[Jared Russell]

Hello all,

Jared here (college mentor), it's day 3 here (Friday or Thursday, depending on which side of the international date line you are sitting at the moment), and I've finally been able to get online after a busy day and a half.

The flight was not NEARLY as bad as I thought it could have been. Even though I didn't sleep much, I didn't feel dead when we landed in Hong Kong and Singapore, and in fact I think the thought of getting off the plane gave me energy anew.

After seeing the US, Canada, Japan, Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Singapore in one 36 hour span, I have a newfound outlook on the world in some ways. Looking out into vast expanses of wilderness, or into giant cities on the other side of the earth, you realize how much there really is to this planet. But at the same time, you realize that you've just travelled about as far as you possibly can around the globe without starting to wrap back around in only a day and a half - having now been directly across the world, I only now get the realization that it is finite. What looked so big on paper as a little child is in fact a mere plane ride away.

The first thing I noticed after landing was that all of the horror stories regarding Singapore's laws and customs are greatly exaggerated. It was really no different than going back into the USA. We then checked into the Sijori Resort, a GORGEOUS hotel that used to be the British army headquarters on Sentosa Island. Everywhere you look you see palm trees, beaches, pristine buildings - this place is beautiful.

The rest of Wednesday was a bit of a jet-lagged blur. We walked around Sentosa for a bit, and saw some attractions we hope to do justice to in the coming days. Some of us napped. After dinner, I was about the most tired I have ever been in my life.

Thursday we went to the Millenia Institute, and I have to say that a school that was described to us as "run down" by Singapore standards is absolutely breathtaking. Much of the school is open - the cafeteria has no walls, for example. The reaction of the student body has been nothing short of jawdropping - we get applause wherever we go. This morning we went back and demonstrated Miss Daisy in front of 900 students, amidst laughter and no shortage of "oohs" and "ahhs". To be so appreciated 15,000 miles from home? Amazing.

Last night we had Singaporean "fondue", where you pick out raw meat and cook it over open flames. Then we walked through the town, and went bowling with our friends from SMART (the Singaporean robotics team). And when I say friends, I mean it - the interaction between our students and their peers from another hemisphere is as strong as anything you see in the halls of a high school.

Well, it's back to work now - time to do some more demonstrations, see the countryside, and hang out with our buddies. I'll try to update daily now that I've figured out how to get online.