The first couple of weeks were also stressful because of the uncertainty in my classes. Like I mentioned in the course registration portion, my classes were not set until the end of the second week. I was so used to having the freedom of selecting my own schedule, having to appeal and wait for approval by the university registrar honestly gave me some level of anxiety. Ultimately, I was able to finalize my 4 modules for the semester Principles of Marketing (MKT1705X), Asian Business Environments (BSP2011), Programming for Business Analytics (DAO2702), and History and Popular Culture (Hy2260). As classes began, another adjustment I had to get used was having class for either 1 hour 40 minutes or 2 hour 40 minutes. Being used to 1 hour 15 min classes, these classes felt very long. However, I appreciated how the lecturers are really engaged in the topic, making it easier to pay attention in class (although not going to lie there were moments that made me want to drift off). As for the students themselves, it is definitely a different environment than I have experienced before, especially in tutorials. If class participation is ANY part of your grade, you will HAVE to speak up. At first there were times when I questioned myself whether what I was thinking would be "smart enough" or relevant to the discussion at hand. However, after a short while, you overcome the momentary fear and voice your opinions because in the end, you loose out on the chances you don't take (especially when everyone else in the class wants those participation points).
In addition to getting used to my modules, I also had some adapting in my personal life to do. After living away from my parents for a month, I have further learned what the meaning of independent living is and being accountable for myself. I was very fortunate to make new friends as well as have my friends from Hawaii to keep myself and each other in check, whether it was our modules or every day life as we all adjusted to our new lives. One interesting/shocking thing I want to share is the trust everyone has of their belongings. All of us were surprised when we saw that some local students would leave their backpacks filled with their personal belongings such as laptops on seats at dining areas to chope (Singaporean term for saving a seat) their area as they went to buy food. Coming from the US, I always learned to never leave your belongings in public areas because it will more often than not get stolen. Seeing this will certainly take some time to get used to but it is nice to see that everyone is respectful/trusting of each other.
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Jewel 💎 (January 21st): Since Brittney, Anna, and I had a free afternoon (after spending a morning in), we decided to go adventure to Jewel. Although I have been there before (twice already in the past 3 weeks), I was still excited to be able to go again and see the beauty of the airport. Once we got to Changi Airport, we made our first stop at Llaollao, a frozen yogurt shop. We got a plain base with mango, choco balls, and caramel syrup. At first we wondered if the dessert would be too sweet but later realized that the yogurt had more of a sour taste, which balanced out the sweetness of the toppings. We quickly made our way to Jewel to make the most of our afternoon. During our time, we got to explore shops and even went snack shopping at the supermarket. Spontaneously, we also decided to do the Mirror Maze (one of the many activities at Jewel). It was so entertaining to be able to walk around a maze entirely made out of mirrors. Thankfully, they gave us foam sticks to avoid running into them (because we all know that would definitely happen)😂. Then we wrapped up the day by meeting the rest of our friends at Maxwell Hawker Center, one of the popular hawker centers. I finally got my fix of ice kacang, a Malaysian dessert (shave ice with syrup, red bean, jelly, and sweet corn). Din Tai Fung!! (January 22nd): 8 years later... I finally got to eat Din Tai Fung. I've missed it so much that I have been craving it since I got to Singapore. A big shout out to Kilani and her family to taking me out! It was a wonderful early Chinese New Year family dinner🥰. I got to do Lo Hei again, which is a Chinese New Year tradition in Singapore. After finishing that, the rest of our meal finally