After 3 wonderful weeks at home visiting with family and
friends, it was time to leave for my next adventure. I would be spending 4
months in Singapore, studying at the National University of Singapore for the
semester. I can't believe this is real life. The fact that I have the
opportunity to have this amazing year is so special, and I am appreciating
every second of it.
I arrived in Singapore around midnight, and was greeted by a
Welcome Buddy from the university who showed me to my dorm room. The ride into
the city to get to the university gave me a view of the city lit up at night. A
nice way to be greeted I think. They have a giant ferris wheel like the London
Eye and many lit up modern architectural buildings in the skyline. Once getting
to my room, I unpacked my sheets and made the bed, then stuffed my sweatshirt
with clothes for a pillow. After a warm shower, I fell asleep quickly, excited
to start this new chapter.
I have been in Singapore a month now, and it has been very different
from New Zealand. The mixture of several different Asian cultures in one place leads to a unique
voice and identity for the city. I have enjoyed exploring different areas and
getting to know new friends through shared experience. Above all else, food
seems to be the most popular topic in conversation. There are so many different
types of food and local cheap places to eat that it is always an adventure when
going in search of a meal. In Little India, the Tekka Center has some great
selections and I've gotten some great chicken biriyani and masala dosai there. The many cheap and delicious food courts all around Singapore are called hawker
centers and are basically where I've been eating the whole time I've been
here. The most popular dish I've seen
here so far is Chicken Rice, a serving of flavored rice with fresh cut roasted
or steamed chicken neatly sliced on top. Often times it is served with a side
cup of soup.
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| Noodle dish |
Besides seeking out good food, I've visited the botanic
gardens, the Gardens By the Bay, the impressive Chinatown markets, the Bukit
Timah Nature Reserve and many other places. The Gardens By the Bay had a lot of nice flower and plant displays that I really enjoyed. It is located near the famous Marina Bay Sands Hotel which looks like there's a boat on top. This is where the famous rooftop infinity pool is. Chinatown had so many different shops and market stalls, it was a little overwhelming but fun to walk around. I have to go back for lunch because I've heard the food is really good there.
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| Gardens By the Bay |
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| Chinatown |
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| Chinatown |
The Bukit Timah Nature Reserve has lots of
macaque monkeys running around and terrorizing the neighborhoods nearby. I can
see how they could be more pesky than squirrels since they can open doors and
do more damage.
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| Bukit Timah Nature Reserve |
We saw a dog chasing two monkeys down the street like you would
see with squirrels at home. I was surprised at how quickly it became normal to
see the monkeys jumping around.
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| I still think they're cute |
In one of my classes, we went on a field exercise to
do some stream tests and collect some samples to analyze and there were monkeys
curiously looking down at what we were doing. My teacher told us not to laugh
as they see it as a sign of aggression and might become violent. Okay, no
problem, I'll try my best not to agitate the monkeys. I was chased by cows in
New Zealand, don't need to be chased by monkeys in Singapore.
I also went on an adventure to a Buddhist monastery with some friends. It was very peaceful and beautiful.
August 9th was National Day, Singapore's 48th birthday. The
entire city was decked out in flags and patriotic memorabilia in anticipation
for the day. A group of us went down to the harbor and watched the fireworks
display at night. It was one of the more impressive displays I've seen! A fun
night with new friends left me with a smile on my face.
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| The Harbor lit up |
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The Singaporeans I've met I find to be very friendly,
genuinely caring and funny. I met a girl on the bus on campus and we got
breakfast last week. She was telling me to let her know if I needed any help at
all. She was incredibly helpful and always smiling. She even asked me to text
her when I arrived back to my dorm to make sure I made it there okay. The other
day during one of the usual downpours, I was walking down a ramp and slipped
and fell. May I add that I was extremely graceful in the execution of this fall
and it was not embarrassing in any way. Now, if you fall in Boston, most people
will walk by and ignore your moment of embarrassment, as you clumsily stand up
and continue walking with your eyes glued to the sidewalk, attempting to hide
your flaring red cheeks. That was what I was expecting in this situation, and
as an added bonus, I thought, hey, I don't know anyone here so how embarrassing
can it really be? I wasn't prepared for everyone to rush over to me and ask if
I was okay with a genuine look of concern on their faces. While most people are
very friendly, there are always exceptions. For example, the woman who works at the food
court that always growls at me while I am buying an apple.
My classes are in full swing now. I'm taking two science and
one media class. While it's nice to only be taking three classes, they are
pretty intense and I spend a lot of my free time doing work and preparing for
class. I find Immunology especially challenging. My professor in that class is
Dutch, and when someone is able to answer a bonus question in lecture, he gives
them a package of stroopwafels. I am determined to win a package this semester!
I love stroopwafels.
In addition to class, I am hoping to start traveling to some
neighboring countries soon and go on little adventures. I haven't made any
concrete plans yet but hopefully will soon!
