A Whole New World

Guest Post By: Jenny Chan, a Senior studying Marketing. She is a Global Business Center Study Abroad Scholarship Recipient, and she studied abroad through Foster Exchange at the National University of Singapore in Queenstown, Singapore, during Autumn Semester 2023.

Arriving to Singapore in July, the first thing that hit me was how hot it was. Used to the dry cooler weather in Washington, nothing could have prepared me for the heat and humidity that is in southeast Asia. The first few days felt like the longest days of my life; the homesickness had already settled in, and I wanted nothing more than to go home. But now having been in Singapore for a while, I’ve come to realize that Singapore is such an amazing place, and the country has so much to offer. The greenery and architecture were the first things that shocked me. Everything was so green and luscious – a different kind of scenery than what I’m used to back in Washington. Many buildings had vines, bushes, plants, etc. all over them, and even in the bustling city, every block or so you would see greenery. 

 Even though Singapore has so little land mass, I’m able to keep myself busy with all the attractions and sights to see. Although some of the coolest things to see in Singapore are the Merlion or Marina Bay, the most memorable and eye-catching things to me were the cultural hubs around Singapore such as Little India and Chinatown. These places felt as if I was transported to India or China and the food there was both authentic and cheap. Another memorable sight to see is Singapore’s National History Museum. There were so many exhibits to walk through, and I was able to learn so much about Singapore and how the country came to be. There was also free entry for students as well which was an added plus.