How kids learn numbers (in a nutshell…)

A,B,C is not as easy as 1,2,3. I don’t care what The Jackson Five said. Numbers are indeed the language of math, but it’s a language of layers, order, and complexity. When children learn their ABCs, they learn that cute sounding song that helps them remember the alphabet, lumping letters like L,M,N,O,P into one sound that sounds like “ellemenopee”, but when you think about it, there is no significant reason why A must be the first letter of the alphabet (or why any letter must hold it’s position in the sequence we use). The position of a letter in this string tells us nothing about its usage, sound, prevalence in words, or any other major factor you might think of. In fact, we’re not even really sure why the alphabet is in the order it takes today. Historians and anthropologists guess that it has something to do with how early scripts merged and traveled around the world. How is that for a useless fun-fact?!

When it comes to numbers however, order is obviously critical. The counting sequence provides information not just about the size of the number you are working with, but also about surrounding numbers. For example, one way we know that three is larger than two and smaller than four is because three falls after two but before four in the count list. This tells us something about the number three, but also helps inform what we know about two and four, and perhaps other nearby numbers as well. While it’s worth noting that you could also deduce this information simply by looking at sets of objects that corresponded to these values (ex. three apples is more than two apples and less than four apples) this requires physical representations of numbers which are not always present, and becomes much more difficult to do for larger numbers. For example, if I gave you a bowl of 98 Cheerios and a bowl of 99 Cheerios you would have a hard time telling me which had more just by looking at them. In this case, knowing something about the order of numbers expedites the decision making process and gives you the necessary information to give the correct answer.

The alphabet also gives clues about the sounds that letters represent in the letter names themselves. If you say the letter ‘B’ for example, you start by producing the “buh” sound that the symbol “B” stands for. Obviously this isn’t the case for all letters and complex sounds: saying ‘W’ for example, doesn’t really clue us in to the sound it stands for, nor does saying ‘P’ and ‘H’ together clue us into the fact that they sound like an F (which is kind of rude and has always baffled me, but alas), but in general, letter-names often tell us something about the sounds they represent. Numbers don’t do this at all. The shape and sound of numbers and their respective symbols don’t convey information about the set size they represent. For example, the word “Five” and the symbol “5”, don’t give any clues as to what it actually represents in terms of scale.

These are just two examples that highlight how different, and at times, difficult, number learning can be. So how do kids go about learning numbers? Here, I’ll attempt to summarize some of the key steps children must take on their journey to learning numbers.

A substantial body of research (Strauss & Curtis,1981, Wynn, 1996, Xu & Spelke, 2000. e.g.) has shown that children are able to detect changes in set size as early as infancy. (When I say set, I just mean a group of objects.) Researchers exposed infants to images with a particular set size (for example eight circles) until they became familiar with these images. They then showed them a different image which contained either the same set size (eight circles again), or a larger set. They found that children looked at images with an unfamiliar sets (more than eight circles) longer, indicating that they noticed some difference in the set size. While some have questioned whether these findings really show an understanding of difference in number, as opposed to other features of the image that may have changed with the number of circles presented (the amount of space the shapes took up for example), the findings provide some evidence that infants might be capable of detecting differences in set sizes, which perhaps acts as an early precursor to numerical understanding.

By the time most children reach the age of two, they begin to learn to count. At this phase counting is limited to a memorized sequence, children often don’t understand what any of the numbers mean, nor can they extend their counting beyond the sequence they have committed to memory. As children become counters, they might skip a number, count out of sequence, or use multiple numbers while pointing to the same object in a set. As they continue to count, they gradually gain insight into how counting works, becoming aware of the fact that counting occurs in a stable, consistent order across all sets, and that each object in a set is paired with only one number in the count (the fancy term for this is one to one correspondence).  As bizarre as it may seem, at this stage, if you found a child who could count to 10 or even 30, and asked them to give you two or three of something, they wouldn’t be able to do so with any repeated accuracy. They have yet to master the cardinal principle.

The cardinal principle states that the number-word given to the last object in a set describes the size of the set on a whole. In other words, if you count out seven toy fish and put them into a bowl, you have seven fish in the bowl, because seven was the last number in your count list for that set, and thus describes the magnitude of the group of objects. This seems really intuitive to you and me, but children don’t quite grasp this concept immediately when they first learn to count. They may be able to count seven fish, but when asked “Okay, so how many fish do we have?”, they freeze up or take guess. And when you think about it, there really isn’t any reason why children should intuitively understand that the last number they say corresponds to the size of the group on a whole. If each object we count gets one and only one number assigned to it as we count, its not apparent that the last number we count can and should be used to describe the size of all the objects.

Mastering the cardinal principle is a complex and time-consuming process. It takes place in a stepwise fashion over the course of several months of early childhood.  Typically, kids start this process around two and a half years of age, and progress gradually, number by number, starting at one and ending at four or five over the course of many months. During this time, kids are consider subset knowers. They know the scale of some numbers like one or two, but not the size of numbers that are larger. For whatever reason, something seems to click once children learn the meaning of four or five. They learn that the last number in their count will always describe the size of the set or group of objects they are counting. At this point, they become cardinal principle knowers and can accurately label the size of any group of objects that they can count to.

I realize that some of this might seem like word-vomit so here is the condensed version: When kids learn how to count, they don’t actually know what numbers mean. They learn the meanings of numbers slowly and sequentially, learning one number’s meaning at a time over several months. Once they master what four or five means (it depends on the kid), they learn that the last number they say when counting signifies the overall size of the group of objects they are working with. We call these children Cardinal Principle Knowers.

