All packed and ready to go! 

Landing in Japan

My hall

NTU Campus

UWO may have Canada geese, but NTU has these

My first meal in Singapore

Boon Lay Mall

On campus

Sarah (from UWO) and I

Campus map is essential

Hall 7

More pictures coming soon!

Stay tuned for

- Reviews of China town, Kupong Glam, Little India, Bugis

- NTU exchange student night out (Tuesday)

- Ladies night (Wednesday)

- Night safari (Thursday)

- NTU Academic update

xo

Things I've Learned So Far ... to be continued

1. Don't tip (not bartenders or taxi drivers) because it's considered rude
2. Tax is included in all prices
3. You can get strokes or lashes for not following the law
4. There are things called squatters that are toilet seats in the floor. You squat and do your business - they are very popular because they appear to be germ free
5. Some people dress like it's winter. You can tell the exchange students because they are the ones in summer dresses or shorts
6. Campus has free shuttles A,B,C,D which go all over campus
7. The bus system here is pay as you go, which means you only pay for the distance you travel. I took a 20 minute bus ride to the mall and it only cost me SGD$1.10
8. There are 65 Canadians in the exchange program this semester which is the most out of any country. USA is second with 59

3 Days In

     Well, what can I say, I'm starting to love it here. Yesterday (the 5th) was the exchange orientation. In the morning there was a brief lecture/meeting and then all the exchange students had lunch together.  Although brief, it was nice to meet the people that I'll be seeing around campus for the next 4 months or so. After lunch, Sarah (yay she's here!) and I headed over to the ISC, International Student Centre, to register and sign up for some trips. After that we just relaxed for the rest of the day at the campus pool. Sarah and I enjoyed the sun for a couple of hours and then went to go meet our friend Shelby - a Western student who is here for the full year. The day ended around 8 pm and we both headed home to get some Z's.


     This morning (the 5th) I met Sarah at the Global Lounge on campus, an air conditioned spoke without the food. We met a guy named Dylan, who is actually from Newmarket (the town next to mine) and ended up hanging together for the day. We went to the campus pool again and researched potential trips and outings that we should do. Today was absolutely gorgeous outside and I underestimated just how powerful the sun was. You know what that means? SUNBURN. I have the pinkest little nose and red shoulders but it's not too painful as of yet. After the pool we headed to Boon Lay mall, the first time for Sarah and Dylan, the second for me,  to pick up a few things. We actually had our first asian sushi!!!!! It was very tasty, and slightly cheaper but not too much. There was a sushi market where you could buy 2 cucumber pieces of maki for just 50 cents! It was really cool because you could mix and match different kinds. After the mall we headed home, showered, and got ready for our first campus bar night.. Running into other exchangers on campus all day it was decided that we would all head to the campus bar, the staff lounge, to get some drinks and get to know each other. I only had one beer (SGD$9 ... i know) and am now home to rest up for tomorrow.

     Tomorrow I am headed to campus early to go on an exchange outing. We are headed to Little India and Chinatown which I am so excited about. I'm starting to fall in love with this exotic place I call home.

The first 24 hours

     After waiting in the Singapore Changi airport for seven hours, it was time to take a cab to my residence, hall 7. It was really easy to find a cab because they have taxi queue's, which means taxi lines. Queue mean line here in Singapore. Taking a taxi was so exciting, I got the see Singapore at a glance. However, it wasn't so exciting when my taxi broke down! It wasn't too bad though because I quickly transferred to another one. It cost about SG$50 for about an hour cab ride to get to my hall. Needless to say it cost me an extra 5 dollars because I steered him the wrong way at one point because typical me thought I knew directions better than him haha.

     When I arrived at my hall I had to wait 20 minutes for the housing office to open. When it did, I got the key to my room and headed to it. I am in block 38, on the second floor. They have girl floors and boy floors, really different from Western that is for sure. When I walked into my room I started to cry - I live in a jail cell! Concrete floors and walls, so run down! I quickly tried to hook up the internet to reach my parents. Not only is my room a jail cell but its a sauna with no air conditioning. I spent a couple hours in my room sweating and crying, but my parents were there to coach me through it.

     At around 11 or 12 I went to go to the international student centre to go check in. When I was there I met 2 Americans and a German who quickly took me under their wings. They are new and here for the semester too but arrived a day earlier so they were more settled than I. We went to get food, they showed me around campus a little bit and then we headed to the mall (typical). We hopped on a bus (bought a bus card that you can re load) and it was about 20 minutes to the mall. At the mall I picked up a fan, pillow, toiletries, and a cell phone! The mall, Boon Lay (I think) was really big. With four floors and a China town section it was easy to get lost. After about 2 or 3 hours we hopped back on the MRT bus and I then showed my friends my room. They are all lucky and got air conditioned new halls, so they felt really bad for me haha.  I fell asleep at around 5 pm and woke up at 7pm to my roommate!!!!! I'm not sure who she is quite yet because I was out of it, but she is Asian and she is sleeping in the room as I read this. I woke up at 2 am, popped some gravel and fell back asleep until 7:30am. So now day 2 begins!

     Today I have an exchange orientation at 10 am so hopefully I will meet more people and make friends. My friend Sarah just arrived in Singapore so I am hoping we can meet up asap and be there for each other. I have a feeling she is going to be as homesick as I was the first day. After the exchange orientation I am going to go back to the international student centre to see if I can switch rooms. I've emailed a couple of people so I hope to hear the answer yes soon, but I have a feeling I won't.

     I have only eaten 1 meal in the past day and a bit, chicken and rice, and I didn't even eat the whole plate which is rare for anyone that knows me. With the heat I just find myself not hungry and the different food is proving to be not as appealing as I thought.

     Off to go have my first shower in hopes of taming my hair - the humidity has gotten the best of it (I know you warned me Mary).

Will post pictures soon hopefully! Bye xo



   

YYZ -> NRT -> SIN

I arrived in Singapore just before 1 am (Singapore time) and have to wait in the airport until 8 am to go check into my residence. My first class flight to Tokyo went flawlessly, and I slept the majority of the flight  from Tokyo to Singapore. It was spectacular to fly over the Arctic on the way here - everything was pure white. I'm excited to get into residence, unpack, and meet people, because it's been pretty lonely travelling thus far. I tried to get some food just now but since it's 3:15 am here, nothing is really open and I don't have much of an appetite.

This is a culture shock to say the least, but I can see a McDonald's from where I'm sitting so everything is going to be okay!

At the Airport

Just sitting in the Maple Leaf lounge waiting for my flight to Tokyo. I board at 11 am so that means I have one hour to enjoy the free food and drinks here, champagne anyone? (just kidding dad). I just had a tearful goodbye with my parents - my dad even cried - and it's so weird to think I won't be seeing them for 5 and a half months. I am so thankful to them for allowing me this opportunity; I wouldn't be able to do this trip without them. I can see my plane from the lounge right now which is nice. This is so surreal.

I have been dreaming about this for over a year now and my dreams are about to come true.

Here's to hoping for safe and stress free flights!

I leave tomorrow!

I'm just about to have my last meal in Canada - it's bittersweet. I am going to head to the airport at around 8:30 am tomorrow, for my flight at 12!

My Itinerary


Jan 2, 2012  12:00pm     Depart Toronto
Jan 3, 2012    3:10pm     Arrive Tokyo, Japan
Jan 3, 2012    5:55pm     Depart Tokyo
Jan 4, 2012   12:20pm    Arrive Singapore

Over a day of travelling? I'm ready!

Bring it on Singapore ...