This blog has, for a while now, been dying a slow natural death. In a vain attempt to revive it, and at the same time to preserve some memories in a more lasting and easily accessible form than a Word document on this poor netbook, I will post some things I have written since the beginning of this exchange. It is, so to speak, a diary, but a rather clumsy one. I have unfortunately written my thoughts all over the place: in two separate notebooks, on the Word document I will now post, on this blog, on Tumblr, and most substantially in my emails to Nicole.
These were meant to be private thoughts. By posting them I am succumbing to my exhibitionist and narcissistic tendencies - I know that I will read this many times as I grow older and reminisce about this prime of my life. I hope there are at least a few people who will bother to read at least a bit of this.
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I will start writing down my thoughts more regularly. This is a special time of my life and it would be a shame to forget even its more mundane details. Every day, countless thoughts, ideas and emotions rush through my head. Some of them are expressed to the few people I know here, some in emails to Nicole, and some on one of the online platforms. Most, however, are remain in my head as silenced nuggets of memories or even wisdom, and I now think it wise to record as many of them as I can somewhere. For this first entry I would like to recall some of my thoughts over the past few weeks.
It is a Sunday evening: the time of the week when Belgian students return to the city from the comforts of their homes elsewhere in the country (or in the world, usually the Netherlands). It is one of two times of the week when the city is filled with the very familiar sound of luggage wheels rumbling on sidewalks, the other of course being Friday afternoons/ evenings. Indeed, that low groaning rattle ought to be Leuven’s signature sound, even more so than the lovely chime of the church bells. Brugge’s bells chime more often and more beautifully anyway. Rolling luggage constantly remind everyone that Leuven has long been and will perhaps forever be a student city.
I am rather impressed by the average Belgian’s ability to speak three languages relatively fluently. Those few from the German part can usually speak four languages. What makes it more impressive is that they start learning other languages than their mother tongue only at about 13 or 14, when they usually start learning English and the other national language in school. Mandarin Chinese was the first language I spoke in my life and I have studied it throughout my life, yet I still struggle very much with it. It either attests to the difficulty of Mandarin, the vast difference between Mandarin and European languages, or my poor language ability.
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It snowed today for the first time in Leuven and the first time in my life, although there were extremely light flurries on Monday before I left for Aachen. Today the snow also came in a very light flurry but at least it was visibly snow.
Bus, train, plane
These are the three main modes of transport for travelling around Europe. I have in my head gone through lots of pros and cons, although I have not yet flown in Europe.
Plane
Beyond the distance of a one night train ride, most people would fly. It can be cheap if booked in advance. However, I think most people view flights as an unpleasant necessity to get somewhere rather than as part of the travel experience. Therefore, most people would prefer to fly no more than twice in each trip. Airports tend to be far from city centres and the lengthy pre-flight procedures often turn people off. Finally, it leaves the biggest carbon footprint.
Train
On most routes and in most countries trains are the most popular, most convenient and fastest way to travel. Trains are frequent and quick and go from city centre to city centre. The biggest downside is price: trains are usually the most expensive mode of transport between two cities, and over long distances and popular routes can cost several times the bus fare.
Bus
Cheap and environmentally friendly, buses are often not popular. However, in certain areas they are the most convenient way of getting around. Long distance buses in Europe tend to run overnight, capturing a niche market. Over certain distances this is certainly more convenient than taking the train for a whole day (eg. Brussels-Berlin). I don’t love coaches but I suspect I enjoy them more than the average person. They are cheap, even up to the last minute, and give a view into a side of Europe travellers rarely see: dingy bus stations (why are bus stations always dirtier and shadier than train stations?), immigrants and poorer people, lonely petrol stations haunted by sleepy truck drivers.
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It has been a while since I wrote here. I have a few thoughts.
Leuven is a very safe place. People have no qualms leaving their things, including their computers, lying around in school, not unlike Singapore, and unlike the habits of some European exchange students in Singapore. It is safe at the oddest hours of the day, owing to the strong party culture and vibrant nightlife.
The city office, however, is quite inefficient. It could not open my file before I moved in. After it opened my case, the police did their bit very quickly and returned the file to the city office. Thereafter the office took the maximum ten days to set up an appointment with me, which was about four days thereafter (I think). After that appointment it again took the maximum ten days to get back to me. It has been a full month since I first turned up to register, and I have another three weeks to wait. Allowing one week for the average new resident to turn up for registration (although I am sure the average is probably longer), this means that it is at least two months from arrival before a new resident is fully registered. By Singaporean standards that would be an awfully long time. However, most things are run efficiently, for instance the police as mentioned above.
