After spending a few days in Singapore, I have observed many cultural differences with the US. One of the most apparent differences includes littering and the cleanliness of public spaces. Eating and drinking in public spaces are typically frowned upon by the locals, and even illegal on the trains/buses. Trash bins are sometimes difficult to…
Final Blog Post
Before I left for my semester abroad, I was told countless times to prepare for the differences in food culture; Italians eat much later, they make their meals an event to enjoy, they do not tip in the same way as Americans, and so on. I had even been told to get excited about a…
Cultural Differences in Rome, Italy
During my semester in Rome, two cultural observations stood out: the Italian approach to time, and the coffee culture. Stores and restaurants would typically close for a few hours midday, stores would close earlier than the U.S., and dinner would often start at 8:00 pm or later. There is also a distinct Italian coffee culture….
Final Blog Post
The cultural observation I chose was the eating times and value placed on meals in Italy. I chose this because of the way it differs from the customs in the United States. People usually eat at earlier times in the US, with it being traditional to have lunch at noon and dinner around 6 pm….
Blog Singapore:
For the past few days, I have had the chance to learn about Singapore’s culture. For example, people do not walk and drink/eat at the same time. Additionally, the selling of gum is illegal because they want to make efforts in keeping their country clean. Local governments create laws and regulations to keep their environment…
First Thoughts on Malaysia (#3)
In my honest opinion, Malaysia from its bustling and beautiful capital center to its seedy black market, is a rather intriguing and different country compared to Singapore. In a few words, I would describe Malaysia as a colorful, lively place, with a culture that is almost completely the opposite of Singapore and the U.S.’s. If…
What I found interesting about Singapore
Singapore at a glance is a very small country, but has over 15 million people. One thing that I found very interesting, exciting and different from the United States. In Singapore is the emphasis on education, learning and helping others within the country. I first got a glimse of this when I first entered the…
Comparing Singapore to Malaysia
Our field study group arrived in Kuala Lampur yesterday after a long bus ride from Singapore. Malaysia is all around a much different place than Singapore which is surprising to me for how close by it is. Kuala Lampur seems to be much more disorganized and dirtier than Singapore. This isn’t necesarily a bad thing,…
Singapore
The concept of a “garden city” in Singapore appears as green spaces and an emphasis placed on nature. While exploring the city, we walked through parks and plazas filled with trees and shrubbery, some native, some not. The green spaces and parks provide a place for people to gather, hold events, and relax. We noticed…
Experiencing Singapore’s History (#2)
During these past few days in Singapore, I’ve managed to learn a lot more about Singapore’s unknown history. Granted that I did do a pre-departure essay about a part of Singapore’s history (in terms of its economic development), seeing this topic take shape into actual buildings and historical monuments is something I quickly became enamored…