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I came to Singapore with only one thing in mind: focus on what matters most - whether that is finding inspiration, spending time with family & friends, or learning to understand the preciousness of life - I knew this would be the perfect time to do it. Three weeks into the semester, I realized that I desperately needed to switch up my day-to-day lifestyle of working and studying to aimlessly wandering around and seeing all that I can see. And so I booked a ticket to go back to Taiwan for Chinese New Year's.
From observing and learning the history of Singapore through various artwork, we were both left in awe. Singapore was not always the peaceful concrete jungle it is today, there were eras in its time where the island-country faced endless chaos. Aside from the historic pieces that laid in the old Supreme Court Wing, there were modern art pieces too. The most eye-catching one was the Minimalism: Space. Light. Object. exhibit which showcased the ideas of presence and absence.
The next day was New Year's Day. I followed my grandparents and cousin around to various temples in Taipei to continue paying our respects. The temples were packed with families big and small hoping to start the new year fresh. In Taiwan, after you eat dinner - there is always room for light snacks so I headed to Raohe Street Night Market. It is normally a 10 minute walk to reach the other side of the street; however, since it was New Year's, police had to standby to direct foot traffic. My go-to snacks are always popcorn chicken, braised pork on rice, black pepper buns, Chinese four herbs soup, fried donuts, passion fruit juice with basil seeds, tofu beancurd, and a good ol' bubble milk tea! At the entrance of the night market is another temple (for me, it is customary to pray in front of the temple if I pass by one). Taipei 101 is a must-see during New Year's Day at night because there is always neat pictures on its LED screen :) This year, a popular light display from Japan called "Luminaire" was showcased near the Taipei City Hall for the first time over the Lunar New Year holidays. First showcased in Kobe, Japan after the Hanshin Earthquake of January, 1995 - the light display is meant to inspire a sense of hope and a work of progress.
Week five is where professors begin to add on assignments and study guides for midterm exams. For my marketing course, my tutorial teacher assigned us a group project as well as an individual assignment that focused on the recent popularity of Korean pop culture. We are asked to create SWOT analysis and marketing recommendations based on how the Korean brand (Hyundai) affects the market in Singapore. For my service operations management course, my group is deciding on targeting the hotel industry and where technology fits into the service sector for this industry. The main objective is to provide our classmates with new theories that could potentially bring a new wave of ideas on how to better serve customers through what they experience. For my organizational design course, my group had the opportunity to set up an interview with the founder of Project Dignity during study week. This is a project that allows local Singaporeans to view those with disabilities by their abilities. Under the project, there is Dignity Kitchen, Dignity Mama, and Dignity Learn.
In about a week, it will be recess week here which is synonymous for study week. For most exchange students, they'll be going to other countries around Asia. Due to time constraints, make-up classes, and midterms the following week after our break, I will not have the leisure to leave Singapore, but I wholeheartedly believe that I'll find something special to do. Regardless of where I am, traveling to a nearby place for even an hour has the ability to change you as a person. There will certainly be times where I wished I was exploring somewhere new and times when I'm forced to face situations out of my comfort zone. Yet, these moments will teach me about myself - especially the places I still have not visited in Singapore.
