AM ERICAN AS S O C IATION O F S INGAP ORE
Since 1958
www.aasingapore.com
October 2016
American Association..... 1-3 Member Discounts............. 3 CRCE & Business............ 4-5 Community News......... 6-10 Big Trips..................... 12-27 Food & Dining............ 28-29 Health and Wellness........ 30 What’s Happening.......... 31
CRCE & Business 4-5
Community 6-10
Food & Dining 28-29
Starting a Unique Travel Company in Thailand
Read All About Our New DCM and Admiral
The Glorious Food of Chile, Santiago
Big Trips12-27
Share Some Magical Adventures Around the Globe
MCI (P) 116/04/2016
Photo by Jim Tietjen
Travel: It’s Good for You! By Faith Chanda
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n 2012, the one billionth tourist arrival in the world was recorded, according to the United Nations World Travel Organization (UNWTO). The benefits of tourism to the global economy are well-documented: The volume of tourist receipts is more than US $920 billion globally. Tourism accounts for about ten per cent of the global gross domestic product (GDP), with some countries counting tourism as the largest contributor to their economy. But does tourism also benefit the tourists? The answer is a resounding, “Yes!” Here are some of the ways vacations can actually be good for you! Improved Physical Health: One study published in Science Daily, aimed at proving the benefit of wellness vacations, such as meditation retreats, were somewhat surprised to find that the control group (which were average vacationers who did not participate in the meditation) also showed scientifically measurable benefits related to immunity and coping with stress. Increased Overall Happiness and Well-being: The results of a 2014 Gallup Poll showed that overall well-being is more directly associated with how often people took vacation than with their income level. And
another study by Joudrey and Wallace showed that anxiety and depression can be significantly reduced by an increase in leisure time away from work, such as vacations. The more time spent away, the lower the stress levels. Greater Productivity and Work/Life Balance: People are more satisfied at work when they take vacations on a regular basis, according to Nielsen Consumer Research. Travelers reported they felt less pressure at work and better about the balance of their work responsibilities and their personal lives outside of work. And leisure travel is associated with greater creativity, which can also improve work performance. Better Relationships: Travel offers busy people and families time to connect in a way they often don’t during the grind of daily life. As Singaporebased travel writer Mandira Rai (who reviews luxury family-friendly hotels on www.withmandy.com) puts it, "My two kids, husband and I just returned from ten nights in the Maldives. So that's 30 meals together, ten days in the same room and ten nights all together in one bed. To me, that’s pure gold and nothing brings us closer than a family holiday."
A survey by Disney revealed that children get to know new things about their parents and families, such as stories about their parents’ childhoods, when they spend quality time together on vacation. Kids’ Higher Achievement: In analysis of data provided by the US Department of Education, it is clear that “children who traveled with their families scored higher on academic achievement assessment tests than those who did not travel.” These results held true even when traditionally educational places such as historic sites and monuments weren’t on the agenda. Locations such as zoos and beaches still improved the kids’ scores over other kids who don’t travel. Broaden Your Horizons: Mark Twain wrote, “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness.” All it takes is travel to remind us how small the world really is and how blessed our lives truly are. So don’t feel guilty about those beach vacations with umbrella drinks and never-ending buffets. Enjoy! Faith Chanda has reinvented herself as a writer, after spending most of her career in Marketing Communications and Event Planning, spanning multiple industries and roles.
American Association of Singapore’s Annual Strategic Partners
2 AMERICAN ASSOCIATION
Singapore American · October 2016
A message from the President...
SINGAPORE AMERICAN NEWSPAPER
The New AAS Website: It’s live! It’s responsive to all of your devices. And we hope the new and improved www.aasingapore.com will be a regular stop on your daily social media journey. Any of you who’ve built a website know the agony and ecstasy that inevitably follows such an endeavor. Well, we’ve made it through and hope you find it useful and fun. Among other things, you can read SAN online, see our full events calendar and view pictures from them. Plus, find out about our history, staff, ExCo and Board who run AAS. Please be patient as we work out the kinks.
EDITORIAL
Welcome Back: We hope you enjoyed our annual Welcome Back on September 25 at Zoom Park. While we thought that the kids would enjoy the 20,000-foot trampoline park the most, I saw more than a few of you adults bouncing and smiling. Thanks to all of you who attended, to our premium partner GEMS World Academy (Singapore) for the amazing support and to Smokey’s BBQ for the great food.
Hazlyn Aidzil, Melindah Bush, Faith Chanda, Laura Coulter, Kevin Cox, Andrew Dutton, Mark Gardner, Sue Harben, Richard Hartung, Lindy Hiemstra, Jodi Jonis, Douglas Reigger, Conn Schrader, Jeff Tejcek, Heidi Virshup, Eric Walter
Meet some new Team America VIPs: In this issue of SAN, we’re happy to introduce you to the new, US Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission, Stephanie Syptak-Ramnath, her husband Gautam and two daughters (page 6). Also landing on the Little Red Dot is Rear Admiral Donald Gabrielson, wife Navenka and their son and daughter. Admiral Gabrielson is the highest-ranking US Navy Officer in Singapore: Commander, Logistics Group Western Pacific, Commander, Task Force 73 and Singapore Area Coordinator for US forces stationed in the region (page 7). Having spent time with them both, I can say we’ve got two new dedicated representatives of the US and partners who believe in supporting our overseas community. New AAS Office: Along with many others at The American Club, our new (temporary) office is now in what used to be the B1 parking garage at The Club. Don’t worry. They’ve built walls, added aircon and carpet! We’re sad to leave our old space, but look forward to a new, improved home once The Club renovation is done. RENT: Join us at the theater to see RENT on October 13. Your ticket includes a pre-show beverage and panel discussion after the final curtain, hosted by Ambassador Wagar, to explore the show’s message of diversity and inclusion. Champagne Breakfast with Crystal Wagar: We hate to see her go! On October 26, Crystal Wagar will reflect on her time in Singapore as she and Ambassador Wagar prepare to leave our sunny island in January. She gave her first public speech in Singapore to AAS members several years ago. Now, it’s her chance to tell us how it all went! Sign up, if you haven’t already.
Editor-in-Chief: Melinda Murphy, communications@aasingapore.com Publishing Editor: Toni Dudsak, generalmanager@aasingapore.com
DESIGN & LAYOUT Graphic Designer: Miia Koistinen, graphics@aasingapore.com
ADVERTISING Advertising Manager: Valerie Tietjen, san.ads@aasingapore.com
CONTRIBUTORS
For AAS: Alka Chandiramani, Melinda Murphy, Glenn van Zutphen
AMERICAN ASSOCIATION BOARD MEMBERS President: Glenn van Zutphen • Vice President: Steven Tucker Treasurer: Patrick Jones • Secretary: Shawn Galey Directors: James Arpin, Joseph Foggiato, Mary Beth McCrory, Ana Mims and Stephanie Nash Immediate Past President: David Boden • AmCham Chair: Dwight Hutchins American Club President: Scott Weber • AWA President: Tara Eastep SACAC Chair: Anne LeBoutillier • SAS Chair: Anita Tan-Langlois Non-Voting Members: US Embassy: Chahrazed Sioud US Military: Rear Admiral Donald Gabrielson
PUBLISHER - AMERICAN ASSOCIATION The American Association of Singapore (AAS) is a professional, not-for-profit organization established to enhance the well-being and living experience of Americans residing in Singapore and to promote relationships, both business and social, between Americans and those from different cultures and nationalities. 10 Claymore Hill, Singapore 229573 T: (+65) 6738 0371 • F: (+65) 6738 3648 E: admin@aasingapore.com • www.aasingapore.com The Singapore American newspaper, a monthly publication with readership of 10,000+, has been published by the American Association of Singapore since 1958, with the purpose of enhancing the expatriate experience in Singapore.
Sponsors, we need you!: The AAS 100th Anniversary in 2017 is gonna be HUGE! We need corporate sponsors who want to connect with our dynamic members while supporting the American community. Please contact AAS GM Toni Dudsak for details on the many exciting programs and sponsorship options.
SUBSCRIPTION
Follow us on Facebook or Twitter: @AmAssocSG, (hashtag #AmAssocSG for all social media).
Reproduction in any manner, in English or any other language, is prohibited without written permission. The Singapore American welcomes all contributions of volunteer time or written material.
Best,
A subscription to the Singapore American is complimentary with an AAS or CRCE membership. AAS annual family membership is just $70. CRCE membership is $160. To join, visit www.aasingapore.com and have the Singapore American delivered to your home.
The Singapore American is printed by Procomp Printset Pte Ltd, 57 Loyang Drive, Level 3 Annex Building, Singapore 508968.
Glenn van Zutphen president@aasingapore.com twitter: @glennvanzutphen
3 AMERICAN ASSOCIATION
Singapore American · October 2016
AAS
Upcoming Events
Past Events
Wednesday
Wine & Chocolate
Chit and Chat
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Love wine? Love Chocolate? Then our very special tasting event is for you! Start your night off with Champagne, followed by sampling of three wines paired with high-end chocolates. It’s a night that’s sure to delight! 7-9pm The Vintage Club 49 Jalan Pemimpin, Loading Bay APS Industrial Building #01-09, (S)577203 $30 AAS Members; $50 Non-Members
October
Thursday
13
October
Wednesday
26
A Night at the Theater: RENT
Quiz Night
Writer's Block, a team made up primarily of SAN writers, was the big winner at September’s Quiz Night held at Smokey’s BBQ. Everybody had a great time grappling with the questions, proudly shouting when they got the right answers and laughing when they didn’t. Be sure to come to the next one!
Join us for a very special evening at RENT, a ground-breaking rock musical staged by Pangdemonium. Before the show, enjoy a glass of wine. After the final curtain, US Ambassador to Singapore Kirk Wagar will lead a discussion including panelists Adrian Pang, Artistic Director of Pangdemodium, Daniel Le, Manager, Outreach Programmes from Action for Aids (AfA) and Calvin Le, a volunteer with AfA about the musical’s celebration of diversity and inclusion. 6:30-11pm Drama Centre Theatre 100 Victoria Street, National Library Building #03-00, (S)188064 $75 AAS Members; $95 Non-Members Price includes a pre-theater glass of wine.
Our annual event held at Zoom Park was a big hit this year! Kids bounced themselves silly while adults got a chance to catch up with old friends and make some new ones.
Crystal Wagar: Reflections
Living in Singapore Talk
Enjoy a delicious Champagne breakfast while listening to Crystal Wagar, wife of US Ambassador to Singapore, reflect on her three years in the Lion City. 8:30-10am The American Club, 10 Claymore Hill, (S)229573 $25 AAS Members; $45 Non-Members
October
Our first event of the Fall was a smashing success with lots of familiar and new faces in attendance. Everybody enjoyed the delicious wine, fabulous door prizes and great company. Thanks to all who attended!
