Arriving to the Far East

As I prepare this note in a public internet cafe in Singapore, I am immersed in the Philippino world, surrounded by young women working as domestic help. The unfamiliar sound of Tagalog is everywhere and I certainly feel and seem to be out of place. I am writing in a shopping mall called Lucky Plaza on Sunday afternoon, the preferred time for helpers to meet here. There are literately thousands of people cramming the shopping mall since this is their only day off. Most of them have nothing else to do than to come here, gossip with friends and walk aimlessly before going back to their homes for another week of back-breaking labor. Theirs is a harsh existence to support their families back in their own country, a familiar story in many developing countries.

My long trip here was uneventfull but interesting nevertheless. Before boarding the initial flight out of Chicago I started to see the common cosmopolitan travelers to the Asian land: There were some American business executives in their mid-fifties, a few mixed racial couples (Invariable Western husbands and Asian wives), some obviously adventure travelers and a group of Japanese teenagers schoolchildren. The flight was suprisingly comfortable since I happened to be seating next to an emergency exit and I could stretch my legs during the 16 hour flight. The entire flight happened during daylight and we flew over the North Pole. The frozen Artic Ocean beneath us with its enourmous sheets of ice was an exciting view for several hours. Once again, I was amazed by the vastness and emptiness of Siberia and northen China.

Upon my arrival to Hong Kong I felt a familiar, though unexplained sense of belonging. I know I am an American originally from Mexico but in Asia I feel welcome and at home even though I could never pass as an Asian. It is strange that I lived only one year in Asia but I feel I can call it home. These feelings are not unique to me for I know that, for generations, Europeans and Americans have found the same attraction for this exotic and mysterious land.

Arriving in Singapore only intensified my sensation of belonging. On the way from the airport to my hotel I observed in silence the familiar sights of this nation-state: The multitude of HDBs (Tall buildings where most of the Singapore families live), the state-of-the-art highways and, above all, the ubiquos luxury cars that carpet the streets (Mercedes, BMWs, Ferraris, Masseraties, etc).

After a night of no more than 2 hours of sleep (due to my jet lag), on Sunday morning I attended church where I saw old friends. From there I went to the best known shopping quarters in Singapore: Orchard Road. I wanted to explore again the typical food courts, where unfamiliar foods mixed with strange smells create a unique Singaporean atmosphere. These places are mostly for locals and not very many foreigners go to. I was immersed again in the Chinese culture, where people spoke Mandarin all around me. I actually felt suprised since I could actually understand when people mentioned numbers in their conversation. I have now decided to devote some serious time to learn Mandarin Chinese, I believe it will be useful for the future plus it would be a fun personal challenge for me.

I can't wait to know what my schedule will be for my stay. We have decided to go to Johor Bahru in Malaysia, Manado City in the Indonesian island of Sulawesi and Bangkok, Thailand. There will be a dinner in my honor on Monday night to be introduced to the Singapore team of the venture. I am looking forward to that