Tuesday, May 28, 2019
Would you rather be rich and unhappy, or poor and happy? In Singapore, it seemed like
people were rich and happy. It was a place where you could buy happiness with designer handbags, Michelin Star cuisine, and luxury cars. When I entered Changi Airport, I was immediately taken aback by the attractions I saw at every corner: a butterfly garden by the bathroom, a classy spa near the food court, and an indoor market on the second floor.
Three days in Singapore have flown by and as I enjoy my last bowl of laksa before heading back to the hotel to leave for India, I think about how I enjoyed my time in Singapore. Rather than indulge in the riches of the country, my family and I explored the diverse culture of the working class in Singapore. We tried Malay laksa, Indian dosas, and Chinese chicken rice all in one day.
On the other hand, observing the lifestyles of the fortunate ones in this country has motivated me to do what I can to become like them. When I walked through the Gardens by the Bay, I saw seemingly accomplished women enjoying the scenery with their Birkin bags and Louboutins. They shined amongst the crowd of tourists. I want to be like them, I thought, forgetting about the delicious foods and relaxing nights I had enjoyed the past few days. I want to visit Singapore once again with plenty of money to spend and enjoy the luxuries of the rich and happy people I saw around me.
Saturday, June 1, 2019
As I watch the crows fly through the cotton candy sky, my grandma calls my name, “hey
Cheelu, come sit and talk with us.” I walk down the cool marble steps onto the village road and sit next to her on the concrete ledge of our neighbor’s house. She continues her loud conversation with our neighbor and I try to understand what they’re talking about. “Wow, she’s grown so much. She looks exactly like her mother.” Never heard that before, I think to myself. I close my eyes and the world begins to slow down. The sounds around me are more clear; the sparrow’s song and the insect’s hum. I can smell the mangoes on the trees and the rain in the clouds. The humidity of the air surrounds me with a refreshing mist.
When I open my eyes, I see a crowd of people I vaguely remember in front of me. “Is this really Shreeya?”, “Does she still speak Telugu?”, “How are you doing in school?”. Questions flow out of smiling faces, glad to see that the toddler they had raised had grown up into a teenager, identical to her mother.
I had spent the past two days with my grandma. My parents went to the city to meet some friends, but I obviously love my grandma more than them so I decided to stay with her. We traveled the village by auto-rickshaw, stopping by tea stalls and bakeries to get our sugar fixes. We went shopping for clothes and jewelry in crowded bazaars. During these trips, I learned that my grandma and I share the same energy. We love interaction and conversation,
Would you rather be rich and unhappy, or poor and happy? In Singapore, it seemed like
people were rich and happy. It was a place where you could buy happiness with designer handbags, Michelin Star cuisine, and luxury cars. When I entered Changi Airport, I was immediately taken aback by the attractions I saw at every corner: a butterfly garden by the bathroom, a classy spa near the food court, and an indoor market on the second floor.
Three days in Singapore have flown by and as I enjoy my last bowl of laksa before heading back to the hotel to leave for India, I think about how I enjoyed my time in Singapore. Rather than indulge in the riches of the country, my family and I explored the diverse culture of the working class in Singapore. We tried Malay laksa, Indian dosas, and Chinese chicken rice all in one day.
On the other hand, observing the lifestyles of the fortunate ones in this country has motivated me to do what I can to become like them. When I walked through the Gardens by the Bay, I saw seemingly accomplished women enjoying the scenery with their Birkin bags and Louboutins. They shined amongst the crowd of tourists. I want to be like them, I thought, forgetting about the delicious foods and relaxing nights I had enjoyed the past few days. I want to visit Singapore once again with plenty of money to spend and enjoy the luxuries of the rich and happy people I saw around me.
Saturday, June 1, 2019
As I watch the crows fly through the cotton candy sky, my grandma calls my name, “hey
Cheelu, come sit and talk with us.” I walk down the cool marble steps onto the village road and sit next to her on the concrete ledge of our neighbor’s house. She continues her loud conversation with our neighbor and I try to understand what they’re talking about. “Wow, she’s grown so much. She looks exactly like her mother.” Never heard that before, I think to myself. I close my eyes and the world begins to slow down. The sounds around me are more clear; the sparrow’s song and the insect’s hum. I can smell the mangoes on the trees and the rain in the clouds. The humidity of the air surrounds me with a refreshing mist.
When I open my eyes, I see a crowd of people I vaguely remember in front of me. “Is this really Shreeya?”, “Does she still speak Telugu?”, “How are you doing in school?”. Questions flow out of smiling faces, glad to see that the toddler they had raised had grown up into a teenager, identical to her mother.
I had spent the past two days with my grandma. My parents went to the city to meet some friends, but I obviously love my grandma more than them so I decided to stay with her. We traveled the village by auto-rickshaw, stopping by tea stalls and bakeries to get our sugar fixes. We went shopping for clothes and jewelry in crowded bazaars. During these trips, I learned that my grandma and I share the same energy. We love interaction and conversation,
and although we had many arguments over trivial things such as which kulfi flavor to buy or
which lehenga was prettier, my grandma and I also had many laughs.
