On the first day, we were gathered to learn malay dance. According to the cikgus, we were learning a courting dance, in which a male and female are to pair up to perform the dance. It consisted of graceful and precise steps, most of which I painstakingly but clumsly executed. It wasn't anything like the kpop I watched, but rather like swans dancing to a rhythm.
Next, we went to Kampong glam and roamed around Arab street. The first thing that caught my attention was the strong fragrance of perfume. Apparently, the smell came from the shops that sold non alchoholic perfume. The perfume is especially tailored for muslim's use because they are forbidden to use or drink alcohol due to their religion. In its vicinity, were rows and rows of textile shops selling textiles from the deepest shade of blue to the lightest shade of yellow. On their surfaces, there were patterns made out of shapes printed on. Further on, I found many food stores, all of which sold traditional malay dishes such as mee soto and nasi padang. The shop owners told me that nasi padang was something like Chinese mixed rice, where they gave you white rice with your selected vegetables and meats. Malay cuisine is influenced by other races such as Chinese, which you can see from the Daging Masak Kicap, "soy sauce beef" which was completely new to me because never did I know that other races influence could be mixed in to produce a new product. The Malay Heritage centre's exterior was filled with plants which I later found out were actually spice! These spices are used by the malays in their cuisine. There was turmeric, nutmeg, betel nuts and many more...... They not only add rich flavour to it nut also have health benefits, have a unique fragrance and if used as a garnish can be very aesthetically pleasing.
The next day, we visited the sultan masjid, a well known mosque located in Kampong Glam and madrasah aljunied. When you first glance at the mosque, there is a giant gold colour dome at the top which resembles loyalty and a black strip that is actually made by glass bottles donated by the poor so they could contribute to the mosque while others donated money. At the side of the giant dome, a tall watch house called a minaret is featured. It was used in the world war 2 as a watch tower to look out for incoming Japanese troops and to call out for people to come to the mosque to pray. The interior of the mosque was even more majestic, with high ceilings, beautiful carpets and a large praying hall. The mosque was designed by an Irish called Denise Centry who was a catholic and was inspired by the church. This again represents that other races and religions can influence each other to form new products.
The main praying hall
Islam elevate women. This means that women are given rights over their body and life, obliged to seed knowledge, can retain her last name and that any money earned by her belongs to her. Islam encourage strong family ties, respect, love and honour due to parents. Breaking off ties with family is one of the biggest sins to Islam. Lastly, Islam encourages care for the environment which is shown when the black strip is made out of glass bottles.
A madrasah is a school specially for muslims, where to have academic subjects just like us and additional subjects that have to do with the Kuran and Arabic. Previously, I didn't know that madrasahs existed and thought that all children attend normal schools like me. I was even more eye opening when I found out that the girls and boys had to separated during assembly and classes and didn't have any communication between each other unless absolutely necessary.
Madrasah entrance
The pupils were friendly and outgoing and were offered a wide range of extracurriculum activities and such as Arabic calligraphy, silat (martial arts) and duff (Persian drum).
On the last day, we journeyed to Little India. It was a little busier than kampong glam and had a never ending number of flower stalls that sold garlands that were meant to be offered in the temples. They were made out of jasmine flowers that were white and had a very sweet fragrance. I tried indian rojak at tekka market, a scrumptious mix of fried pastries, vegetables and meat which is then dipped into a sweet yet spicy peanut sauce. Indians use a large array of spices like the Malays too, only, theirs have a more distinguished and heavier taste. Some examples are shredded coconut, coriander seeds, mint, turmeric and many more. Near the food stores, there were stores selling coloured powders which are used during deepavali, the hindu "Festival of lights'' to decorate the front of houses in bright unique patterns and colours. There, henna was offered. Henna is a type of art that is drawn on the hand with a thick paste which has a pungent smell. After it dries, the paste is peeled off to reveal a beautiful light orange pattern. Though it is from the indian culture, it is getting increasingly popular in other countries such as USA too. USA and Indian are so far apart on earth, yet the influence can stretch out so far.
henna that resembles good luck
Through this entire journey, the most impactful lesson I learnt was that different races should and have co exist together peacefully, even to the point where we are inspired by one another and learn from each other. This was indeed a once in a life time experience that has broaden my horizons because in a SAP school I do not have much exposure to people of different races and their culture, habits as well as customs. I think that the school can invite more people of other races to the school to perform and share their traditional art forms, maybe even teach us during music or art lessons. I believe that we should all take racial harmony very seriously so that we can maintain good ties with out neighbours of other races and neighbouring countries because all of us are equal and the same.
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