Singaporean Desperation

(potp: Desperate Housewives - taken from the quality paper 'Strait Times'; no comment; click to enlarge)

THEORY ON SPICE?

Well, I hope all of you had a nice and not too stressful week. It is Saturday in the afternoon and I just came back from a nice lunch..I had some really tasty (and of course spicy) seafood called Laksa at one of the 'Hawkers 'centres close to the beach. Hawkers are basically an essential Singaporean experience. Food in general is one of the aces this city draws. Hawkers used to be people who wheeled their pushcarts through the streets, serving snacks to homes, shops and offices. Nowadays, they are conveniently grouped at Hawkers centres, since the Ministry of Environment started to enforce new laws on hygiene. There are some Hawkers also situated close to my workplace..you get fantastic Chinese, Indian and Malay food + freshly squeezed juice of whatever kind and combination (hmmm...) for about 3 Euros altogether..

There is one thing though, that I really do not understand. Why on earth seems food generally to be more spicy in warmer and hot places? I don't get it..it makes you sweat even more than usual and isn't that something you'd like to prevent? I already got used to the spices to some degree. The feeling of the spices crawling up my nose, causing tears and sometimes a cough is less repulsive compared to the first couple of days. This assimilation takes some time..maybe one of you has an idea, why there seems to be a clearly positive correlation between average temperature and the use of hot spices..? I have no idea and so far nobody could tell me.

HUMIDITY CAUSES HUMILIATION?

I am kind of an individualist in terms of sports. Team sports aren't really right up my alley..I like cycling, swimming and especially running. I was almost at about two thirds of the distance of a standard marathon earlier this year, when I still exercised in Dresden. My first run on the beach of Singapore one week ago virtually blew my mind. There had been a few showers during that day already. So, there was still water dropping from the palm trees and it was almost a bit misty. Combining this striking humidity with a temperature of 27°C in the evening gives a good explanation why I was totally soaked within 10 minutes of running. This may sound a bit disgusting, since sweating is usually associated with bad smell in European climate. Nevertheless, this kind of perspiration here is more kind of a healthy one I guess. Yeah, it does not look too pretty but involves less stench, as long as you don't overdo it and forget your shower for a couple of days ;-)...I was told that a good combination of exercising, spicy food, freshly squeezed drinks (and a working deodorant, of course :-) will make life much healthier and easier here..

I realised that day that I was wearing too much anyways. Most of the local runners are exercising just in their shorts (not the females of course :-)). So following 'In Rome do like the Romans do' I also went running virtually naked for the next couple of times. At least this does not seem to be punishable, like dancing on the streets (more on this next time ;-))

Wish you all a nice weekend!

Maik

(1) http://www.travellady.com/Issues/Issue60/singapore.htm

Please sign this!

(picture of the post #1, please click on the picture to enlarge)

STANDARD PROCEDURE

Well, let me give you a short insight into Singaporean immigration law. Due to the fact that there are many relatively poor countries in the direct neighborhood, immigration has grown into a tough topic during the last years. A case in point was my already mentioned 'incident' when I tried to enter the country with an incomplete work permit form (see post #2: Farewell). They were actually telling me that I could enter the country as a tourist, but depending on the mood of the officer in charge it could happen that I won't be allowed to work anymore later, even if I produced a correct permit. Imagine my heart thumping, thumping, thumping...

UNWANTED ADVANTAGES + FREETHINKING

Well, on Monday the 19th of September (my first day at work, more on this later...) I went to the Ministry of Manpower to apply for my final work permit (you get a identity card). Loads and loads of paperwork...this is really nasty, since a lacking piece of paper can lead to a (let me put it this way) decisive action by the authorities. The place was packed with people from all over Asia, a really interesting mixed bunch. What I really and finally realised that day was that Caucasians (for those of you who don't know the expression: "relating to or denoting a broad division of humankind covering peoples from Europe, western Asia, and parts of India and North Afric", basically white-skinned Europeans) always seem to have an advantage here. White-skinned people are generally treated in a more polite and friendly way, at least this is my personal impression. Maybe they think I do have some important position here. well, never mind ;-) But it is a weird and most of the time unpleasent feeling to be treated differently, just because of the color of my skin; no matter if it's positive or negative. I mean, why on earth should white-skinned people be automatically better? I could have been a crook and they would still treat me way more friendly right from the beginning than an honest man from a poor region in Thailand...

