Paris in the Fall

There is almost nothing I enjoy more than good friends, fine bread and cheese and a spot of wine. This November I got to enjoy all of the above in one of the most idyllic settings: the Eiffel Tower. This was my first time in Paris and I was meeting up with my best friends from my exchange semester in Singapore.

It had been seven months since we had last been together and the girls had assembled from Germany, Morocco, Italy, Austria and France. I was on route to South Africa and all I wanted for this weekend together was enjoy some amazing food and each other’s company.

That’s why I was delighted when Julie, our resident Parisian suggested we spent our first afternoon together with a picnic under the Eiffel Tower. So off we went to the Carrefour to buy five different cheeses, four bottles of wine, three baguettes, two smoked meats, assorted grapes, baby tomatoes and a package of Madelines.

Despite it being something like 8˚ we cheerfully set up shop and began snacking. Well with the exception of my Moroccan friend Zaynab, she studies in Paris and was beyond embarrassed at how cliché we were being. But no matter, we somehow coerced her into taking this photo. What a spectacular reunion!



Cheers to la belle vie!

I have arrived.

I arrived in Singapore when I felt the humidity.

It was my second time landing in Changi Airport. I turned to Marie, my French traveling companion and told her that I always felt like I had arrived when I could feel the humidity while disembarking. I said the contrast with the crisp Vancouver air got me every time. She laughed because we'd just returned from Thailand. 

The fact was this time I really felt like I was in Singapore. Not that the weeks leading up to this moment were insignificant, but rather they passed in a bit of a blur. Arriving at Sleepy Sam's, meeting exchange student upon exchange student, figuring out how to get around Singapore, where to go, what to eat. Now I was more at home. I was two weeks into classes and fully settled into my apartment and had a nice friend group. This time when I arrived I knew where I was. 

I was in Singapore.

So let's talk about Singapore for a minute. It's a really interesting place. It feels a bit like Dubai in the fact that its got a lot of expats, and there is always a certain culture that goes with that. But its also in the middle of Asia and English speaking and is a tiny island with a population of 7 million. Interesting indeed. 

There are a few big differences between here and Canada. I will discuss two, the food and transportation. 

The food was a big adjustment for me. The previous exchange students all raved about how amazing the food was here, yet it seemed I was batting zero. There were lots of  whole hanging ducks and chickens everywhere and rice with every meal. At first I thought that I could just stick to tofu and veggies but then I discovered the delectable habit the Chinese have of putting pork in absolutely everything. So I started eating halal. Now my Ismaili roommate Farah and I have a grand time exploring the full menu of our favourite neighbourhood Indian spot. 

As for the transportation Singapore has this really amazing underground subway called the Massive Rapid Transit (MRT). The MRT is absolutely essential because as I previously mentioned, 7 million people live here. A car, or 'private transportation' as its referred to as here is prohibitively expensive. There are import duties, licensing duties and traffic levies all designed to keep as many people as possible off the road. Well done Singapore, but now could you find a way to make the MRT less crowded? Apparently this city could accommodate up to 9 million people. I would not be one of them. This is probably one of my main annoyances with Singapore, lack of personal space. It's probably very Canadian of me to say so.

Miss Ohio's journey begins..

I suppose it begins with a song.

Sitting at 1720 Fernwood, Katherine and I were saying goodbye. She was just about to return home for the holidays and I was leaving in a few days for my exchange semester in Singapore. Katherine sang Miss Ohio for me. 

"Oh me oh my oh, look at Miss Ohio
She’s a-running around with her rag-top down
She says I wanna do right but not right now"

I was tremendously sad to be leaving my friends in Victoria. 

I knew my exchange would be an amazing experience filled with personal growth, still it felt odd to be throwing a wrench in my already happy life. Sort of like fixing something that wasn't broken.

In times like this I like to fall back on sayings that I hold close to give me wisdom. 

That night Katherine gave me a new saying. She said, "When you come from a strong place you can do anything."