Hello! How are you? My name is Jasmine. I am glad you have chosen to visit my country, and I have a lot planned for us to do and see. My country is almost always warm and sunny, so we won’t have to worry about the weather.

As we travel around and see the sights, don’t be surprised if people greet you in different ways. Singapore is a combination of cultures, and each one is unique. You may be greeted in English the way I greeted you, or you may hear “Apa khabar”— the Malaysian greeting, “Ni hao”—the Mandarin Chinese greeting, or “Vanakkam”—the Tamil greeting. Just respond by smiling and saying “Hello” and you’ll do just fine.

We’ll start by visiting Singapore Botanic Gardens. It opens at 5 a.m., so we can go there when it is still cool outside. Although many people visit the gardens every day, the area is peaceful because everyone stops to admire all the plants and flowers. As many as 1,000 kinds of orchids grow there, so you know it will be beautiful!

After that, we’ll go to Jurong Bird Park—one of the largest bird parks in the world. It has more than 5,000 birds living in beautiful surroundings.

Later we’ll take a cable car on a short ride to Sentosa, an island just south of Singapore. This island could be called “vacation land” with its beautiful beaches and a water park. Then we’ll head back to the main island to ride one of the tallest Ferris wheels in the world. From the top of the ride, you can see the city skyline and even over to Sentosa Island. We’ll wrap up our tour with a visit to the Night Safari—a wildlife park that is only open at night so visitors can see animals that are active after dark. It’s really cool.

Of course, I know you didn’t come all the way to Singapore just to see the sights. My country is full of wonderful people with an interesting mix of cultures. While we’re here, we’ll visit some of them. By the time you have to leave, I’m sure you’ll agree that Singapore may not be the biggest nation in the world, but it has a lot to offer!

National Girls Ministries.www.ngm.ag.org©2015 Gospel Publishing House. Springfield, MO 65802. All Rights Reserved

Singapore

THE COUNTRY ; Singapore’s total land area is about 270 square miles, making it slightly larger than the city of Chicago.”

; An island nation, Singapore is located in Southeast Asia, just off the coast of Malaysia.

; Singapore is made up of the island of Singapore and about 60 smaller islands. The city of Singapore takes up the entire land area of Singapore Island. That means Singapore is an island, a city, and a nation—all at the same time!

; Since it is located near the equator, Singapore has a warm, humid climate. Daily temperatures vary little throughout the year. From December to March, a northeast monsoon season brings winds accompanied by heavy rain. Winds during the southwest monsoon season, from June to September, are much drier.

; Singapore’s land is generally flat and poor for farming. Only a few people make their living raising crops or livestock.

; Forests once covered much of Singapore’s land. However, as the population grew, the forests were cut down to make room for homes and businesses. Today the government is actively trying to protect the nation’s remaining trees.

; Flowers and plants are abundant in Singapore’s warm, wet climate. People work hard to keep the nation bright and colorful. In fact, Singapore is often called the Garden City.

; The first known settlers in Singapore probably came to the island from the area now known as Malaysia. A popular stopping point between India and China, Singapore attracted explorers from Europe. A British businessman, Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, helped Singapore grow from a tiny fishing village to a major shipping port that is now one of the most prosperous nations in the world.

; Singapore’s flag is composed of two horizontal stripes of equal size. The top stripe is red, and the bottom stripe is white. A white crescent moon and five white stars are in the upper left corner of the red stripe.

; Singapore’s currency is the Singapore dollar. One Singapore dollar is worth about $1.25 in U.S. dollars.

THE PEOPLE ; Singapore’s population is about 5.5 million, which is slightly smaller than the population of Wisconsin.

; Since all of Singapore Island is a city, there are few rural areas in the nation.

; The people of Singapore come mainly from

four groups—Chinese, Malay, East Indians, and Europeans. These groups reflect the areas from which the early settlers migrated. Each group has contributed customs and culture that makes Singapore the nation it is today.

; The official languages of Singapore are Mandarin, English, Malay and Tamil.

; The largest segment of Singapore’s population claims to be Buddhist. However, Islam, Taoism, Hinduism, Christianity, and other religions are also present in the nation. About 15 percent of Singaporeans claim no religion at all.

; Singapore became an independent nation in 1965.

; Most people in Singapore live in apartments called “flats” built in large complexes called “estates.”

; Singapore places a high value on education. Students are expected to work hard to earn a spot at one of the nation’s universities.

; The foods of Singapore reflect the many ethnic groups living there. Seemingly every style of food is available in Singaporean restaurants, but Chinese, Malay and Indian foods are the most common. The one ingredient common to all three styles of food is rice.

; Although it is not uncommon for people to wear clothing from their particular ethnic group, most Singaporeans dress as people in the United States do.

; The number one sport in Singapore is soccer. Table tennis (ping pong), swimming and badminton are popular too.

DID YOU KNOW? ; The name Singapore is believed to have come from an ancient Sanskrit word “Singapura,” which means “Lion City.” .

; Only about 15 percent of Singaporeans own cars. To keep the nation free of traffic jams and pollution, the nation charges a variety of taxes and fees to every car sold or brought into the nation. Most people get about town by bus, rail or taxi.

; Singapore is the world’s leading exporter of ornamental fish, which are goldfish and other small fish found in aquariums.

; Since Singapore is surrounded by ocean, much of its food comes from the sea. Some of the delicacies served there are a bit unusual, such as eel skin crisps, which are crunchy like potato chips. Other unique dishes are steamed shark head and a pig organ soup that contains pig blood cubes along with pig liver, heart, intestines, stomach and tongue!

