“God gave us two ears & one mouth, so listen twice as much as you speak.”
This is a quote I have heard and describes my time in Singapore travelling over the past two weeks. The world I have grown up in is different to what I have experienced here I Singapore. My upbringing, background and values impact on outlooks in life. Gaining an understanding of this different culture is imperative to the relationships I have built with Singaporeans whilst here.
Nature…what is it, and what do we mean when we use the term nature or natural environment? The context and meaning of these words is no doubt different to each person you meet and each country you visit.
My mind automatically invisages a natural environment as being expansive, wild and practically untouched – nature in it’s rawest form – of which I am so used to back home within Australia. Prior to coming to Singapore, despite having done some research, and chatting with folks who had been to Singapore before, it had never crossed my mind how such a small and urban country would be able to incorporate and value the minimal nature that they had.
What does 1/2 day bike riding look like in less than 1 minute? You just witnessed it.
This video is a time-lapse of 1/2day bike riding we undertook under guide Nam Jim. The 2nd man in Singapore to gain a University level qualification degree in Outdoor Education (through LaTrobe University, Bendigo) he is a wealth of knowledge and currently heads up the Raffles Leadership Institute in Singapore’s number 1 school. He is a passionate man with a background in Outward Bound Singapore and has major plans for the future of Outdoor Education in this country. Through his expertise and willingness to share we explored a majority of the East Coast of Singapore including history and environmental impact through use of a network of Connector Paths.
Travel with Fin, a man tall and thin.
In a place full of buildings, he finds beauty within.
Surrounded by those who look different to him.
Fin begins to realise that they are his kin.
Fin’s travels started as he stepped off the plane
Ducking his head to avoid the pain.
His first thoughts were “wow this place just isn’t for me”
“Ducking and squeezing, too crowded you see”.
Buongiorno Internet!
I’d like to share a quote with you that I came across whilst visiting Raffles Institution. It reads:
“Being a Singaporean is not a matter of ancestry. It is a conviction and a choice”
“Conviction and a choice” Wow. I’m sitting here so inspired by this quote and how accurately it describes my interactions with Singaporeans since I arrived over a week ago. This quote gets my adrenalin going much like when I visited Outward Bound Singapore (OBS) and saw their motto, shared by all Outward Bound centres worldwide:
“To Serve, to Strive, and to not Yield”
Continue reading Get up! But don’t ever give up – Michael Irvin
The train takes off and I look around, the space is empty. Don’t get me wrong, the train is full, standing room only. People commuting but no one connecting. It feels as if the only common voice here is the automated announcements over the speakers. People on their phones, some headphones in, some eyes resting, some looking around. I feel the sounds our group makes are a welcome relief as the bubbling conversation & laughter fill up an otherwise silent carriage. We are connected with one another. I wonder about others.
I know you so well but yet I don’t. Your touch is familiar but distant in an exciting way as you invite me into adventure. I step down into the lush green grass and am awed. I know this so well, but it’s different. The feel is familiar, yet not the same. The pockets of grass and tufts it grows in is different to what I’m used to back home. It feels deeper under foot, the grass blades somehow longer & thicker in this humid environment. A spongy sea of grass beckons adventure.
It does but not really. This is so normal and natural. I flop down on the grass as I would at home; comforted by the familiarity to lay and relax, to take in my travels. The sights of a night sky, the sounds of passing traffic, the familiarities seem so similar. Yet it’s not until I open my eyes I notice the Singaporean skyline. I
find it’s often the little differences that make the big difference for me. Maybe it’s this linking connection of curiosity I have mentioned before, drawing connections from what is known into new incoming information. Maybe it’s this that I enjoy and draw more learning from as I connect more to similarities I know of back home.
Things like the grass underfoot, that feels so familiar yet strangely different, or the pedestrian lights here; do you know some of them have a countdown so you know how long you have to cross? I enjoy these pockets of subtleties seen in the everyday travel of life that remind me of my travels. I think they remind me on some level that we’re all human in this world, no matter where we are.
Continuing on from
Does the ‘restoration’ process of a natural environment (e.g the Bukit Timah works currently going on ATM) scare off the natural wildlife, enough that they may not come back? We think of these works as ‘good’ but are they destructive in chasing away wildlife with the sounds of machinery?
Just a thought as I walked through construction works in the Bukit Timah area.
Ok guys, throw on your thinking caps and get ready to look between the lines. This post is all about your opinion. Im interested to see what the following image makes you think? What is it about in your eyes? How does it make you feel?
I look forward to reading your comments below. And remember, there is no wrong answer..
I have chosen a selection of photos that I feel highlight the contrasts between these two natural environments of the Super Trees and Central Catchment Reserve. The Super Trees are a self sufficient tourist spectacular demonstrating sustainable human made initiatives; whilst the Central Catchment Reserve is a natural wonderland that contains human made features to create accessibility and decrease impact.
Although both natural environments are very different, they allow individuals to connect to nature on different levels through different mediums.