came, which consisted of xiao long bao (a MUST), spicy dumplings, fried rice, custard buns, etc. The meal was so satisfying, I was definitely stuffed. Always grateful to catch up with friends and have a great time! SUSHI (January 23rd): Not having Japanese food for almost a month, I had a sudden urge of sushi cravings. I was so excited when I found Sushiro (a japanese chain conveyer belt sushi store) was here in Singapore! Thankfully, since it was Chinese New Year Eve, the stores were still open. The dishes were fairly cheap as the prices started from S$2.20. Combined, Clay, Isaiah, Anna, and I ate a total of 37 dishes 🤪and each dish was worth it, especially the yellow tail. We also went to McDonald's after to try their new peach flavored ice cream. However, once we got back to the dorms, we found out that there was a case of the corona virus in Singapore. The news created a worry between our group as we didn't want to get impacted by the virus. We also looked for surgical masks at local drug stores to be told that they were all sold out. Even worse, since it was the new year, there weren't many shipments arriving to Singapore. Chinese New Year (January 24 - 26th):
恭喜发财!新年快乐! Chinese New Year is one of the if not the biggest holiday in Singapore and in the Chinese culture. However, little did we know that all the stores around us would be closed. Beginners mistake, stock up on food and snacks before the stores close for the holidays. We could only rely on Cheers and Fairprice (the convenient stores on campus) to get food and drinks 😅Despite the closures, we definitely made the most of the weekend! From playing monopoly to watching shows and movies, it was definitely a nice bonding experience for all of us. Foods of the week: llaollao: - Frozen Yogurt size small (S$5.90) -> 8/10 Maxwell Hawker Center: - Mango Ice Kachang (S$2.50) -> 9/10 Din Tai Fung: - Xiao Long Bao -> 10/10 - Spicy Dumplings -> 10/10 Sushiro: - Variety of Dishes (starting from S$2.20) -> 10/10 McDonald's: - Peach Cone (S$1) -> 8/10 First Week of the Semester (January 13th, 14th , and 16th): My first day of classes at NUS... both exciting yet kinda nervous since I don't know what to expect. Thankfully, I have Isaiah with me for the our first lecture, Principles of Marketing! The lecture was quite entertaining and the professor made the class really easy to follow and understand, despite it being in a lecture hall. From there my day was pretty smooth sailing as I went back to my dorm to relax. Now the second day was going to be rough. I had my Econometrics for Business II class (which I did not sign up for), I was definitely nervous for the class since I had no idea what to expect. However, once I got to the class, there were only 6 people in the class and turns out 2/3 of the class were also placed into this module. In the end, we all concluded that we are not fit to take this module and were released early (the class was also eventually cancelled). Since I was done for the day and pretty much have no classes, some of my friends and I decided to head to Vivo City, a mall in the Harbourfront area. Since we were hungry (honestly when are we not eating), I got to eat some of my favorite egg puffs which I have been craving since I arrived. Additionally, we went to an amazing bakery called Nayuki, where I got to buy a match ring bread which had red bean, chocolate chip, matcha, and cream cheese. It was so fluffy yet had a mochi texture, it was so amazing. My third and last class of the week started Thursday afternoon. Although it started at 4pm, I was very excited for this class as it was learning about popular culture in the US during the 1980's. Moreover, we get to analyze films and learn more about the deeper context of how the films relate to their time period, which I found to be very interesting. The cherry on top was our professor. He is from the US and incorporates jokes as well as presents his lectures in a way that keeps the students entertained and wanting to pay attention. Free Days (15th, 17th-19th):