Welcome Back Celebration
Members of AAS and families from Singapore American School learned a lot about life in The Little Red Dot from our amazing panel of speakers. Hats off to our writers Jyoti Angresh, Melissa Diagana and Steven Tucker for their eye-opening talks about culture, the medical landscape and action-packed things to do here.
For more info and to register for an event: www.aasingapore.com
American Association of Singapore
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Thursday, October 13 6:30-11pm
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Save the Date March 4 • 2017 George Washington
A Night at the Theater: RENT
Centennial Ball
Drama Centre Theatre, 100 Victoria Street National Library Building #03-00, (S)188064
$75 AAS Members; $95 Non-Members
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For more info: www.aasingapore.com or email: events@aasingapore.com
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Mark your calendar for a very special celebration of the 100th anniversary of AAS.
Price includes a pre-show glass of wine.
AAS MEMBER DISCOUNTS
AAS members enjoy discounts at a range of local businesses. Present your AAS membership card at time of purchase. Please see a full list of discounts at www.aasingapore.com/member-discounts.
Two hours free handy-man service worth more than $200 when you book your move with Allied Pickfords. Call 6862 4700.
Present AAS membership card to receive 15% off total bill. Valid for dine in on a la carte menu at all Brewerkz and Cafe Iguana restaurants from January 4-December 30, 2016. Limit to one (1) redemption per bill, per table. Not valid on concert days, eve of and on public holidays. Not valid with lunch menu, other set menus, discounts, vouchers, promotions or privileges. The management reserves the right to amend the terms & conditions without prior notice.
Get a six-month free membership to Expat Living magazine. Redeem: www.expatliving.sg/aas
Enjoy cash rewards of up to 50% of the first month’s nett rental when you lease an apartment/ house or refer a friend to us. Valid till December 31, 2016. Terms & Conditions apply. Call 6223 5223 or visit rentFarEast.com.
FIRST DRINK FREE – every day, every visit for AAS members. Valid on house pours until December 31, 2016. Show your membership card at the bar to claim. Check out their new location at: 32 South Buona Vista
Survival Chic Discovery Dining Program 30% off the table bill (including alcohol and guests) at 50+ top restaurants around the city. $25,000+ in savings, for less than $1/day. 10% off Survival Chic Membership for AAS members! www.survivalchic.com
Present your AAS membership card and receive $10 in vouchers when you sign up for a Warehouse Club membership. Valid till November 30, 2016.
CAREER RESOURCE CENTER FOR EXCELLENCE PERSONAL & PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
“To become a true global citizen, one must abandon all notions of ‘otherness’ and instead embrace ‘togetherness.’” SUZY KASSEM
CRCE OCTOBER WORKSHOPS
Building Bridges By Alka Chandiramani
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oday, more than ever before, the ability to connect with people and build successful teams in a cross-cultural environment is what will help leaders and organizations stand out among their competitors. Many of us work in companies that operate globally and have to deal with cross-cultural differences. As such, relatedness is an increasingly important component to build effective collaborations between team leaders across many cultures. A sense of relatedness essentially builds mutual trust between people. Many of us work with colleagues who come from a totally different background than we do. So as a leader, building relatedness and a sense of belonging is extremely crucial. This is true during personal transitions, too. We must be able to join countless dots and adapt to new realities within shorter timeframes. We continuously face uncertainty and ambiguity in one aspect or another. Lately, there are a lot of articles out there about Volatile, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity (VUCA). VUCA, derived from military vocabulary, began in the 1990s and has been subsequently used in emerging ideas in strategic leadership that applies in a wide range of organizations and individuals. How you respond as an effective as a leader in this
VUCA world must also take into consideration the global nature of business. We often underestimate the importance of creating a sense of relatedness in dealing with cross-cultural differences. Most often, there’s a lot of focus on creating tasks and objectives without much thought given to the relatedness within a team. These days, we are confronted with cross-cultural differences across all dynamics of mergers and acquisitions. Many times the mindset of “us” versus “them” lies deep beneath the surface. When individuals do not feel a part of the team, it is hard to create that “togetherness” feeling and this can eventually have an impact on the bottom line. However, companies that manage to establish mutual trust and a sense of relatedness among teams across boundaries, despite the cultural differences, have a clear competitive advantage. Being able to manage teams successfully across nations encompasses many aspects of the human spirit.
Creating a LinkedIn Business (Company) Page & How to Maintain It Speaker: Linda Le Wednesday, October 5 9:30am – 12:30pm Setting Up a Business in Singapore Speaker: Hawksford Singapore Pte Ltd Friday, October 7 10am – 12pm 7 Keys to Resilience Speaker: Thierry Moschetti Wednesday, October 26 10am – 12pm
Are you an employer with
an opening to fill? Did you know employers can list jobs for free on the CRCE job board? Log onto
“Witnessing a person from our own group or an outsider suffer pain causes neural responses in two very different regions of the brain. And, the specific region activated reveals whether we will help the person in need. Researchers at the University of Zurich studied the brain responses of soccer fans and now have neurobiological evidence for why we are most willing to help members of our own group.”
www.aasingapore.com to find out more.
– ScienceDaily
LOOKING TO REINVENT YOURSELF? AAS OFFERS PERSONALIZED CAREER COUNSELING SERVICES. SIGN UP NOW FOR A PRIVATE APPOINTMENT WITH A PROFESSIONAL CAREER ADVISOR. PLEASE CONTACT CRCE.INFO@AASINGAPORE.COM
SPOTLIGHT ON JOBS Programs Executive Responsibilities include: handling call-in, walk-in and online enquiries professionally; analyzing clients’ needs and recommend suitable solutions; meeting monthly enrollment targets; participating in recruitment activities such as educational events. (job #3356) Outplacement Consultants An international human resource consultancy firm looking for professional, self-driven and enthusiastic senior freelance candidates to join the Singapore office. You must be dedicated to help others in their career transition and to guide them to consider what they would like to pursue in their next phase of life. You will need to use your senior management experience to assist candidates in their job search using our proven outplacement processes and techniques. You must have the passion to support candidates in their difficult transition. (job #3355) Teacher Librarian An international school is looking for a Teacher Librarian to: facilitate library research skills and literature appreciation lessons in collaboration with the class teacher and where required facilitate extracurricular activities; assist students and teachers to select books and resources. (job #3354) Sales Executive A destination and lifestyle services company, delivering settling-in services for new expats, training and visa processing services is looking for a Sales Executive to: research and seek out potential new clients and turn them into increased business; cold call as appropriate within the market to obtain a pipeline of opportunities; identify potential clients and the decision makers within the client organization. (job #3353) English Enrichment Teacher An enrichment center located in the East Coast is looking for teachers to teach English on Saturdays and/or Sundays and/or Mondays to teach English to Nursery, Kindergarten and Primary students. This is a structured, well-developed and researched curriculum that allows for creativity, including Reading and Phonics, Speech and Drama, Enrichment and Creative Writing. Part-time positions are open. All training will be provided. (job #3352) English Teachers A language school is seeking native speakers of English to fill its teaching vacancies. Successful candidates will teach conversational and business English to mainly Japanese students (both adults and children). Teaching materials are provided and are well designed to make learning easier for adult learners. Teaching methods can be tailor-made to suit student's needs. Native English speakers required (North American & British accents preferred). (job #3351) Manager, Redevelopment Communications The successful candidate will have the following key responsibilities: create and update all content for information boards decals and microsite; work with graphic designer to create all redevelopment communications; reply to all member queries; organize and attend focus groups; create and distribute regular updates to membership and team members on redevelopment news; work closely with project manager to ensure accuracy of information being communicated; create and reply to FAQs on e-blast and microsite. (job #3359)
5 CRCE & BUSINESS
Singapore American · October 2016
A Very Local Trip By Richard Hartung
S
eeing the usual sites in Thailand is easy. What’s more difficult is getting out to the really local sites and meeting the people. That’s the niche that Very Local Trip (VLT) has staked out, leading excursions for visitors to Thailand who really do want to experience Thai culture and get off the beaten path. Take a train to Mahasawat for a day trip along the canal built for King Rama IV or head to Kram Sakon on a three-day excursion to learn indigo dyeing with villagers, for example, and you’ll see as well as hear from local guides just how people actually live in Thailand. How Very Local Trip Began The founder of VLT, Maxime Besnier, had no intention of starting a travel agency when he moved to Thailand in 2010 as a biotech company executive. Soon after he arrived, though, he started receiving messages from friends saying they planned to visit Bangkok and asking for ideas. “They were telling me, ‘I don’t want to feel like a tourist. I want to feel like an insider,’” Besnier recalled. While he simply helped out for a while, he soon decided to turn it into a business. “I know a lot of expats and locals who know the city well and are happy to share their passion,” Besnier said. At the end of 2014, he joined one of the first accelerators in Bangkok and spent three months working on becoming the global Airbnb for tourists. He ended up with a web platform that connected thousands of people in more than thirty countries. When his partner left, however, he had to shut it down. Rather than giving up, he decided to rethink the concept and start over. Instead of setting up a large multi-country firm, he decided to concentrate on quality. “I decided to focus on where I have a presence and a team,” Besnier said. “If you sell a full-day service, you need to make sure the people are reliable.” He re-launched the business, concentrating on tours in Thailand to fascinating destinations led by people he knew well. “Focusing on the quality of the experience and making sure every provider is reliable brings me credibility.” Along with using his own contacts and personal network, Besnier partnered with social welfare organization, The Research Center of Communication and Development Knowledge (CCDKM), to reach out to marginalized communities and expand the range of tours. “They’re my eyes and ears on the ground,” Besnier said. “CCDKM helps in identifying guides in areas outside Bangkok.” As soon as he launched the service, he received a lot of interest from local media, which saw the business as something new. More importantly from a business perspective, one of the top travel companies in France was very interested because they saw it as something new and fresh. “They understood the value of a startup who did something different to disrupt the travel scene,” Besnier explained. That strong interest has been more than enough to propel the business forward. A Real Thai Experience VLT offers several types of experiences on its tours. Most are half-day or full-day urban trips that show visitors the best parts of Bangkok or areas just
outside the city. Another type is community-based tours to Sakon Nakhon and Chiang Mai. The guides, mostly local Thais who speak English and are often social entrepreneurs, have been selected for their local knowledge. For the day trip to Khlong Mahasawat, for example, travelers take the train from Bangkok station to Wat Suwan station, then board a boat to travel along the 150-year-old canal. The guides stop along the way to talk about sites including a water lily farm, a rice cracker factory and an organic fruit farm. The three-day trip to Sakon Nakhon in Northeast Thailand starts with a visit to the Indigo Community Learning Center, where travelers learn to weave indigo textiles using traditional wooden looms. Before leaving the village, guests are invited to join a blessing ceremony led by the elders of the community. The second day includes a cruise on Nong Han Lake and a stop at Ta Rae Village, the largest Christian community in Thailand, where travelers engage in a workshop to create the traditional paper stars that are used for the Paper Star parade in December. Travelers spend the morning of the third day shopping for vegetables and spices so they can make lunch with their host and then tour the ancient archaeological site of Prasarts in the afternoon. Other tours include a bicycle trip through local communities in Bangkok, a vegan cooking class and agri-tourism activities near Chiang Mai. The biggest difficulty outside Bangkok, Besnier said, is finding decent accommodations. “I work with high-end travelers. In Isan, we have a nice guest house. You sleep on the mattress on the floor, Thai style.” While it sounds charming, some customers complained. To cater to people who want to combine a rural experience with upscale accommodations, Besnier found a villa with a swimming pool. His most memorable trip, Besnier said, was when he took a group of highend travelers to Sakon Nakhon. Their first reaction was that it was a lowend backpacker tour. At the end of the first day, however, the women dying indigo conducted a blessing ceremony and unexpectedly gave the travelers gifts of silk scarves. “When the older woman was blessing us, other women touched our clothes. You felt a special energy. It was very emotional.” The travelers, he said, were completely speechless. “They didn’t want to leave. When we went into the minivan, it was so silent. They said, “We usually do not have genuine experiences. This place is like, ‘Wow!’” When they left, they were under the charm of these people. They will always remember it. Be a Local While such local tours aren’t for everyone, the twenty-or-so options available now and the others on the way offer new way to connect and understand local Thai culture. Just like the high-end travelers in Sakon Nakhon, you may come away with an experience you’ll always remember, as well. (www.verylocaltrip.com) Richard Hartung is a consultant on payments strategy with over 20 years of experience in financial services, primarily in Asia. He volunteers with the Jane Goodall Institute, Metropolitan YMCA and other organizations.