As I reflect on the time I spent with my grandma, I realize how important she is to me. “Yes, this is my granddaughter! Look at how pretty she is,” my grandma says proudly to the neighbors. The affluent women from Singapore dressed in designer attire do not seem as inspirational to me anymore.
Wednesday, February 19, 2020
I reminisce as I look back at these journal entries from my summer vacation. After going
back to India to visit my family after five years, I have learned a lot. There are many things I take for granted, my family being one. After this trip, I made sure to call my grandma every night. She still passes the phone around to all the neighbors and they continue to point out how much I’ve changed. Looking back at my experiences, I miss the village life: the smell of the mangoes, the cotton candy sky, and the cute baby cows grazing the fields. Maybe it’s because I’m a Gemini, but I still can’t decide whether I prefer the extravagant life in Singapore or the calm village life in India. What do you prefer?
As I reflect on the time I spent with my grandma, I realize how important she is to me. “Yes, this is my granddaughter! Look at how pretty she is,” my grandma says proudly to the neighbors. The affluent women from Singapore dressed in designer attire do not seem as inspirational to me anymore.
Wednesday, February 19, 2020
I reminisce as I look back at these journal entries from my summer vacation. After going
back to India to visit my family after five years, I have learned a lot. There are many things I take for granted, my family being one. After this trip, I made sure to call my grandma every night. She still passes the phone around to all the neighbors and they continue to point out how much I’ve changed. Looking back at my experiences, I miss the village life: the smell of the mangoes, the cotton candy sky, and the cute baby cows grazing the fields. Maybe it’s because I’m a Gemini, but I still can’t decide whether I prefer the extravagant life in Singapore or the calm village life in India. What do you prefer?
27 comments:
Soothing and elegant. As I read the descriptive life of extravagant Singapore to the family feel village life of India, it reminded me of my home country Palestine. Personally, I prefer the best of both worlds. In America, family is not as connected as it is back home and the summer nights in the village are without comparison. The life we live here we take for granted as well.
That’s so exciting that you were able to visit both countries and see both sides of the spectrum! I appreciated how reflective you were throughout the entire piece, especially the great attention to sensory detail. I also definitely relate to the awe-inspiring effect of travel which is why I love it so much. However, I must agree that the people and places that remind you of home are the best. Thanks for sharing!
YES SHREEYA, YES! To begin with, you are an amazing writer, and you are soooooo good at depicting images and helping the readers feel what you are feeling. Especially with your paragraph talking about you being in India with your grandparents, I loved your, “I close my eyes and the world begins to slow down. The sounds around me are more clear; the sparrow’s song and the insect’s hum. I can smell the mangoes on the trees and the rain in the clouds…” I can literally just picture you sitting there probably next to like the river on some farm or something just silently appreciating the nature around you. I absolutely love it. However, what I really liked about your blog was what you mentioned in the beginning with Singapore. How did Singapore get to where they are today? They are this tiny island who fought for independence back in the 60s against Malaysia, with a poor and small population, now ranked in the world with ALL of the best things like you said: food, health care, quality of life, technology, education, military, etc. I think it’s super cool that we have countries like these that really take advantage of their diversity and make something great out of it. It would be super cool to do some research on that!
I personally have never been to Singapore, but I related to your second travel diary entry so much! From hearing the constant "you look exactly like your mother", traveling in auto-rickshaws to the bazaar, and struggling to decide which kulfi flavor to buy (mango duh), it was like I was reliving my own experiences visiting family members in India. Also, I love the formatting of this piece; I think the travel diary idea is super unique and I found it super enjoyable to read. Great job!
This is actually really fascinating to me because I love to travel and experience different cultures , Singapore is definitely on my bucket list. I love the detail you put into it helps my image the place in my head. I'm happy for you that you get to experience something as amazing as traveling the world.
Shreeya! This was such a beautifully written reflection on your travels last summer. Your word choice really set the scene with such vivid description that made it so enjoyable to read. Your experience with relatives making comments about the resemblance to your mom was so relatable it hurt. I loved to see your connection to your family grow stronger after this trip and what it’s made you think about. Great job! :)
I appreciate the vivid picture of the environment you were able to describe and how you used your detailed description of the village in India and the city of Singapore to show how they contrast one another. I loved how you developed a love for both places and realized the beauty in the different scenery. -Lauren White
This is truly the question isn't it, the question to if money can you buy happiness or not, and I would say just to pick the one that you like, it doesn't matter which one you take as long as you are content with the life you pick and have no regrets later in life, of course, none of this can be really known since it's all hindsight, and that's why it's important to think about it a lot and decide which one you would prefer more.