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Some of the highlights so far – not memorable experiences, of which there are much more, but true highlights where my heart soared.
1) Walking out of the Leuven side of the train station on the morning of 180111. I had had a long tiring gloomy day getting to Leuven, and the previous day I had gone straight to the hostel on the Kessel-Lo side, which was mucky and under construction. It was a sunny morning, and for a few brief moments I felt like I was in the right place. In a few hours, the weather would get worse and I would start the difficult search for a room, but I still remember the joy that surged through me emerging onto the Martalarenplein for the first time.
2) Snowboarding down a slope on the toeside for the first time. When I realised I could go down and stop on the toeside, and thus being able to bona fide “snowboard”, I felt so excited I grinned nonstop for a long time after while practising further. This happened on the beginner slope at Les Deux Alpes. Later that day I would go to the “Big Viking” beginner slope and snowboard properly down several times, sort of carving on both toe and heel side. It was a happy day.
3) Moving into this room. It was a happy, comfortable feeling after almost three weeks of a vagabond lifestyle. I unpacked my bags and chucked my stuff all over the room, where some of them still remain.
4) Cinque Terre. It is a beautiful place, especially Manarola and the Via dell’Amore. Vernazza is as beautiful, but it was a little rushed for me to fully enjoy. The sunset over Manarola with a traditional Ligurian farinata is perhaps the best travel experience I have had so far. It was enhanced, no doubt, by the thought that Nicole had been at the same place and had called me. There was only one thing to do, and that was to return the favour. I was alone, but I could feel the romance of the place. Just walking up and down the hills of Riomaggiore and Manarola I felt at ease and contented. The atmosphere and sunshine of Cinque Terre were a welcome respite from the gloomy cold of Belgium. I slept very well all night. More time would have been nice, but I managed to see the main sights and many of the hiking routes were closed anyway, so I have no regrets.
5) Taylor Swift. It was really a fairy tale, a dream come true. This is easily the most emotional experience I have had here; my heart leapt everywhere in an hour and a half. The highlights of this highlight are when she emerged and launched into Sparks Fly, when she sang Fearless, especially the part “in this moment now, capture it, remember it” – I almost cried, when she was singing and dancing to “You Belong with Me”. Music transports us through our memories and our dreams, and her songs bring me to amazing times, mostly with Nicole, and also forward into my hopes for the future. I think that is why Fearless is such a fantastic song. It inspires us to draw strength from our memories and our past to plunge courageously into pursuing our dreams, without forgetting to live and enjoy the moment.
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I have so much on my mind right now it may be impossible to write everything down. What I essentially would like to say is how amazing this trip to Ireland was. It was a tremendous experience that filled me with much joy, pleasure and pride. I have learnt and gained so much and would like to recall some of those here.
Hitchhiking is obviously one of those experiences that left a deep impression on me. I forced myself to leap far out of my comfort zone and to confront a completely new challenge. While I am generally now quite confident in getting around and getting things done alone, hitchhiking was a whole new ballgame in that I had to put myself out in front of the whole world to be judged, to ask for help in the full expectation that it will probably not be given, and to meet and interact with complete strangers.
I am truly proud of myself for hitchhiking a considerable distance with different drivers. All of them strengthened my faith in the goodness of people and specifically in the generosity and kindness of the Irish people. I was also particularly pleased when Patrick emailed me to tell me how I made his day. Such is the joy of simple human interaction and conversation, when two complete strangers from ends of the world can meet by chance for an hour or so and have a positive impact on each other.
From the travel perspective hitchhiking allowed me a profound insight into Ireland and its people. All three drivers told me much about the history and culture of the country and about the present gloomy mood. I saw a number of small towns I would never have otherwise visited or even heard of, including Cahir, which had a lovely castle right in the heart of town.
Various other smaller experiences also gave me a lot more confidence in myself, on top of a lot of fun, of course. Finding the Rainbow Hostel in the darkness of night and cycling around the Slea Head Drive were both fantastic experiences, as were the early morning Dingle parade and the Killarney parade.
This trip is also memorable for the friends I met and the lessons I learnt on friendship. I met an old friend from JC, a really old and nearly best friend, and a group of acquaintances from law school, perhaps now friends. Given my solitude here on exchange, I really enjoyed talking to real people I knew for once, as opposed to making small talk or talking to a green furry hare.
The weather must also be mentioned. It was particularly cooperative, save for the first few moments at Dublin Airport and the last couple of nights. I returned to Leuven to bright sunshine. Spring is here, and I think my exchange has seen a new beginning. I am strong, brave and adventurous.