Photos courtesy of Very Local Trip
6 COMMUNITY NEWS
Singapore American · October 2016
Meet Our New US Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission: Stephanie Syptak-Ramnath By Glenn van Zutphen
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e are lucky to live in a city where the best and brightest in business and government circles regularly land. The US Embassy in Singapore is regarded as one of the top destinations for American diplomats, due to the strong bilateral relationship, the lifestyle here and the excellent, US foreign service folks who are posted here. Our new Deputy Chief of Mission, Stephanie Syptak-Ramnath, proves the point. Intelligent, dedicated and charming, this daughter of an American father and Singaporean mother served as an officer in the US Navy before joining the diplomatic service 17 years ago. Having lived around the world, her most recent posting was at the US Embassy in Mexico City, as well as stints in high-level roles in Mali, Tunisia, the US Mission to the United Nations, Vice-Consul in Monterrey, Mexico and Senior Deputy Director in the Office of Public Diplomacy for the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs. She speaks French, Spanish and some Arabic. Last December, she was awarded the Department of State’s Edward R. Murrow Award for Excellence in Public Diplomacy. Stephanie arrived here at the beginning of August, at the same time as President Obama was welcoming Prime Minister Lee to the White House. I spoke with her at the Embassy, after her first month in Singapore. The following has been edited and condensed for space. GVZ: What do you bring to Singapore as DCM, coming from your post in Mexico? SSR: It’s always up for debate as to which country is the United States’ most important bilateral relationship. I think Mexico is a huge contender for that role. It really allowed me to appreciate the trade and economic aspects of US foreign policy and to see the importance of free trade and the importance of NAFTA to [that] relationship. So that’s something that I’m bringing to Singapore, where ASEAN and the Asia Pacific Region is so hugely and strategically important to us, particularly on economic and trade issues and rule of law issues. GVZ: Your early impressions of Singapore and of the embassy here? SSR: It’s not first impressions, since my mother is from Singapore. I have come back and forth on occasion. But what struck me most is just how broad and deep this relationship [with Singapore] is and on how many issues we work together on any given day. We have 28 different [US] sections or agencies here at the Embassy. That’s remarkable for a country and Embassy of this size. For the average tourist or businessperson who comes through Singapore, I don’t think there’s an understanding of just how closely we work together on so many issues. That’s reflected in the make-up of the Embassy and in the great teamwork that Ambassador Wagar has helped to make a priority here, because all of these issues are interconnected. GVZ: How do you expect this Singapore posting to be different than your other posts? SSR: This is a very sophisticated environment in which I’m working now in terms of the networks that exist, the infrastructure, the expectations between bilateral partners and international partners. That’s a very special aspect of working in Singapore that I’m looking forward to understanding in this kind of a sophisticated atmosphere. What is the role of the US Government and how do we promote a strong bilateral relationship and work with Singaporean partners to engage the region effectively? How do we support US businesses here in Singapore, but in engaging ASEAN? That differentiates Singapore from any other place where I have served before. GVZ: Ambassador Wagar has often said that one of the main audiences for the Embassy is the local, Singaporean people. How do you balance that with the needs of Americans here? SSR: The first and foremost job of any American embassy is to take care of American citizens: such as issuing passports and consular reports of birth abroad and making sure that our citizens in distress have someone to call. But we’re diplomats because we’re working with other countries. In every embassy around the world, I think the US taxpayer expects us to be focused on the country that we’re in… to be building those relationships to advance US interests and broader international interests. We can only do that if we’re actually focused and understand the countries where we work; we understand what matters to their citizens, their history, their languages, their food… whatever is specific to that country. I couldn’t agree more with the Ambassador. GVZ: What’s the most interesting part of your job? SSR: It’s the wide range of people with whom we get to meet, every day. In any given day, I might be meeting with students, business executives, government officials or with regular people with whom we might be writing a program. GVZ: What strikes you about American expats? SSR: Americans who take the time to learn and live abroad are some of our best representatives. What I have found is that most people really like Americans. I think what Americans around the world bring to the table beyond the stereotypes is a tolerance and a respect and a positivity. I’ve seen this over and over: if a problem is presented, [we] are the ones to say, “Ok, how are we going to fix that?” More often than not, it’s not for the benefit of the United States; it’s for the benefit of the people in the country we live in. I’m enormously proud of Americans around the world, what they’re doing, the partnerships they’re making and the examples they’re providing. GVZ: Do you have a goal for your time here? SSR: My goal is to continue to grow this strong bilateral relationship with Singapore. I arrived in Singapore the night before Prime Minister Lee arrived in Washington for his State Visit. To have that be my formative impression of how important this relationship is and all that we can achieve together, I think that is very inspiring. The more I talk to the people who work here at this embassy, who are so committed in every area that we’re working in with the Singaporean government, I hope that I can help maintain that leadership and continue working with our Singaporean colleagues to see how we work together effectively and how do we engage the region which is so important to the United States.
GVZ: After the Wagars leave in January, you will be Chargé d’affairs until a new Ambassador arrives. Is that daunting? SSR: I was a Chargé on several occasions in Mali. There is extra responsibility when one takes on the role of Chargé, but it’s not daunting because the team is as strong as it is. The great work that we’re doing will continue. I may have a few more events on my calendar [smiles], but what’s fabulous is that I have many senior officers here at post that will help fill-in the DCM role. I will say it’s always nice to have an Ambassador in country, to have the President’s personal representative to be able to speak on our behalf and engage effectively. GVZ: Tell us about your family. SSR: I’m accompanied by my very best friend, Gautam Ramnath. We married while I was posted to the US Mission at the United Nations. He gave up his career [an architect in construction management] to follow me on this adventure. What has been very exciting for both of us is that every place that we’ve been has allowed him to grow in his own expertise and understanding of how the private sector can be its most efficient and how important the partnerships are that are being created between government, the private sector and also foundations that are doing great work together. That’s become his area of expertise. He’s worked as the Director of the Millennium Challenge Corporation, with the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), which is a Gates Foundation grant recipient. So he has this broad knowledge of how it can all intersect to be the most effective, which he has taken his work as a consultant in operational efficiency. We have 8th and 10th grade daughters at Singapore American School. Photo by Natalia Wakula
7 COMMUNITY NEWS
Singapore American · October 2016
Meet Our New Commander, Logistics Group Western Pacific/ Commander, Task Force 73/Singapore Area Coordinator: Rear Admiral Donald Gabrielson By Melinda Murphy
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t’s simple: Singapore is important to the United States. Washington rolling out the red carpet in August for the State Dinner and Visit honoring Singapore certainly punctuated that fact. The relationship is key for many reasons, and not the least among them is Singapore’s strategic central Southeast Asia location. As part of a 1992 agreement between the two countries, the US Navy’s Task Force 73/ Commander, Logistics Group Western Pacific is headquartered in Sembawang. The task force’s mission is to provide support for the US 7th Fleet, the largest forward-deployed US fleet in the world, with its area of responsibility including the Western Pacific and Indian Oceans. It’s a big job and the man heading it all up is Rear Admiral Donald Gabrielson, who comes from a long line of military tradition. Gabrielson’s chest, covered in ribbons and medals, gives a clue to the depth of his readiness for the task. Having moved more than two dozen times with his Naval career, Gabrielson arrived here in August coming from Hawaii, where he was the Executive Assistant to the Commander of the US Pacific Command (PACOM) in Hawaii. US PACOM is a joint command, so all military forces are there, with the Area of Responsibility encompassing about half the earth's surface, stretching from the waters off the west coast of the US to the western border of India, and from Antarctica to the North Pole. I spoke with the Rear Admiral in his office in Sembawang, after his first month in Singapore. The following has been edited and condensed for space. MM: How do you feel your most recent post has prepared you for your time in Singapore? DG: At PACOM, I was traveling all the time, including being in and out of Singapore several times a year, as well as other countries in the region. That time was very useful as I had a couple other years to absorb the issues, sensitivities and the nuances of the countries we work with here. MM: Your early impressions of living in Singapore? DG: I’m thrilled to be here in Singapore. I’ve been in and out of Singapore throughout my career, but it’s great to have my family with me this time. For once in my life, we can go experience Singapore together as a family and that’s really special. MM: How have you found the American community here? DG: The network here is amazing. The expat community and the American professionals are very welcoming, whether it’s members of AAS or people at Singapore American School (SAS) or the local community. The different pieces have really come together. All the people wanting to help you in a very sincere and generous way is almost overwhelming. We’re very grateful. MM: Tell us about your family. DG: My wife of almost 20 years, Navenka, is British, which makes us bilingual (laughing). We have two children at SAS. They are amazing people, reinventing themselves every time we move. Navenka is a health coach and pilates instructor. Our kids have learned to adjust wherever we go. We believe that life is what you make it and you have a choice to be happy or not, wherever you are. Fortunately, Singapore is a very easy place to be happy. The longest I’ve ever lived anywhere was five years. The next longest was four years at the Naval Academy. I’ve served on six ships and a whole bunch of locations ashore. We feel wherever you are is home. I can’t say I like one location more than another and, when somebody asks me where I want to move to next, I always say wherever the best opportunity is. Everything is a trade-off. The more you can do to embrace the life you have, the happier you’ll be. MM: How do you expect this Singapore posting to be different than your other posts? DG: I've lived in other countries, but Singapore is such a melting pot and such a cosmopolitan place that you can’t help but absorb the rich culture surrounding you. It’s all very exciting. More so, I have the good fortune to be in a leadership position in a place where there is a lot of opportunity, as well as a lot of trust on behalf of our nation for our mission. That’s not lost on me. MM: Can you talk about your mission here? DG: Our mission is different than the Embassy’s, though certainly there are complimentary and overlapping dimensions of balancing relationships, assisting partners, allies and friends and evaluating their capability. The Embassy focuses on our relationship with Singapore; my team focuses on at least twelve countries for military engagement. They all have different needs, capabilities and limits when it comes to what we need from a relationship that is respectful of what they can provide. We also have to be reasonable in terms of these countries’ cultural sensitivities and the challenges that they face. We all have very deep and long histories. Sometimes different cultures don’t really understand each other, as much as we’d like to think we do. We can’t overlook that. Balance is about understanding each other, so that we’re not rolling in and imposing ourselves in a way that’s not appropriate MM: How is this job different than others? DG: I’m expected to operate on a different level, which is a whole new thing compared to running a ship or running a staff. I have to develop relationships in Singapore and a dozen different countries. Each needs a different care and feeding, if you will. We have to think about their interests and perspectives on many levels and issues. I think the whole thing is really exciting. I come to work energized and leave at the end of the day even more energized. I’m surrounded by great people who are really inspiring.
