about eating anything fresh like salads because you are just asking for some food poisoning. Why eat out so much? Well, because it's sooo cheap and after a long day at work and the gym, the last thing you want to do is cook. It's also great socializing. I absolutely love my friends in Cairo and we have such good times together. But there's nothing for us to do except go to the bar and/or eat out. Mucho drinking took place as well. I should say moderate drinking each day. Just drinking everyday. You can't drink too much alcohol at once or you'll get a major hangover. Not only are the local spirits terrible, but they have so many preservatives that they give terrible headaches. Being in the desert dehydrates you more than usual too. If I wanted to have 1 beer after work, I would need to be sure to drink 3 liters of water during the day to curb the dehydration headache.

I'm sooo glad to be done with Egypt. I love it and I hated it. But very glad to move on to something else. When I tell people that I'm moving to Singapore and they have lived in SE Asia, all they can say is "That's great! It's sooo humid there! You'll love it! Oh, you'll love to food! You'll lose so much weight!" I'm very excited. It seems that there is great food from India and Thailand which are my 2 faves. Maybe one day I'll be writing a post on why Singapore made me skinny.