What’s perhaps most fascinating about these steps, is that all typically developing children accomplish them at some point, but research has found that individual differences in numerical knowledge as early as age 4, are highly predictive of later achievement gaps. We’ve found differences in the interest and success children go on to have later in life with STEM subjects that are related to when the come to master these early mathematical concepts. These differences are in turn related to things like socioeconomic status, incarceration rates, job security, and more.

It’s hard to say which came first— the chicken or the egg. It’s important to note that these relationships could go ether way, or perhaps more likely,  in both directions. We know that children in lower income communities receive less number talk and support in learning early mathematical concepts compared to their more affluent peers. This seems to support the interpretation that the environment kids grow up in effects their ability to achieve and influences their later life trajectories. While this is certainly in part true, its also possible that differences in early number ability themselves, alter later life trajectories. If this is the case, as some research suggests, then it may be possible to design interventions for parents and teachers that help close early achievement gaps. Doing so would help create an even playing field for kids entering early education, and could close academic achievement gaps and help reduce poverty and other factors in communities.

Numbers have life; they’re not just symbols on paper.

Welcome to “Chi the Numbers”. With my time in Singapore over (for now), I’ve been kicking around  whether/how to repurpose Ginger Yale to reflect my new life in Chicago, and more specifically, the work and research I am doing here. Now that I nailed down an incredibly cheesy pun-infused name, I can get to writing. Looking ahead, I hope to make this blog a smattering of things. I want to explore education  from both the policy and and research sides. I also want to take on a new city and try to capture what an awesome place Chicago is to live. I’ll highlight some cool spots to check out and dive into the Chicago food scene from Chinatown and Little Italy to Ukrainian Village and Little Warsaw– from Deep Dish to BBQ, Italian Sausage to Mexican. Last but not least, I’m hoping to keep an element of travel in the blog as I visit friends across the US throughout the year. I’m long overdue for visits to Boston and NYC, and something tells me you will be seeing some Lousiville on this blog in the near future.

Now that we got that intro over, here is the first Chi the Numbers post.

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In my  position at the University of Chicago, I am working in a research lab that studies early math learning and spatial intelligence in young children. Studies in the lab look at all types of early math and spatial development, from number knowledge and counting, to proportional reasoning and mental rotation. The goal is not only to discover how kids learn and think about these concepts, but also to come to a deeper understanding of the role parents and teachers play in helping kids learn these things, and in turn, develop methods and tools that help adults promote and scaffold this learning.

What my first few weeks of working have revealed, is just how complex and expansive early mathematical development is. Numbers are both exact and ambiguous. Unlike letters in the alphabet, their sequence means something. Learning to count to 100 doesn’t mean understanding what constitutes 7 (or what isn’t 7 for that matter), let alone understanding that 7 is greater than 4 but less than 60.  Mathematical representations are deceptive. Looking at two apples , and learning that they are “two”, tells children nothing about how two oranges are also “two”.  When children evaluate the size of angles, they often do so based on the demensions of the angle’s sides, instead of the space between the lines. Research by  Gibson, Congdon, and Levine (2014) shows that this error isn’t because children aren’t perceptive to angles, but because the representations of angles (the lines that extend outward to confine the space of the angle) and the label we give to this representation (also referred to as an ‘angle’) confuses children. So much so, that when you ask kids which angle is bigger, they often turn their attention to the size of the L-shaped lines instead of the space between them to determine the answer.

What perhaps is most interesting, is that while all typically developing children eventually learn how to count, correctly label set sizes, and perform basic mental math functions (such as simple addition, subtraction, and approximation), the pace at which they do so varies, often depending on their environment, and may have a profound impact on later mathematical achievement and development. In what appears to be something of a snowball effect, children who are delayed in honing these skills, even by what may seem like a relatively short period of time, can fall behind on mastering new skills which build off these cornerstones of mathematical understanding. As the cycle continues, children can fall further and further behind their peers in ways that have long-term detrimental effects, which effect not just in math performance, but their education and perhaps even their lives on a whole. Kids who struggle or who are behind can easily be perceived as the ones who are easily distracted, who don’t care about school, or who don’t try hard enough, when in reality, none of these things may be true. These perceptions only further the gap, and may make it even harder for kids to catch up or find success in school and beyond. Understanding the factors which play a role in individual differences in developing early math skills, and identifying ways to help children stay on track in acquiring this knowledge can have a long-term impact on their math and science attitude and ability.

While I fully and freely admit that in my condensing and paraphrasing of entire bodies of research into two paragraphs, I have over-simplified and perhaps butchered some of the nuances, complications, and other factors that come into play, it’s still pretty incredible how complex and critical early math development is, even on this basic of a level. We’re not talking about times tables or improper fractions either (though they are important too!), we’re talking about things like counting and identifying the number of objects in a set. To us, they seem so simple, so basic to the very nature of who we are and what we do as humans, but in reality, there is a whole maze of obstacles, confusion, and processes that young children must work through to master these skills. Doing so takes time, exposure to numbers from an early age, and scaffolding from parents and teachers.

Looking ahead, I’m hoping to use this blog as a way to think out loud and explore different topics and areas of research in cognitive development, specifically in early mathematical development. My hope is that writing and reflecting will not only be a great way to share what I am doing and learning, but also to deepen my own interests and hone in on aspects of cognitive development that might serve as the underpinnings of my graduate work in the future (fingers-crossed).

