Iven: The Final Chapter

Hii everyoneeeee  ₍˄⌓⃘ ˳̫̬ ⌓⃘˄₎ค˒ ~~

Wowwww…. What a crazy few months it has been since my last blog post in February. First of all, I hope you all are keeping safe and coping well during this unprecedented global pandemic. I really wanted to take this time to reflect on these past few months and more importantly, discuss how I personally have been dealing with everything going on at the moment and offer some advice I have for everyone especially my fellow exchange students and UoA peers. Today is the first day where I have been able to sit down and actually process everything that is going on as I submitted my final assignment for the semester. It is going to be a lengthy one so I hope you’re ready, grab a drink or a snack and lets go!

Picking Up Where I Left Off…

Me and my exchange friends on our last day in Bali

The last time I caught up with you all I was in Bali and I truly did have the time of my life. Travelling during exchange with the life-long friends you have made in such a short amount of time is an indescribable feeling that you really have to experience. There will be highs and some lows, but the memories created will make everything worthwhile. Especially now, I would give anything to be back in Bali or just simply being able to travel with my friends— time is precious!

Check out my Bali Vlog on my channel! (◕ε◕✿)･:*:･。

Online Courses During Exchange

At this point of my exchange around early March, classes with 50 or more students started to become online so two of my lecturers became online with one being pre-recorded and the other being a Zoom session every week. Therefore, I still had to go to one lecture and all my tutorials. Personally, as an exchange student, I preferred this method of teaching as my courses were practical based so it was only the tutorials that were more important to physically attend.

Tip: Although classes are online, create a routine/timetable to follow so that you are still productive!

Also during this time, NUS started implementing some rules, for example, we were required to take our temperature twice daily with our thermometers ( that we were given for free at the start of the semester ironically) and take photos of it to upload online. The lecturers also had to take pictures of the class and check if students took their temperatures.

Covid-19 During March

As March progressed, the rules got stricter and soon all classes and tutorials were online. Social distancing rules started to be put into place so it would be common to see places marked with X and chairs removed so that the people would be keeping a safe distance from one another.

An example of a sign at a Mall in Singapore

Securing Another Internship

With all the craziness going on at this time, something amazing came out of it. Although I was still in Singapore, I was able to secure a social promo role for Umusic NZ! I was so so so happy as it was right up my alley, especially for my degree. The best thing was that I was able to create content while on exchange without having to physically be in New Zealand.

Tip: Never stop furthering your career even while on exchange! Always look for awesome opportunities

One Last Trip to Malaysia

I didn’t know it then but my one-day trip to Malaysia with a few of my exchange friends would be our last trip together 😢 We spent the day shopping, eating, living in the moment and simply enjoying each other’s company. Looking back now is very very bittersweet, it was the first and last trip with most of my exchange friends and I couldn’t be more content.

The Start of The End

My favorite people from all over the world <333

Mid-March towards the end of April would probably be one of the hardest and most emotionally draining times on my exchange and probably my life. Think of it like this, you live with a group of people, you see each other every day and get to know one another— you do everything together from having dinner to sightseeing to celebrating each other’s birthdays and then all of a sudden…. you have to say goodbye with no warning. That was the reality for me, all my Australian flatmates and most of my exchange friends were forced to go back to their home countries by their universities. For me, I was so thankful to be able to have the choice to stay or go back, it was a no brainer for me, I absolutely did not want to end my exchange early. This time was not only stressful but really really really heartbreaking. It really hit me like a brick wall having to say goodbye everyone, we all thought we would be together till the end, have more time with one another but that was not the case. For everyone reading this right now, cherish the time you have with your friends, loved ones and don’t take that time for granted especially during this unprecedented time.

Life in Singapore’s Lockdown aka ‘Circuit-Breaker’

Around April 7th, the Singaporean Government implemented a ‘Circuit- Breaker’, for a couple of days life was still the same then everything got way more strict and then it hit me, we’re basically in lock down now. Singapore’s handling of the situation at the start of this pandemic was definitely amazing but during this time the situation got progressively worse rapidly. If I had known that this ‘Circuit-Breaker’ meant lock down I would have definitely made the most of my last true freedom in Singapore — major regrets. During this time I basically stayed at home doing my final assignments as I didn’t have any exams. Whenever we go out to get food, do laundry or get some fresh air it’s compulsory to wear a face mask otherwise we would get fined. I also would Zoom with my exchange friends and video call with my friends and family back home to keep some sense of socialization and not loose my sanity!

Me at my current home: UTown Residence at NUS

New YouTube Video!

Checkout my newest YouTube video for a NUS dorm room tour, especially for those of you who are planning to go to The National University of Singapore for an exchange in the future after this pandemic. Also towards the end of the video, I talk more about how this current situation has affected me and my exchange. I’d really really appreciate it if you watch and leave a like/comment <333

Thank you ALL!