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This past week since I returned from Ireland I have been in a few minds about friendship and exchange. My conversations with BC, Janahan, Ming Kun, Pamela and Swan made me feel somewhat envious of the very tight bonds they have no doubt formed with their respective groups of friends in this period of living and travelling in Europe.
Whereas I spend most of my days on exchange alone , whether in Leuven or travelling. To be sure, I have friends, but they are of the fleeting sort. I think all of us international students here acknowledge and understand that the friends we make here will hardly ever turn out to be close lifelong ones. We make the effort to reach out and hang out and have a good time, but we all know that our best friends are back home.
Or, in my case, are they? The “train” on Skype, as it has come to be known, has been an excellent platform for Joshua, Kallynn, Jen and me to chat and remain in touch. I might even say we have become closer with the train. I truly hope we will remain close friends when I return (we will for sure), and after we graduate (not so sure).
I also wonder how close BC and I really are now. I appreciate the length to which he went to make it in time to meet me in Dublin at short notice. I have no doubt that he will be there whenever I need him, as I will be for him. However, I find that our conversations have not moved on much from our secondary school days. He has new friends now, with whom he shares new experiences and memories, as I do. It may be difficult to find common ground moving forward, although hopefully his return to Singapore will change that.
My travel plans have been set for the next month or so: Morocco, then the Balkans until the end of April. Thereafter I really ought to get started studying.
To the list of awesome experiences above I must add the pleasure of hitchhiking. In particular I remember walking up and down the waiting cars at Newlands cross in the big green hat, smiling at every driver, and waiting at Durrow and Cahir with the green hat and Herry. Also, listening to Pat Moylan’s life story while the Free Electric Band blasted in the background. That was somehow quite poignant.
Cycling along the Slea Head Drive probably also counts as awesome, especially the earlier section around the cliffs just before Slea Head itself.
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Today I finally received my residence permit.
My thoughts have been heavily preoccupied by the impending general elections. Many of my peers are politically apathetic, but for some reason or other I have been fascinated by it since I was a small boy. The reason could be anything from a base mechanical interest in how things work or a genuine belief in the “power of power”.
There is certainly a palpable sense that this is a watershed year, and I sort of wish I was in Singapore to experience it. I would like to attend rallies, having not attended any for my constituency since 1997 and none at all since 2001. Having picked up the habit of drinking Tiger Beer late into the night at coffeeshops, I would like to join the uncles I have met there in chatting about politics. Now that I am in law school with politically aware and interested classmates, I would like to discuss and debate political issues with my friends. All this sounds clichéd for a law student – after all this is how the Men in White began their path to fifty-plus years of political dominance – but I think I am of the age when I should be more interested or even active politically.
This year, many issues have come to a head. The tremendous increase in immigration since the last election has caused some social friction and plenty of suspicion that the new arrivals are taking jobs and opportunities away from born and bred Singaporeans. The income gap has become frighteningly wide, and the minimum wage sacred cow is regularly dragged into debate. The cost of living is a perennial hot potato that just got really hot, with COEs heading back to their earlier highs and the property bull charging hard with no signs of slowing down. The latter is particularly sensitive. The issue of new HDB flats for young couples is a big issue that has reared its head many times over the past few years and that has forced Mah Bow Tan to defend his ministry’s policies more vigorously than the government has had to in the past. Transport is another point of contention, with car prices increasing as mentioned above and the promised improvements to the public transport system coming too slowly for the electorate.
All this is set against the wider global backdrop of political change and revolution: the Arab revolution this year, the defeat of the LDP in Japan for the first time in 50 years in 2009, the defeat of the KMT in 2004, and closest to home, the unprecedented defeat of BN’s two-thirds majority in Malaysia. There is a remote possibility that the opposition will take away the PAP’s two-thirds majority this year.
Are Singaporeans ready for change? The big question is whether Singaporeans are mature enough and bright enough to make the correct policy decisions. PAP has for the most part made the right moves over the past fifty years in a top-down and rather arrogant manner. I am sure they will continue to do so if they remain in power. The question for me is whether I, and Singapore, have had enough of PAP’s arrogance and constant failure to consult the populace. If yes, then Singaporeans must also be prepared to present viable policy options of their own accord. For example, if not immigration, how are we to combat the economic effects of a falling birth rate? In place of Workfare, will minimum wage do a better job in lifting the lower income group?
All said, this is a year I would have liked to be in Singapore. Of course, I am still very grateful and happy to have this opportunity to live and travel overseas.