 

 

 

 

Whatever good things we build end up building us.

When I was just a few years old, I liked to tell my parents I  was a “fixer”. “Windows, doors, and ‘frigerators’,” were apparently my areas of specialty, but I like to think little me was really a Jack-of-all-trades with my Fisher Price tool belt in tow. Admittedly, the whole “fixer” thing didn’t work out in the long run– it’s probably for the best. In some ways, I’ve become a builder instead.

I’ve always struggled with the “So, what are you doing in Singapore?” type questions. When people ask me “What’s a Dean’s Fellow?” I want to ask them if they have an hour to spare so I can fail to fully explain what it is we actually do. I’m not alone in this regard. There are 31 past and present DFs in total now (with even more on the way!), and I imagine each of us would tell you it’s a hard question to answer in any way that seems complete or accurate. Though I have used the “it’s like being an RA” explanation before, it doesn’t really do justice to the work, and when other people decide “Oh, so you’re like an RA.”, I die a little on the inside.  The RA description is too narrow, too sterilized, and too impersonal to be analogous. So what are we? What do we do?

The best way I have heard it explained came just a few weeks ago in Boracay. As we sat in our hotel room drinking Cuba Libre’s made with the finest Tanduay Rum the Philippines has to offer, we began to talk about the last two years. And that’s when it hit me, that perhaps the best way to explain what I (and others) have done in Singapore the last two years is “build a college”, as one of my friends put it.

When you think about it, it’s a pretty incredible feat. There aren’t too many new colleges (or schools in general really) popping up these days. Most of the time, when new schools are started, it’s by some retirement-aged, über-wealthy person looking to ‘do some good’ and redefine the educational landscape with a school that bares their name.  In some ways we’ve fast forwarded through 40+ years of life and certainly past the getting wealthy part, to find ourselves here, working at a college that was largely still in the idea phase  when most of us started .

Sure, we didn’t raise the funds or sign-off on the blueprints (I would have never chosen Schlinder’s Lifts as the elevator vendor… if not for their unfortunate name, for the fact that they always break down). We didn’t lay the concrete foundation or install the windows either. But in just about every other way, we had a hand in building this place. DFs led or co-wrote the development of college policy and procedure on housing, sexual assault, disabilities, alcohol, student conduct and discipline, non-discrimination, medical and mental health emergencies, and more. We’ve worked in public affairs, admissions, athletics, the centre for international and professional experiences, the dean of faculty office, the dean of students office, health and wellness, the writer’s centre and more. In doing so, we’ve written articles and blog posts for the College to cover major events and generate publicity and interest from perspective families. We’ve poured over thousands of perspective student applications and conducted hundreds of interviews looking for students who fit the culture we were trying to build. We helped plan and coordinate internal and external curriculum reviews, prospective faculty visits, and visiting professorships. We co-designed and handled the logistics for international experiential-learning trips, from passport numbers and Visa approvals, to academic activities and desired learning outcomes and assessments. In the Writer’s Centre, DFs hosted hundreds of students for academic and personal writing consultations and organized events to help students grow as writers– essentially building the writer’s centre from scratch.

We’ve advised student organizations, athletic teams, and the design of the student government. We’ve served on committees tied to the new campus move, student activities funding allocation, housing assignments, residential life programming, and more. We’ve cooked, we’ve cleaned, we’ve welcomed, we’ve unlocked, we’ve supported, we’ve counseled, we’ve advised, we’ve cheered, we’ve listened, and we’ve built. In fact, there isn’t much we haven’t done. In reality, if you were a student at Yale-NUS, virtually everything you would see or experience would be touched by a DF in some way– the  admitted students weekend we help coordinate, the classes we audited or helped review, the suite mates and room we assigned you, the housing and conduct policies we co-wrote, the clubs we advise and allocate budgets to, the res-life programs we organize, the dining hall vendor we helped select and work with regularly to improve the menu, the writer’s center, your peer tutor… you get the picture.. . We did all of this on-top of regularly meeting with our  students to check-in, talk about their goals and struggles, and find even more ways to support them individually and collectively.

 

So what have I been up to in Singapore over the last two years? I’ve been building a college. I’ve done it with some of the most incredible people I will ever meet, and I’ve done it from the ground up. It hasn’t always been glorious or interesting work, and it certainly hasn’t always been easy. At times I’ve been really frustrated with this place— it’s lack of structure, clarity, and certainty. There are times when I have subconsciously wanted this place to be like Williams or like what I perceive to be a normal liberal arts college, but the reality is it’s not Williams, nor is it a regular liberal arts college, and the lack of structure, clarity, and certainty, while at times frustrating are the exact things that have allowed us to build it and to be innovative and different while doing so.

As my time quickly runs down in Singapore, I’ll admit, it’s scary to leave the things you helped build. You want it to stand forever, unchanged, unaltered by what comes next. But the reality is, it will change. Fixers will come along and take apart what you might think of as your masterwork. Some repairs will make things even better, and sadly, some might make things worse. Maybe in ten years Yale-NUS will be more prestigious than Yale, or maybe it will just be NUS liberal arts college by then. Only time will tell. Whatever the future holds, it’s the place we built, and the place that built us.

 

 

 

 

I don’t know where I’m going from here, but I promise it won’t be boring.