For now, I’m done with my exchange yet I’m still here in Singapore still trying to sort out how I will get back home. Right now, everything is uncertain but all I can say for now is that this has been a crazy first half of 2020 and I am so so so glad that I chose to come on exchange, as cliché as it sounds, this was such a life-changing experience that I will forever cherish. If you’re reading this and contemplating whether exchange is for you (after this global pandemic), the answer is simple — YES! To the 360 International Team, thank you for this amazing opportunity and thank you for being an awesome bunch of people throughout this whole process. To whoever has been keeping up with my blog posts, thank you for taking the time out of your day to read my blog and I hope you learned something valuable. Feel free to connect with me and follow me on my social medias @IvenThePanda (Click the circle icons below), seeyaaa! (✿◠‿◠)

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Iven aka IvenThePanda Signing Out…..

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Iven: Chapter 2 of My Journey to Singapore

Heyyy y’all  *:･ﾟ✧＼ʕ◕ᴥ◕＼ʔ

I hope you all are healthy and having a blessed day, as semester one at UoA is soon approaching, it’s the ‘recess week’ here at NUS which is our mid-semester break. I am currently living the tourist life in Bali with a few of my exchange friends while writing this blog post.

For this chapter, I wanted to continue on from my earlier chapter and talk more about what I have been up to but in the form of key highlights rather than by a weekly basis. Also, I have uploaded my first YouTube in Singapore! So please click the link below to watch, it has more helpful tips and info about exchange, especially at NUS 😊

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Dragon Boat: #TeamEggplant 🍆

All my life I always wanted to try Dragon Boat Racing as it’s something I’ve seen my relatives in China do and talk about. Here on exchange, I was finally able to learn and try it out for the first time!

This was an event which was created for exchange students to sign up and try out dragon boat racing for a day. We all got put into separate teams by colour which reminded me of Survivor (one of my fav tv shows) and then we got started by learning the basics to some fun tricks to winning races! By the end of it we were all soaked but it was 100% worth it, being able to meet more exchange students and bonding as a team especially during this time when the Coronavirus was preventing a lot of events from happening.

All the exchange students on the Dragon Boats

Me and my fellow #TeamEggplant🍆

CNY Festivities with a BANG!

The first of February marked the final day of the Lunar New Year festivities which is one of the most beloved festivals in Chinese culture so I was glad I was here in Singapore to celebrate as it’s not as big in terms of celebration compared to New Zealand.

The festivities at River Hongbao were so amazing to see, especially the elaborate fireworks, the beautiful decorations and the well-choreographed parade which included various ethnicities and their native attire and dance.

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The fireworks at River Hongbao

Volunteering Internship with MatchMde

Before coming on exchange, I really wanted to expand my connections career-wise as living in a new country it is inevitable to meet people that will help you gain experience in your field of study. I was fortunate to be involved in filming an advertisement for ‘MatchMde’, a dating app involving A.I which lead me to helping their marketing and social media team. This is something I do on top of my uni work, I wouldn’t recommend doing a volunteering internship for those of you who aren’t able to balance uni work but I would recommend it if you are able to balance and really want to expand your CV and set up your future career by gaining this valuable experience.

Once in an Exchange Moments

February has been a special month for me as I got to celebrate my exchange friends’ birthdays. I really am so thankful to meet so many people from all over the world and create such close bonds with them to be able to celebrate their special day – it’s truly a once in an exchange but also once in a lifetime moment.

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Living my best life in Bali!

As I mentioned earlier, it is recess week at the moment, so this is when almost every exchange student travels to different countries, for example, a few of my other exchange friends are in Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam right now. I chose to come to Bali as it is a very cheap plane ticket away from Singapore, I’ve never been here before and I’ve heard good things about it.

My exchange friends and I have been exploring Bali and still are as I am writing this blog post so for my next chapter I will talk more about Bali but for now goodbye until next time :))

Iven aka IvenThePanda Signing Out…..

Iven: Chapter 1 of My Journey to Singapore

Kia ora! *:･ﾟ✧(ꈍᴗꈍ)✧･ﾟ:*

It is currently the last day of January as I am writing this post in my dorm, but how was my first month being on exchange in Singapore? What is it like living in Singapore? Are there certain things I should be aware of if I’m going to Singapore? What are the classes like at The National University of Singapore (NUS)? Don’t worry I will cover all these questions along with some of my key tips I’ve learnt along the way!

WEEK 1: Settling in and Exploring Singapore

After celebrating New Years with a bang in Auckland, I flew over 8,000kms to Singapore where I stayed at a hotel on my first night and then an Airbnb for the rest of the week. For me, I really wanted to come to Singapore earlier to be able to adjust and have time to settle in. Taking my first step into Singapore honestly felt like entering a sauna, the hot and humid air was super overwhelming.