MM: What’s the most interesting part of your job? DG: The people, absolutely. There’s just a really rich tapestry of issues and people that we’re dealing with every day. The level of talent that’s here is unbelievable and the commitment to what we’re doing is really satisfying. MM: Do you have a goal for your time here? DG: Part of my task is to continue developing our relationship with our host nation, Singapore, in meaningful ways. It’s in our interest to be close to Singapore. We have shared interests and shared values so I want to continue developing that relationship. From a military perspective, we have a constant mandate to ensure that we are providing the greatest capability possible for the circumstances in which we’re operating. On a more personal and cultural level, with the team of very dedicated people that we have here, my goal is to make this experience one that people will look back on and know they were doing something meaningful that was very important, something that’s bigger than themselves. We talk about what we can do to continue moving forward every day. I always say that people read the [recruitment] brochure and say, “Okay, I want to go do that.” So there’s an expectation created and people are constantly comparing what they thought would happen to the actual experience of their job. As a leader, I want people to be given the opportunity to fulfill their potential which isn’t always easy. They have to work at it, too. My challenge is to make people feel valuable and to give responsibilities for which they can be accountable. We have very clear discussions aligning people toward specific goals.
8 COMMUNITY NEWS
Singapore American · October 2016
Here’s to Your Health By Conn Schrader
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iving and traveling overseas can introduce you to all sorts of experiences that you may be less likely to find in the United States. Unfortunately, exotic foods and locales may live side-byside with exotic viruses, poor health infrastructure or other risks. In Singapore, we have the juxtaposition of excellent healthcare capabilities, tropical mosquito-borne viruses and the return of the haze season. All of which call for residents to be as well informed as possible to better understand how to take reasonable precautions to protect themselves and their families. With Singapore in the news because of Zika, it may be easy to forget that this illness exists in other countries in our region and has for quite some time. Also, Dengue virus may be taking a back seat in the press, but can actually be more serious for most people and there continues to be cases of Dengue in Singapore and around the region. When you are traveling, you can find country specific information at www.travel.state.gov. Also, it is wise to recommend that business or tourist visitors from the United States have appropriate health care coverage through their current plans and supplemental travel health
insurance. Singapore, like the United States, has excellent health care and the high costs that go along with them. While there is no substitute for being in touch with your physician on medical issues, we want US citizens to have resources handy for health-related issues. Via the US Citizen Services pages on the embassy website, singpaore.usembassy.gov, you can find a recently-created health advisory site. This provides links to US and Singapore Government resources on current health-related matters. To start, we have included information on the recent emergence of Zika virus and our more familiar topics of haze and Dengue virus. If there are suggestions for other official resources or other topics, we would love to hear from you. Email us at SingaporeACS@state.gov. And if you didn’t receive the security notice related to Zika virus, ensure that you are signed up for messages from the US Embassy via the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program at step.state.gov. Photo by Kent Miller
Kicking Off a Great Partnership By Hazlyn Aidzil
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ith the Board’s selection of the South East Community Development Council (SE CDC) as our charity partner for 2016, AmCham has launched an exciting program of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities in this area that is home to many AmCham member companies. The AmCham Career Kickstarter program got off to a great start on July 27. This program aims to help high school students understand the diversity of their future career opportunities, the many paths to success, the importance of remaining open to new experiences and the value of openness to risk and error. Young executives from Citi, Coca-Cola and P&G enthralled an
audience of 50 Temasek Secondary School students with lively interactive presentations and an equally lively question and answer session. As part of our fourteenth Corporate Community Day on October 22, AmCham and SE CDC will co-host a Walk for Rice. Guests of honor Minister for Social and Family Development, Tan Chuan-Jin and US Ambassador Kirk Wagar will wave the starting flags for the walk. AmCham and NTUC will donate a bowl of rice to a needy family for every 100 meters (328 feet) each participant walks. Should you be interested to take part in the AmCham Walk for Rice, please contact Hazlyn Aidzil haidzil@amcham.org.sg. Let’s earn as many bowls of rice as we can!
9 COMMUNITY NEWS
Singapore American · October 2016
Exciting Times for Cub Scouts By Melindah Bush
T
he Cub Scouts and families of Pack 3010 are ready to start a new year full of exciting adventures in Scouting. Our Pack began the year with our annual Recruitment Night, held at the Stamford American International School (SAIS). The night was an opportunity for families to learn more about our Boy Scouts of America Cub Scouting program, which is open to boys of all nationalities in Grades 1 – 5. Some of our returning Scouts also earned their Recruitment badges by volunteering to work at our welcome table during the SAIS Orientation week, where they had an opportunity to share their Scouting experiences with new and returning students. Now, our Scouts are gearing up for our Fall Pack Hike Day. Our Bears and Webelos Scouts will have an opportunity to practice their orienteering and survival skills in the jungles of Singapore, while our younger Scouts will focus on hiking safety and wildlife observations. As with all of our hikes, every Scout will continue to practice their Leave No Trace and Outdoor Ethics skills to ensure our hikes do not impact the environment negatively. In addition to the Pack Hike, our Scouts are busy building and decorating their model trimaran sailboats for our annual Raingutter Regatta. The fastest boats in this indoor model sailboat race will win prizes and every Scout will be recognized for their wood-working and painting skills, as well as their good sportsmanship. Finally, Pack 3010 is proud to announce that we are launching a new program this year, called the Lions Program,
for kindergarten (K2) age boys who turn five before September 30, 2016. This new pilot program will offer younger boys an opportunity to be introduced to the wonderful world of Scouting with age appropriate events. If you are interested in learning more about this new and exciting Lions program for K2 boys or if you are interested in joining our existing Cub Scouts program for boys in grades 1-5, please visit our website at www.sgpack3010.org or contact us directly via email at: sgcubscoutspack3010@gmail.com. Photos by Melindah Bush
Not Your Ordinary Trek By Douglas Riegger
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lthough the idea of hiking 80-100 miles (129-160 km) in the New Mexico wilderness can be unnerving, going to Philmont will be one of the greatest experiences of your life. I had the pleasure to visit the ranch for my third time with Troop 10 (Singapore) along with a crew of five other scouts and four adults. With more than 140,000 acres of land, not only is Philmont the largest youth camp in the world, but it is also the most breathtaking. The possibilities and opportunities that you can experience are endless. Philmont is not your ordinary hiking trek. With the ability to choose your itinerary, you can shoot Civil War black powder rifles, shotguns and pistols, all of which would be very difficult to do living in Singapore. You are also able
to ride horses, hike alongside and race donkeys, rock climb on real rock faces, throw spears, blacksmith, fish, throw tomahawks and much more. Hiking at Philmont can take you to higher than you have ever been, with peaks up to 12,448 feet (3,794 meters). Troop 10 has openings for another crew to go on a trek to Philmont during the summer of 2017. Philmont is just one of the many great adventures you can experience in Scouting and with Troop 10. The second your boots hit the trail and you take a deep breath of the fresh air, all worries about the difficulty of the hike are overtaken with a sense of adventure and excitement Photo by Don Riegger From left to right: Joey Ball, Charles Ball IV, Douglas Riegger, Aadi Konidena, David Riegger, Robert Oström
SCOUTING IN SINGAPORE Boy Scouts Troop 07: www.bsatroop07.org Boy Scouts Troop 10: www.facebook.com/BSATroopX Cub Scouts Pack 3010: www.sgpack3010.org Cub Scouts Pack 3017: SGPack3017@gmail.com Girl Scouts: www.singaporeusagirlscouts.org
10 COMMUNITY NEWS
Singapore American · October 2016
Move Over Matt Damon: SAS Is Going to Space! By Jodi Jonis
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any people can join a club. But very few get to launch things into space,” say SpaceLab@SAS faculty advisors Bart Millar and Meredith White. But next April 8, Singapore American School (SAS) students will get to do exactly that. Sending a science experiment into space is something about which even veteran scientists only dream, but it’s exactly what the SpaceLab@SAS team of high school students is doing. They are one of a dozen teams globally to participate in this year’s NanoRacks commercial space laboratory program, thanks to the SAS Foundation’s gift in support of Catalyst projects at SAS. Students at Singapore American School are collaborating with Bhattacharya Space Enterprises (BSE), founded by Dr. Bidushi Bhattacharya, a former NASA researcher who worked on the Hubble Space Telescope, the Mars Pathfinder program and the Galileo mission to Jupiter. High school senior Sunita Srivatsan initiated the project with BSE and leads her team, comprised of her fellow SAS students: Jaclyn Chan, Keshav Jagannath, Annie Kim, Madeline Smith and Devansh Tandon. They will design and build a microgravity experiment here at SAS. Once it meets NASA’s safety and technical requirements, their experiment will be sent to the US to be bundled into a small package called a MicroLab and shuttled on a SpaceX rocket to the International Space Station’s US module. Astronauts will install the experiment and then it will run on the spacecraft for 30 days before it is flown back to Earth and returned to SAS in Singapore. Mentored by photonics and optics engineer Priya Majumdar, who has experience with the NUS Galassia satellite program, and SAS science
teacher Joanna Fitts, SAS students aim to learn the effect of melanin production on the survival of E. coli bacterium in space. Their microgravity mini-lab, measuring approximately 2 x 2 x 4 inches, will contain two petri dishes: one with bacteria genetically engineered to produce melanin and one with non-genetically modified bacteria. The students hope their experiment will provide valuable insight on whether increased production of melanin could positively affect survival and, in the future, reduce rates of skin cancer in space. Students will engage with both the research and commercial aspects of space technology, allowing them to assume engineering and entrepreneurial roles as they step into the New Space era and join the ranks of SpaceX and Silicon Valley startups such as Planet Labs and BSE. Photos courtesy Andrey Armyagov, Dr. Bidushi Bhattacharya/BSE
The International Space Station
12 BIG TRIPS
Singapore American · October 2016
Favorite Travel Apps By AAS Staff Travel apps can really make your life easier. In the past, we’ve published lists of great travel apps, but here are some lesser known apps that may just be what you need. Having the information on your phone so you can access it while traveling can even be a lifesaver – literally.