For my first free day of the semester (Wednesday, 15th), I decided to catch up with my friend from middle school Kilani. We both met each other in 6th grade when I attended the Singapore American School for a little while. Since then we have kept in touch and see her when she visits Hawaii. This time, it was a nice change in scenery being able to meet up in Singapore. We had brunch at Wild Honey in Scotts Square and caught up on our time in college. After parting ways, I met up with my friends at Somerset where we decided to look around the malls in the area (313@somerset and OrchardGateway). I was so excited as I got to show them my favorite tea place here so far (ChiChaSanChen). Not only do they have a nice aesthetic to their store, their tea is brewed to order, which is great for people like me who LOVE their teas unsweetened. From there, we pretty much wrapped up our night and headed back to the dorm. To kick-off the weekend, we decided to go try dim sum that we found in the Ang Mo Kio area Saturday morning (18th). We wanted to try it as their catch was that their menu was entirely $1.30!! The price definitely sounds amazing and who wouldn't want to be able to eat dim sum for such a steal?! After completing our meal, we all concluded that 1. the price speaks for the quality 2. was it the best dim sum we've had? no , and 3. would we be back? that would be a tbd 😅. Then to wrap-up the weekend, we went to Pot Yummy Yummy, an ayce hot pot/kbbq place (yes you read right, hot pot AND kbbq). I found this place on singapore.foodie's Instagram account and it looked AMAZING. Included in the ayce hot pot was the broth, basic meats (chicken, pork, beef), vegetables, seafood, ready made appetizers, fruits, ice cream, and drinks (hot tea/calamansi juice)). The ayce kbbq was an optional $6 per table. As fun as having both sounds, we quickly learned that having both is pretty difficult. Not only do you have to watch the items in your own pot cook, you would also have to multi-task and watch the grill to make sure the meat didn't burn. My personal opinion, the ayce hot pot was fulfilling on its own. Definitely worth an experience to try but enjoying each style on its own provides a great experience in itself. Foods of the week: Wild Honey (Scotts Square): - Caribbean (S$20) -> 9/10 $1.30 Dim Sum (Ang Mo Kio): - Variety (S$1.30 each) -> 7/10 Pot Yummy Yummy: - AYCE Hot Pot (S$18.90++) -> 9/10 - AYCE KBBQ (additional S$6 per table) -> 7/10 Check-in day (January 6th): Finally the day had come, dorm check-in day! A little excited and somewhat anxious to meet many of the exchange students for the first time, Isaiah and I headed to UTown to check in to our dorms. I had no idea what to expect as I had only seen pictures of my potential dorm room online. In our emails, it had stated that check in would start at 2 pm, so we took a Grab from the hotel to NUS and arrived a little after 2 pm, which was a big mistake. When we arrived to check in, there were around 40+ people waiting in line ALREADY. *TIP: arrive to check in at least 30 minutes earlier so you can get a number early to wait in the queue* We quickly got our numbers and waited outside, thinking it would only take about 30 minutes max... 2 HOURS 30 MINUTES LATER, we finally checked in 😪but it was so sweet they gave us a welcome bag with containers, bottle, and cutlery to keep! I quickly dropped off my things in my room and we headed to the mall. We stopped by an AYCE tteokbokki place for Anna's birthday dinner (HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANNA) and it was SUPER FILLING! We wrapped up the night with a quick cleaning supply run at the super market and headed back to our dorms. Food of the Day: Dookki (Clementi Mall) - AYCE tteokbokki, ramen, vegetables, fish cake, etc (S$18.90++) -> 9/10 TIMI Alumni Gathering in Singapore (January 8th): Studying abroad in Singapore, one of my main goals was to network with professionals here. Luckily, I was able to have that opportunity by attending the TIMI Alumni Gathering that was held. This was a wonderful opportunity as I was able to meet Shidler/TIM alumni that have created a significant presence in Singapore through their successful businesses. It was eye opening to hear their career paths grow from Hawaii to Singapore. The event was held at Godmama, which is owned by TIMI alumna Christina Khoo. The restaurant serves Peranakan cuisine, and all the dishes were amazing in flavor and presentation. I was truly amazed by all the alumni that were present and grateful for the opportunity. Rest of the week:
With the new friends we made this week, we decided to go sightseeing around our new home! We started the day at Chinatown with Hawker Chan (Formally known as Liao Fan Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice & Noodle), where we had their famous soya sauce chicken rice. In the spirit of trying new things, we also decided to try durian, which did not go so well for the majority of us 😅. From there we headed to the Merlion Park to take the ever so iconic tourist pictures with the Merlion. Once we got our pictures, we headed to the Gardens by the Bay to see the their cloud and flower dome. They were both spectacular to go around! Lastly, to wrap up our night, we headed to the outer parts of the gardens, where we got to see the Supertrees as well as see the floating eggs. The other days, we explored NUS and attempted to find our classes before our first week began. Foods of the Day: Hawker Chan - Soya Sauce Chicken Rice (S$2.80 ) -> 9/10 McDonlad's - Spicy Chicken Nuggets -> 9/10 - Strawberry Cheesecake McFlurry (S$3.20) -> 10/10 January 3rd, 2020: HAPPY NEW YEAR! 🥳 2 flights and 1 layover later, I have finally arrived in the crazy rich asian country of Singapore! Although my new years were spent traveling, I am blessed to have landed safe and sound. Since I arrived at the airport at 5 am (yes, in the morning) and my check-in to the hotel isn't till 2pm, I have A LOT of time to spare. Upon landing, the immigration process was really simple. Just show them your IRA papers and passport and you're all set to go! After getting through and collecting my suitcases, I decided to drop everything off at a baggage storage area (it was $15 per suitcase for 6+ hours) to be able to go and explore. Seeing JEWEL was an amazing sight! I was in awe of the waterfall and the forest surrounding the area. After spending a whole day at the airport, I finally got to the hotel, washed up and went to bed (for an astonishing 14 hours). Food stops of the day: Ya Kun Kaya Toast (Terminal 3): - Kaya Butter Toast ala carte (S$2) -> 10/10 - Iced Soya Tea: (S$3) -> 8/10 Five Spice -food court (Jewel): - Fish Ball Noodle Soup (S$5.50) -> 8/10 The Alley (Jewel): - Asam Black Tea w/boba (S$3.40) -> 8/10 January 4th, 2020: Another full day of exploring! I started off the day by utilizing the hotel gym. From there I walked around Orchard and checked out ION Orchard (mall). In the afternoon I got to see some of my family friends which was nice to see a familiar face! And now for the exciting part... I met Isaiah (my friend who will also be studying abroad at NUS from UH and another familiar face) at the airport who finally landed! We went around JEWEL (yes I wanted to go again and it was definitely worth it because the view at night was spectacular) and called it a night. Food stops of the day: Food Court (ION Orchard): - Lotus Bao (S$0.80) -> 9/10 Culina (Dempsey area): - Fish and Chips -> 8/10 Signature by KOI (JEWEL): - Coffee Jelly Green Milk Tea (S$5.80) -> 8/10 January 5th, 2020:
Once again, I started off the day by going to the gym, thankfully not alone this time since Isaiah is here. Then we headed off to IKEA to get some dorm necessities (bed sheets, pillows, blankets, etc). Since we were at IKEA there was no way we would miss the famous food court. We shared the meatballs and chicken wings which were both amazing! After that long morning of shopping, we ended up crashing back at the hotel until dinner, where we began our journey to see some of the Crazy Rich Asains (cra) movie stops. First, we went to Newton Hawker Center for dinner (where we shared local staples), then concluded our stops for the day at Marina Bay Sands to check out the Gardens by the Bay. To finish off the night we had our first McDonald's mcflurry, and whether it was because we walked so much or late night cravings, it was the most satisfying way to end the night. Food stops of the day: IKEA (Alexandra): - Swedish Meatballs w/mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and broccoli (S$10.50) -> 10/10 - Spicy hot chicken wings (S$8.50) -> 10/10 Newton Hawker Center: - Chicken and Pork Satay (S$7.00) -> 9/10 - Popiah (S$4.50) -> 10/10 - Carrot Cake (S$4) -> 7/10 - Lychee Juice (S$2.50) -> 10/10 McDonald's: - Strawberry Shortcake McFlurry (S$3.50) -> 10/10 |
kelsFrom traveling to tips, I hope to share my experiences with you all and motivate you to explore your kuriosities :) Archives
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