Day 4 of Fulbright Orientation at MOE Heritage Center and Exploring Downtown

11 January 2018

On my way this morning, I got a coffee and a sugar butter bun pastry.  The bake shop I stopped at had delicious pastries, and the coffee came in a bag!

Today we went to the Ministry of Education Heritage Centre for the morning.  The simple existence of a museum that is dedicated to showcasing the history of education within a country signifies the importance the country places on education.  "The MOE Heritage Centre showcases Singapore's Education Story from the early 19th century to the present.  The Centre is set-up to inspire those aspiring to be teachers, affirm the work of serving educators and commemorate the contributions of educators and communities that have shaped education since the founding of Singapore.  MOE Heritage Centre is also a facility for teachers' professional development."  It was very informative and interesting to learn the journey this nation has made from its founding days to the present-day.

We learned that modern Singapore was founded in 1819 when Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles negotiated a treaty that allowed the British to found a trading port on the island.  The city has so many hotels, shopping centers, and neighborhood named after Raffles, and most people speak rather positively about him (compared to Christopher Columbus) in the US.  Lots of missionaries started schools during this period of time and most were segregated by language/ethnicity.  During World War 2, Singapore was conquered and occupied by the Japanese Empire (the British retreated from Singapore) from 1942 to 1945 and most schools were closed and used for military purposes during the war.  When the war ended, Singapore went back to British control with increasing levels of self-government being granted.  In 1963 Singapore merged to with Malaysia.  Due to social unrest and disputes between Singapore's and Malaysia's ruling parties, the expulsion of Singapore from Malaysia came in soon after.  Singapore became an independent republic in August of 1965.  In schools the children of Singapore had once sung the British, Japanese, and Malaysian national anthems.  The national pride that the people of Singapore exude makes even more sense to me now after understanding more of their history.  I also deepened my understanding of the "efficiency driven" education initiatives in Singapore during the 1960s and 1970s.

Upon gaining independence, Singapore faced severe unemployment and a housing crisis.  Government programs focused on establishing a manufacturing industry, developing large public housing complexes, and investing heavily on public education.  As a small island nation (city-state), Singapore recognizes its people as its most important resource.  It is one of the world's most prosperous nations, and I'm thankful to have had the opportunity to visit the MOE Heritage Centre to learn about the educational history and journey this country and its people have made.

For lunch we went to Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao and ate soon hock steamed fish, xo fried rice, chili crab xiao long bao, and for dessert, min jiang kueh (red bean pancakes).

Outside of the restaurant were a few men repairing shoes.  I have loved seeing on the interesting street-side services offered here.

After lunch we had the rest of the day free so I met up with Bren who had spent the morning exploring the Singapore National Library.  Although it was raining we decided to walk down to the Merlion Park area.  When we rain picked up we explored the Red Dot Design Museum and got a cool gift for Lucy (who turns 1 year old on January 15!) We walked the loop around the river and took some pictures around Marina Bay Sands.  I'll be excited to come here again in the sunshine when it is a bit less dreary, but it was fun getting out to explore with Bren regardless.

We also accidentally ventured into the most expensive mall I have ever entered with brand names I couldn't even pronounce 😂 But there was this awesome lit floor projection kids were playing on.

For dinner we went to Izakaya Shindo which had the shōchū Bren liked to drink when he lived in Kagoshima, Japan.