Tip: Buy a travel adapter from Auckland Airport and bring your Student Pass documents on paper to show immigration when you arrive 🙂

The MRT in Singapore (very efficient but be prepared to stand)

During my first week, I tried to adapt to the humid weather, explore different parts of Singapore, familiarize myself with the public transport and the way of life in Singapore. Some interesting differences compared to New Zealand, which I noticed during this time were that most traffic crossings don’t make the ‘beeping’ sound and Uber is not used here, instead Grab is which essentially is Uber and Uber Eats in one ( I really love Grab).

Tip: Don’t buy your SIM card at the airport, get it at 7-Eleven because it’s cheaper. I recommend Singtel as a phone provider because they have the best data deals (bring your passport with you).

Shops and stalls at Chinatown

WEEK 2: Moving into NUS, Meeting other Exchange Students

For this exchange, I will be staying at University Town (UTown) which is the main part of campus. UTown has food courts, Starbucks, convenience stores… etc, however, it is not the only accommodation which NUS offers. Personally, I chose UTown as my first option for accommodation as I had researched and found that it’s where most exchange students stay, it is very close to the amenities I mentioned earlier and you get to share an apartment with 3 other people.

Tip: Pack your own home-ware, bedding.. etc if you don’t want to buy them here. Also learn from my mistake and don’t buy your bedding stuff from IKEA, I recommend getting it from local markets or malls, for example, Clementi Mall.

The NUS sign at UTown

The check-in date for my dorm was on January 6th, it was a long process waiting but it was worth it in the end after I got my key and found out I was staying on the 25^th floor which is the highest floor! The first thing I did after dropping off my luggage was head to IKEA to buy some essentials for my room. In short, the days after I moved into my dorm consisted of meeting my roommates (who are all Australian!!), attending NUS orientations, meeting other exchange students from New Zealand and all over the world through NUS events and more exploring of Singapore.

Tip: Put yourself out there and try to attend as much events as possible! That’s where you get to meet so many new people and create bonds that will last a lifetime~

Me and other exchange students at Gardens By The Bay for the Light Show

WEEK 3: First Week of Class!- Eeekk

Before the semester began, we were able to change courses (they call it modules here) on a specific day so I submitted a list of 5 modules in order of which I wanted the most. I ended up getting a film module along with my original modules; a design module and a digital storytelling module. Before coming on exchange, I was quite nervous about the difficulty of the courses and if I would find it hard to adjust to the academic side of things. After my first week of class, my worries went away immediately, and it reassured me on why I wanted to go on exchange. The courses I’m doing are up my alley, super interesting and practical, not to mention the great lecturers. I also liked that my classes weren’t in big lecture theatres, they were more intimate and felt like tutorials back at UoA which I prefer.

Tip: Most classes are really cold because of the air-con so bring a jacket also NUS is such a huge campus that they have their own free internal bus system, but they don’t come often and there is always competition to get onto the bus! So get to the bus stop early because NUS does not tolerate lateness.

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  What a typical daily bus ride to class looks like at NUS

Since I’m only doing 3 modules and tutorials didn’t start until week 3, my timetable was pretty chill so while I had class, I still had plenty time to explore more of Singapore and hangout with my new exchange friends. One of my favorite places we visited (other than all the amazing food we ate)was definitely the Jewel Changi Airport, when I arrived in Singapore like my other exchange friends, we didn’t get to see the pretty waterfall that everyone knows of when they think of Singapore so we went back and wow!!

Tip: Almost all food places, especially at NUS, don’t give you straws! Oh and they give you LOTS of ice! for drinks so be prepared.

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  Some exchange friends and I at the Jewel Changi Airport

WEEK 4: Chinese New Year + Trip to Malaysia!

At this time, on the news and basically everywhere, people are talking about the Coronavirus. Everyone is starting to wear masks and people are paranoid, the university is also taking a lot of administrative matters to keep students safe. It has been quite scary but with that said, it didn’t stop the Chinese New Year’s festivities. CNY is a big holiday here in Singapore and Asia, everything is shut down essentially. For Chinese New Years, me and a few of my exchange friends went to Tioman Island in Malaysia which marks my first trip to another country whilst on exchange! It was so serene and unreal, there’s something about being on an island away from city life, away from work, away from the humid weather that is so tranquil.