By the way, when I filled out one of the forms for my work permit I also had to state my religion..the only thing I (as an atheist) could pick was 'Freethinker'. So, if you like you can refer to me as a 'Caucasian Freethinker', which sounds somewhat awkward..

IS THIS A JOKE?

One of the many sheets of papers I had to sign was the one on the top of this post (potp #1). I had to smile a little when I read articles 8-11. The authorities seem to be wary that no wrong person ever gets too close with a local of the opposing gender (of whatever gender, to be politically up-to-date). It let me somewhat down to sign this..I mean, I did not have the intention or the immediate urge to marry one the local beauties (and there are indeed many, to say the least; I leave the rest to your imagination ;-)) right away. But the prohibition of any kind of cohabitation really stroke me...You know, I am currently a Bachelor and God knows where the wind will take me. Well, of course I signed it..otherwise I would probably be at home in Germany again and pet my cat right now..

SURPRISE

(potp #2, surprise; click on the picture to enlarge)

Five days later when I went to the same place again to pick up the ID-Card, one sheet of paper was attached to it (potp #2). It was really kind of funny in the first moment to get a formal permission to cohabit and even to marry. Was it the Caucasian bonus? Was it the European advantage? Did my company sign any kind of contract to support family planning? No, just kidding. I have no idea. I am just happy that this issue is solved and that I can indeed enjoy dinner with a Singaporean woman without the need to hide away whenever police pops up ;-)

Good night to all of you!

Where the hell..?

(picture of the post: Singapore is right in the middle of each map, just for your information..)

FIRST TASK: BECOMING ACCLIMATIZED...

Well, as for the climate..just imagine a place that is just covered with tropical jungle. Suddenly Mr. Samford Raffles comes along in 1819 to found a city at this spot, which is so ideal for a free port...(1) Fast forward...all forest ist basically flattened and replaced now by one of the most vivid metropolis in Asia. Of course, the climate did not change..many foreigners seem to ask themselves, why on earth one should work and live here. But there are plenty of good reasons..So, when I walked out the airport for the first time (it was late, around 10pm on Friday, 16th Sept), it felt like walking right into a wall..still 27°C and so humid. I was picked up by Jan and Philipp, two interns from Infineon who used to be here for quite a while.

...LEARN TO MOVE AND PERSPIRING LIKE THE LOCALS...

Cabs and Buses, virtually everything that drives around in the city has aircon, which is badly needed. As an 'untrained' Middle-European, you start sweating right away everywhere and almost everytime in the first week, especially whenever there is no aircon in close proximity. Every fast movement leads to sweating, especially during the day, when there are more than 30°C and around 80%-90% humidity. This climate is really...special. Hard conditions for your deodorant :-) The most difficult challenge was to get to work without getting into the state that you would need a shower right after your arrival..

Nevertheless, it has advantages. You will never need any skin cream, since there is always a thin layer of moisture on your skin. It is much more comfortable to wear contact lenses, for example. At home in Germany I could wear them for about 8-9 hours, here I can virtually keep them for the whole day without ever noticing them. There is simply no way they could ever dry out (except the fact that you stay in a freezer-like place that has the most aggressive and drying aircons..which really strikes me sometimes when I enter a store. You feel chilly immediately, and if you ever get a cold in this country you'll surely get it from evaporation cold pretty quickly, I suppose)

I remember myself pondering about riding a bicycle to work every morning..one hour in this climate tells you that this idea is just nuts..So I was happy to sit down in a chilly cab with the 2 guys and to have my first Singaporean beer one hour later, because were going right to one of their favorites bars.

...AND TO LOOK FOR A FLAT!

I slept at Jans place for the first two nights. Infineon itself does not arrange anything regarding accomodation..but after talking to some interns I was confident that I would find something somehow...and I did! I virtually won the lottery. But more of that in the next days..

(additional potp: Infineon Asia Pacific Headquarters, 8 Kallang Sector, Singapore)

(1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singapore

Farewell

(picture of the post: upper = Ronny, Sandy, me and Chrissi; lower = Glenn and me)

LEAVING DRESDEN NEVER EASY

Well, first thanks to all of you who wished me the best for my trip. It certainly would not have been so difficult to leave without all of you asking me the whole time how I felt about leaving ;-). The last days in Dresden were fabulous..special thanks to Sandy and Ronny, who organised a wonderful combination of birthday and farewell party on Sept 11th. Thanks to Anke and Matt who managed to pay me a visit. Having so many friends at the platform (also cheers to Chrissi & Glenn), who wished me luck, certainly was a sign that somethings gonna change..