2-3 weeks of school flew by just like that - with many new stories to tell :) As I currently sit at a little coffee shop in Holland Village, I have seem to finally catch onto Singapore's rhythm of life. When I am down at the canteens for breakfast, I see locals with a plate of kaya toast and a cup of kopi (coffee) chatting about what they will eat for lunch. When I am at the library down at the business school, I hear students ask "eat already anot?" At that moment, I realized just how important food is to Singaporeans and what food had to do with its culture. If you walk through Singapore's alleyway regardless of where you are, you are bound to find a little stand selling a variety of food - from Chinese mixed vegetables to Indian naan to Hainanese chicken rice to Indonesian laksa. So if you are ever feeling hungry, just walk around and you will find something to eat (all for less than $SG 10, too)! Besides thinking about food and dashing for the canteens right after class regardless of where we are on campus, NUS students study hard. Even past midnight, you will see NUS students studying in the study rooms and seminar rooms in the residential halls. As each course meets for 3 hours every week (except lectures with tutorials), a good chunk of your weekend is reserved for studying. With only three modules and one tutorial, it is still hard for me to keep up with all the homework and take-home exams that the professors have already given to us thus far. My trick is just to simply finish as much as I can the day I finish that module. Whatever I cannot finish, I set aside either Wednesday or Thursday and try to finish everything before dinnertime. After dinner on most days, I go out to explore since the sun does not set in Singapore until half past 7 everyday. (Note: It does rain quite a bit so it's good to have an umbrella or a light windbreaker handy) Sometimes, I will go to Kent Ridge Park and do a little walking around Kent Ridge's Heritage Trail which is just right behind the Science Park. There's a good panoramic view of NUS. Other days, I tend to go down to Marina Bay and just take a stroll along the bay front. If it's not raining, the sunset at Marina Barrage is definitely a view! (Hint: If you don't want to squeeze with people to see the Garden Rhapsody down at Gardens by the Bay, you can get a pretty clear view from Marina Barrage) Garden Rhapsody Times: Every night, one show at 7:45 pm & another at 8:45 pm Due to the amount of coursework that I have, I have not found time to plan any trips around Southeast Asia just yet. As next week is Chinese New Years, I purchased a ticket to fly back to Taiwan from February 5th to 7th since I do not have much time to spend with my family in Taiwan normally (about $340 USD). Unfortunately, one of my group projects require that I conduct interviews with a company to gain insights about their management operations, therefore, I am unsure whether I will be going anywhere for recess break which will be from February 23 to March 3rd. With my schedule, it is quite hard to do a one-day trip while focusing on school work but I do plan on visiting at least a few Southeast Asian countries before I end my studies at NUS. Budget Airline Tips:
Since next week is Chinese New Years, Chinatown has an annual parade and lighting ceremony followed by a fireworks display every year. I happened to be in Chinatown during the lighting ceremony without knowing which fell on Sunday, January 20th this year and is a three-hour long festival filled with entertainment and a lot of street food. The fireworks start at 9 pm. As it is the year of the pig, a huge pig lantern was lit during the lighting ceremony and every weekend prior to February 4th, there is different shows put on by local dance groups that you can see! The Asian Civilisations Museum also holds a Light to Night Festival to explore Singapore's past through artworks shown around One Fullerton. The iLight Singapore event is another art installation across Raffle's Place and Downtown Singapore. Both festival/events are to highlight 2019 as Singapore's Bicentennial Commemoration. I attended my last welcome reception last week on January 21st. As PGP House is dedicated to being environmentally friendly, we all brought our own reusable lunch boxes and utensils. I got to meet a few of my fellow housemates on my floor as well as those from the other blocks as well. A side story: "Ga Di Lang" To me, Singapore is just like home back in Hawaii - hot weather, a lot of sightseeing, and most importantly, the people. It was only until recently have I been able to fly back to Taiwan and really get in touch with my roots. Growing up, I learned Taiwanese (Hokkien/Minnan) from my grandparents and it is currently an issue in Taiwan where the younger generations are starting to lose the language. Not many of them know how to communicate in Taiwanese anymore and sadly, it breaks that relationship you have with the older generations because they cannot understand you. Even in Hawaii, it is rare to find anyone who can speak Taiwanese. On one of my Grab rides back to NUS, I stumbled upon a driver who asked where I was from. When I said the United States, he pointed out that I did not really have an American accent. After he figured out that I was Taiwanese, he replied: "ga di lang" which means we are the same people. I chatted with him in Taiwanese and learned quite a lot during that short 20-minute ride. He told me that Hokkien and Minnan are still widely used in Singapore today because they value the idea of understanding your culture. We might not come from the same province or country, but to be able to understand each other and listen to their stories means a lot to me. Our conversation reminded me of my grandfather who spoke to me completely in Taiwanese and as a child, you don't really think twice about what they tell you. However, it is fleeting moments like these that bring a heartwarming sense of familiarity. Since landing in Singapore, it's nice to hear those who are your elders and even young children speak Hokkien or Minnan. This might be why I have settled into Singapore much quicker than most of the exchange students who I met so far. It is as if I have never left Hawaii or Taiwan and is a constant reminder that you really don't know who you will meet & a short chat with someone can change your perspective on a lot of things. A few exchangers are still dealing with culture shock and I understand why. Sometimes, it is really hard to find your place but that should not stop you from going out there and face the world. This is one of the things my Grab driver told me and as I reflect over the past three weeks, it is small stories such as these that I hope I will continue to share as the weeks go on. Candids: |
Apa Kabar, Ni Hao! My name is Irene Chen. I am currently a third-year undergraduate student at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa pursuing a BBA in Accounting & Finance. Join me on this journey through Singapore!
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