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WEEK 5: First week of Tutorials

The start of this week marked the start of tutorials, although class had begun 2 weeks prior, the tutorials were the first time I was able to interact with other local students. As an exchange student I did have a fear of being ostracized but that was far from reality. As the semester rolls on, I’m looking forward to more fun times with all the beautiful people I have met here on exchange. It’s only been a month and I already know I have made lifelong bonds and I’m already dreading the day I will have to say goodbye…..Well that’s it from me now! Don’t worry, there will be more chapters, memories and more fun stories to come. This is just the start of what will be one of the best times of my lifeヽ(^◇^*)/

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P.S Subscribe to my YouTube Channel for more exchange content coming soon I promise!

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥  https://www.youtube.com/iventhepanda ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ 

Iven aka IvenThePanda Signing Out…..

Rachel: Home

Just in case there aren’t enough cheesy one-liners out there about studying abroad, I’d like to add that it’s definitely an unforgettable experience. It’s quite a bittersweet feeling to have finally landed back in New Zealand. The places I visited, the friends I made and the memories I formed make me want to do it all over again.

A perfect birthday memory

Engineering at UoA has a very specific schedule and NUS is notorious for being strict with their initial acceptance of modules (courses). So like many exchangers before me, I went over with only two confirmed classes out of the four I needed. There was nothing I could do until the module add/drop period that happened during the first week of classes. Looking back, it was the biggest hurdle that I had to overcome, mentally, before I could commit to my exchange. At the time, the idea that I might have to delay my graduation did not sit right with me. When you add in all the pre-departure anxiety and the various concerns, I felt very hesitant about it all. Now at the end of the tunnel, I would like to report back that the experience definitely outweighed all my worries. If I were to decide again, I wouldn’t miss it for the world.

And of course, you’ll experience ups and downs when you’re so far from home, the occasional wave of loneliness, the sporadic moments of FOMO hearing the stories of your friends back home and the odd time and time again of feeling a bit lost. For me, I did find some comfort in recognising that it was okay to feel such, and its human to feel the ups and downs no matter where you are.

The classic tourist spot with an excellent light show at night

A spot close to Chinatown – the contrast of the buildings’ styles always stops me in my track

 

My exchange may very well be the part of university I look back to the most fondly, for I would encourage everyone to take a leap of faith and, just go for it.

Rachel: Beyond Singapore – The Traveling

Singapore, the financial hub of southeast Asia, is located not only to the benefit of its economy, but also to the benefit of those wanting a glimpse of life beyond the clean and fast paced city. The travelling culture amongst exchangers is very strong, whereby it’s extremely difficult to run into anyone who hasn’t made a single trip outside of Singapore. Now that Singapore’s Changi airport has recently opened its Jewel terminal with the world’s largest indoor waterfall, there’s no reason not to fly out every once in a while. I’ve personally been out and about to quite a few places and so below are some my favourite moments and sights captured (in a fun combination of both landscape and portrait, some would say I’m a professional photographer).

Bangkok – Thailand

Although not official, the main religion of Thailand is Buddhism, and so this leads to a lot of temples. To be respectful when visiting them, long pants and covered shoulders are a must. Although don’t worry if all you packed was shorts, because you’ll spot plenty of vendors selling those Thai-elephant-patterned pants, and plenty of people wearing them too. The markets are also well worth a visit if you want to get some shopping done. One of our friends, the least excited for the markets, ended up going home with the most amount of shopping!

The beautiful colours of the temples

Wat Chaeng – You actually get the chance to climb half way up this temple!

Riverside buildings

Kuala Lumpur – Malaysia

This destination is essentially everyone’s first baby trip out of Singapore. Only an hour by plane or five hours by bus – although if you’re travelling during the peak hours of Friday afternoon the bus trip can be as long as ten hours!

Petronas tower – tallest buildings in the world from 1998 to 2004 at 452m

Sultan Abdul Samad Building, located in front of the Independence Square

Li Island – Indonesia

So I had always thought Bali was a city of Indonesia, but turns out it’s a province which includes the island of Bali and a few of the smaller, nearby islands. Bali is perfect holiday location as it has a lot to offer in terms of variety when it comes to activities and sightseeing. There are some amazing beaches around Nusa Penida, and some great waves around Kuta beach. This is in contrast to the very-green rice terraces in Ubud, the uplands of Bali, and the heights of active volcanos, like Mount Batur.

We managed to catch the sunset at Kuta beach our first evening

Sunrise trek up Mount Batur – something definitely worth waking up for

Hanoi – Vietnam

Oh how I would go back to this place in a heartbeat. My favourite food being Vietnamese, I went with some great expectations and I was beyond impressed! Most places we went to specialised in only one dish, which meant the flavours were fantastic and made ordering with our non-existent abilities to speak Vietnamese a breeze. Watching locals ride on by, carrying up to four people on one scooter, and pedestrians strolling through the chaos calmly is a vibe that I miss very much to this day.

