Time is Precious

"Our battered suitcases were piled on the sidewalk again; we
had longer ways to go. But no matter, the road is life."

Jack Kerouac

I wish I could start this post with an exclamatory tone, but my time in Vietnam is now punctuated by sad and senseless tragedy. I returned from an incredibly rejuvenating trip in the farmlands of Hoi An to the ship on the evening of November 6 to learn that a student had just been found unconscious in his cabin. As the night progressed, the reality of his passing became evident. A memorial service was held yesterday in the same lecture hall that has been filled with joy, laughter, excitement, and now grief.

I was not personally friends with this young man, but no member of our shipboard community has gone unaffected by his passing. A young life, gone too soon. It’s a disgusting reminder that no matter how smart or capable, we are not invincible.

I’ve been flooded with all kinds of perplexing emotions. Shock, sadness, love, and bucket loads of gratitude. I feel like I want to tattoo the mantra “I will not waste this life” on the backs of my hands after all the amazing life experiences I’m having on this trip. Time is precious. My heart aches terribly for his family and friends at home who are plagued with questions, confusion, anger, and sorrow – comprehending the loss of such a young soul must be unfathomable for a parent.

There is an eeriness to the whole thing, too. This week we lost a 20-year old boy in Vietnam for no good reason. During the American war, we lost 20,000 20-year boys for no good reason. And for what?

I may attempt to revisit a blog about Vietnam in time, but now this is all that seems relevant to share. I ask that regardless of your faith orientation, you keep Andre Ramadan, his family, and our community in your thoughts in prayers as we heal and move forward with this journey.

48 Hours

After a jolting and visceral tour of India, I practically passed out at the sight of a Starbucks when we disembarked in Singapore. Iced Tazo Green Tea, much? Yes please.

Passed out? Some of you are like, what happened to Kelsey... hater of all things conglomerate? So okay, that's a little strong; but this pit stop really couldn't have come at a better time. Two days was just the recipe to get my bearings and gear up for another fabulous 40 days of non-stop adventure.

Singapore was really nothing like I have ever seen or experienced. I'm starting to sound like a broken record with that line, I think. What sets this nation-state apart is that it is, so far, the most developed and modern port on the itinerary. Per capita GDP hovers around $55,000 and unemployment is at a shocking 1.8%. Singapore has also claimed the title of fastest-growing economy in the world, with GDP growth of 17.9% in the first half of 2010. All of this plus a spotless city, efficient public transit system, world class shopping and dining, theme parks, botanical gardens, and a thriving tourist culture make Singapore worth loving and hating all at once.

Love: safety, tolerance, health foods, fast internet, not having to brush my teeth with bottled water.
Hate: a-culturization, mass consumption, paying a months wages for a Ghanaian for a Mojito .

Singapore epitomizes Globalization... defined as a process by which regional economies, societies, and cultures have become integrated through a global network of communication, transportation, and trade. But it also encompasses the transnational circulation of ideas, languages, or pop culture. I couldn't look anywhere without seeing an advertisement, restaurant, cafe, hotel, casino, movie theater, you name it. So many different cultures and values have come together in a way that makes the whole place seem, well, almost a-cultural - no culture at all. Imagine 270 sq. miles of Fashion Valley Mall in San Diego or Galleria Mall in Roseville (but with cooler shops and eateries). I don't know about you, but when I'm shopping I feel more like a robot than a human being.

What's strange is that Singapore is made up of 42% foreigners. You'd think there would be some crazy special juju going on with everyone intermixed and intertwined. I took the subway everywhere and not once, not once, was I ever looked at as a "them" in the whole "us v. them" dichotomy. For all anyone knew, if I didn't have a giant orange backpack strapped to me, I could have totally been a foreign national. All this is to say that there is both incredible diversity and homogeneity. I feel like in 2nd or 3rd grade I had an art docent teach me that if you added all the colors of the rainbow together, they would make white? Maybe in some bizarre way, that's what happens when you're mixing cultures too. Everyone agrees on a baseline standard and the rest just fades? Hmm... a lot to think about with all this.

Anywho...

Amanda's cool dad hooked us up with a free room at the Hilton with honors points, and oh boy, it was absolutely blissful. We probably could have vegged all day, but we had things to do and people to see. Friends of ours splurged on rooms at the Marina Bay Sands, an out-of-this-world resort, and we met them for dinner at a restaurant on the very top floor connecting all three buildings overlooking the entire city. It was unreal. Seriously I felt like a movie star. It was amazing and awful all at once. Coming from India, it definitely felt more like what we were used to back home, but I just knew, sitting there watching lightning way off in the distance, that I would never in my life partake in such glittering luxury again. And that's exactly the way it should be.

I was happy to say goodbye the next day, I think I would be broke if I had spent any more time off the ship. I wasn't spend happy, things were just crazy expensive. I had to stock up on some basic toiletries and health food stuff for the home stretch... body wash and a exfoliating washcloth at the Body Shop set me back a whopping $36. Yes, $36, that is not a typo. You can just surmise what you think a nice dinner atop the Marina Bay Sands costs.

I realize that this isn't really a deep or profound post, but really there wasn't anything too terribly profound about the 48 hours I was here. I lived in princess-land, and I'm glad to have moved on (I'm actually in Vietnam right now writing this!).

I'll leave you with some crazy laws in Singapore that keep this place tidy and in top form:

The following are illegal: peeing in an elevator, spitting, throwing gum on the ground, not flushing the toilet, jaywalking, eating or drinking in the subway, catcalls at women, bungee jumping, and many more.

On a more serious note, Singapore has a mandatory death penalty for all narcotics offenses. Vandalism, being drunk in public, pornography, immigration violations, carrying a firearm, child abuse, and "outrages against modesty" (Defined as an assault or use of criminal force on any person with the intent to, or the knowledge that it may, outrage the modesty of that person; i.e, making inappropriate comments, gestures, or dressing like a skank) all result in public caning, severe fines, and long term imprisonment. Gulp.

If you were wondering, the entire shipboard community somehow by the grace of God made it back on to the ship without a legal innuendo. Phew!

Someone needs to use the public computer I'm on, sorry no time to proof read! Love you all!