One of the coolest things about living in Vietnam, being a teacher in Vietnam, is the network of teachers in the entire Southeast Asian region. These networks (there are several) make for some pretty amazing opportunities for professional development...in some pretty incredible places! Last weekend I accompanied 3 teammates and our assistant principal to (get this) Singapore! for a workshop on the Reggio Emilia approach to teaching. Not only was the workshop phenomenal, but the location was fantastic!
Singapore. When I think of it, Johnny Depp's pirate voice comes to mind: "Clearly you've never been to Singapore." I can imagine that the Singapore of old was quite a spectacle. The Singapore of today is a modern, clean (hyper-clean), orderly city with loads of high-rise buildings, wide streets, CARS, and shopping. We did lots of walking and shopping. It's hard not to! Everywhere you turn there is another giant shopping center! We had lots of tasty food and yummy non-lager beer (wheat beers, stouts, IPAs, the list goes on- not quite as long as Boulder's list of frothy deliciousness, but it's definitely longer than the meager one provided by most locales in Saigon: Tiger, 333, Saigon, Zorok...all essentially the same. But honestly, it IS the tropics! I can't even fathom a heavy, full-bodied brew most days!)
I chose to take our last morning in to visit a lil place you might have heard of..The Singapore Zoo. We have heard amazing things about the zoo. It is second to none! It's beautiful with large, enriching enclosures for the animals. They are a bit on the showy side with presentations of animals who appear to be trained to come from their platforms in the trees to come eat and pose for photos with visitors, but it is really quite an amazing place. I HIGHLY recommend it if you are ever in the area!
Clarke Quay (pronounced "key") is a cool little waterfront shopping/eating place that feels kind of like Disneyland. Each restaurant has a different theme: Mexican, Spanish, Irish, hospital. Yes, it is true, one restaurant has wheelchairs painted gold sitting at tables, stainless steel stools at tables of the same where you can enjoy a tasty beverage presented as an IV.
Check this out! These 2 old buildings behind the Cricket pitch (British colony), with this modern building in the background that looks just like a UFO!
Wide, clean boulevards where people drive on the left side of the road. Always interesting when you are trained to cross the street in a right-side world.
This waterfront strip was kind of cool. The buildings are reminiscent of the Chinese influence in Singapore.
Just a bunch of primates hangin' around!
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