Whew! Busy Week on the Island

Sorry, we've been lax about updating the blog and pictures. We have been on the run. We have visited schools, explored Little India, been purchasing mathematical materials, dining on the river, and trying soursop (and durian, but THAT is an entirely different story).

The schools have been wonderful. In particular, Ms. Kathleen Lee of River Valley School spent so much time answering our questions and giving us tours. We have also been to Farrer Park and had a short visit at Outram Secondary School. Overall, the schools and the staff are amazing! We have been thoroughly impressed. We have just a few pictures online. It seems that so far, we have just found more questions than answers.

Our new hotel is near Bugis Street which is pretty happening. We had to move and did not make reservations early enough. Lucky for us (and everything in Chinatown is lucky), there was a cancellation and we got a great hotel for cheaper. It doesn't have that shophouse Chinatown feel, but you can actually stand BESIDE the bed. The Southeast Asia Hotel is next door to one of Singapore's oldest Buddhist temples and three doors down from a Hindu Temple. It is a grand adventure, and you can never judge at which place folks will stop.

We have learned a ton, but never enough. We spent most of this evening holed up in a bookstore trying to narrow materials down to just one basket. We are laden with many resources--hopefully they are not too difficult either. A lot of the fourth grade materials should work for Morgan's 6th graders too! It will definitely stretch all of us if we can implement things well.

We are researching our next leg--Kuala Lumpur and then off to Thailand. Our time here is flying by! We still have quite a long list of things we want to see. This area has a lot of churches, a synagogue, and the Sultan Mosque. We also have to go to the island to the north and do some hiking/exploring. The zoo is also world class with a night safari. So, it should be a busy weekend. . .

--Marie