Air Sharing Turns your iPhone into a wireless hard drive, allowing you to easily load it up with documents at the airport to then browse and edit on your flight.
Photosynth Can’t get enough of The Great Wall into the photo? This app let’s you take panoramic photos and automatically post them to Facebook if you want.
City Guides and Offline Maps by Stay.com Download this app and there’s no need to carry that heavy travel guide with you.
Tipulator This handy app tells you exactly what to tip where.
Converter Plus This app converts not only money, but measurements and temperatures, too.
TravelSafe A potentially life-saving database of emergency numbers the globe over. Pin widgets to your home screen for easy access.
Flipagram Organize your trip photos into a sequence, pick a track and then share.
TripIt Put all your details in one place viewable online and synced to your cell phone.
Interfone By applying a sticker to your existing SIM card, this Singapore-developed app lets you keep your same phone number and offers affordable voice and data roaming rates.
Tripomatic Not only helps you plan what to do on your next trip, but also which days to see what. Many top destinations offer offline content such as maps and visitor guides.
LoungeBuddy A great app for finding airport lounges and keeping track of trip details.
WiFi Finder Tired of paying data roaming fees? This app helps locate the nearest wireless internet.
Maps.Me The perfect solution to awkward street maps, this app lets you download detailed maps to use without access to the Internet while traveling.
WorldMate All-in-one travel assistant that puts all your travel details into one place.
Musement The perfect way to find out what’s happening in the arts and fine dining.
Yapta Your Amazing Personal Travel Assistant tracks flight costs. They will even haggle for a refund if the price drops and alert you if a rewards-eligible seat becomes available.
PeakFinder Earth Hiking and wondering just what you’re seeing? Point your camera at the horizon and this app identifies every peak.
YPlan Your personal social director, this app alerts you to upcoming events in your area.
14 BIG TRIPS
Singapore American · October 2016
Fabulous French Riviera By Laura Coulter
F
rench Riviera…Cote d’Azur. Despite the recent tragic attack in Nice, the area still invokes images of bronzed beauties on the beach; of the glamourous hotels such the Negresco and Hotel du Cap and of Monaco’s glitz and glamour. It’s also affordable, accessible and full of sights to see. I spent five weeks in the region this summer and covered a wide area, alternating beach days with small villages. I could easily return for another five weeks to see more! Thanks to Airbnb, Vacation Home by Owner (VHBO) and the many hotel booking sites, finding suitable accommodations has never been easier (or cheaper). Rumors have it that hotels are currently running at 50% occupancy and charging less than 50% of the normal rates. Many of the apartments in the area are only used a few months of the year, allowing for a longer stay when you do find the one you like. Having a kitchen was a great asset, as we were spoiled for choice at the various markets in the region, the boulangeries for our daily baguettes and croissants and the caves for the wines. Many a meal was put together with several cheeses, wines, olives, tapenades and sliced meat, enjoyed on the terrace. Renting a car was extremely helpful, as it allowed us to access the smaller villages where the train service is often infrequent. We took day trips to Monaco on the train, but otherwise found the villages of Eze, Saint Paul de Vence, Grasse, Menton, Cannes, Antibes and Theoule were easily accessible and well signed. Markets Check out the local markets and note the days they are open as they move from town to town and, while many vendors will be present in a more than one towns, some only set up shop for their local market. Cannes, Marche Forville and Antibes old town host markets daily. At the markets, you can find Provence souvenirs, textiles (such as scarves and tablecloths), herbs, soaps, jams, spices and handcrafted items. There are no DVDs, plastic toys or knock-off bags like you’d find in an Asian market. There are also cured meats, honey, nougat and the range of local, fresh fruit and vegetables, with a heavy emphasis on organic seasonal fare. The markets start early at 8am or so and are finished and packed up by noon. It’s a rather depressing experience to turn up in the afternoon, only to find the street is bare, save for a few scraps of vegetables on the road where the vendors used to be. Get up and get there early with your shopping bags! You can always break mid-morning for a coffee and croissant to keep up your energy. Valbonne hosts the biggest market in the area and the streets are lined with vendors. Make a reservation for a late lunch as even the restaurants close for a few hours in the afternoon and you don’t want to be stuck hungry. Wine You can try a different bottle of wine each day of your visit and, even then, you will have just scraped the tip of the region. With a designated driver, head to the Var region to fully explore more options. There are vineyards everywhere and you can just pull right up to the farm and cellar door for a tasting, a unique experience. If you speak a little French (or at least have a passion for wine), you can perhaps try wines
We have moved! As part of The American Club’s renovation, AAS has relocated to Level B1 carpark, still within The American Club. Please stop by to say “Hi!”
15 Singapore American · October 2016
not easily found in the shops. Extensive articles have been written about different vineyards, so I won’t go on here. It’s best to search for what you like or just go with a sense of adventure. What to See As the region has a long history of visitors and tourists, the things to see are well-marked and organized. Each village has its own charm and highlights, be it the lemons of Menton, the walled village of Saint Paul de Vence or the super yachts docking in Antibes. Parking is very reasonable, so you can park for the day and explore on foot once there. We enjoyed a five-star meal at La Table du Village in the tiny village of Auribeau Sur Siagne, not far from Grasse. The meal was one of the best of the trip and afterwards we explored the tiny village. Beach For those wanting to swim in the blue waters, there are two options: the free, local public beaches and the private beach clubs. The local beaches are well populated with a range of ages and can be made up of sand, fine rocks or larger hard rocks: swimming shoes are essential for getting in and out of the ocean with grace. The private beach clubs offer a plush chaise lounger, towel and waiter service with prices ranging from 25 Euros for the day to well over 100 Euros. The public beaches do not necessarily have lifeguards. It was great fun to park by the side of the road and walk down, down, down to some of the smaller, “wilder” beaches found hidden in the coves. Bring a picnic, your beach umbrella and sunscreen and you are set for the day. The ocean was easily swimmable and refreshing. Security Security in France has been on high alert for more than a year now and military presence was seen at the airport even before the attacks. The Gendarmerie and National Police are seen patroling popular areas of Nice: the old city, the promenade and the hotels. Use caution, as you would when exploring any new city. Keep in mind that France, which has long been the most visited country in the world, really needs your tourism dollars just now. Estimates are that Paris alone has lost more than 750 million Euros since the terror attacks. If you like eating delicious meals and cheeses, drinking different wines, sitting outside under clear blue skies, smelling lavender or rose, wandering quaint streets with interesting shops and relaxing in the sunshine, this is the spot for you. Photos by Laura Coulter Laura Coulter is a globe-trotting journalist, event planner, teacher, fundraiser and builder of houses. She enjoys hosting fabulous events that give back to her community and causes in which she believes.
BIG TRIPS
West of Where? By Heidi Virshup
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n a sunny morning in early July, we headed out from base camp into the remote Altai Mountains of Western Mongolia for an overnight pack trip. We halted our horses at the first river ford of the day. The river, swollen with snow melt, ran fast and was deep enough to reach the horses’ bellies. For safety, the wranglers led us across one by one. Even so, the crossing was challenging. The horses battled the current and stumbled over slick rocks on the riverbed. I held tightly to pretty Butterfly, my sure-footed, dappled gray mare, to prevent being dumped into the icy water as she lurched across the stream. The weather for our return to base camp the next day was not so favorable. The sky was overcast and it had been raining all night. The river had risen even higher and ran faster than the day before. We watched anxiously as the wranglers prepared to lead one of the heavy-laden packhorses across the river. She made it half way before stopping in the deepest water, too exhausted to go on. Suddenly, she was swept away. Instantly, all four wranglers dashed into the water, two rescuing the horse and the other two wading after the dry bags with our gear that had come loose from the packs and was floating away, headed downstream. Our jovial guide, Jenya, suddenly serious, asked us to dismount. “Ladies and gentlemen,” he began with uncharacteristic solemnity. “Since it appears we are unable to cross the river, we’ll have to take an alternative path. It goes along a cliff and hasn’t been used for years. The wranglers will go ahead and clear it the best they can. The path is narrow and covered with loose stones. Please lead your horse with a long lead and leave at least five meters between you and the horse in front of you. If your horse goes over the cliff, drop the rope and let the horse go.” As it turned out, the path along the cliff was one of our easiest scrambles. Yes, the path was narrow, steep and slippery with scree, but unlike most of the places we explored, at least here there was a path. We’d experienced a lot since our trip first began in Ulaanbaatar, where we met our guides and spent one night. Early the next morning, we flew three hours west to Ulgii in western Mongolia. From there, we rode for four hours in old, battered military vans over washboard dirt roads to our first camp in an arid valley, where we met our horses and spent the night.
Mo
ngolia
The next morning, we started off on horseback for our three-day ride to the base camp. We rode through vast, barren glacial valleys strewn with boulders and carpeted with wildflowers. Although it was July, snow still glistened in the mountain peaks. Now and then, we’d pass summer ger (Mongolian for yurt) camps alongside rivers where nomads were grazing herds of horses, goats, sheep and yaks. Once we had reached the base camp in the mountains, there was no set itinerary. We explored according to our whims and as conditions permitted, bushwhacking up and down mountains, sometimes riding, sometimes leading the horses when the terrain was too steep, through dense undergrowth, forests and marshy drainage areas. (One trekker turned to me as we struggled through a bog and said, “Sometimes, this seems more like an endurance test than a holiday!”) We didn’t see a single other tourist. We trekked from the base camp and took overnight packing trips, spending 5 – 7 hours on the trail each day, with plenty of breaks for horses and riders. In the valleys, the riding was easy and sometimes there was an opportunity to go fast, but most of the riding we did was at a slower pace because of the challenging terrain. There were other activities in addition to trekking. We visited nomadic families, who plied us with local treats of dried curd, fresh yak cheese, crunchy rusks fried in mutton fat and countless cups of salty, buttery Kazakh tea. We had an eagle hunting demonstration and demonstrations of traditional Kazakh games such as wrestling and a “goat pull” (a sort of tug of war on horseback, performed for us with a scarf as no dead goat was handy). Meals were delicious with plenty of variety. We didn’t dine exclusively on boiled sheep guts as I’d feared. We had stews, pasta and grilled mutton (that we had seen in the morning, grazing peacefully by the river). Lounging in the mess ger after dinner, trekkers and hosts frequently shared a nightcap of vodka imbibed in the traditional Kazakh style, sipped from a communal bowl. WhiIe I was drawn to Mongolia for the landscape and the horses, what made this trip special was the genuine warmth and hospitality of our hosts. Zavkhan only leads small group tours. There were ten of us trekkers hailing from Europe, the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada. Our hosts consisted of two guides, a trek manager, four wranglers and three kitchen crew. The guides were city slickers from Ulaanbaatar, but the rest of the staff were nomadic Mongolian Kazakhs from the area around Altai. They made us feel more like family than paying guests. For this reason, I wouldn’t hesitate to travel with Zavkhan again. Photos by Charlotte Cecil, Jacueline Macou and Heidi Virshup Heidi Virshup is an aspiring artist and intrepid traveler who moved to Singapore from Salt Lake City with her researcher hubby in 2007.