When I was in grade school my teachers would constantly remind my class to save things we were working on whenever we used the computer. I can still hear Mr. Stepnowski repeating “Save, save, save!” as if it had become some type of personal mantra or religious ritual he performed to the computer gods. Well today, those gods have smited me for not saving. I had my entire blog for Sri Lanka drafted up and thought I had saved it to WordPress. Today when I returned to work on finishing it up and add in the photos, it’s nowhere to be found. It’s probably for the best. I’m not going to lie, I think it was one of my best to date– witty, sarcastic, eloquent, descriptive, but admittedly lacking in brevity. So this will be my attempt at a spark notes version of that post. Apparently people only really want to see the pictures anyway…

Depending on who you are, the circumstances by which we found ourselves on a plane to Sri Lanka are either cause of jealousy or judgement. For better or worse (though my money is on better) the DF team has become particularly fond of Jason Derulo, arguably the songbird of our generation. Mr. Derulo has 11 Platinum singles and has been heard over 3 Billion times on the internet alone. Over the past two years together, the DFs have become avid fans, finding ourselves listening to his music at parties, in the gym, during late nights in the office, and even while playing Settlers of Catan (read: the game that ruins more friendships than Monopoly).

The Team at Jason Derulo.

 

At some point, the idea of seeing Jason Derulo in concert before we all departed Singapore became a thing. I’m not quite sure how or why, but it did. At first, Jason’s tour schedule only listed a few stops in Europe. Upon this discovery, the most talented writers among the DFs took up the cause of writing to Mr. Derulo personally to request a concert closer to our island home. Highlights from this ridiculous, yet oddly persuasive letter include: “Your international pop hit “Wiggle” has been instrumental to our development as a professional team.”, “The repetition of the one titular word elevates its banal meaning and turns the act of wiggling into a transcendent moment, where movement becomes a greater, shared act.”, and “The surrounding cities—Bangkok, Kuala Lampur, Bagan, Taipei, Pukit Tingi, and Hong Kong—would be sure to also draw large crowds of Jason Derulo fans.” Alas, moments before we licked the postage we discovered that Jason likes to play fast and loose with the tour schedule, making last minute additions which included, you guessed it, Sri Lanka. Less than 48 hours later, our flights were booked and we were heading for a 7 day trip across the southern half of the teardrop island just south of India.

Our trip around Sri Lanka.

I’m not going to lie, going to see Jason Derulo perform in Sri Lanka, on a cricket pitch no less was ridiculous (and ridiculously fun), and while it may have been the guise under which we wen’t to Sri Lanka, it certainly wasn’t the only reason I wanted to go. In reality, Sri Lanka had been on my travel bucket list since India, despite not knowing much about it. During our week there we traveled by plane, train, boat, automobile, tuk-tuk, and of course, by foot. We explored the capital of Colombo and the beaches of Mirissa. We visited a fort built by the Portuguese in the 1500s (and later conquered by the Dutch), and ancient Sinhalese ruins that date back to the 5th century. We went whale watching (and saw mostly dolphins) and took a sunrise train through the hill stations and tea plantations of central Sri Lanka. We ate Kottu Roti and Rice with 10 Curries, we drank Lion Beer and Ceylon Black tea. Looking back, we packed a TON into those 7 days, all while traveling in what basically amounts to a giant circle around the bottom half of Sri Lanka. I could have easily imagined spending another week or two there, exploring the north or just sitting outside of a villa up in the mountains. I guess I’ll just have to head back at some other point in life. For now, here is a peak at my week in Sri Lanka:

Independence Shopping Arcade in Colombo.

Independence Memorial Hall in Colombo.

National Performance Hall in Colombo.

Jason Derulo performs at Hargrave Cricket Ground in Colombo.

Train vistas on the way to Galle from Colombo.

The southern wall of Galle Fort & the Laccadive Sea

 

Galle Lighthouse.

A bride outside of All Saints Church in Galle.

Dolphins in Mirrissa.

Boatside dolphins.

Early morning train to Kandy.

5 hour of these views.

Ceylon Tea!

Just wow.

Sigiriya Rock Fortress.

The Climb.

Views from the top!

Ancient palace views.

The ruins of Polonnaruwa Vatadage.

Granite relief of reclining Buddha.

 

 

 

 

Guest Blog: I HAVE A SON THAT WORKS IN SINGAPORE . . .

In honor of Mother’s Day, momma Lynn takes over.

 

Momma and me!

I was having my car serviced the other day when the topic of children
came up.  When I told the mechanic that my oldest son works in
Singapore, he looked up at me and said, “Now why would he want to do
that?”

Now granted over the course of the last two years, I have told a lot of
people that Jake works in Singapore.  Usually the responses go something
like this — “Wow, that’s great!” — “What does he do there?” — “How
did he get the job?”  No one has ever, ever said to me “Now why would he
want to do that?”  But, truth be told, it is something I’ve thought
about from time to time.

I think to know the answer to this question is simply to know Jake.  For
example, he decided in 7th grade that he was ready to change grade
schools and try something else. “You have one year left,” we said.  ”
Why not wait until 9th grade like everyone else?”   Nope, not Jake.  He
persisted and we accepted the idea that maybe he was ready to move on.
And we were really, really impressed with our visit to Penn Charter.
Well, wrong again.  You see, he had decided on another school.  And so
off he went as an 8th grader to Episcopal.  And it was a perfect choice.