Reading this felt as if you were sitting by my side telling me these stories yourself. Not only was I able to hear your voice, but I could clearly visualize every single scene you depicted. Your personality was perfectly shown through this piece which made it that much more fun to read. I love hearing about your ventures in real life but reading it out and seeing all the thoughts going on through your mind made just as good. Love you and love your family and love this piece!
What a great piece Shreeya! I love how you used vivid imagery to describe your travels. I felt like I was with you at that moment because of the way you describe everything -the surroundings, people, as well as the food. I can also relate how a person can be undecisive on whether he or she want an extravagant life or a simple life because there are times that I think about that instance as well. Anyways, I love your piece as a whole! It was very descriptive and awe-inspiring.
Your gave amazing imagery, presenting both India and Singapore as beautiful and interesting places to visit. I felt like I was right there with you, hearing, tasting, seeing, and smelling the exact same things you did. I found the line about you not going with your parents because "I obviously love my grandma more" to be absolutely hilarious. Your post serves as a reminder that luxurious possessions don't mean a thing, if you're not surrounded by the people who you value.
The way you were able to descirbe the locations ,and used details and description of the village in India Also I loved how you ended it with a question to ask ourselves that questioon. Great piece!! Love it!!
You painted very beautiful imagery in this piece and elaborated on your fun and different adventures during summer. Everything about the piece is well done and flows perfectly together.
This was so amazing to read! Your depictions felt very realistic and made it truly fascinating to read. I really liked how you started off your piece with a question and ended it again with the same question. After reading what you had experienced, it kind of changes one's perception of the question itself and how to answer. I'm really glad you enjoyed your time out there in Singapore and loved even more the format of the diary entry. Overall, I really enjoyed reading this and think you did and amazing job :)
This was a great piece Shreeya! These diary entries were so descriptive and it really puts the reader into the environment you are in. The language and imagery you use during the conversation between you and your grandmother shows how much you care about her and how she cares for you. Great job! - Yuan Maneje
You are such an amazing writer Shreeya. This blog post is by far one of my favorite. One of the reasons being the simple structure which made following the diary entries and your story super easy! Your ability to describe the world around you is marvelous. I felt like I was the one there smelling the mangoes and hearing the insect's hum. Great job Shreeya! You portrayed both your emotions and your experiences in these two countries amazingly.
This was such an insightful piece of writing! I like how you chose to structure it in the form of journal entries, as the audience is able to clearly see your character development. I'm glad you got the chance to experience this trip and connect with your family and culture. The way you used imagery to describe the village truly made this piece come alive, and you are an amazing storyteller. Your inner beauty truly shined through this piece :) Thank you for sharing! -Isabela Vergara
Perfection! I am not much of a traveler but reading this piece makes me want to do so once again! I love how you were able to take a simple trip and use it as a lesson. While luxury is the dream for all of us, some of us do not realize the beauty of living a simple life surrounded by your loved ones. However, your experience with two extremely contrasting lifestyles helps you to justify why each lifestyle can be desirable in its own way, and why you are pondering this question in the first place. Your writing is also very exquisite. Your diction, structure, and use of imagery made this piece feel very real, almost as if I was traveling with you. Your diary-like format especially adds to this effect, and overall make the piece more personal. Overall great piece!
-Julia Lozano
Shreeya! This piece is so well written! I loved the fact that you talked about your grandma and spending time with her! Hope you enjoyed your travels!
I thought this was really cute. Having your thoughts down on paper on the places you've traveled seems like a great idea, especially when you want to culture check yourself on how things are here compared to there, finding both things to want for and things to appreciate. It was written very well
-Justin Lim
I thought this was really cute. Having your thoughts down on paper on the places you've traveled seems like a great idea, especially when you want to culture check yourself on how things are here compared to there, finding both things to want for and things to appreciate. It was written very well
-Justin Lim
Wow Shreeya you did a really great job of describing all of these experiences. It definitely feels like you included every little detail and I loved hearing all about these other places because I personally have never really traveled so being able to read these very detailed descriptions of other places was really cool to me
Look at the set up right off the bad, it looks just like a diary. I like the use of words you chose shreeya because it goes to show the your love for the traveling and your expressions at the time. But overall you given us nothing but entertainment to our eyes, Great Job love the emphasis on Singapore.
Shreeya, this piece was truly beautifully written. I loved how you had used such specific detail and such vivid imagery. I loved how you made me feel like I was right there, traveling with you. I felt like I was with you in India and that I was with you in Singapore eating the laksa with you. Shreeya please keep up documenting your travels and adventures.
I love what you did! It seems really personal, like an actually diary. Good use of imagery and diction!
GIRL!!! your writing is so descriptive and gave so much insight to how it really feels to be in another country. Not only did you beautifully describe how Singapore looked but the stories you told gave so much more insight than any one place can. Amazing job bb!!! - Hannah Colunga
Your use of imagery and detail was very well executed. I love how you expressed your love for both India and Singapore while pointing out details of each place that fulfilled you. I love the structure and flow of your piece, it is very well written. Great job. - Hannah Ekelem
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