Check Out More The website of Zavkhan Trekking promises, “Adventures, not tours. No hotels, no hot showers, no tourism, just fantastic riding and hiking and fascinating culture in an untouched corner of the world.” Our 17-day horse trek to the Altai Mountains, a remote, sparsely-populated and beautiful area of pristine nature in the northwest of Mongolia on the border with China, was an adventure indeed. In addition to the Altai horse trek, they organize horse treks and hiking treks to other regions in Mongolia as well as treks in Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Afghanistan. You can check out all their tour offerings at the website: www.zavkhan.co.uk
18 BIG TRIPS
Singapore American · October 2016
The Dive of a Lifetime By Jeff Tejcek
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think like a lot of Americans, when it came to diving in Australia, the first thing that came to my mind was sharks. Big sharks. Great whites and tigers. Man eaters. Logically, I knew that the chances of being killed by a Great White shark were low. Really low. But this didn’t change the slight twinge of trepidation I felt when I signed myself up for two days of diving the Great Barrier Reef off the coast near Port Douglas, Australia. The first day on the water was designed to be more of a family-friendly experience as I was being accompanied by my mother-in-law, my wife and my daughter, who is barely a toddler. We signed up for a full day at sea with a company called Quicksilver Cruises that offers snorkeling, SCUBA diving, helmet diving and even helicopter rides over the reef. August in the southern hemisphere meant wind which translated to rougher seas on the 90-minute boat ride out to the reef. Quicksilver advises its customers to take some anti-nausea medication at least 30 minutes before departure. I did this and wasn’t bothered a bit by the rough swells. Others weren’t so smart. Quicksilver offers a glass bottom boat tour of the reef which was a great thrill for my 18-month-old. They call this vessel a semi-sub, but it’s really like a surface boat with an attached basement level, lined with windows which gives you the full experience of being underwater. My daughter loved this as many of the fish swim fearlessly right up to the windows. We even saw a white-tipped reef shark and a turtle swimming on the reef below. The day’s dive was beautiful, but not very deep. My dive buddy was a friendly and enthusiastic young American, 20-year-old Amber Nielsen from Salt Lake City. She was vibrant, friendly and smiling from ear-to-ear with excitement for exploring the reef. Nielsen gave me the “OK” gesture and we moved around the reef taking in the sites before stopping at a giant clam on the ocean floor. I rubbed my hand gently on the flesh inside of its mouth, which was covered with little blue eyes. It felt something like putting your hand against a steak that has been floating in your kitchen sink all day. Reacting to my touch, the clam clamped down, but not so much that I couldn’t pull my hand back out of its mouth. After the dive, it was back to the boat for the journey back to Port Douglas. Mercifully, the seas had calmed. American Marine Biologist John Scotese, who works for Quicksilver, has been in Australia for 19 years and said he is seeing the drastic changes to the Great Barrier Reef. “They’re the early warning systems that something’s wrong with the planet because they’re the most delicate ecosystems. We call it the canary in the coalmine,” Scotese said. “We just had a major bleaching event. It was the biggest bleaching event ever recorded on the planet. It affected 93% of our reefs and we lost 35% of the coral north of Cairns and 5% of the coral south of Cairns.” In fact, according to a media release by the Australian Research Council Center of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, “The Great Barrier Reef is currently experiencing the worst mass bleaching event in its history, with the overwhelming majority of reefs being ranked in the most severe bleaching category.”
Yes, I did see some areas where the coral was dead and white, but this seemed to pale in significance compared to the beauty of the varied sea life and rainbow of colors on the rest of the vibrant reef. My second day diving the Great Barrier Reef was a completely different animal: all business, no kids and three dives in a row on three different reefs. I signed up for a full day with Calypso Reef Charters. They’ll pick you up and drop you off right at your hotel if you’re staying in Port Douglas, which is a nice touch. It was another rough boat ride out to the reefs and one woman got sick. I tried to pretend I hadn’t even noticed. Suddenly, the engines stopped and crew members began to gesture out to sea, holding out the hand signal for whales. It was like something right out of National Geographic. I watched the pod of Humpback Whales swimming. One of the adults exhaled a cloud of ocean mist. And then there it was: a baby Humpback breached, its body nearly fully out of the water before smacking back down and swimming below. I couldn’t believe what I had just seen. I felt honored to see it. The boat engines fired back up and we continued to our dive site. On arrival, a big-lipped, highly-territorial hermaphrodite fish started to circle the boat as soon as we arrived. His name is Angus and he’s a 50 plus pound Maori Wrasse and a bit of a local celebrity. The dive crew said that he’s been around for years. These fish start their lives as females and then become males and get territorial. Angus hears the boat motors and shows up every day. He wants the divers to know that this is his territory, but don’t worry: he’s not aggressive. In fact, he’ll approach you to play and even let you touch him. My second-day instructor, Dive Master David Eriaud, talked us through a quick debriefing before we jumped in and descended. With his enthusiasm, Eriaud really made the dive more fun. Whenever we spotted a unique underwater feature or bit of marine life, he would hold up his fist, pinky out and thumb out, the universal gesture for, “This is awesome!” I approach a three-foot-long barracuda, mouth brimming with teeth, to take a photo. No matter how close I got, it totally ignored me. Later, I spent a few minutes following around a large green sea turtle that didn’t seem to mind my being there. Clearly, the local wild life was pretty accustomed to the divers. After three awesome dives and a quick sandwich for lunch, we headed back to port. Another amazing day. Photos by Jeff Tejcek Jeff Tejcek is an American author and journalist living in Singapore. He has worked as a crime reporter, school and government beat reporter and city desk editor in Colorado. He is currently the Director of Communications and Public Relations for the Virtual EMDR online therapy program. Jeff spends his spare time with his wife and daughter.
Singapore American ¡ October 2016
21 BIG TRIPS
Singapore American · October 2016
My Zebra Story: How I Was Wrong About Iowa By Eric Walter
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ssumptions can be tricky: just about every human being above the age of one knows this. Still, I once lived through a particularly vivid incarnation of this lesson. It involved a live zebra, a camel, 24 miniature horses and a bobcat. It is the story of how I learned that the great state of Iowa is far more interesting than I ever gave it credit for being. I was 24 at the time and in the middle of the first really big trip I had ever taken as an adult: a bicycle journey from the west coast of the US to the east. My younger twin brothers and I were part of a group of about 15, mostly from our Western New York hometown. The trip had been organized by the pastor of our family’s church, an avid Beatles fan and bicyclist, and I had signed up for the thing on a whim several months before. Long story short, after working our way through the hills of the Pacific Northwest, there I was one hot midsummer morning powering through the prairies of rural Iowa. My brothers and I, among the youngest of the group, were way out ahead of the rest of the pack. Having already spent several weeks on the road, we looked the part; sunburnt, sweaty and lean. Strapped, bungeed and packed to our bikes were tents, tarps, tools, sleeping bags, sunblock, stoves, bug spray, bike pumps and first aid kits. Oh, and spare clothes, spare tires, spare spokes plus multiple water bottles. If you asked me what I thought of Iowa before we left, I would have said: farming, sports, conventional and very nice people. I don’t know if I thought much else at the time. “Iowa is boring” is about how I would have summed it up. Oh, how wrong I was. Initially, I didn’t see much to change my opinion of Iowa. Day after day, the perfectly straight road stretched endlessly ahead into the perfectly flat horizon. Tidy farms lined the roadway at regular intervals, each looking very much like the ones before. Eventually, though, we came upon one that wasn’t quite like the others. The farm as a whole was perfectly ordinary except for one feature: a life-sized statue of a zebra near the front paddock.
My brothers, likely a bit focused on the pleasures of the ride itself, whizzed right by the place. But something about that statue caught my eye and I slowed down to a stop. I wanted to know what it was doing there in the middle of Iowa. There had to be a story, right? I called out to my brothers who also stopped and turned around. We all stood there for a moment, staring at the thing. It was then that out from around a barn trotted a real, honest-to-god living zebra! It trotted up the gate of the paddock and stared curiously at us, these sunburnt young guys with everything but the kitchen sink strapped to their bicycles. We stared back at it, a live zebra in the middle of freaking Iowa, with a mutual expression of astonishment. It’s impossible to say for sure, but I swear that zebra seemed amused. Eventually, a 30-something couple came out of the nearby farmhouse and invited us to come in, rest, fill our water bottles and take a tour of the place. We quickly found out that besides the zebra they had a herd of miniature horses, a bobcat and a camel that they lent out to a nearby town for its life-sized nativity scene every year! As we sat and talked, we found out a lot more about each other. The man and woman were each obsessed with animals growing up. When they fell in love and started building their lives together, adopting some exotic family members seemed like the most natural thing in the world. I’d normally be a bit leery of this, but the facilities they had for their creatures were spacious and clean and the creatures themselves seemed well cared for and happy. When we got back on our bikes about 40 minutes later, my conception of Iowa and Iowans had totally changed. What I learned that day was that sometimes the most extraordinary things can be found in the most seemingly ordinary of places. My brothers and I went on to have an amazing time and many more adventures on the trip, though none – with the possible
exception of almost getting caught in a tornado – sticks in my mind quite like the Iowan zebra. It just goes to show: if you keep your eyes peeled and mind open, you never know what you’ll find. For some really great tips on taking a bicycle trek, log on to www.aasingapore.com. Photo by Johan van der Merwe Eric Walter is a freelance writer and editor focusing on business, technology and travel.