One of my favourite meals – Chả Cá Thăng Long (Vietnamese Turmeric Fish with Dill)

Train street is beautiful and pretty calm – until a train comes by and I kid you not I got pretty scared

Siem Reap & Phnom Penh – Cambodia

I knew very little about Cambodia prior to this trip, so after seeing the sights of Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, we made an overnight trip to Phnom Penh where I learnt about the Cambodia Genocide during 1975 – 1979. During this time, the Khmer Rouge Regime led by Pol Pot resulted in the death of approximately 1.7 million people, almost a quarter of Cambodia’s 1975 population. I had the humbling experience of visiting the killing fields of Choeung Ek, a former orchard and mass grave of the genocide, as well as the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, a former security prison used for torture during this time. For something so horrible that happened not that long ago, I was grateful for having the opportunity to learn about it.

Ta Prohm Temple in Angkor – a journey made by nearly 50% of all tourists who enter Cambodia

Although very cool to look at, the temples can struggle from the weight of the trees sometimes

Rachel: National University of Singapore Halls

Where you live can have quite a significant impact on your experience abroad, whether that be on or off campus. At NUS, most of the exchange students can be found in a residence or college in UTown, while the other exchangers are scattered amongst different NUS halls or have found off-campus accommodation. The residential towers in UTown can be likened to Carlaw Student Village at UoA, but instead of greeting the motorway on your way to class, you would be exiting straight into the ‘quad’  where many of the uni-wide events are held.

For me, I had chosen to live in a hall, with the hopes of being able to meet more of the local students. While I do not regret this choice, it was difficult at the start when almost every one of my exchanger friends I had met during O’week lived in UTown. This meant that everything always seemed to involve the hassle of a small bus ride (the uni has blessed everyone with free buses to get across its enormous campus), which you can imagine wasn’t all that fun. But despite the initial hurdles, I’ve come to really love living in my hall and I would choose to live here again in a heartbeat. Without getting too biased about why halls might be the greatest, I thought I’d share some of my favourite memories so far, as well as some of the things I’ve learnt along the way.

Favourite memories:

DnD (Dinner and Dance) Regalia Formal dinner

Everyone dressed up in their formal attire for formal dinner, located in and catered by a hotel. We had waiters that would bring out the food, dish it out into individual portions if it was soup or noodles, then bring out the next dish after we were done. While all the food was happening, there were band performances and a pageant happening at the same time. Each block nominated a guy and a girl to run for king and queen, so everyone was solidly entertained as each pair put on a dance/song/skit performance that quite literally had the crowd screaming

Here is my block looking lovely

Block suppers

The suppers seem to always have a punny name that would score a 10/10 for effort (e.g. B-A-E supper night for blocks A, B and E on the week of valentines). This is where the block committee would prepare food and activities on a random night once every two or three weeks, and everyone gets together to have a jolly time. Sometimes there are even prizes!

Cheeky non-landscape photo of our Japanese themed supper

Random celebration get-togethers

We always have card signing and surprise cakes for the birthday kiddos, and we also got together to celebrate Chinese New Year. Everyone got their hands dirty trying their hand at creating them delicious dumplings.

Everyone hard at work preparing for our Chinese New Year dinner

Some of the things I’ve noticed and learnt while at halls:

• Since halls are mostly populated with local students, they all tend to go home over the weekends. Now, this was a strange thought for me until I realised that their trip home was not likely to take up more than an hour. This also explains why the compulsory meal plan (breakfast and dinner each day) skips out on Saturday dinner and Sunday breakfast – may as well give the lovely catering team a day off while most of the students are back home anyway.
• Singaporean students take on a lot more responsibility for their extra-curricular happenings. A lot of the events (sports practises, block suppers, camps, and the formal dinner) are organised by the students themselves with minimal input from the staff here. This is on top of all the assignments and studies that they have to do. Granted, involvement in hall activities earn them points which help them secure accommodation for the following year, but I am in complete awe of their participation and dedication within the hall.
• The first floor of every block are always the male floors. I didn’t think much of it until someone mentioned that it was likely to be a safety measure due to the obvious foot traffic of anyone and everyone walking around. Safety is taken very seriously in Singapore; there are CCTV cameras around the hall and a security guard who is always present during the night.
• Sports run from semester one to the beginning of semester two, which means I didn’t get to experience this part of life. There seems to be a team for every sport imaginable and it appears that everyone I spoke to played in at least one of the teams (and my hall is not at all known for its sporting abilities)
• People here are really into wearing NUS merch/promotional t-shirts around here. It could be a sport-team shirt, an orientation camp shirt, an NUS faculty shirt or a shirt from a particular committee/culture group, 70% of people seem to be wearing one at any given time.
• Now this isn’t a hall-exclusive thing, but on my way to breakfast every morning I’m almost guaranteed to run into a squirrel or a gecko/lizard (re: my reptile identification skills are still awaiting improvement).

