Day 2 of Fulbright Orientation and Hawker Stalls

9 January 2018

Today was day two of the AST Fulbright Orientation.  Freddy picked Katie, Carrie, and I up at Yio Chu Kang MRT Station again this morning.  We met a bit earlier this morning (7:45am) and it was definitely the morning rush hour.  The trains were were crowded and reminded me of riding on a busy subway car in New York City except quieter and cleaner.  It was sunny and breezy today on our walk from the Labrador Park MRT station to the Academy of Singapore Teachers.

This morning I had the pleasure of meeting with Zuhairi who is the Senior Curriculum Specialist in Mathematics at the Singapore Ministry of Education.  He explained an overview of the  math pathways that students in Singapore can follow as well as the goals of the math curriculum.  The three main strands in mathematics here are:

1. Numbers and Algebra
2. Geometry and Measurement
3. Statistics and Probability

Teachers use the Syllabus provided by the MOE to guide instruction.  From my understanding the Syllabus would be similar to the Curriculum Map and Course Frameworks provided by districts or states in the USA.  One thing I was surprised to learn is that students buy their own math textbooks here (financial aid is available) and they only cost around $20.  There are a very limited number that are stamped with the MOE's approval.  This seems more efficient compared to the hundreds of textbook companies in the USA and the millions of dollars spent on textbooks and curriculum materials by districts and states each year.  Our conversation was engaging and interesting, and I'm thankful for the time he spent to work with me.

After the meeting with the curriculum specialists, the AST Fulbright team took us to lunch at the Alexandra Village Food Centre.  Fiona suggested an excellent hawker stall (they received a Michelin star!) for lunch and laksa is my new favorite dish in Singapore.

Derek also order us each an avocado juice and many dishes to share (rojak, popiah, xiao long bao, kueh pie tee, and oluak (oyster omelette):

After lunch we walked around to a few shops in the Alexandra centre.

I learned that in Asian culture, out of respect, elders are addressed as Uncle or Aunty.  I like this.  There is something really warm and welcoming about addressing someone as a relative even though you don't even know them.  At Lina, This Aunty, shared some of her Onde Onde with us as a dessert.

Onde-Onde is one of the traditional kuih in Malaysia (kuid is a term for Malaysian cakes or pastries).  They are either made from sweet potato or glutinous rice flour.  The onde-onde is filled palm sugar and then rolled in fresh grated coconut.  The palm sugar that's inside burst in your mouth when you take a bite.  They were delicious and unlike anything I had ever tried before.

On the way back I noticed this sign on the covered bridge:

Apparently because it rains so much here, the government has promised 200 km of sheltered walkways by 2018 ( = pleasant walks 😊).  I still got caught in a heavy rain on an uncovered stretch on my walk from AST to the MRT.  

The Academy of Singapore Teacher Fulbright orientation team has been so welcoming and accommodating during our first two work days here.  Here's a group picture from today:

When I got home, Bren wasn't there but soon after returned to our apartment.  He had gone exploring today, to Little India, to the MINT (Moment of Imagination and Nostalgia with Toys) museum and a comic book store.  He found a stand with used books as well as bought some neat children's books--one of which he got for me and it is about solving mysteries with math 😊 We walked to a nearby hawker stall and ate dinner.  He got chicken cutlet and fried rice and I got vegetables and fried rice.  We again are going to bed pretty early because we are still tired and a tiny bit jet lagged.