This morning we woke up with hopes of having breakfast at Starbucks, but apparently Starbucks does not open as early as it does in the states, so we ended up walking to 7/11 and picking up some random snacks and juices to eat for breakfast. We then took a four hour bus ride to Singapore, having to go through all the same customs and immigration that we did on the way out of Singapore. From there we boarded the MRT and rode it to the Caldecott station, from which we walked to the SDA guest house. It was nice to come back to the place that we started the trip in. Unfortunately, Singapore was not as nice as we had last seen it because it was extremely hazy in the city. Apparently the haze was so bad that Singapore was reaching out to Indonesia to cut down whatever it was they were doing to cause the haze.
Once we got settled into our rooms, we all showered and relaxed a for a couple hours before going out. Andrew was going to meet with the Unilever offices in Singapore for a couple hours, so we took the MRT to Chinatown to finish doing souvenir shopping before going home. We spent a few hours there shopping and enjoying some iced teh tarik. Finally around 6pm we took the MRT to another area and walked to the Hard Rock Cafe. Andrew met with us there after his meetings, and us guys shared our last dinner together as a group. We had all grown tired of asian food by that time, so we all wanted a very American meal. Therefore, we had two plates of nachos as appetizers and then had burgers for our meal. I must say, the meal was absolutely amazing. Although we were going home in a day, it was a much needed meal that could remind us of home. The combination of the delicious food, live music, and excellent service made for an excellent end to the trip.
To finish off, I want to thank Dr. Perumal for all the hard work he put into planning this trip for us as a class. I can only imagine all the work it took to get everything organized and ready for a group as large as ourselves. In 18 days we learned so much about the culture, history, and religions of both Singapore and Malaysia. It was great being able to see in person all the topics that had been discussed in our Spring quarter class. Not only that, but for most of us it was our first time traveling to Southeast Asia, so it was nice being able to experience everything with each other. All the lectures, tours, museums, temples, mosques, and talks with Dr. Perumal taught us priceless information about Southeast Asian culture and history. Although I have done my fair share of traveling throughout my life, this trip is one of my favorites that I have ever been on because I learned so much about the places I was in, I grew closer to my friends, and built a great bond with my professor. Not only that, but every time you leave the states it makes it easier to look back and think about your perspective on life back home and how it could be changed for the better. At times its hard to do so when you're living it in the states, but when you're completely out you can stop and look at your life back home and what improvements can be made. I think I did a lot of that on this trip and I'm excited to see how my life changes when I get back home.
Thank you so much for reading,
Louis (Andrew) Ugalde
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