And then there was the college selection process.  We were pretty sure
he’d end up at Cornell or Hopkins.  We loved our visits there and had
really gotten to know the lay of the land.  But Jake decided to check
out one last school — Williams College.  He took the trip ahead of us.
We set out to meet him later, driving at night and on some pretty
desolate roads.  It was pitch dark for the last 2 hours of our ride, we
managed to get a flat tire and barely had cell service.  I was sure we
were going to meet with an untimely end.  I was also fairly certain that
Jake was going to end up spending his next 4 years in Williamstown.
This place was so far off the beaten path.  And an absolute perfect fit
for him.
Singapore was sneakier.  “Hey mom, I need nice shirt.  I have a SKYPE
interview with Yale.”  Alleluia, I thought!!!!  You see, I love
Connecticut.  And I especially love Frank Pepe’s pizza.  And best of all,
this was a totally doable drive for an impromptu weekend.  Well, it
wasn’t too long before Jake fessed up that we would not be visiting him
in New Haven.  “Mom, about the job, it’s a little bit farther.”

May I just say for the record that Singapore is not now and never will
be a little bit farther than Connecticut?  It is a whole lot farther.
And as far as I know there is no Frank Pepe’s in Singapore.  End of
Sentence.  Period.

During this time, Rich urged me not to overreact.  After all, what were
the chances that Jake would get the job in Singapore?  Yeah, I have to
admit I thought we were pretty safe.  That is until Jake called to tell
me that Yale had contacted Williams about his application.  I
immediately dialed Rich.  “Hon, we’re in big trouble — he’s going as
far as he can go.”   And sure enough, a few months later, Jake and I
were folding 21 plus years into two suitcases which could not weigh more
than 50 lbs. each.  We fought the entire time he was packing.  “You’ll
need this, I insisted”.  “I won’t need that, he replied.”  It was a
virtual tug of war.  I thought if I pulled hard enough, he wouldn’t go.
But, in the end, he pulled harder and boarded a flight from Philly to
Singapore.

We waited 48 hours excruciating hours until he arrived safely on the
grounds at Yale-NUS.  We breathed a collective sigh of relief when we
got that first text.  We reminded ourselves that Singapore is clean.
Singapore is safe.  And a couple of days later we received another text
from Jake, “Great news — I’m headed to Laos.  I’m taking a bunch
students on an orientation trip there.”

O.K., now call me crazy, but wasn’t Jake the one that needed an
orientation?  How on earth was he going to be a tour guide in Laos?
After spending months reading everything I could about Singapore, I now
had a new country to tackle — Laos!!  And as most of you know, it did
not end there.  Over the past two years, Jake has travelled to Malaysia,
Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Taiwan, India, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, and
the Boracay Islands (where are they – the Phillipines?).  He has had
lay-overs in South Korea, Doha, Beijing and countless other places I can
only spell phonetically.  He religiously e-mails his itineraries but I
let them sit unopened in my inbox.  You see, it’s sort of like watching
Evan play football — I want to be present but my hand is always over my
eyes.  It’s just not easy having your son travel to places that have
made headlines due to tsunamis, earthquakes, missing airplanes and
terrorist attacks.  It’s gotten so that I can barely stand to watch the
news.

Jake’s contract in Singapore ends in June.  I am happy and sad.  I know
how much he will miss this tiny country he has come to think of as his
other home.  He has fallen in love with its people, its beauty and, most
of all, the opportunities it has afforded him to see and experience so
many wonders.

He called me the other day to say he was a finalist for a job in Qatar.
Again, Rich urged me not to overreact.  But I just couldn’t help it this
time.  I picked up my phone for an emergency Facetime call.  But before
I could say anything, Jake gave me some unexpected news, “Hey mom, I
accepted a position in Chicago.”  At that moment, I am hoping with all
my heart that there is only one Chicago and that it is, indeed, in
Illinois.

But you see, I’ve learned to expect the unexpected.  After all, I have a
son who works in Singapore . . .

A good snapshot keeps a moment from running away.

A little over a year ago, I blogged about my twenty favorite photos from my first six months in Singapore. I wrote:

“I picked up photography a few months ago– it was impossible not to with all of the incredible things I have discovered in this part of the world. To me, photos have become a way to try to capture these things, although they always seem to fall just short of fully conveying the awe and beauty of what lies on the other side of the viewfinder. Photos, by the nature of what they capture and what they fail to capture, have forced me to open my eyes and truly see places I have been. As much as the camera has whispered for me to pick it up, it has for me to put it down and simply soak up the colors, textures, shapes, shadows, and curves of the world I have found myself in. The photos I have taken are my effort to freeze a moment that never was and never will be again, to give meaning without words, and to share a piece of me and where I have been.”

I wish I could tell you that in the time since I have become a better photographer, that  I’ve figured out how to capture the beauty and awe that always seemed to slip away.  Henri Cartier-Bresson, the father of modern photojournalism, once said “Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst.”  If that’s the case, I’ve still got a few thousand to go before I get a good one. The 20 photos below are my favorite from the past year, not necessarily for their artistic quality, but for the moments and memories they capture. Below each I’ve included why I chose the photo, either for a particular quality or aspect it captures, or for the memory it paints in my mind.

National Concert Hall; Taipei, Taiwan. I like the angles in this shot- the way the rooflines converge and intersect towards the centre of the photo, and the slight upward angle which exposes the colourful underbelly of the swept roof. 