22 BIG TRIPS
Singapore American · October 2016
Sea Lions, Piranhas and Monkeys – Oh my! By Lindy Hiemstra
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hack!” Startled, it took me a second to understand what had happened. A playful sea lion was trying to get my attention and had tapped my snorkel mask with her nose. The next few minutes were absolutely spell-binding. The sea lion and her buddy swam in circles around me and my husband, diving between us, going through our legs and simply playing with us. After about 20 minutes they got bored and swam off. I was in awe. To this day, it was the most amazing experience I’ve ever had with wild life. And such is life in the Galapagos. Over the centuries, few men have visited the Galapagos. Plus, hunting is illegal there. That means that Galapagos creatures have no fear of man so you can get up close and personal with wild animals. In fact, walking down the beach can almost be a pain, forced to step over the dozens of sea lions sunning themselves, unwilling to move out of the way. Sometimes, bulls seem to yell at each other on the edge of the water, trying to prove who is the bigger brute. Iguanas dot the craggy shore and Red Rock crabs with the brightest most beautiful shells any crab can boast scurry along the rocks. If you’re lucky, you’ll see Blue-footed Boobies dance their funny mating jig (half of all breeding pairs nest in the Galapagos) or the tiny Galapagos penguins dive into the water (the only penguins that live north of the Equator). Massive tortoises wander by, willing to be touched. Frigatebirds inflate their red necks to attract a mate, while flightless cormorants try their luck at fishing. For most, a few days in the Galapagos will give you a lifetime of memories. For Charles Darwin, time spent in the Galapagos became the cornerstone of his life’s work. The only way to see the wildlife is via boat, ranging from the very basic to the ultra-luxurious which must be booked months in advance. The government controls how many tourists can visit at any one time, an effort to protect the precious nature there. Don’t expect to lounge on beaches under palm trees. The volcanic islands are new (as the Earth goes) with very little flora or fauna and no beaches. You’re only allowed off the boat a small amount of time every day, but when you are, expect pure magic. Making it all come to life are the naturalists aboard each craft. While many people only go to Ecuador for the Galapagos, the islands are just one of Ecuador’s four different micro climates which also include the Coastal Lowlands, the Andean Mountains and the Amazon region where wildlife is very different. Monkeys are everywhere, both small and big. Howler monkeys truly live
up to their name, eerily screaming in the wee hours, just one of the many unusual night sounds in the jungle. To get there, we took a three-hour boat ride up the Rio Napo, a tributary to the Amazon. From there, we hiked a half hour, got on another boat for a half hour and finally arrived at Sacha Lodge (www.sachalodge.com), one of the coolest places we’ve ever stayed. The resort is made up of boardwalks connecting houses that the Swiss Family Robinson would love. Mostly catering to birders, the resort boasts treetop walks and also offers a boat trip to see the very colorful (and loud!) parrot lick where thousands of parrots and macaws cling to a cliff to lick the clay. We fished for piranha using ham for bait (I caught one!), saw a giant anteater (cool!) and a long line of cutter ants, carrying bits of leaves, each following the one in front. We also visited a local family where my husband tried his best to use a blow dart gun. Let’s just say they aren’t as easy as they look! Another stop was Otavalo, a quaint, indigenous town in the Andes, north of the capital city Quito. Of course, getting there is not for the faint of heart. Have you ever seen those videos of people driving on mountain roads with scary drop offs? Yup, that’s the drive. Once you get there (and can breathe a sigh of relief ), you’ll be greeted by gorgeous green fields surrounded by mountain peaks, curious llamas and locals dressed in festive native attire, nodding their hellos at the massive outdoor market. If you like art made by locals, the Otavalo Market is the place you have been searching for your whole life. Hundreds of stalls beckon, offering rugs, jewelry, art, clothes, toys – you name it. The fruit stalls are downright gorgeous. And unlike some of the markets you find in Asia, there are many craft items made by local artisans and nothing made in a Chinese factory. My favorite thing we did in Otavalo was a visit to the local witch doctor. My husband and I joined two women from our hotel on a short ride to the witch doctor’s farm. Once inside her small hut, the translator told us to strip down to our bra and underwear. Half naked, the barely-acquainted four of us stood awkwardly in a ring. The witch doctor arrived, wearing native clothes, chanting and saying prayers over us. First, she rolled an unboiled egg still in the shell over each of our bodies, one at a time, feeling for changes within the egg. She then correctly identified our pains: my aching lower back and my husband’s shoulder problems. She nailed the other two women’s ailments, too. Interesting. Next, she took a sheaf of long grass and twigs tied together at one end and started to whack each of us all over our bodies. Um…that hurt. Really hurt, actually. Then, she took a swig of some kind of local alcoholic drink and – are you ready for this? – spit it all over each one of us, front and back. Ick. The final touch was rubbing chrysanthemum oil all over us using flowers
dripping with the shiny lube. We were supposed to leave it on for 24 hours to be completely cured, but we scrubbed the very instant we walked in the door. Perhaps that’s why my back still hurts, but bathing immediately was a must. Durians have nothing on chrysanthemum oil in the odor department. Sounding like old people in search of a miracle cure (we were not!), we also tried Banos, the ultimate hot springs, heated by the smoking Tungurahua, one of Ecuador’s many volcanos. The hot springs were nothing special, but riding a horse up the volcano was pretty darn cool. We didn’t get close enough to see the lava, but we did get some spectacular views and managed a visit to a cuy farm. What’s cuy? It’s guinea pig, one of Ecuador’s most well-known delectable treats. (I finally screwed up the courage to taste it and the restaurant was sold out. I admit it: I was relieved!) But by far, the most memorable part of our trip was a train ride across the countryside, departing not far from Banos. At the time, you were allowed to sit on top of the train and watch the gorgeous countryside roll by. Locals were scrubbing very colorful laundry in the river, leaving it on the bank to dry. Small children and mangy dogs chased the train while we threw candy to them from the top. It was fabulous. Unfortunately, visitors are no longer allowed to sit on top, but there is a new luxury train running between the mountainous capital city of Quito and the coastal city of Guyaquil, through the Avenue of the Volcanos. www.trenecuador.com/en/cruise-train While the scenery of Ecuador is gorgeous, for me it’s not the plains, rivers or snow-capped volcanos I most remember. No, for me Ecuador is snapshots of unforgettable moments: the faces of the local kids when they snagged a piece of candy, the baby sea lion who tried to eat my husband’s telephoto lens and staring in the face of a piranha up close. Pure heaven. Lindy Hiemstra is an avid traveler who feels the bigger the adventure, the better. She has traveled to more than two dozen countries, often veering off the beaten path.
23 BIG TRIPS
Singapore American · October 2016
Ecuador on the move Ecuador is one of the most volcanic countries in the world with 28 volcanos on the mainland and 15 in the Galapagos. Some of Ecuador’s volcanos are extinct, some are not. In fact, Tungurahua erupted just this year.
A 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit a sparselypopulated area along Ecuador’s coast in April, killing 673 people and injuring almost 28,000. Approximately 26,000 people had to be relocated. Your tourism dollars are very much needed as Ecuador faces a US$3 billion recovery effort.
Photos by Albert Dezetter, Gail Hampshire, Lindy Hiemstra, Tom Hiemstra, Peter Stuart Mill, Peder Toftegaard Olsen
25 BIG TRIPS
Singapore American ¡ October 2016
Experiential Learning By Mark Gardner
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xperiential learning is a process which results in greater student engagement. While most educational pedagogies allow for some exposure to experiential learning, approaches which fully integrate these experiences within academics deliver greater opportunities for student leadership, enriched learning and improved academic performance. Embracing the notion of experiential learning provides students with connections to a range of learning opportunities, both at home and abroad, to create experiences which are relevant, interesting and absorbing. Effectively embedded experiential learning programs are targeted to provide differentiation across all grade levels. At GEMS World Academy (Singapore), for example, Secondary Years (Grades 6 through to 10) students have recently visited locations in Australia and Northern Thailand in addition to engaging in experiential learning activities based here is Singapore. Australia provided Grade 6 students with authentic opportunities to experience Aboriginal culture and learn about wildlife preservation and conservation during a visit to the Australia Zoo. Students also developed awareness of environmental challenges through the study of coastal dunes and engaged in tree planting as part of a volunteer program to protect the Australian shoreline from erosion. Students in Grades 7 – 10 traveled to Thailand to participate in service programs to support the local community through building fish farms, improving conditions in a local school and preparing fields for planting to support food production for the local community. They also found the time to experience Thai food and culture. Singapore-based activities engaged students with environmental considerations, encouraging students across all grades to develop a deeper connection with
the local area, appreciate the pressures we place on the environment around us and develop solutions to some of the environmental challenges we face as a nation. Further to supporting academic programs, the intention of all experiences is to develop long-term connections between the students and the world around them, engaging in participation to continue developing their involvement and interaction with their surroundings, whether local, regional or global. Experiential learning also fosters the development of communication and social skills through team work, independence and challenge, with students making significant developments in these areas as a result of the programs in which they are involved. Further benefits can be seen across cognitive, affective and behavioral domains as students process knowledge, skills and attitudes with a high level of active involvement. A key aspect of all experiential learning programs is that of reflection which links experiences clearly back to areas of the curriculum, adding value to learning opportunities, academic progress and personal development. This ensures that the activities enhance learning while also facilitating effective community participation for all of our students. At GEMS World Academy (Singapore), all students take part in experiential learning throughout the curriculum with the support of teachers and a dedicated Experiential Learning Programme Coordinator. Learn more at www.gwa.edu.sg. Photos courtesy of GEMS World Acadamy (Singapore) Mark Gardner is the MYP and IGCSE Coordinator at GEMS World Academy (Singapore). He has worked in education for 20 years with roles in the Middle East and United Kingdom.
27 Singapore American · October 2016
Traveling Tots By Sue Harben
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raveling with kids. The mere thought of it can send shudders down the spine of even the toughest parents. The tantrums. The “I hate this” at meal times. The fighting siblings. Oh happy day. Yet somehow we optimistically troll the internet and book yet another family holiday with visions filling our heads of the family skipping down the beach at sunset, laughing as we play in the sand or singing as we merrily hike the Alps. We push the “Buy Now” button, ignoring what may be closer to reality: screaming at your very loud children in the backseat so you can concentrate on not driving off the side of the mountain. Ah, memories to last a lifetime. While we all want our kids to be grown up and enjoy what we enjoy, they’re not. They’re kids. And sometimes you just have to realize that you need to cater to them (that’s every day, right?) So here are a few tips to turn those joyful visions into reality. The basic rule? Give kids the things they need, not necessarily what they want.
Food. Kids need to eat. When they don’t, they are cranky. It’s that simple. Sure, it’s good to get them to try new flavors, but having a secret stash of snacks they like is a great safety net. Encourage them to try something new, then reward them with something they love. Eventually, they’ll learn to love the new things, too.
Exercise. Children have energy, some have enough to power a jet. Thinking they are going to happily enjoy a seven-hour scenic drive is nuts. They’ll go crazy and you’ll end up in an asylum. Find activities along the way where they can burn off pent up steam.
Sleep. It’s tempting to say, “Oh, they’re on holiday. Let the kids stay up late.” Big mistake. Nothing makes a kid grumpier than exhaustion. Resign yourself to sticking to your routine. If your kids go to bed at 7:30pm at home, try the same thing on the road. It’s not fun for you hanging out in the hotel room night after night, but it’s a lot better than battling cranky kids the next day. Bring a good book or a movie to watch for yourself. If you really want to go out, hire a babysitter from the hotel or bring another adult to stay with them. If they need to stay up late one night, try a drive the next day so they can sleep in the car.
