Eileen's Reflection

This heritage trail made me see kampung glam in a new light!

I used to associate kampung glam as a place where hipsters go for a café hop, or the artistic feel and bars along Arab Street that was picture worthy. But I never once go beyond and take a good look at kampung glam as a historical site. It may be due to the lack of knowledge and assumptions that historical sites are ‘boring’ and all we can do is just ‘look’ at the buildings.

However, to my surprise, the trail was so different than what I had expected it to be. It was interesting and entertaining, especially when we have background information about the history of kampung glam. Our trip became more meaningful and as we walk along the streets, as it seems like everything have a story behind it. Knowing the past trades and events that happens along the street within kampung glam, it was fascinating to see how kampung glam had changed, developed and evolved to its current state.

Artistic and modern infusion at Kampung Glam.

In my opinion, kampung glam is a place where both tradition and modernization intertwined and connect. The progress of kampung glam can slowly be discovered as we continue along the trail. New shop houses that appeared also seems to link to the later development, trades and residency of the area. Most of the new restaurants were opened by Turkish or Middle Eastern which bring forth the possibility of the change of dominant immigrants at the later stage of certain streets within kampung glam. Even though most of the shop houses were replaced by new tenants and stalls, I could somehow imagine and visualize the bustling street it used to be when I am walking around. Many sites, architects, buildings, shops, streets and trades we always missed, neglect or kept unnoticed became a surprise factor throughout our trip. One example that left a deep impression will be the European design shop houses along Kandahar Street. Though the street may not be bustling like the others, the elaborate design and complex and detailed workmanship reflects the lifestyle and influence of the people back then.

 Our trip became a treasure hunt of historical traces that were left within kampung glam, and through this we discovered many interesting things and stories that we never noticed before. I would never expect to discover so much interesting facts such as the glass bottles lined under the dome of Sultan Mosque, the blacksmith shop that was burnt down by fire and the  Hajjah Fatimah Mosque that we claimed to be ‘Singapore’s version of Pisa’. It was definitely an eye opening trip that I never imagined it will be.

It was a pity that I did not came to discover all these interesting component of kampung glam earlier, but I definitely want my future students to be able to experience the joy, excitement and discovery that I had along this trail. From there, they would surely experience and understand the meaning of using (background knowledge) and learning (new knowledge gained on site) history in real world context.

Giving off Malay vibes at Malay Heritage Center

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With the modernization and development of Singapore throughout the years, it was undoubtedly that Kampung Glam had gone through a series of changes throughout the years. Traditional trade stores are being replaced by new shop houses. The infiltration of western culture can also be seen from the various cafes, bars, and fashion outlets along the streets. Though many changes had been made along the years, I think that the preservation of historical remains sites can still be deemed as acceptable, taking into consideration the limited land space in Singapore. Many of the historical sites still standing around are used as tourist hot spots. But it was disappointing that traditional stores were no longer/ rarely available at kampung glam, which reduces the ‘authenticity’ of the streets and life back than in the olden Singapore. I strongly believed that these remains are important as it represents the root of Singapore’s history. Reusing of old buildings and modernizing it to fit our current lifestyle is another way of conserving history as well, rather than demolishing it all for new development. Hence, with more effort with the conserving the preservation of the historical heritage, I believe kampung glam can be a good teaching tool where my students could learn and discover new aspect of Singapore history.

All of us enjoyed this trail to its fullest!