National Girls Ministries.www.ngm.ag.org©2015 Gospel Publishing House. Springfield, MO 65802. All Rights Reserved

people spread the rice on a flat surface so it will dry faster.)

4. Heat oil in a skillet.

5. Add onion and cook for a minute or so. Stir in remaining ingredients.

6. Add rice. Stir mixture until heated through.

7. Serve with diced vegetables, such as cucumbers and tomatoes.

Pisang Goreng (Fried Bananas)

You will need:

; 1 ½ cups flour

; Pinch of salt

; 1 cup cold water

; Bananas, cut into chunks

; Oil for frying

; ¼ cup sugar

; ½ teaspoon cinnamon

What to do:

1. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, salt, and cold water.

2. Pour oil in a frying pan until it is about 2 inches deep.

3. Heat oil until small bubbles are immediately visible when a bit of dough is dropped into the skillet.

4. Dip banana chunks in batter, completely coating each piece.

5. Carefully drop bananas into hot oil and fry until golden on all sides, turning pieces if necessary.

6. Drain on paper towels.

7. Combine sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle mixture on warm banana pieces.

; Singapore has sometimes been called a “fine nation” because of all the fines and penalties people are charged for seemingly minor offenses. The reason for the fines is to keep the nation clean and peaceful. As a result, people can be fined for selling chewing gum, not voting in elections, littering, eating on public transportation, and feeding pigeons at the local park.

PENTECOSTAL MINISTRY IN SINGAPOREThe Singapore Assemblies of God began with a church started by missionaries Cecil and Edith Jackson in 1928. The Jacksons were ministering in China but had to leave the country. They thought they were sailing for Hong Kong, so they were surprised when they arrived in Singapore. They were even more surprised when they discovered a large number of Chinese people living on the island.

The Jacksons started a school and began holding church services. From this beginning, the Singapore Assemblies of God has grown into a fellowship of 46 churches. A Bible school prepares students for ministry, and outreaches to youth and families are reaching people for Jesus.

FOOD FROM SINGAPOREFood from all over the world is available in Singapore. Here are two foods that are favorites among many people.

Nasi Goreng (Fried Rice)You will need:

; 2 cups long-grain rice

; 4 cups water

; One-fourth cup vegetable oil

; 1 small onion, diced

; 2 teaspoons chili powder

; 2 teaspoons paprika

; Salt to taste

; 2 teaspoons soy sauce

; 1 teaspoon sugar

; 2 teaspoons ketchup

What to do:

1. In a saucepan, bring water to a boil; add rice and cover.

2. Reduce heat to simmer; cook until all the water is absorbed.

3. Uncover rice and allow rice to cool completely—at least two hours—until it is rather dry. (Some

National Girls Ministries.www.ngm.ag.org©2015 Gospel Publishing House. Springfield, MO 65802. All Rights Reserved

4. Bring the sides of the construction paper together to form a tube shape. Tape the edges securely.

5. Trace around the bottom of the tube onto a piece of poster board. Cut out the circle shape.

6. Tape or glue an LED tea light in the center of the poster board circle. Place the circle on the bottom of the poster board tube and tape securely in place.

7. If desired, cut a strip of construction paper and tape it to the top of the lantern on opposite sides to serve as a handle.

SAY WHAT?Singapore is a world-class nation, and people from all over the world make their home there. English is the main language, but Mandarin, Tamil, and Malay are also official languages.

Here are several words in Malay:

ENGLISH:Malay Good morning: Selamat Pagi

Goodbye: Selamat Jalan

Yes: Ya

No: Tidak

One: Satu

Two: Dua

Three: Tiga

Four: Empat

Five: Lima

Six: Enam

Seven: Tujuh

Eight: Lapan

Nine: Sembilan

Ten: Sepuluh

SAYINGS FROM SINGAPOREHere are some proverbs from Singapore. What do you think they mean?

1. Never take a quiet person for granted.

2. The person who can see a house in China is unaware of an elephant on his nose.

3. Where there is a sea, there are pirates.

KUTI KUTIHere is a variation of a children’s game that has been popular in Singapore for many years.

You will need: ; Several paper clips of various colors

What to do:1. Choose two players to begin the game. Assign

each girl a specific color of paper clips. Give each player the same number of paper clips.

2. Each player should place a paper clip on a flat surface and begin flipping it toward the other player’s paper clip. They should keep flipping their paper clips until any part of one paper clip lands on top of the other one. The girl whose paper clip is on top wins both paper clips.

3. Continue the process until a player has no more paper clips.

4. If several flat surfaces are available, let teams of girls participate at the same time. Each player could play every other player in a tournament style.

This game is originally played with small plastic disks like tiddlywinks. If plastic pieces are available, try playing an “authentic” version of the game!

LOVELY LANTERNSEvery fall, the Chinese population of Singapore celebrates the Mid-Autumn Festival. During this time people make colorful paper lanterns—some small and some enormous—to display. A contest is held to name the most creative lantern.

Try making a paper lantern to take to a club meeting.

You will need: ; Construction paper

; Tissue paper

; Small piece of poster board

; Pencil

; Scissors

; Tape

; LED tea light

What to do:

1. Draw a variety of designs on the construction paper.

2. Cut out the designs, being careful not to cut the outside edges of the paper.

3. Glue the construction paper to a sheet of tissue paper, letting the color of the tissue paper show through the cutout areas.

things to do

National Girls Ministries.www.ngm.ag.org©2015 Gospel Publishing House. Springfield, MO 65802. All Rights Reserved

Singapore