It has been an unbelievable first week and I think that I am finally starting to feel settled here. Singapore is such an incredible city and the last week has been spent going to various areas of the city and trying to see as much as possible. One of my favorite things that I have done here was going to visit the gardens by the bay, home of the supertrees. I had seen the pictures of the trees but in person they it's as if you are staring at a drawing and they are not actually real. The only way I can describe the gardens by the bay is I am pretty sure that this is exactly what Pangea from the movie Avatar looks like. The amount of walking we have been doing here has resulted in me feeling like an eighty five year old woman who has a sore back, sore feet and sore knees.

The food here is unbelievable and anywhere you go there is such a variety of different cuisines to try from. Typically the best meals come from pointing at a random food item at a food stall and nodding your head each time the person serving you asks you a question. I have found its not uncommon for locals to laugh at the tourist white girl who clearly has zero idea as to what she is about to eat. Yesterday in a district called Bugis, we were on our way to visit a Mosque when we decided to stop at a street side fast food restaurant of a sorts to eat. Upon our arrival we met a man who proceeded to try to explain to us what we were about to eat, all that resonated with me were the words "liver" and "so spicy". When I did my usual point at food and nodding exercise with the woman serving my food she proceeded to laugh in my face and tell me how spicy my food was going to be. I told her it was fine and that I would eat it anyways, she then laughed even harder and said "Okay lady you cry". I am happy to report that I did not shed one single spice induced tear over that meal. One thing I do have to say is I really miss vegetables. Raw, cold, crunchy vegetables. Everything here is cooked and although good, I would kill for a big old bag of baby carrots.

It has yet to hit me that I am a student and I have to study here. I believe a large amount of this is due to the circa 1940 computer system they use for us to register for classes. As of now, I am in none. I go to the classes that I have requested but its quite possible that I will soon be dismissed from the national University for freeloading and not actually taking any courses.