Shelter. Choose where you stay wisely. If your kids hate the outdoors, camping isn’t going to go well. If your kids are loud, don’t book a fancy resort where you’ll wear yourself out saying, “Sssh” all day. Really think about it before you book a reservation.
Fun. Sometimes we adults think a little culture will make our kids brainier – and it will – as long as everybody is having fun. Visiting a museum? Make a scavenger hunt of things to find. Going to a vineyard? Find one where the kids can pick grapes. Want to learn about the environment? Find an interactive experience. If they have fun, you will, too, and you may even rediscover your inner child. Photo by Thomas Staziker Sue Harben is the mother of two kids who love to travel. By the age of five, each had visited more than a dozen countries and held frequent flier status on several airlines. Sue is obviously a bit crazy.
A New Look Check out our new website! The site is still filled with all sorts of great information, but it looks a lot hipper. Plus, it should be easier to navigate, not only on your computer, but phone and tablets, too. Enjoy! www.aasingapore.com
BIG TRIPS
28 FOOD & DINING
Chile: the Other Down-Under By Kevin Cox
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t’s Spring in Santiago. The Andes are still covered with snow and people walk around in coats and boots, even though it feels more like the Mediterranean than the gateway to Antarctica. It’s Chile, the Other Down-Under, on the other side of the earth. And we have just arrived. After, five fabulous years living in Singapore and exploring Southeast Asia, we repatriated to the US for two years before admitting that, well, we didn’t want to repatriate. It was time to leave again; time to find another place, different from Singapore, but equally interesting and enriching. So here we are in Chile. “It’s the Singapore of South America,” we were told and the capital city of Santiago gives proof to this reputation. Skyscrapers, including the tallest on the continent, gleam like silver redwoods in the foreground of the snowcapped Andes cordillera, giving it the nickname “Sanhattan.” Here, the roadways are well maintained, the water is drinkable from any tap and prices are clearly marked. It’s a city steeped in history and architecture amid cutting edge technology, style and, of course, great food. Sound familiar? “But if you really want to see Chile, you have to get out of Santiago,” a new friend told me. Where Santiago is sleek, bustling and pulsing with the lifeblood of the economy, just an hour or so out of town reveals a quieter side of Chile: smaller places with open-air markets, dogs sleeping beneath cars and people of little pretension cooking food outdoors. I met my friend in one of these places, the town of Quilpue, to explore the winter food scene. An old man pointed to an uncomfortably narrow spot into which to squeeze my car and promised to watch it. Walking through the market at Quilpue, rows of crowded booths sold everything from clothes to old tools and housewares to repackaged paper products. But the market is best known for its produce, drawing from the worldrenowned breadbasket that is Chile. Rows of fruits, vegetables, nuts and homemade concoctions crowded the walkways in a kaleidoscope of color. Avocados glowed green among striated red apples, dried orange peaches and a vast assortment of herbs, pumpkins, melons and peppers. The selections seemed endless, each stall offering something better or bigger than the one before it. And there was food, lots of food. Young men stood by charcoal grills sizzling with anticucho, cubes of skewered, marinated beef heart. Women sold juices squeezed by hand to order. An old lady baked hot empanadas,
filled with stewed beef, onions, cheese and black olives in the back of her van. A butcher sliced off a slab of arrollado huaso, a head cheese-like roll of meat scraps and spices tied in pork skin and boiled tender. The meaty flavors and spices exploded in my mouth, making me wish for a smear of blazing red pebre (Chile’s go-to hot chili paste) on a soft disc of the ubiquitous pan amasado, flat bread made with flour and lard and baked in a brick oven. I ate my way through the market, each vendor happily pushing food on me and smiling “¡Disfruta!” (Enjoy!), promising: “Just wait until summer when the food’s really good!” I came upon the seafood area, unadorned stalls laden with local bounty from the coast just 40 minutes away. Hunks of swordfish, tuna, sea bass, kingfish and huge ocean sunfish speckled silver and red. Stacks of razor clams sat beside piles of thick, round abalone, oysters and scallops. Nearby, half an oil drum set atop an old shopping cart served as a grill, with a chunk of fish sizzling beside mussels the size of my hand and opening with puffs of briny steam. The fishmonger insisted I tear off a piece of fish and slurp down a mussel on the half shell. And so my food adventures in Chile begin. There’s just one little catch: Spanish. Not a problem, I thought, I’ve been mumbling my way around Latin America for years. But it seems the tourist zone of the Maya Riviera is different from the real world of Chile, infamous for its rapid-fire speech, cut-off words and Chilenismos, an unintelligible slang. But even though I may speak Spanish like a five-year-old today, every week I’ll get a year older…and better able to discover the wonder of the Other Down-Under. Photos by Kevin Cox Kevin Cox is a culinary explorer and writer for magazines and websites in the US and Asia. He loves to get low to the ground and experience how people live and what they eat, yearning for authenticity in the food and passion by those who make it.
30 HEALTH & WELLNESS
Singapore American · October 2016
Par for the Course By Dr. Andrew Dutton
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ver the years, I have treated an increasing number of injuries associated with golfing. Being an avid golfer myself, I recognize the mental and physical demands of the game that calls for nimbleness, coordination, posture and strength. Poor swing postures or patterns could contribute to golfing-related injuries especially to the back, neck, shoulder, elbow, wrist and fingers. These injuries could compromise your swing and distance on the greens, disrupting your game. It is important to listen to your body and consult a doctor if you experience any nagging pain or discomfort during the game or on a regular basis when it affects your day-to-day activities. Surgery is never the first option. In most cases, rest, anti-inflammatory medications, platelet rich plasma (PRP) or cortisone injections, physiotherapy, infrared or ultrasound therapies are the recommended treatments.
Symptoms and Treatments
Play it Safe on the Greens
Upper limbs injuries are common among golfers due to the fastmoving golf club accompanied with a relatively wide range of motion during the golf swing. 1. Rotator Cuff Impingement Symptom: Pain in the shoulder or upper arm during a golf swing and when raising the arm overhead. Treatment: Physiotherapy. 2. Tennis Elbow or Golfer’s Elbow Symptom: Pain experienced at the muscles of the forearm and the left elbow. This is usually due to tight club grip, overexertion or hitting the club on the ground. Treatment: Rest and apply ice. Regular stretches and forearm strengthening are essential. Other recommendations include cortisone injection, modification to your grip or swing and using a tennis elbow brace. 3. Tendinopathy Symptom: Wrist pain due to overexertion. Treatment: Rest, anti-inflammatory medication, body strengthening exercises and stretches. Refine your swing. 4. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Symptoms: Numbness and tingling sensations on the fingers and weakness of your hands. Treatment: Rest, medication, splinting and surgery, if required. 5. Back Pain at the Lower Lumbar Spine Symptom: Pain of various sites in the lower back. Treatment: Physiotherapy and, in rare cases, surgery.
• Refine your swing. »» Be mindful of your posture before and during your swing. Stand shoulder-width apart and ensure that your weight is evenly distributed. Avoid hunching over the ball as it may cause neck and back strain. A good posture will heighten your performance. »» Develop a smooth swing that doesn’t over-emphasize specific muscle groups or body areas. »» Relax and take a nice, easy swing at the ball. • Don’t skip warming up and cooling down exercises. They help to prepare and condition your body. • Have a slow and steady start to the game to condition your body to the game. • Do strength training all year round to improve your club speed. • Stretch regularly to improve your range of motion for a smoother swing. • Schedule regular aerobic activity to build up stamina and endurance. • Uses proper lifting techniques such as keeping the back straight and using the strength of your legs to lift and carry your clubs. • Wear proper footwear. Dr. Andrew Dutton is the Medical Director and Consultant, Orthopaedic Surgeon at SMG Orthopaedic Group, a Singapore Medical Group (SMG) Clinic. Dr. Dutton is one of the few orthopaedic surgeons in Southeast Asia to be able to perform stem cell therapeutics in orthopaedics. For details, please visit www.orthopaedic.smg.sg
calendar
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events
Any responder should make any further enquiries with the organizer or should verify the information independently if necessary.
MUSEUMS 1 October – 28 February Iskandar Jalil: Clay of the Malay Archipelago National Gallery of Singapore 1 St. Andrew’s Road, Singapore 178957 www.nationalgallery.sg 1 October – 1 March Shaking It with Shakespeare Exhibition Singapore Philatelic Museum 23-B Coleman Street, Singapore 179807 www.spm.org.sg 1 October – 26 March Artist & Empire: (En) Countering Colonial Legacies National Gallery of Singapore 1 St. Andrew’s Road, Singapore 178957 www.nationalgallery.sg 1 October – 26 March Nyonya Needlework: Embroidery and Beadwork in the Peranakan World 39 Armenian Street, Singapore 179941 www.peranakanmuseum.org.sg 4 November – 19 February Port Cities: Hybrid Cultures and Art in Southeast Asia, 1500 – 1900 Asian Civilisations Museum 1 Empress Place, Singapore 179555 www.acm.org.sg
LIFESTYLE 1 November – 31 December Year-end Carpet Sale – up to 70% off Hedger’s Carpet Gallery 15 Dempsey Road #01-09 10:30am – 7pm daily hedgerscarpets@singnet.com.sg
ENTERTAINMENT 1– 30 October Wicked Grand Theatre www.sistic.com.sg 7 – 23 October RENT Drama Centre Theatre www.sistic.com.sg 18 & 19 October Sara Baras – Voces, Suite Flamenca Esplanade Theatre www.sistic.com.sg 28 October – 11 December Charlotte’s Web KC Arts Centre – Home of SRT www.sistic.com.sg 4 November The Nyonya Journey SCO Concert Hall www.sistic.com.sg 4 – 6 November Aesop’s Fables: The Town Mouse & The Country Mouse SOTA Drama Theatre www.sistic.com.sg 16 November – 4 December Disgraced by Ayad Akhtar KC Arts Centre – Home of SRT www.sistic.com.sg 2 – 4 December Hi-5 Fairytale Sands Theatre MasterCard Theatres at Marina Bay Sands ticketing.marinabaysands.com
EDUCATION From 1 October UWCSEA Applications for Admission to UWCSEA in 2017/2018 open Dover or East Campus www.uwcsea.edu.sg admissions@uwcsea.edu.sg 7 October Stamford American International School Open House 279 Upper Serangoon Road 9am www.sais.edu.sg 27 October Canadian International School Open House Lakeside Campus 7 Jurong West Street 41 9am www.cis.edu.sg
SPORTS 23 – 30 October BNP Paribas WTA Final Singapore Singapore Sports Hub www.wtafinals.com 29 October Skechers Backlight Run Sentosa Pahlawan Green www.blacklightrun.sg 30 October Newton Challenge 2016 Marina Barrage www.newtonchallenge.com