Ok, this is the third (and hopefully final) time that I am trying to post this. The first time, Friday night, the power went out before I finished the last paragraph. The second time, 5 minutes ago, Internet Explorer quit because there was an error (yet again right as I was finishing up). Third time's a charm, right?
I honestly feel as if I can't do justice to my experience in Singapore with words. The people's values, to me, are ideal. They keep the country clean, are resourceful, outstandingly hospitable, respectful, and hold a high value for education. Because the government fully supports most schools and the students wear uniforms, the students have a lot of inspiration, focus, and room to learn. Even the country's public transportation amazed me! It was so easy that I had hope for some of the subway systems here in the states... although I shouldn't.
Our group was insanely lucky to have the type of experience that we had. Instead of being typical tourists, with a hired tour guide, visits to museums, and changing hotels every few nights, we had a much more personal experience. The team took us to places that tourists would never be able to find on their own, had us try local delicacies, and let us have a FIRST HAND experience of their culture, instead of learning it from a distance in historical museums and brochures. I even got to stay with a Singaporean family for a night!
Visiting the three schools strenghtened my inspiration to go into an engineering field for college and a career, moreso than i had wanted before the trip (I wanted to go to college for Architecture or Industrial Design). The level of technology available to all students in the school, similar to the technology used to be a part of a FIRST team, was outstanding. I don't mean to get all sappy and cliche here, but being in a country on the other side of the world (quite literally) provided me with a new opinion and knowledge of myself and of America by recognizing the similarities and differences in the cultures. I know now how to be more resourceful and respectful. Even driving to work today, a 15 minute drive, showed me how much land America has! It takes two hours to get from one side of Singapore to the other... that's how long it takes me to get to the nearest beach back home!
I would say that this was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for the group, but I know that it isn't. Not only does our team hope to send another group in the future to further continue our partnership and friendship, but I, personally, plan to either study abroad there in college, travel with the team again, or at least travel to Singapore on my own when possible to visit with my friends!
And I'm not the only one.
Ok, third time was a charm. Finally! Thanks for keeping up with this thread throughout our time there. Any questions? Feel free to ask!