Songs of this exchange
Katie Perry - Firework
Taylor Swift – almost all, especially Fearless, You Belong with Me, Enchanted, Sparks Fly, Long Live, Mean, Back to December
Razorlight –America
Bon Jovi – almost all again
Five hundred miles, Viva la Vida, Free Electric Band, Ireland’s Call
020411 1156 Chefchaouen Harmony Hotel
It is interesting to note what nationality I am mistaken for in various places. It does not say much about myself but more about cultural and international perceptions of a place. In the Philippines the most common guess was at “Korean”, because it is a popular destination for Korean tourists. In Morocco it is usually Japan, sometimes China and Korea. French is also not an uncommon guess, reflective of the significant and increasing ethnic Asian population in France.
The Tin Pei Ling saga has left me wondering. Our Public Law tutors were very sceptical of the “sensitive man” reasons for the restrictions on political criticism, and for the most part I agree with them. Many people, however, have during this Tin Pei Ling debacle spoken out against the perceived descent of Singaporean politics into a culture of “gutter” politics and debate. It is not an unfair point. After all, we have all probably taken “act cute” pictures at some point in our lives, eaten at nice fancy restaurants once in a while, and gone on nice holidays. We probably would not want to be ridiculed for these simple personal choices.
On the other hand, I have a feeling the personal attacks on Ms Tin, while unfair per se, are reflective of a genuine doubt about her capabilities. Her interview answers have been terrible to say the least. Her life story, especially her older powerful husband, raises many questions about her true abilities.
It is nice to meet Joshua here in Chefchaouen.
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It was a good trip in Morocco. I did not see many highlights of the country but I experienced true hospitality and generosity. I also had several good meals, particularly breakfasts, and had the chance to meet Joshua for a while.
It was a good idea to try hitchhiking. Both my hitchhiking experiences have been fantastic. I can think of two main reasons. First, I see and experience genuine kindness and goodness of people. As I have written in many places, it makes us happy to care for others and to be cared for by others. The second main reason is that hitchhiking surprises me. Most of our best travel experiences happen when something good surprises us. By hitchhiking without a solid plan, I inevitably chance upon new places and meet new people. Not all are particularly remarkable of course, but the town of Cahir in Ireland and the farmland of Morocco’s Middle Atlas region were both beautiful in themselves and as surprising new places.
Each language is a key to a whole new world. My broken French gave me the opportunity to meet and have a functional conversation with Driss, among many other Moroccans. I am glad I can speak a little French, but I think I should work on it so I can travel effectively in the Francophone world. It is for the same reason that I want to travel in China, where I can do more than just gawk at sights and point clumsily at things.
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I must first note that I have become quite preoccupied with recording my thoughts down. In Singapore I don’t feel the same urge, probably because my time in Singapore does not feel as precious as my time here, and consequently my thoughts in Singapore appear more mundane than the thoughts I have here. In reality, however, I am not having major epiphanies here, unlike everyone’s favourite fat UCLA blonde. The other reason must be that I don’t talk much to people here, especially when travelling, and I don’t want my thoughts to disappear into a black hole without even making someone else pause for a second to consider.
Right now I have some thoughts about the English language in Flanders. Much ink and vitriol has been spilt and spattered about the language situation in Belgium, of which I have read much. Flemings are unhappy that Walloons are reluctant to learn Dutch and often choose not to whereas French is taught in all Flemish schools. The Frenchification of Brussels is also a sore point and the consequent Frenchification of Flemish areas surrounding Brussels (Sint-Genesius-Rode, Linkebeek, Zaventem) is even more touchy. The Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde electoral district is obviously another big point of political debate. Anyway my point now is not to discuss this.
As an English speaker living in Flanders, I am less than comfortable in my dealings with Flemings. I am usually extra polite and I also do not go out of my way to chat with them, because I am not sure if they are happy speaking English. The internationalisation of Leuven is also a minor issue in Leuven, with the many foreigners living in the city who don’t speak Dutch.
However, for the most part, English is viewed quite favourably by the Flemish people. I think most of them are proud that they are able to speak good English and have no qualms speaking in English, even with fellow Flemings when there is a non-Flemish person in the group. I have heard of unpleasant encounters but never had any myself. I think they recognise that the Dutch-speaking world is tiny on global terms and they are also fairly global in their outlook. Another reason is that many of them grew up with English as part of their lives in a small way – movies, TV, songs and the Internet in particular. Movies and television shows are not dubbed but subtitled. Almost all the music they listen to is in English. It is not uncommon for advertisement slogans and store names to use English idioms and puns.
Train from Belgrade to Sarajevo, 110411 1344, after entering Bosnia and Herzegovina
I am in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is pretty amazing when I let it sink in. This is the country that was torn by civil war in my youth. The train ride is not particularly scenic and I have not talked to people on board, but I think Sarajevo should be a lovely city.
