And of course, the lecturer is a graduate of the NUS History Department so that makes him my senior of sorts. He must be quite good (at least knowledge wise) since he has co-written a book on Singapore's military history, with 2 profs. As for teaching-wise, let's see. =)

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Trinity Theological College Center for the Development of Christian Ministry

Course 6

"A History of Israel"
Instructor: Rev Chiang Ming Shun
8 Thursdays from July 3 - August 21; 7.30 pm - 9.30 pm
At Trinity Theological College, Lecture Room 2, level 3

Synopsis

Is Israel a kingdom, a nation state, a people or a place? How came the Greeks and the Romans to occupy the land?Or have you ever wondered what the Madrid and Oslo peace accords are all about? What's all the fuss about 'Settlements' today? Where did the Palestinians come from and what are they doing in Occupied/Disputed Territories now?
This introductory course will look at the history of Israel from Abraham through the United and Divided Kingdoms, the Exile and Return, the Maccabean Revolt, the Roman occupation, to the founding of the modern state of Israel and the various wars and uprising fought in recent times. Finally we consider Israel as a people, and remind ourselves who constitutes the New Israel.

Biodata

Rev Chiang Ming Shun loves reading about history and historical fiction. He is particularly interested in military history.Rev Chiang graduated from NUS and Trinity Theological College, and is currently the pastor-in-charge of Aldersgate Methodist Church.

Now that I'm finally back for good and no more travelling, it is a good time to put up some pictures and other stuff of the trip. But here is a short summary of facts and stuff.

Graduation Trip: Vietnam and Cambodia (11 May - 8 June)

Travel Partner(s): Fu Peichong, my Campus Crusade Friend. He's a male not a girl as some have mistakenly and/or conveniently assumed.

Real Aim: To have fun after 4 years of hard work and study in NUS and to visit places that previously I had only seen on Powerpoint slides during history lectures.

Supposed Aim: To find a Vietnamese girlfriend or wife.

Type of Trip: Budget/Assimilative. That meant no shopping and no luxuries and eating at street side stalls throwing all caution to the wind. To live like the locals as much as possible.

Cost of trip (lodging, food, travel and sightseeing): S$865 (remember its budget and NO shopping)

Places Been: Hanoi, Halong Bay (North Vietnam), Hoi An, Vinh Dien, Quy Nhon (Central Vietnam), Dalat, Ho Chi Minh City, Mekong Delta (South Vietnam), Phnom Penh (Cambodia), Siem Reap (Cambodia)

Modes of Transport: Walk (savings galore!), sleeper train (jarring!), local bus (safe? dunno, just do it!), long distance tour buses (often overnight to save on accommodation), slow boat (reeaallyy slow!), motorbike (Born to be wild!) and bicycle (madness on rough potholed roads with crazy traffic).

People met: All kinds. From locals ripping you off to super helpful Vietnamese men in the street and friendly guesthouse staff. Fellow travellers run the gamut from a French TV journalist to (get this) a Korean American  former IT consultant  from NY turned elephant mahout trainer who travels for fun. And she's female.

Food: Street food, glorious food. Hygienic? I did not get tummy aches when feasting on street food everyday when in Vietnam. Only got the runs in Cambodia, where we had more restaurant food.


 
Lessons Learnt:
1) God cares. He provided for so many things. We met a friendly local guy who helped us get on a local bus without being ripped off. On the day we crossed over to Cambodia, all Singaporeans need not buy a visa to cross the border.
2) Partner with similar aims. A travel partner, even more so for a life partner, must have similar aims and values. The trip gave me a 1 month glimpse into living with another person, even though its a guy. Most dating is done to impress and is often too short and romantic to consider the mundaneness of daily life which this trip made me aware of.
3) I love Vietnam. Studying Vietnam was great. Being there was better.
4)  There's order to chaos. The traffic there is madness and chaotic (worst traffic to be found in Hanoi) yet there is an order and consistency to it. Same way like life is often chaotic, the Master Designer has a grand plan. Reading now Ravi Z's The Grand Weaver: How God Shapes us Through the Events of our Life.
5) Independence and daring. Over there I grew up a little. I did the things my mom told me not to do like riding on a motorbike and cycling on impossibly difficult roads with crazy traffic in Siem Reap (we did nearly 60 km around the Angkor temple complex in 3 days). Spent US$ 4.50 and saved Gaia.

More pictures to follow.

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On a more sombre note, I read in the news of a female student who was sexually assaulted in a park nearby NUS on Wednesday night. The Clementi Woods Park is often used as a short cut to get to West Coast Road and I myself have done the route before and at night too usually after Campus Crusade meetings. Although lit, it is indeed eerie and unsafe at night. Walking home in the shadows with dark trees and foliage besides the path gives me the creeps. It is definitely unsafe. And if you are female, AVOID it. By the way, the shortcut is besides the bus stop opposite the School of Design and Environment.