Winter Vacation Trip: Singapore Zoo

My second tourist attraction in Singapore was the Singapore zoo. Part of the zoo was under construction when I was there but that did not have too much of an impact on my experience. They do offer a tram for a small fee if you don't feel like walking the whole zoo. I did not try out the tram but families with smaller children seemed to be using it most when I was there. They had a good number of different animals and exhibits to explore as well as a show or two that were set at a number of times throughout the day. 

The zoo is a little bit far from say...central downtown Singapore but it's not all that hard to get to. I took a route involving the subway and a bus. Many families and other tourists also were taking this route. The bus left from a fairly large depot and one just had to find the right door to stand by (which happened to be at the far end from the exit). There was a sizable queue for the bus when I got there but I managed to wait only about 5-10 minutes for the bus. You get dropped off right in front of the zoo and can take the same bus back. The subway stop to that bus depot is right across the street so, again, not too hard to navigate. Although if you have small children or have trouble walking around, maybe a taxi would be easier.

Below are some shots of some of the animals I saw. As usual I thought I took a ton of photos but seemingly I didn't really. Oh well. Some of the highlights for me were the big cats and I also liked seeing the big fruit bats (Flying foxes). The bats were in an enclosed kind of aviary which also housed a number of other flying creatures like butterflies and birds.

I still think the San Diego Zoo is my top in terms of zoos I've visited but this one is up there. The general upkeep and landscaping of the zoo is good and you can spend a decent amount of time wandering through the exhibits. There are also food and souvenir shops so, you can get your shopping/eating on as well. 

Singapore Zoo Information
Website: http://www.zoo.com.sg/
Hours: 8:30AM - 6:00PM
Admission: Adults are S$32 but discounts can be found and tickets can also be bought online
Getting there: I took the subway to a bus depot which had a bus to the zoo. This is by far the cheapest option. http://www.zoo.com.sg/visitor-info/public-transport.html
What to bring/wear: Good walking shoes, a camera/camcorder if you want to take pictures, sunscreen and sunglasses are a good idea. Water if you get thirsty :)
Maps: http://www.zoo.com.sg/visitor-info/park-map.html

Winter Vacation Trip: Singapore Botanic Gardens

So I decided to visit the Singapore Botanic Gardens as my first touristy stop. The main gardens are free and open almost all day (5am - Midnight) but there are a variety of paid access gardens that are featured on the same grounds. I personally felt the free gardens provided plenty to walk around for an afternoon so I didn't go into the paid areas. Overall, I probably spent over 3 hours walking around but if you also wanted to visit the paid areas, you could easily spend a half-day there. Singapore is hot year round so I brought water with me and made sure to take a break every now and then. There were sitting areas/rest areas located around the main walking paths so I took full advantage of those. On site they do have some dining and souvenir shopping available so if you don't happen to bring your own water or snacks (or even want to have a meal there) it's possible.

I'm personally not that into nature and such but I did enjoy walking around the gardens. The weather itself was a stark contrast to what I was experiencing where I currently live. Then, Korea was super cold and gloomy but Singapore was bright, sunny, and hot most of the time I was there. Even though I probably sweated through my shirt at the gardens I was glad just to feel warm for once outside for the first time in a long time.

In terms of photos I thought I took a ton but per the usual when I reviewed them all it didn't actually seem like that many. I will post a few below for your viewing pleasure:

Singapore Botanic Gardens Information
Website: https://www.sbg.org.sg/
Hours: Singapore Botanic Gardens - 5am to 12 midnight daily. Specialty garden hours vary.
Admission: FREE for the Singapore Botanic Gardens. Specialty garden admission varies.
Getting there: Botanic Gardens MRT Station. Otherwise there are multiple gates with various buses providing access.
What to bring/wear: Good walking shoes, a camera/camcorder if you want to take pictures, sunscreen and sunglasses are a good idea. Water/fluids since it can take hours to walk the whole park.
Maps: https://www.sbg.org.sg/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&layout=item&id=18&Itemid=33

Winter Vacation Trip: Singapore, Finding Value on Orchard Road

For anyone who has been to Singapore, I think we can all agree it is not a cheap place to vacation. While the weather is warm year-round and it's considered one of the safest cities in the world, the cost of things in country is quite high. So unless you want to stay at a backpacking hostel or guesthouse, you need to really hunt for a decent lodging option. These days more boutique (smaller, non-chain) decent hotels are cropping up in Singapore (at least from my browsing of TripAdvisor). However, I decided to still with the IHG brand Holiday Inn Express for this trip. It's a relatively new hotel and right off of Orchard Road (a huge shopping district). It is also conveniently located between two subway stops. As usual, below is my video of the room tour:

There is a free breakfast offered which has breads, 4 hot food items, yogurt, fruit, coffee, and juices. They also have free Wifi throughout the property and offer two complimentary bottles of water each day. The rooms feature personal air conditioning control, in-room safe, slippers, and toiletries in case you forgot yours. The TV is a flat screen although the channel selection was somewhat limited. As a IHG Rewards Club member you got a free complimentary soft drink coupon to use during your stay as well. The room rate was something like S$240 a night I think...which is quite reasonable for the location and benefits. Granted there are other hotels around that are less money but this property seemed like it was worth it. From the airport to the hotel a taxi ride will cost you around S$30-S$40 depending on traffic and time of day. There is also the option to take the subway from the airport to either Somerset station or Orchard Station and walk to the hotel from there. Inbound I took the subway to the hotel and leaving I took a taxi.