Living in a hall has given me an amazing opportunity to expose myself to the life of an NUS student and it makes me sad even now to think that at some point I’m going to have to leave. I’ve been able to grow really close to the small handful of exchange students who live here, and I’ve had some of the most entertaining banter and hangouts with the local students.

Despite the lack of AC, I’ve definitely found my home.

Oh yes, the place also makes you get used to stairs because there are no lifts

Rachel: NUS Campus – What’s On?

One of the best ways I’ve found to knit myself into the community here at NUS is to partake in the different events that happen around campus. So many things happen all at once, so I’ve decided to share with you below little snippets of what’s been going on thus far.

Orientation

In the first week of arrival before university courses start, a multitude of orientation activities happen, something almost every day. An added bonus: a lot of the people I’ve been lucky enough to go travelling with I met at these events.

• Clementi Shopping Trip – The first event of the season which happened the day of arrival. I was able to grab all the living essentials that didn’t make the cut into my check-in luggage while having my first introduction to people with many many different accents and backgrounds.
• SG Kaki Group – An afternoon of ice breakers and little challenges. Ice breaker-like games seem fairly popular around here, because according to one of our Kakis (meaning buddy), most of his time during his first-year orientation camp was spent doing similar types of activities.
• Singapore Food Hunt – We went around to three different Hawker Centres in one afternoon and pretty much didn’t stop eating. I was introduced to biryani, cendol, qing tang and many other popular foods among Singaporeans.
• Amazing Race – More exploration around the city. We followed clues and hunted for murals and elephants around little India, and tried to dress up one of our group members as the Merlion (official mascot of Singapore) with newspaper and string at Sentosa Island.

Our task to find the elephants was a success!

ENGIN Day

A day of carnival-like games within the Engineering department was a perfect way for everyone to ease back into the study grind. NUS students are known for being academically focused and driven, so believe my surprise when I found out that most of the classes within the Engineering department were cancelled from 12pm onwards! I’m starting to think the locals like to follow the approach of ‘work hard play hard’. There were different stations dotted along outside the lecture halls, grouped by different colours. The goal was to collect different coloured stamps from different stalls, which we could then use to exchange for goodies like free burgers, ice cream vouchers and ENGIN day t-shirts! Some of my favourite games/challenges that day were:

• Angry Birds real life edition (a life-sized slingshot with dodgeballs hitting down boxes and teddies)
• Beer pong (minus the beer of course)
• Learning common phrases in sign language
• Guiding a distance sensing drone across an obstacle course with our hands

As with any carnival, there was a raffle of course! So some people walked away not only with the buzz of an afternoon of fun, but also with a tablet, a TV, and even season passes to Universal Studios.

Our card to keep track of our stamps for the goodie swap

Dragon Boat Race

Dragon boat racing is a canoe sport, and is a competitive sport many Singaporeans take part in. A team is usually made up of 18-20 people, sitting in rows of two with a paddle each. Each semester the Peer Advising Programme organise a day out where we get to experience this fun sport. .

This event took place on the Kallang River, which is actually part of the water catchment area for the Marina Reservoir storing water that gets treated for drinking. This meant that whenever someone on board would threaten to flip the dragon boat, we would (kindly) yell at them saying that none of us wanted to eventually drink each other’s bath water. There was a total of six dragon boats on the river that day, and the natural rivalry between the boats meant that a lot of splashing happened as we were racing up and down the river.

I often don’t realise how many different things I’ve been up to since embarking on my exchange until I catch up with my friends back at home. The fast pace of life in Singapore means I’m always on my toes, something I’m finding myself to really enjoy. I think I’ve found a good balance going on here between me having fun and me studying, despite what my family must think when I spam them with photos that aren’t of my books.

Hamish: Final Thoughts, Reflections, and Advice

Looking back now – my exchange experience really did change my outlook on University and life in general. Being able to experience so much in so little time does make me sad that I couldn’t stay for longer. I went into the program as a sheltered and inexperienced Kiwi and came out as an internationalised and learned individual. After half a year of having an unimaginable experience, it’s a bitter sweet start to 2019 and back to reality.

I’ve made friends all across the world that are worth travelling to see and I still keep in touch with some of them up to this day. I’ve eaten a tonne of all sorts of food, travelled to countries that I’d never imagined I would go to, and made lifelong connections across the globe. If I could go back in time, I would have applied for my exchange earlier, so I would be able to stay for one year instead of half a semester!

My advice to anyone is that I would strongly encourage any student to take part in a student exchange. New Zealand is a pretty small and isolated country and attending another top University somewhere else in the world while travelling is a once in a life time experience. At first, I was quite reluctant to go because there was some difficulty getting my papers transferred over and resulted in me having to extend my degree by a semester. But one semester? Who cares, I’d extend my degree by a semester any day if I could experience the life of being an exchange student.

