After Japan we returned to Southeast Asia for a busy and incredibly memorable week in Singapore. The Dins have a long and deep relationship with Singapore, where we have traveled during each summer tour in recent memory. We came as guests of the Central Singapore Community Development Council, a government unit that provides services (including cultural amenities like a cappella concerts!) to the citizens of Singapore. The Central Singapore CDC staff treated us with incredible kindness, showing us around all week.
Our first event was at the Autism Resource Center, an amazing institution run by the CDC’s Mayor, Denise Phua. ARC provides services for adults on the autism spectrum, and the Dins met with ARC beneficiaries and staff and scoped out the space. We’d return later in the week for a fundraising event for ARC, where we had a great time performing our set.
Another highlight: visiting Raffles. Raffles is a top Singapore school (and the alma mater of our very own Jay Hong). It was awesome to see Jay Hong’s old haunts and to perform in the beautiful auditorium.
The week was quite busy, with one or two performances each day. But there were plenty of opportunities for relaxation and fun. Jay Hong’s parents treated us to an awesome meal at a hawker center, where I sampled a variety of Indo-Singaporean, Chinese-Singaporean and Malay-Singaporean dishes. My friend from Harvard visited me in Singapore, and we had a fun night on the town. Finally I turned 22 during this stop, and I was surprised in the middle of a gig with a chocolate cake from the Mayor herself. All in all, it was a stop to remember. A special thanks to the incredible staff at the Central Singapore CDC who showed us so much time, dedication and camaraderie during our stay!