I did a lot of touristy activities while I was there and took a bunch of pictures so I plan to write a few more posts detailing those locations and sharing some pictures.

Until next time...

~

My Korean Life #21: Can't Believe It!

For the past couple of weeks, I had been quite stressed with school. But the end result of all the studying and stress turned out to be a good one. I did much better on my speaking interview test than I thought and I scraped by my reading test somehow. The amount of vocabulary this term was huge and a lot of the vocabulary from reading I just didn't absorb near then end.

I also shifted my studying style/focus near the end of 4B. This was due to me wanting to improve my comfort level with speaking and also my listening ability. I've started going to language exchange meetings and study groups to practice speaking and hopefully use vocabulary I learned in class.

In terms of how level 4 went, it really helps if you are able to tell a good story and be creative...in a foreign language. Levels 1-3 were heavily focused around dialogues and the related vocabulary and grammar but now the focus has shifted to two long listening comprehension passages per chapter. Granted the two hour block of class is now called listening and speaking. It's really up to you how much you want to participate and converse with classmates. You do practice some dialogue but usually at the start of class it was a large discussion with the teacher and other classmates so you do have to work to get in your practice during that time.

The reading comprehension is often quickly-hunt-for-the-answer but the challenge comes with knowing the proper vocabulary and grammar in order to pick out the right answers. Or sometimes we had to choose the correct conjunctions or correct words...etc.

Another thing that became really pervasive in level 3 was being able to explain Korean vocabulary words in Korean. I'm personally horrible at this. Considering some of the words don't translate all that well to English I sometimes barely understand where to use the word in the first place, let alone explain to someone else that is learning the language.

Right now is the Lunar New Year holiday and I don't have too much planned but I do want to relax and catch up on sleep and...clean up my apartment for a visitor coming this weekend.

We actually have a decent holiday after winter term so besides my friend coming to visit I'll be traveling during the first week of March. I'll have some pictures (food/sightseeing) and video (hotel room tour of course) to post then so, look for that soon!


Until next time.
~

Home for the Holidays: A Quick Update

I made my way back to the USA for my winter break. I got to catch up with a lot of family, many of which I had not seen for months perhaps even years for some. Anyway, with holiday travel comes...hotels! I stayed in what was basically a brand new Residence Inn. I am losing my gold status with Marriott this year (it will be dearly missed) but will still have a few more hotel room tours going up during the first half of 2015. Below is the video shot in my room at the Residence Inn:

I also got to enjoy my first flight on Asiana airlines. Asiana is the other major carrier out of South Korea and I must say I enjoyed it just as much as Korean Air. Plus, Asiana is a Star Alliance member which is better for me in relation to frequent flyer miles. I think I gave the flight attendants a challenge since I kept switching between English and Korean. They also, therefore, would sometimes say things to me in Korean and then later use English. I understand and can speak both (I'm still learning Korean but know enough for a flight at least) so it wasn't really an issue.

During one of the meal services they ran of the chicken and only had the Korean style octopus entree left. Initially I had asked in English for the chicken, then when the flight attendant came back she explained, in Korean, that the chicken had run but she was going to confirm. I told her, in English, that the octopus dish was just fine. I rather enjoyed having a bilingual experience in the plane ^.^

This is a brief update due to my upcoming midterm exams and just holiday season business but I do want to have a more substantial post up by the end of the month.

In the spring I'll be traveling on two more airlines I've never experienced so I hope to write about those in addition to the hotels :)

Until next time~

My Korean Life #20: 4급 and such

[4급]
I've now been in 4급 for two weeks. This is when the format of class changes from the format that is presented in levels 1-3.

Writing class is basically a mini-review session of the previous days listening/speaking/reading material with a writing task added in. Many times we write about the material we studied or write about some related topic. For example we learned about Korean money in reading class and for writing we wrote about our home country's money. What used to be just speaking is now listening+speaking for 2 hours. Normally the first day of a new chapter we listen to a dialogue or audio track and also study the new grammar that was introduced. The second day of a chapter we have another listening exercise plus some dialogue or vocab/grammar practice.

The reading class is basically the same levels 1-3 but really since they expect you to preview all the material before class the value added is hard to measure. I often don't get to preview a lot since we also receive a ton of homework so I'm reading the passage for the first time in class and also getting exposed to the vocabulary for the first or second time. Our teacher also speaks at what is probably considered 'normal' pace which for my brain is blazing fast. Class always seems to be rushed to complete all the listed tasks for the day. This is in contrast to my listening/speaking block of time where the teacher seems to take more time to explain things even if we don't plow through the chapters assigned tasks as quickly.