KR frands

The paperwork and admin to go on exchange is quite long and can be quite exhausting but overall, it’s definitely worth it. So, if you’re keen on taking part in one, give real deep thought to the place you want to go and dive into some research as to what papers you want to do and what they offer, and of course, what neighbouring countries are around your exchange University! Even if you’re not so keen or somewhat indifferent about it, I seriously challenge you to get out of your comfort zone and get out there and do it – you won’t regret it.

Overall my time at KR was nothing but pleasant and I couldn’t have asked for a better experience. I cherished every floor dinner, outing and even study sessions. I thank them very much for being so welcoming and nice to me and I wish them all the best. So if you’re keen to go study at NUS and you have the option to choose Kent Ridge Halls, DO IT!

KR D Block sends their love 🙂

Thank you for reading my story and all the best,

Hamish: Travels around South East Asia

Travelling the world is a dream for some people, but when you’re on exchange, it becomes a reality.

Since Singapore is at the centre of South East Asia, flights to countries like Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia and even Taiwan are very cheap. Transportation and daily expenses are also super cheap, especially when you’re going in groups of friends.

When you’re on exchange you’ll probably be struck by the amount of people travelling and may even get some serious FOMO. Don’t be worried or saddened – travelling isn’t a competition. Take your time and travel at your own leisure.

I personally only travelled to 3 countries – Vietnam, Taiwan and Malaysia, during my exchange, which was pretty minimal. Compared to some other exchangers, they were literally out every 2 weeks.

I could go on for years about each place, but I’ll just generalise each place and add some photos to sum up each place because sometimes pictures are worth a thousand words!

Vietnam

Vietnam was a spontaneous 4-day trip for me when I decided to go with a friend from America and another from the Netherlands. Vietnam’s one of the countries that require a visa but costs a pretty cheap $30 NZD.

The living conditions some people experience, and the noise pollution can be quite surprising and shocking at first. Many Vietnamese people are quite poor, doing laborious jobs like cleaning or sell snacks in small road-side stands. You also see a lot of old people pushing garbage trolleys to take them into bins for money as well. That being said though, some of them are real welcoming of tourists and if you’re lucky, you can snap a photo with them!

Say cheeese

Food’s a big thing in Vietnam and it’s also super cheap. There are tonnes food stands and dessert places, and Vietnam is also known to be the home of phở and bánh mì.

Phoooo

Taiwan

Initially, I went to Taipei with a bunch of Australians for 4 days, then went on a solo trip to Kaohsiung in the south for 3 days. Taiwan is another country where everything’s pretty damn cheap and is also known for its street food and the country for bubble tea. I’d literally be like ‘I feel like some bubble tea’ and then I walk 2 minutes and I find one – there are bubble tea shops everywhere!

Despite being Chinese, my Mandarin is quite poor so communicating and ordering food was a bit difficult, but it was enough for me to practice and get around the country.

The train station for Shifen

Some popular places in Taipei are Shifen and Jiufen – both places take quite long to get to if you live in the city but it’s well worth the travel. Shifen’s one long popular street in the mountains, where a lot of people write wishes on lanterns and then set them off into the sky. The movie ‘Spirited Away’ setting was based off Jiufen as well, so it does feel quite surreal to be there if you’ve watched the movie before!

Tonnes of food, people and lanterns

Exteriors of Jiufen

Instead of going up the famous Taipei101, we decided to head up Elephant Mountain for the view. It’s a pretty big mountain and it takes around half an hour to go up and at times it gets really steep. You even see some people resting on the side or even giving up sometimes but the view is super worth it!

One downside of going up the mountain for the view is that there’s quite a bit of trees that block some good views but overall, it’s still real nice place to be up.

Preeeetty good

I happened to be in Taiwan during the Mid-Autumn Spring festival where everyone goes to temples to pray and celebrate while eating delicious mooncake.

There are quite a lot of night markets around Taipei but the main ones I went to were Shilin and Raohe. Some popular foods are dumplings, ‘big intestines wrapped around small intestines’, stinky tofu, fried chicken and various seafoods.

Thankful that they speak Mandarin well 🙂

After Taipei, I took a 5-hour bus ride from Taipei to Kaohsiung to see more of the country. Kaohsiung is quite different to Taipei as it’s more of a residential and traditional area than Taipei. I visited about 10 different temples as I backpacked around the city and since a lot of the tourist spots were quite close by, I ended up walking 35 kilometres in one day when it was 30 degrees. Travelling by yourself can be a bit lonely at times but it’s good in terms of being able to travel at your own speed and stopping wherever you want!

