Scoop from Singapore

CNY Home Visit

To celebrate the second day of Chinese New Year, the International Student Center set up a home visit for Michele and me.

Alez (left) and his parents (back row; center, right) welcomed us to their home to share a traditional meal for the new year! The family is from Hong Kong, and they moved to Singapore 10 years ago. Their apartment was beautiful, with 2 bedrooms, a computer room, living room, and dining room.

When we first arrived, we were offered tea and got to talk to Alez about the traditions. We gave his mom the mandarin oranges that we brough, although technically we bought the wrong ones.

When we sat down for dinner, we began by tossing raw fish salad, yusheng. The higher you toss the salad, the more luck you will have in the new year. The salad, although nothing like salad in the US, contained a lot of veggies so I figured I could eat around the fish. Yet, as we were eating, Alez told us that along with the pink pieces of fish there were also thin strips of jellyfish that resembled the bean sprouts. I struggled to swallow the bite in my mouth, and then decided that was enough salad for me.

The rest of the dishes were then brough out, and somehow throughout the afternoon I managed to eat delicious shrip and peapods, and then pig intestine and liver. This by far fills my adventurous quota for the semester.

After our meal, we sat down in the living room for dessert and talked about the education system in S'pore, traveling around Southeast Asia, and our life in the US. This afternoon was really one of the best times I've had here, because I learned so much about life and culture. It also makes me wish I had the opportunity to do a homestay, because they were all so welcoming and loving. I think Alez is going to take us around the island a bit more in the future, and he offered to cook us dinner in the hall one night!

Tomorrow is our last day off for the new year, and then I have 2 days of classes before spring recess! I cannot believe how quickly time is passing!

posted by Bride-to-Be @ 11:15 PM