My writing teacher was one of the original teachers who helped compile material for the 1st publication of the level 4 book which is currently being revised. The book we actually use for class is one that is self-produced and currently not fully published. It's all in black and white and lacks the color and photos that the level 1-3 books had.

My thoughts on level 4 now is that even if I had done level 3 all over again (which I almost had to do) I'm not sure that would have better prepared me for level 4. The format for level 4 is different, the grammar and vocabulary is basically all new (many similar grammar patterns to what we've already studied as well to further crowd and congest the mind), and I thought I had a lot of homework in level 3 but compared to now it doesn't seem like it was that bad.

[...and such]
The weather now is consistently cold, snowing every now and then. Regardless of how cold it has been, there are still plenty of folks out on the weekends at all the hotspots around town. I want to try to go skiing here in Korea although I'm not sure of the best way to go about doing so. I believe there are a number of buses or packages one can buy to get to a ski resort but I just haven't done the research yet.

I'm also planning a number of trips for next spring since I know I'll still be residing in Asia. I hope to make some more blog posts/videos about all of that come next year. I haven't really traveled all that much since moving to Korea which is in stark contrast to what my life was right before I moved here where I was traveling pretty much every month and sometimes multiple times a month.

We also have a class field trip this coming Friday so if I get any good pictures or blog worthy information I'll be sure to upload!

Until next time...

~

My Korean Life #19: 6.5 months

The 6 month mark has come and gone and now I'm about 6.5 months into my new-ish life here in Korea. I would say at this point the 'honeymoon' phase of moving to a new location is over. As for myself I've successfully completed two terms of language school and started the winter term this week.

It has not been without its challenges and during every exam time I became quite stressed and even somewhat irritable and frustrated. Considering there are only two test periods per term (a midterm exam and a final exam) there is very little room for error. Class participation (homework, in class participation, etc.) counts for no more than 10% of our grade so the only real assessment we have is the exam. There is little time left for much else besides preview for the next day's lesson, review the current day's lesson, complete homework, and study vocabulary. I find myself studying hours outside of class hours especially for review/preview/vocabulary and even with this it is not enough. You must also find time to practice speaking and listening which...can be a little harder.

In other news, since moving to Korea I've gotten more frequent comments on how I've slimmed down and generally "look better now". To me this implies I wasn't at my best looking right before I moved to Korea. I admit my eating habits were pretty bad and I actually was fairly sedentary throughout the day. Got up from bed, sat in a car to get to work, sat at a desk for 9+ hours, sat in a car to get back home, sat in a chair to watch TV/play video games/etc. Between the sitting was eating and barely any calories were burnt in any given day.

In contrast, I now walk much more than I ever used to and my diet has completely changed. In the USA I got very lazy with how I acquired food and since I never had to worry about more than myself I would eat unhealthy/fast food meals quite often. I don't think it's a bad thing to eat out at restaurants frequently - what can be bad is what you choose when you do. I actually eat out a lot here in Korea because 1) it's cheap 2) I live alone and cooking for one is not so fun 3) the options are relatively healthy and at a cheaper price point.

In the USA my day might have started with a granola bar but would slowly spiral out of control. Lunch might have been Chinese takeout, fast food burgers/tacos/burritos, hot sandwiches (think Philly Cheesesteak style), or a number of other not healthy items. Dinner was often bought on the way home or shortly after getting home...this was pizza, pasta, more fast food, etc. If I had continued on this eating path with no exercise I'm guessing I would have gained even more weight and looked even more round than I did before my move.

You may also be wondering just how good my Korean is now...for me it's hard to judge. Most of my Korean friends say I've improved a lot. Those who rarely heard me speak or write Korean before think I'm decent. My personal assessment is that I have a long way to go. I still struggle to understand native Koreans. My speaking is still probably my weakest skill but my writing and reading comprehension aren't half-bad. Many people have told me I just need to find every possible way to practice and take advantage of every opportunity to speak/listen to Korean. I still find it challenging though and most likely will for a long time. I can't really equate learning this language to anything else...it's just difficult.

Travel! I actually haven't done as much of it as I would have liked but I did go to Jeonju which was a nice break from Seoul. I took the train to and from Jeonju and it was quite a smooth ride except the train coming back to Seoul was an older one without as nice amenities but still enjoyable. I am currently trying to plan some trips around Asia for early 2015 but with school and other things already starting to pile up these plans may/may not come to fruition.

Missing the USA? Hard to say, there are things I do miss about the USA. There are many friends and family I don't get to see as often...there are some foods I miss and I kind of miss being able to drive a car. I miss having a steady income ^.^ but I hopefully will remedy that by next year...either with part time work or something.

Anyway, I'll most likely write about level 4 within the next few weeks. Wish me luck!

~