More thoughts on Singapore

Should you be confused about how a good Singaporean behaves, there are posters hanging around the city to remind you.

Our last full day in Singapore left us with a more favorable impression of the city and it's people. The previous day had me feeling like Singapore was a tiny bit Orwellean. Posters in the subway say things like "Low crime doesn't mean no crime. Stay Vigilant" and show images of two watching eyes darting around. A computer printout of a wanted poster for a leader from the Singapore Jamal Islamiyah branch states that anyone who "renders assistance to him is committing a grave offence." This, coupled with things I had read previously about issues with free speech and canings for chewing gum made me wonder weather the people of this modern and wealthy city were comfortable here, or resented their government. (Perhaps this is simply the American rhetoric I was raised with coming through.)

In contrast to my thoughts from the first two days, the people we met on Saturday seemed to have great pride in their country and heritage. Saturday was the International Museum Day, offering free admission to all sorts of museums around town (ala night of the museums) so, we took advantage and hit three museums in one day, as well as Little India, Chinatown, and another hawker stall so I could get some Roti Prata. It was a very long day.

First stop was the Singapore History Museum which gave a great background on the island, colonialism and independence. On the way here, Jordan and I got kind of lost coming out of the subway and woman stopped to help. She was so happy to see that we were going to museum and that she went out of her way to leave the station with us and give us turn by turn directions. Next up was the Singapore Art Museum. Then a hour respite in a coffee shop to wait out a crazy thunderstorm and finally a trip to the Peranakan Museum. This was the highlight of the day (excluding the roti, of course).

The Peranakan culture is the mix of straights Chinese with other groups of people who came to area for trade over the past ~600 years. The museum explores the culture of these people with artifacts and recreations of the home. While in the kitchen exhibit I met a Peranakan man in his late sixties who lived his whole life in Singapore. We started talking about how his kitchen looked as a child and he proceeded to take us through the entire museum explaining which artifacts came from which cultures and how they related to his experiences. He was not affiliated with the museum, just another visitor who clearly had great pride in his culture and country. After meeting him and spending time learning about his experiences, Singapore felt less plastic and more real to both Jordan and me. While the facade of the city may look like one giant sterile shopping mall, the people and the city have a very real and rich history.

Next post - colonial opulence for a song in Penang.