Chef Hao Guang; Siem Reap, Cambodia.  In Japan, they have a single word to describe the way light filters through leaves: Komorebi. It comes to mind in this photo. I really like the symmetry of the shadows cast on the forehead by the leaves overhead.

Uncle & A Push Cart; Brihadeeswara Temple, Thanjavur, India. He leaned against the cart hard, pushing with every fiber of his being as the narrow wheels repeatedly found themselves trapped in the gaps between the slabs of sandstone which lined the ground beneath his tired feet. The cart seemed to be carrying everything from bananas and cooked rice to bags of clothes and large metal pans, but no object perhaps was as heavy to push as the time that had past him, for it seemed to slow him down most of all.

Thanjavur Royal Palace Rooftop Terrace; Thanjavur, India. I really love how this photo distorts and captures reality. It retains the soft natural light and pastel warmth present in this covered rooftop terrace, but completely flattens the massive carved lotus flower dome to make it appear two demential, as if it were all just an oil painting on canvas.

Fresh Paint; Ranganathaswamy Temple, Srirangam, India. Every 12 years, the tops of Hindu temples are repainted with vibrant watercolors in a painstaking process as part of their reconsecration.  This was one of the first recently completed portions we came across during our travels. I love the juxtaposition of the complex colors and patterns against the simplicity of the rickety, yet independently beautiful, bamboo scaffolding.

Afternoon Mhendi, Singapore, Singapore. Between booming laughs, run-on sentences, and heartfelt questions, silence fell between them and a deep and delicate concentration set it.  It seemed like each line of ink was followed by self-criticism about how the forearm pattern was crooked, or by the gentle brush of her thumbnail to remove excess mhendi from the skin. But what I saw, just a step removed, was that more beautiful than the art, were the people and the moment in which it existed.

Angkor Wat; Siem Reap, Cambodia. I remember falling in love with this photo before I even took it– the way his clothes popped against the monochrome sandstone around and beneath him, the peacefulness of his pose despite his rocky bed, and the way the light bounces off his knees, elbow and forehead, highlighting them from the rest of his body. In hindsight, I cut out a bit too much of his surroundings, but it was one of the first times I looked at the world around me and saw a photo waiting to be taken.

Fresh Spring rolls; Siem Reap, Cambodia. I can’t quite place my finger on what I like about this photo. Maybe it’s the way the light shines brightest through the gap between her thumb and index finger, or the way the pinky and ring finger are careful curled inward. Maybe it’s the way the contents of the spring roll seem suspended in mid-air, not quite touching the cutting board below, or the way the loose ends of the bright red string wrapped around her wrist fan out, as if they wish to be appreciated individually.

Jalgaonkar Farm; 2 hours outside of Mumbai, India. She climbed the small but sturdy mango tree with a natural grace that made it seem second-hand. Her right foot nestled into the V where two branches split, while her left rested atop a long curved branch which flexed outward towards the open air. The mango hung, asking to be plucked, but when she reached out, she did so as if she did not trust the fruit, extending her arm and grasping it gently, like it would vanish in her hand if she grabbed it too firmly.

Gardens by the Bay; Singapore, Singapore. This is one of those shots that serves as a reminder of just how incredibly beautiful my home away from home is. I think I forget that too easily sometimes. The dome has a UFO-like quality to it from this angle, appearing as though part of it was buried beneath the trees when it crash landed here.

Pura Tanah Lot; Bali, Indonesia. To me, this photo screams paradise. Bali is easily one of the most beautiful and peaceful places I’ve traveled to over the last 18 months. I love the way the waves wrap around the perched temple and how crystal blue the sky is.

Dosa Man; Madurai, India. The market had just started coming to life in the early hours of the morning.  Motorbikes strapped with goods that extended well beyond their berth zig-zagged around us. As we reached the corner, there he stood, looking down into an endless bucket of fermented rice batter and black lentils, as if to both admire and curse it’s existence. He spread the batter on the well-buttered flat-top, using the back of his ladle to extend its diameter until it was so thin it basically had one side. As he waited to turn the paper-thin crepe in on itself, he stared off into the distance with a smirk on his face looking for something, or maybe for nothing at all.

Wet Market; Siem Reap, Cambodia. There was something about the color and texture of the tray of cockles– the way the salt reflected the sunlight and the richness of the red chili flakes against the black shells– that told me to rest my camera on the edge of the tray and snap away blindly. On my fourth try, our cooking class chef wondered into the frame. It was a lesson in just how much small changes to the background can completely change the feel and theme of a photo.

Mountains of Colour; Bangalaru, India. I remember being fascinated by how carefully the mounds of coloured powder were stacked, growing narrower and narrower as they climbed towards the sky. I still don’t understand how they didn’t just collapse under themselves. The photo isn’t particularly spectacular or even interesting, but something about the alternating vibrant colours stuck with me and it’s often one of the first images I see when I talk about my time in India.

The Mummer Monk; Angkor Wat, Cambodia. His gate was graceful and full of purpose, with each step pushing gently off the sun-hardened earth beneath him. You could tell by the way he moved that he had somewhere to go, and yet, he appeared in no hurry to get there.   As he made his way towards one of the temple’s outposts, his shimmering gold umbrella bobbed in the thick, hot air as if for that brief moment he were a mummer on Broad Street.