Well, my ICE trip to Frankfurt was a quick and comfy ride. The flight to Dubai was interesting. I haven't had the opportunity to try Emirates before (who are supposed to be 2nd only to Singapore Airlines in the world with regard to customer satisfaction). Stylish music, appetizing videos and quite beautifully smiling stewardesses, hmmm. And all these different cultures. Not too bad I thought, before a German guy sat next to me boasting of his frequent flyer bonuses for the first two hours of the flight. Back to reality at last. Well, there's not much to tell about the flight, other than it was relaxing then (the German guy was competing in his snoring loudness with the engines. I cannot sleep anyways during flights, so I was listining to podcasts and music..sometimes the other neighbor of the guy bumped 'accidentily' but heavily into him, which merely let him grunt for a second).
Nevertheless, Emirates surely know how to treat even their 'wood'-class customers gently. The only thing I missed, was a decent massage (more to this a few posts later in Singapore..;-)) I wasn't bold enough to ask for one, but an Indian guy who sat next to me on my final flight to Singapore told me confidently the staff generelly would do anything before letting the word 'no' slip out of their mouths to a customer. Maybe I give it a try on my way back ;-)


ARRIVING SINGAPORE NEVER EASY, TOO?

The arrival at Singapore airport was marked by a first slight shock. Although I was given a letter directly after leaving the plane containing my work permit, they would not accept it. Apparently, Infineon HR had missed out to print page 2 of 2 of my work permit..luckily, I am European, so I could finally enter the country as a tourist after numerous discussions with their police and immigration personnel. puhhh...immigration laws are really strict in Singapore, so I was kindof lucky.

It was indeed a weird feeling to walk through the doors of the airport...tropical hot climate, palm trees, humidity, spiciest Asian food, unspeakable names of Indian cab drivers and of course an internship with Infineon ;-) were waiting somewhere behind these doors...

Welcome!

Hello guys!

It has been almost two weeks since my arrival in Singapore. That means there is PLENTY to catch up on. Well, I thought it would be just an easy and (to be honest) convenient way to start a weblog to communicate with all of you. I would love to write plenty of emails...but that would take away lots of time to explore Singapore and its surroundings..and isn’t this what you actually want to hear about?

By the way, the best way to contact me would be via skype: I should be online pretty often in the future. My nick: europe80. Additionally , for all of you from Germany: it is incredibly cheap to call me on my cell: just preselect 01077 or 01079 , followed by 6581653510 (where 65 is the country code). It will cost you just about 1.6 Cents/Minute.

I would also like to encourage you to write comments as much as you like. Any weird, unpleasant, political incorrect behaviour will be censored though..this is my way to contribute to this country’s kind of freedom of the press ;-)

So far so good..I will just give you my address before I finally get on.

Maik Schroeer
Mandarin Gardens Condo
5 Siglap Rd, 02#42
448908 Singapore

'WAH LAU'..WHAT'S THAT?! YOUR NEW LAST NAME?

Well, you probably wonder what it means. So let me explain this to you, because there is indeed some meaning behind it. The Singaporean population constitutes itself mainly from people with Chinese (about 75%), Malay (15%) and Indian heritage. Singaporeans (not very politically correct as I heard: 'Singis') themselves often say that they can neither speak English nor Mandarin properly. The spoken English has of course some accent, which is not so bad. The funny part is that English is very often combined with a language called 'Singlish' (1). It supposedly comes from Hokkien (a sub-ethnic Han Chinese group originating in Fujian, China). I think I'm going to throw in a few words from time to time...not just to confuse you, but to give you a taste, what the local language is like.

'Wah Lau' is actually the pretty and much more polite version of 'Wah Lau Eh', which happens to be one of the most used expressions here. 'Wah Lau' means something like 'Wow', 'Damn' or 'Bummer' (I stick to the first interpretation though..), you can look up the inpolite version when you click on the first bookmark in the footnotes..(1) no comment anymore ;-)

Aayoh..I hope you enjoy reading this..I think I am going to update this blog around once or twice a week, depending on mood and time. Again, feel free to comment as much as you want. Let's see how this works!

Maik

(1) http://www.talkingcock.com/html/lexec.php?op=LexView&lexicon=lexicon&alpha=W&page=1