I recently learned a new Italian word: kitsch.
As my Italian friend, Chiara, and I were walking around Lucky Chinatown, little India, and the waterside streets in Singapore, we each thought of the same word in two different languages. To Chiara, the pastel façades and little shutters around Lucky Chinatown were kitsch while to me they were kitschy. Even through two different languages we were able to come up with the same adjective to describe the cutesy, amusement park that is touristy Singapore.
Though kitschy, touristy Singapore is charmingly so. Having taken the metro from the airport to get to our hostel, Chiara and I were surprised to emerge from the depths of the subway to see a bustling street decked out with red lanterns and cheap, paper decorations for the upcoming Chinese New Year. It turned out that our hostel was not just in the Chinatown area, but actually on top of the major tourist street, forcing us to go through the shops to locate the hidden door that would take us above the scene and into our clean, white living quarters.
The hostel was simple but clean, and the staff members were friendly and professional. At 11pm when we went to sleep I was worried about the noise coming from below, but when I woke up at 1am, I noticed silence, suggesting that there is a 12am or so curfew, either self or government imposed, that puts the city to bed at midnight. This kind of strict regulation would not be a surprise coming from a country where gum is not sold, smoking is not only forbidden but an offence that others are encouraged to report when spotted, subways do not allow food, and jaywalking is no laughing matter.
Apparently this kind of regulation works for the city-country. Many international students at my school have stated that Singapore would be on the top of their list of places to live or raise a family in Asia. Singapore is known for its good education system, low crime rates, and harmonious ethnic and linguistic diversity. Signs are often in four languages to accommodate the various main languages of all the local people. Tourists, too, are from a wide array of countries. While we were there, Chiara and I used both English and Chinese, and more than once on the street we passed couples speaking in foreign languages, including French, German, and Italian. In terms of religion, too, Singapore seems like a tolerant place, accepting and nurturing believers of all faiths.
As Chiara and I are living in mainland China, we decided to skip Lucky Chinatown for dinner and instead take the subway just a few stops up to Little India for some delicious Tandori Chicken and a mango lassi. Though we were unable to spend more than a few hours there due to the hour of the night, the little we saw of Little India was just a big concrete hall lined with Indian food and drink stands. Nevertheless, it was certainly worth a trip.
The next morning before we were scheduled to depart by bus for Melaka, Malaysia, Chiara and I took a long walk over to Orchard Road. The stroll itself was pleasant, taking us past interesting shops and lush greenery. Once we arrived at Orchard Road we had to turn around to be back in time for our bus, but it was just enough time to see the contrast between kitschy Singapore and commercial Singapore. Looming over us on our walk was a view from the financial district, with tall, glass and metal buildings burning a place on the otherwise empty horizon, reminding us that though Singapore is cutesy and fun, it is still a serious financial epicenter.
Thankfully we will be back to Singapore at the end of the week, so we can discover more of what this diverse city has to offer.
