Into the Lens of a Bustling World
by Bindu Balamurugan, Simone Marie Pascal
Chinatown – a bustling place filled with vibrant decorations, colourful street murals, and cozy shophouses against the evening sky. The Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Sri Mariamman Temple stand tall like pillars of protection amidst the busy roads. With grumbling stomachs after a long and gruelling day of oral presentations, the groups split up, with a few participants immediately making a beeline for the Maxwell Food Centre.
A cascade of smells, colours, and sounds filled the air as we were greeted by a variety of food stalls showcasing our local Singaporean cuisine. Indian, Malay, Chinese and Eurasian – you name it! Curious to hear what the participants thought, we asked them for their opinions.
Henry from North Carolina School of Science and Maths in the United States, savouring some beef noodle soup, shared that “The taste is much more flavourful than back home, and Chinese food is a refreshing window into Asia.”
Reflecting on the oral presentation, Henry added, “It was a great experience. It was challenging, but I think we did a good job, and I’m excited to see the results tomorrow.”
It seemed like the cultural learning journey was a welcome respite from all the excitement and challenges that the participants had been put through over the past few days, and an opportunity to explore and soak in the warm atmosphere of Chinatown at their own leisurely pace.
As we exited the food centre and walked the lively streets, the evening air chilled and the sky started swirling with a splash of colours. The night was awakening. As the sky darkened, the lights became more vibrant and the little food and souvenir stalls on the street seemed to call out to passers-by with stronger voices. Being inevitably lured in by the mouth-watering stalls, we decided to indulge ourselves and got a chicken Jianbing. We watched in awe as the street vendor swirled the batter around in a perfect circle and sprinkled various toppings like some kind of sacred art form. In the end, both our stomachs and eyes were happy.
As we finished munching on our food, we spotted a group of participants standing around a box of freshly cut durians. As people living in Singapore, of course we would be curious as to whether they loved or despised this notorious fruit. So, we asked them. As expected, we heard some mixed experiences.
“Me personally, I didn’t like it, but I think some of us enjoyed it,” Annika from Tallinn Secondary School of Science from Estonia shared, glancing towards her schoolmates, Karin and Alo.
Alo added, “It’s fine to taste a bit but I wouldn’t want to eat a lot of it.”
“I agree with the sentiment, it’s a rather acquired taste,” Karin agreed, nodding towards the spiky green fruit. However, they also shared that the smell wasn’t as bad as they expected, which came as a surprise to us, considering its smell would cost you a fortune if brought onto the MRT, Singapore’s subway.
Thinking back on the oral presentation, Annika told us, “The boys got asked some quite difficult questions, but they answered them well.” It seemed like this encounter with the durian, despite its flaws, was an interesting break from the chaos of earlier in the day.
As the inky darkness swallowed the clear blue skies, the streets of Chinatown, adorned with fairy lights and glowing stall signs, came to life in the bustling night. That was when the participants slowly filed into the MRT.
We boarded the train and zipped through the MRT tunnel system; a perfect opportunity to rest our weary legs before reaching our next landmark. Stepping out of the MRT, an elegant, sprawling mall greeted us, with pristine marble flooring and a multitude of luxury brand shops— Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Cartier, Bulgari, Swarovski…
Are these names making you dizzy?
Nonetheless, the participants got to soak in the high-end luxury as they walked through the mall and streamed towards the Singapore River. Reaching the outdoor area, a dazzling bright cityscape greeted the participants as they waited in anticipation for 8pm— the start of the long-awaited light show: Spectra.
The promenade was jam-packed with people. Hundreds, even thousands of people all clustered around the river front to see the light show. And… the light show began with a bang! Helices of water bloomed out of nowhere, and a majestic cloud of mist sprayed upwards, obscuring the picturesque skyline.
And music! Transitioning from soft cultural music of Chinese and Indian tradition to sharp striking heavy metal music. An ethereal rainbow of colours dissolved in the mist, rippling swirls of light dancing around like the patterns of light in an underwater ocean scene. Finally, a dramatic finish: undulating fractals, pulsating dramatically with the music, accompanied by sharp clean lasers.
“It was cool when they projected light onto the wall of water like a hologram,” marvelled Elliot from Norway’s Olso Cathedral School. His teammate Sondre was equally awed, telling reporters from the Epigraph that the show was “visually impressive.”
Invigorated by the light show, the participants once again dispersed into the bay area with footsteps lighter than before.
Participants enjoy their final hour in Marina Bay. (Photo: Media / Wenchao, Kai Ming, Asher)
Even as the buses rolled into the Sands Expo and Convention Centre, spirits remained high in the lingering bittersweetness of the night. Golds and silvers and bronzes of the skyline delivered a delicate embrace to the coaches rumbling home. And with that, Day Four drew to an unforgettable end.