Sunset; Boracay, Philippines. Boracay is home to some of the most incredible sunsets I’ve ever seen. On our second day on the island as the sun disappeared behind the horizon, two blue streaks filled the sky, as if the sun was trying to pull the rich blue sky along behind it.

Horn. OK. Please.; Tiruchirappalli, India. To me, this photo is a reminder of the collective experience that is traffic in India. From packed public busses without doors, to hand-painted trucks who’s tailgates uniformly read “Horn. OK. Please.”. From traffic stops for cow crossings, to the language of the car horn, driving in India is an art form and one that reveals more about the culture and the people than you might expect.

The Checker Uncles; Singapore, Singapore. It was her first day in Singapore. As we ventured down the backstreets of Chinatown we came across a group of old men staring quietly at a table covered in checkers. All but one of the Uncles seemed indifferent to, if not ignorant of our presence. As we watched, she turned to me slightly and said “I could see Pop loving this.” It was a comment that unraveled days of conversations about our family/ies. There were hard truths and bittersweet memories, laughter that came deep from within, and exhales that seemed to be letting go of more than just air. I can’t quite articulate how glad I am that we had that time or those conversations together, but I like to think it brought us closer, like we were when we played under the table or in the back room of Mom-mom’s house on Opal St.

Bayon Temple; Siem Reap, Cambodia. These four gigantic stone faces are some of the best preserved among the 216 that exist at Bayon. Standing in their presence, it was one of the first times I felt truly conflicted about my tourist status, as I grappled with the impact of my presence on the ruins and local people.  To me, this photo is a symbol of the transformational impact my two trips to Siem Reap had on my understanding of responsible tourism and conservation. It reminds me I have a duty to leave every place that I visit a little better than I found it, however I can.

Gabbin’ with Gab: Day 5

My cousin Gab, who is visiting Singapore for 10 days is a bit of a talker, and that can only mean one thing– blog series. In Gabbin’ with Gab, she’ll share her perspective on Singapore from climate to culture, food to flora, museums to mass transit. The posts will be short, sweet, and sprinkled with some South Philly love.

 

We did nothing on day 5. We literally Netflixed and Chilled. So rather than have Gab tell you how incredible doing nothing is in Singapore, I thought I would  tell you how incredible it has been having Gab here. While challenging myself to do it succinctly.

When you live in a new place for an extended period, you get to explore and know it. You develop deeper connections and unravel new layers that you just don’t get exposed to when you are visiting a place for a few days. The draw back is of course, that after a certain period these things become your new norm. You don’t find it odd or unfamiliar to call an old woman Auntie. You don’t see the beauty in trees or the skyline, in the diversity, or the people. You don’t explore as often. It’s not that you lose awareness of these things, you just don’t see them in the same light.

For the time she’s been here, Gab has helped reverse that. I’ve taken her to do things I have done DOZENS of times and things that I have always wanted to do. We’ve been all-out tourists, and full-blow locals. And at every turn, that feeling of exploring, discovering, understanding has been present again. By far the best part about her being here has been being able to share this world with someone from my other one, so that when I leave, I’m not just taking home photos and memories, but have someone back home who can relate to and understand this place and my experience in it.

 

 

Gabbin’ with Gab: Day 3 & 4

My cousin Gab, who is visiting Singapore for 10 days is a bit of a talker, and that can only mean one thing– blog series. In Gabbin’ with Gab, she’ll share her perspective on Singapore from climate to culture, food to flora, museums to mass transit. The posts will be short, sweet, and sprinkled with some South Philly love. 

Sorry for the delay: Jake has been dead the past 2.5 days. 

Day 3 Journal Excerpts 

“Last night I did not sleep for one second.  Jet lag has reared its ugly head. I have to say that watching the sunrise from Jake’s patio was worth it though.”

   

“We saw St. Andrews Cathedral which Karen though was ‘a beautiful tribute since it was his feast day and the start to his novena’ (Yes, if we were in Bermuda that would have been a Saints Trivia question).”

“The [national] gallery was HUGE. There was a mixture of art instillations, former government buildings, atriums, rooftop gardens and fine dining venues.”

  

  

Day 4 Journal Excerpts

“This morning we traveled to Tiong Bahru. We saw many HDBs communities that were some of the originals here in Singapore.”

“We went to Tiong Bahru bakery for breakfast. Jake’s idea of starting a meal to his day was standard– a chocolate croissant with a latte. Mine… not so standard. I chose a spicy pork hotdog wrapped in a black sesame seed baguette… it was divine.”

 

“On the subject of Jake, I must be a handful because Jake has been sick with a fever ever since our bus ride back from Tiong Bahru… hopefully he makes a speedy recovery. If not, I’ll be traveling through Singapore solo, which wouldn’t be bad– I did manage the 25 hour journey here by myself, wha’s one hour of alone sightseeing? This trip is really brining out a responsible, undefended, and self-aware side of me.”

Gabbin’ with Gab: Day 2

My cousin Gab, who is visiting Singapore for 10 days is a bit of a talker, and that can only mean one thing– blog series. In Gabbin’ with Gab, she’ll share her perspective on Singapore from climate to culture, food to flora, museums to mass transit. The posts will be short, sweet, and sprinkled with some South Philly love. 

 
Excerpts from Gab’s journal on day 2 (December 1st):

” As we enjoyed our lunch ominous signs began. First a crow like bird proceeded to squawk as if it were telling us to hurry our fat butts up with the eating. The sky was literally turning 50 shades of gray ( and not in the way that makes you feel adventurous). ”

“Before the rain began, we took a walk over the helix bridge for some river front views of the city. We saw a floating soccer field and took tons of pictures. It began to rain so we took refuge where any basic girl would go to save her hair and outfit from getting wet…. the mall.”

