Cultures, Learning, People...

Well I do have to say this week has been awesome! I have so loved meeting all kinds of new people from various backgrounds that are going onto so many different locations. And yet we are brought together here with the same purpose in mind.

4 people are from North East India so it has been great learning a few things from them. We also have people from Australia, Singapore, Germany, Malaysia, Thailand, and New Zealand. Each day we have 5 hours of lectures followed by up to 5hours readings / assignments. It is quite full on during the week but I’m learning a lot. And it makes all the difference when you learn what you are passionate about it.

So far I have been learning about things such as anthropology, structures, dealing with culture shock and stress, plus all kinds of cultural tips. Because the people on the course are from all kinds of cultures the class discussions have been really interesting. The lecturers are all very experienced and brilliant in bringing the sessions to life with stimulating discussions, group debates, drawings, and even crazy roleplays!

I’ve found it very useful in preparing myself psychologically for living and working in Kolkata. Kolkata isn’t a walk in the park so it helpful to know what to expect and to talk to people who have walked similar paths before.

Apart from going out to Dinner each night, we don’t tend to leave the hotel much during the week. But if I keep on top of the readings the weekends are free! This last weekend I went for a super long walk which is crazy in this heat but felt so good. All the sitting down and white rice isn’t the best for you.

Last night we went to one of the famous markets. It was absolutely stunning – all the beautiful craftsmanship, local foods, lights and myriads of people. There were carved soaps that looked like flowers, hand-woven silks, gorgeous tribal colours, amazing smells and the sound of drums, dancers and singers. A great atmosphere really.

Night Markets

Chiang Mai

Day one of my course is almost finished and I have to say it’s interesting getting back into full on study and assignments again!! I love it but it takes a while for the brain to easy into it! After a morning of lectures and an afternoon of readings I’ve just come back from dinner at one of the local eating places. 25 bhat!! Just over $1 NZD!! I’m not entirely sure what I ended up with because the waiter didn’t know English but it was tasty! So that has been a whole new step up from Singapore – English certainly isn’t the first language here so it’s interesting trying to communicate. I really do wish I knew Thai!

My flight up to Chiang Mai was a beauty. The sun was just setting and catching the river in Bangkok beautifully. Then coming down through the clouds into the beautiful mountain-surrounded Chiang Mai was so pleasant. I haven’t had the chance to explore much yet but it’s certainly a lot quieter and rougher than Singapore, yet with the roughness there is character and a humbleness about it. And most of all the people are lovely.

Bangkok Airport

Well I’m just writing this while sitting in the Bangkok airport killing some time. Yesterday Anna and I checked out the Singapore Zoo because I’d heard it should be high on to do list. It was nice. The highlight was probably the short little boat trip round the reservoir – so calm and beautiful. Seeing all sorts of different animals is always interesting but the highlight was most definitely the Night Safari. A world first apparently. We had burgers for dinner, which was almost surreal after 3 weeks on rice or noodles! Then fire-breathing tribal dancers kick-started the night giving us a crazy performance. You could feel the heat each time they blasted fire from their mouths! Next we climbed onto the safari tram and moved about through the zoo looking at many kinds of animals.

Singapore Zoo and Night Safari

Since I last wrote I talked about designing posters and seeing the smiles of kids whose lives had been transformed. That was such a delight to see but then looking at the kids still IN crisis was another story. It’s heart-breaking to see young African kids so malnutritioned or Asian children lost without parents. The contrast is huge. My desire is that these posters would motivate those of us who are so blessed to play our part in encouraging change in whatever way we can.

Well I can tell from the short time I’ve been in Thailand already that I’m going to enjoy my time here. It’s a beautiful exquisite culture. It’s one thing to be in Singapore with such a diversity of cultures, but to experience one in more depth is interesting on another level.

Durian “delight”, challenges of India and smiles of hope.

Well tonight I tried Durian at long last. I quickly learnt that it was the “king of the fruits” and that most Asians adore it. They even have Durian parties!! But it’s smell is so pungent it’s banned on public transport! Crazy. It’s the kind of thing that you either passionately hate or passionately love. So I was determined to try some. After dinner Janet and Tarn Ping took me through to the fruit shops and we came across a stand full of them! After a good chop they gave me a piece and I wasn’t entirely sure what to make of it. But by the end I’d decided it was pretty good. They also pointed out dozens of other tropical fruits – I would have come home with an armload full if I weren’t going to Thailand in a few days!

There is never any shortage of new and interesting eats with this week has been the most adventurous yet. Probably the most unusual sounding was the pigs trotter in a black vinegar sauce. Very tasty actually! But probably more unusual was the rice flour ”things” (still don’t know what it was!) with a sauce of preserved vegetables on a plate of brown paper!!

Anyway enough about food. Really my stay in Singapore isn’t just about food! On Tuesday night I went to a small group get together and it was nice meeting some more new people. A few had been to India and one women had lived in Mumbai for a year. She told me about some of the hardships and challenges of living in a place like that. Not to scare me out of it but to prepare me. She mentioned things like being moved around with the crowds, the food standards, the smells and dealing with the poverty that you see constantly. I’m aware that it is a tough place but you can’t really know until your faced with it yourself.

Yet with all this I know I’m meant to be there. Committing to 12 months wasn’t exactly easy having never been there but that’s where faith comes in!! I know I’ll receive the strength I need. Sometimes the most rewarding things are also the most challenging things.

In terms of work I’ve been working on some posters showing three areas - Kids in Crisis, Leadership Development and Micro-enterprise. I’ve really enjoyed looking through all the photos – especially of all the gorgeous smiling children who have been given a hope and future. It reminds me of what this is all about.

Food, nighttime wandering, Bangla & designing...

After another week in Singapore I’m starting to get a good handle on the place but there are still adventures all the time. Like the daily encounter with new food!! There certainly isn’t a shortage of interesting local food here. They say Singaporeans enjoy two favourite pastimes – shopping and eating! And it’s so true!

But aside from food since I last talked I’ve enjoyed going to the Botanic Gardens for a Sunday wander. Tuesday night I went to a get together thing in the city. It was so beautiful – with just a guitar and a room full of passionate people singing to God. Quite moving really. I’ll definitely be back. I wasn’t entirely sure how to get home but after taking a train to somewhere close, wandering round in circles looking for a bus that wasn’t going to come until the next day and then waiting for a cab because when I realised where I was I really didn’t want to walk home at 12:00am. So that was interesting, always a bit of an adventure when you don’t know where you are!

Yesterday I went out to the Bible college again and helped the team going to Bangladesh learn a few things in Bangla. Bangla (or Bengali) is the language spoken in Kolkata so it’s my mission to learn as much as possible before I go. I certainly don’t know enough yet but it was fun giving the guys a few language and cultural pointers.

Other than that I’ve been designing away on my computer. At the moment my main goal is to design a flyer that introduces World Outreach. The catchphrase is “you can make a difference” and so my goal is that people are attracted to it, pick it up and agree that they can indeed make a difference.

Bhalo Thakben (Goodbye – lit. Stay Well in Bangla)


Where I live & Work


Random fruits at a "Wet Market"


Working away


Tonight's sunrise from the kitchen