Gum Sales in Singapore

Singapore is noted as one of the most beautiful cities in Asia and recently I had opportunity to see this for myself. The country of Singapore is little more than the city of Singapore, located on an island south of Malaysia only 85 miles north of the equator.

Their claim of being a beautiful city is certainly well-founded. The first things I noticed upon entering the city from the airport were the palm-lined highways, flowered walkways, manicured clover-leafs and virtually trash-less streets. I thought city officials were simply trying to make a good impression by maintaining the highways around the airport but it didn't take long to determine these manicured streets are typical of the entire city!

One wonders how the city is able to achieve such cleanliness and beauty with a population of a little over 5 million. With a little research, however, it's evident there are some pretty strict laws to keep it as such. For instance, not only is against the law to litter and NOT flush a public toilet after use, I was told the entire country of Singapore does not sell gum! I guess city officials decades ago were tired of seeing gum remains stuck around the city that they just banned the sale of it altogether. Good thing I'm not a gum chewer =)

After attending an AP (Advanced Placement) Conference dealing with high school curriculum, friends of mine and I decided to tour the city visiting sites such as St. Andrews Church in the downtown area. Eventually we ended up taking a night boat tour down at Clarke Quay. Needless to say, witnessing the display of modern and historic buildings along the water was simply spectacular.

The city name of Singapore is derived from a Malay word Singapura which means Lion City. Knowing this helped me understand why a statue of a lion was so prominently displayed at the entrance of the harbor.

Of course, how could I venture to a city like Singapore without finding my way to the Coffee Bean periodically? I first got to know the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf while living in Korea and, I have to admit, it is my favorite coffee joint. Unfortunately it is not in all Asian countries, like Singapore but not Thailand. Living in Bangkok has been difficult for this very reason but I think I'll make it with Starbucks as a worthy runner-up =)

Oasis in the City

Friends Don and Jayne and I decided to venture away from the skyline and head to the Botanic Gardens in the heart of Singapore. One wouldn’t think a trip to the park could be included among the highlights when visiting a city but Singapore's Botanic Gardens certainly ranks as such.

Understandably so, since Singapore has had over 150 years to perfect this green zone starting its development in 1859. And it’s obvious how much time and effort has gone into designing and maintaining the 182 acre (74 hectare) park when walking the grounds. Our visit sure brought out the photographer in me!

One thing that makes this Botanic Gardens different from others I’ve visited is the inclusion of only tropical plants indicative of this region. Some trees in the rainforest section of the park, for instance, have been around since the founding of Singapore in 1819.

Throughout the Gardens, we experienced lakes (such as Swan Lake completed in 1866), waterfalls, a green house complete with cool mist -- a nice refresher from the incredibly hot outdoor temps -- and "Jurassic Park-like palms" as described in the Botanic Gardens brochure.

The Botanic Gardens started to spearhead the development of orchids in the 1920s that has grown to what is now known as the National Orchid Garden. What an incredible display of orchids!

On the Border

Thanks to the week-long break our school offers in October, a small group from my school (ICS) found a chance to visit a children's refugee camp on the border of Burma and Thailand. At the start of the break, nine of us piled into a van and drove the eight hour journey from Bangkok into the mountains of northern Thailand.

Once in the nearby town of Mae Sot, we settled in a hotel where we stayed between visits to Huay Ka Loke, the name of the children's refugee camp. Every morning we drove about 20 minutes to the camp that boards refugee children from Burma, going through several police checks and picking up translators along the way.

Talking with the workers at Huay Ka Loke enabled me to learn about the political conditions and civil war that's gone on since World War II affecting generations of Burmese. Conflicts continue in Burma including fighting between Kachin Independence Army and the Karen minority group in the eastern half of the country on the border with Thailand. Apparently, the Karen people, among other ethnic groups, supported the British while they ruled the country in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Since the British fall (during the second World War) Burmese authorities refuse to recognize anyone who supported them. As a consequence, these ethnic groups have been pushed to the border of Thailand without the privileges of protection and other social support systems afforded by government. Most (if not all) of the displaced kids in our camp are from the Karen ethnic group.

The police checks we experienced are routine in the northern part of the country because so many Burmese pour over the border as illegals in search of a safe environment and education. Typically an entire family cannot afford to cross so parents send one or more of their children, often not knowing where they will end up. There are an estimated 100,000 displaced children along the Thai-Burmese border but only 7,000 of them get an education.

The camp near Mae Sot, however, offers instruction from qualified volunteers and teachers so the kids can work toward taking government tests and attend local high schools (if they pass) and/or go back to Burma to invest in positive change there. This is much like the educational system in India. The alternative to getting an education is devastating: children who do not have a stable family and do not get an education can end up in Burmese factories where they don't get paid and they also run the risk of being trafficked into the sex slave trade.

A sad situation that requires doing what we can to help and, especially, support them with much needed prayer.

Huay Ka Loke

The kids at the Huay Ka Loke refugee camp range from a few years of age to the late teens. Almost all seem to enjoy the moment, which is amazing especially when considering the trauma and difficulties they have had to overcome being away from their homes and familiar environments. As I've experienced when visiting India and Malaysia, many disadvantaged kids are simply grateful for the chance to live in a safe house, eat daily, make friends with others and get an education. Then when visitors come they enjoy the change in daily routine and undoubtedly love the attention.

The camp exists in simple surroundings that is safe for kids and workers alike. Needless to say, it gets hot being so close to the equator but there are always ways of cooling off such as taking a stroll past the wash basin or visiting a nearby lake and waterfall.

I sat down to talk with one young man named Dwaye on my first day and the conversation ventured onto the topic of music. Right away he mentioned he likes to play around on the piano but hasn't had any formal instruction; he relies on what others show him. Hearing this, I figured no better time than the present to teach him some basic theory -- how the keys are laid out on the piano, how to recognize notes on a score, how chords are formed, etc -- and he proved to be a quick learner! He wowed me the next time we sat down at the piano a couple days later, rhyming off what I showed him previously. Turns out, he practiced in the evenings after our team went back to the hotel. These kids are eager to learn!