“It’s difficult to remember it is December 1st when you are walking around in 90 degree weather and flip flops (shoutout to Californians).”

” Later that night we went to Bugis, the Arab quarter of Singapore. There, we saw another beautiful mosque, explored side streets with little cafes and shops, and stumbled upon a pop-up art instillation. ”

” My inner Philly freaked out when I saw there was a graffiti room so I immediately grabbed a brush and tagged my name on the ceiling.”

“After we finished being hipsters, we put our fanny packs back on and went back to ride the flyer. The views were phenomenal. ”

“To end the night, we went to a bar called 28 Hong Kong Street. Where drinks like “How to Pimp a Butterfly ( shoutout to Kendrick Lamar) were $28 but the brussle sprouts with bacon were worth $1 million.”

Fin.

 

 

Gabbin’ with Gab: Day 1

My cousin Gab, who is visiting Singapore for 10 days is a bit of a talker, and that can only mean one thing– blog series. In Gabbin’ with Gab, she’ll share her perspective on Singapore from climate to culture, food to flora, museums to mass transit. The posts will be short, sweet, and sprinkled with some South Philly love. 

 

JB: “Let’s start off with your trip to reach Singapore. What was that like? How did it go”?

GS: ” It went really well actually. The people I was near on both planes were really great— no babies or smelly people, thankfully. The man sitting in my row on my second flight was like offering me snacks and slippers and was so sweet. He just wanted me to be comfortable. Before we took off we had our fingers crossed that no one would come to sit between us so we could stretch out. Fortunately no one did. We actually took a selfie together napping on the plane since we had two empty seats between us. ”

Gab and her plane buddy.

JB:  “What was your favorite thing from Day 1 in Singapore?”

GS:  “I think I would have to say the combined religious experience in Chinatown– just seeing other’s places of worship. We saw 3 different demonstrations of prayer: little boys learning in a mosque, Buddhist monks chanting at a prayer service in the Buddah tooth relic temple, and Hindu priests leading prayer ceremony in Sri Mariamman temple. It was fascinating to see these religions active in such close proximity. It seems like with everything going on lately in the news, religion is often portrayed as something divisive– us verses them. It’s shown as something that separates communities, but in reality it brings people together in prayer, sprit, and intent. Through that, community is built. It was really neat to see such different religions within the same community. ”

 

JB: “What was the most surprising thing or things from Day 1?”

GS: “Hmm. Keeping in the vein of the religious experience in Chinatown I was surprised how welcome I was as a white woman in these places of worship, particularly in the mosque. It was nice to be so openly welcome by the staff there especially when there is so much misunderstanding and negativity surrounding Islam  and muslims in the media.

On another note, I was really impressed with how well Singapore takes care of their own, particularly the elderly, and disabled. MRT stations have textured floors which help the visually impaired navigate too and from the trains. The platforms have sections for those in wheel chairs to wait for assistance and seats are reserved and made available for people who are older, disabled, pregnant, or with little kids on trains and busses. Even the money has brail on it. I was really touched by how well they take care of everyone and the efforts they make to help everyone feel equal and a part of their society. ”

JB:  “Tell me a little more about the public transit. Different than SEPTA?”

GS:  “[Laughs] Yea, just a bit. It’s so efficient. There are literally signs for everything. Floor arrows to direct people in and out of train; in comparison to Philly where people bum rush the train from all angles and can take you out. It’s also so fast. Every 4-5 minutes another train comes. It’s all computer operated so you don’t have to worry about the conductor needing a cig break or a bathroom stop. I love how durian was banned from MRT. GO MRT. Not only is it stinky as hell, it looks like Sonic the hedgehog and could be used as a weapon.”

No durian. Gab is a fan.

JB: ” So it sounds like you have some thoughts on Durian. Care to share them, and any others about the foods you have tried so far?”

GS: “Durian is STRAIGHT GARBAGE. The smell and taste lingered. When I finally escaped it, Samson (Jake’s suite-mate) came back to your suite with the same smell. NEVER AGAIN. I wanted to die.

Durian. Gab’s favorite!

My favorite food from day one though would have to be the pork buns. I love doughy anything. The buns had the perfect dough to pork ratio. It’s not a one to one ratio. For me its a little more dough than pork. I don’t things that are too meaty. I also really liked the blended KOPI. You said it isn’t normally blended, but I liked that it make it a little more frothy. I felt like I was at a Singapore version of Starbucks having a Mocha Choca KOPI.”

Pork Buns and Kopi. Breakfast of Champions.

JB:  “Just to wrap things up, give me your thoughts on Chinatown since that is where we spent most of today.”

GS: ” I thought it was really cool. I also like that the feel in all of the chinatowns I have been to is similar. I would love to go to a town in China and see if that is different. I really liked the URA museum which focused on the development of Singapore. It’s crazy to think about Singapore going from 578 square km to 712 square km in just a little longer than the time you or I have been alive. Theres no limit, they are just expanding into the ocean. Our tour guide friend that we stalked said to me one day if we keep this up we will be bigger than the USA. He was joking, but it was interesting to think about how much this place has grown and changed in only 50 years.”

Taking on Singapore from a new angle.