Dragon Tiger Pagodas

Malaysia

Lastly, I went on a 4-day trip to Malaysia with two friends from China that I met from halls. Since Malaysia is a one-hour flight from Singapore, some people like to take the weekend off and go on a quick getaway to Malaysia.

View from the hotel

People in Malaysia speak mainly Malay but there are also Chinese speakers and a lot of them also speak English. There’s not a lot to say about Malaysia that I haven’t said about other countries – food’s nice and cheap, transports convenient, and the tourist attractions are awesome. But, some places can be a bit dangerous with a bit more robberies than others so make sure you’re looking after yourself and your belongings!

The Petronas Towers

Who doesn’t?

Is it really a trip to KL if you haven’t been to the Batu Caves?

That wraps up the end of my blog for travelling. Also, feel free to hit me up if you have any questions on the paperwork/admin processes or anything about life at NUS/Singapore at hcha330@aucklanduni.ac.nz! I know the process is gruelling and many factors can dissuade you from going but I’m sure I can turn things around for you!!

Rachel: Things to Note Before the Adventure – a Guide

Hello! So I’ve had some time to explore the wondrous country-city that is Singapore, and I’d say I’m pretty well settled now. “Oh, going overseas sounds like an awesome time, I’m going to do it” sums up pretty well my thought process to pursue an exchange. I love the idea of exploring the different cultures around the world, and so, an exchange seemed like the perfect opportunity. This was of course until all the admin details and logistics started to roll at me in a bunch of different directions. But being here for a few weeks already I can tell you that every stressful moment was 100% worth it, and so I thought I’d share some of the things that I found useful to research/keep in mind before departure, to prepare you to hit the ground running.

1. How will you stay connected?

Some people prefer to roam with their phone company back home, while many others decide to get a local SIM card. In the initial frenzy of everyone rushing to buy one, the options can be quite overwhelming – which SIM card do you get? In Singapore, the main service providers are Singtel, Starhub and M1. Personally, I went with a $15 prepaid SIM with Starhub. On top of the $15 credit, it came with 1GB of local data valid for 6 months, 200MB each month for six months and some pretty neat data roaming locations, handy for travelling! Singtel do have some cheaper plans, so see ahead of time which you might prefer.

2. Money?

Money is one of those things that everyone has to deal with, but sometimes can be a bit of an elephant in the room. For me, it was really hard to gauge how much money I would be spending, because I had no idea what price range to expect.

So, my observations so far of Singapore is that a meal, on campus or at Hawker Centres (food courts that are less McDonald’s and more like your Asian Grandmother’s) can range from about S$3 – S$6. If you go into AC restaurants, you can start seeing prices to rise to something similar to New Zealand, a meal that may cost around S$20. Getting from one side of Singapore to another on MRT or bus can cost around S$1.10 – S$2.00 depending on the distance, and a Grab or GOJEK ride (Southeast Asia’s alternatives to Uber) from the NUS campus to Changi Airport can be about S$25. In terms of clothing or food/daily life things from the supermarket, the prices here are pretty similar to that of New Zealand.

One of the many designs of Singapore’s EZ-Link card (AT Hop equivalent) for $12 with $7 credit loaded. Available at most MRT stations or 7-Eleven convenience stores

And in terms of how to deal with the money logistically, I personally have been making cash withdrawals from the ATM with my VISA debit card. The conversion fee for me hasn’t been too different from the currency exchange bureaus back at home. Another common option is to open up a Singapore bank account. Popular banks are DBS, OCBC and POSB, with easy to find ATMs around campus. Different banks operate differently, but most of them have an early closure fee of around $60 if you close your account within six months. Seeing as cash had worked well for me and my exchange is only a semester long, I decided to stick with the cash. Cash is super common in Singapore, especially around Hawker Centres. I have however noticed a push on cashless payments, with payments being made by scanning QR codes from the stalls through an app which is linked to your bank card – so you never know, I soon might be a bit behind the times!

3. What do people wear with the high temperatures and humidity?

I had wondered, do people just wear the bare minimum in Singapore to deal with the heat? But despite the 35-degree average heat, people dress the same as back home, as if it was 25 degrees. Lots of indoor places (e.g. the mall, MRT station, lecture theatres) have AC, so people do brave it out and wear long jeans and long sleeve shirts when they commute from AC room 1 to AC room 2. On that note, when you’re packing all your favourite summer items, don’t forget to pack a long sleeve because sometimes, the AC rooms can actually get a little chilly.

A bunch of us exchange students exploring the Singapore island Sentosa – can’t go wrong with shorts and a t-shirt

When we leave the house, many of us are programmed to check that we have our phone, wallet and keys, so leaving for an exchange should be no different. So before you start the adventure, doing a little bit of research beforehand can help ease a lot of the in-the-moment stress due to unpredictable events. Once all the tedious stuff is out of the way, time flies by so fast!