Home is where the heart is.

So I have officially been home for a month and am finally getting back into the swing of things. As I look back on my time in Singapore, I realized that that was without a doubt the best part of my college experience thus far. I learned so many lessons during my journey, some that did not become apparent until I got back to the US. I also made so many wonderful friends and learned about not only the world, but myself as well.


The best thing about being home is being able to see my friends and family. Video chatting, calls, and text messages are all great forms of communication but there is nothing like being with your loved ones face to face. I really learned to be grateful for my family, friends, and other support systems because without them this past semester would not have been as meaningful. Small things like driving everywhere, large varieties of "Western food", school spirit, organized sporting events, being a student employee, and people welcoming me home with open arms make being home absolutely amazing.

The thing I miss the most about Singapore is Singlish. Singlish is the combination of Singaporean languages and English. Thinking about Singlish makes me remember the wide variety of people that I met during my time in Singapore. It was not uncommon to spark up a conversation with a complete stranger while waiting in a queue to find out that they are from another exciting country! Meeting people from all over the world and being able to share stories and cultural exchanges is an absolutely priceless experience. I also miss the food from Singapore. I was exposed to so many different types of Asian foods. Some of my favorites include Kaya toast, Vietnamese pho, mee goreng,, Indian prata milk tea, and chicken rice, dim sum, and Malay Hot Pot. I also miss fresh fruit juice being available on demand. Being home, however, has made me take a hard look at the food that we eat and the portions in which we eat them and it keeps me motivated to eat smaller portions and more balanced meals. I picked up great skills and habits while studying abroad.

One skill I took away from studying abroad was patience. During the course of the semester there were a few frustrating experiences.  Things like waiting in long queues, people not understanding my accent, being slightly homesick, or adjusting to a cultural norm that differs from home sometimes got frustrating. Those frustrations pale in comparison big picture; in life, there will be frustrations. There will be obstacles and what matters most is how I choose to tackle them and how I let them affect me. Communication is another skill that was enhanced during my experience. When I mention communication I mean it in so many ways. I learned to better express myself using nonverbal communication, as well as take nonverbal cues better. I improved my public speaking skills by having to give so many presentations during the semester as well as speaking engagements since I got back. I also learned the value of communicating with people that you meet even after you are no longer with them. My friends that I made during the semester in Singapore are invaluable and saying good bye to them was so hard. Instead, we said see you later and vowed to all stay in touch until we met again. It is kind of funny now, when we text or video chat because of the time differences. I'll be saying good morning and another friend will be headed to bed; its the little things like that are so valuable. Nurturing relationships is important but it has never been as important to me as it is now.

I would recommend for anyone to study abroad, even if they can not make it for an entire semester. What better way to learn about the world than to go see it with your own two eyes? My semester in Singapore was a life changing experience and I would not trade it for the world but it certainly is good to be home.

Bye, Singapore. Until Next Time.

I am flooded with emotions as I sit through this extremely long plane ride, which signifies the end of my study abroad experience.  It is hard to believe that my time in Southeast Asia has come to an end and that there are so many people that have become a part of my life that I may never see again. I am just so grateful for having such an experience that makes saying goodbye so hard. It is funny that on this plane ride there is not much to do and it provides me with the perfect time to reflect on the past four months of my life. Having the opportunity to study abroad has allowed me grow in ways I did not expect it to and I am extremely grateful for it. This past semester has made me hardier, more patient, more reflective, grateful, humble, and wiser. I am not the same person I was when I left America. As I think back to my hectic, surprising and emotion-filled first day in Asia it reminds me that life tends to go in full circle, with my last day in Asia also being relatively hectic, slightly surprising, and emotion-filled but for different reasons. 
To try to fully recap my study abroad experience in this short piece is a taxing task but I will do my best. After a few months of preparation and lots of emotional goodbyes, I set off on August 5th to spend the next four months of my life studying in Singapore. Leaving America, I was quite the inexperienced traveler, not quite sure what to expect, not sure of the level of autonomy I would need to live on my own, not particularly familiar with life too far outside of my comfort zone, and not as mature as I find myself to be now. What I did have going for me was that I came into the experience excited, open minded, and prepared to grow as much as I could from this humbling adventure.
Upon arriving in Singapore I found myself amidst many other exchange students who were excited, experiencing culture shock, but also very eager to immerse ourselves a new culture. During the first few weeks I found it very easy to make lots of acquaintances, a nice handful of which went on to become important characters in this chapter of my life’s story. There is so much to be told about other cultures that I would have never have learned if I had not bothered to make friends that are from different parts of the world. One of the main cultures I got to learn about was Chinese, from my roommate Vivian. We would talk for hours on end about our cultures, views of the world, and the future. I made quite a few friends that are from different parts of Asia and learned about their various types of food, languages, generally collectivistic cultures, and the things they place value on while also being able to reciprocate it. The friends I made from Europe, Africa, and Australia were also very memorable and I thoroughly enjoyed learning about the different aspects of culture that are present in other cultures of the world.
            To say the education system in Singapore was interesting was an understatement. I found some similarities between Nanyang Technological University and Central Michigan University and some profound differences. NTU was recognizably similar as a university in that the teachers here also seem to truly care about student’s success, lectures are held a couple of times per week for each class along with office hours, extracurricular activities are available, and students are hard working. The main differences I found were in the idea of tutorials, final examination procedures, and being able to monitor your grades. Tutorials at NTU are held once a week for each course, allowing a TA to help recap and provide additional addition to supplement each lecture. Final examinations lasted three weeks and were administered by a group of invigilators in a testing room instead of lecture halls. And grades were not accessible for the most part during the semester. While Blackboard had the space for you to monitor grades, most professors did not seem to stay updated with grades throughout the semester. You were just expected to do your absolute best on every assignment and hope you are doing well. Also, grades are administered on a curve and your grade depends on how well you do in comparison to your classmates. Classes were not too difficult but the culture of classes was much different than what I am used to.
            With Singapore being a multicultural society, it was not difficult to find people of different cultural backgrounds living and working in harmony. Singaporeans also pride themselves on being global citizens and open to learning about cultures outside of their own. Living in Singapore I was mainly exposed to Chinese, Indian, and Malay culture. I was able to partake in holiday celebrations such as Deepavali, Mid Autumn festival during this semester and it has been a nice gateway into learning about other Southeast Asian cultures.  In addition to the immersion of Asian culture through people and food in Singapore, I had the opportunity to travel on short trips to Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Philippines and learn heaps about those cultures as well. Seeing the ways of life for people in other countries has given me a greater appreciation for diversity. As the world becomes even more diverse, it is important to appreciate and learn about other cultures. People from different cultures seem to have different, but equally valid ways of looking at the world. I also learned about concepts that do not even exist or are rare in my culture are common in others such as Singaporean kiasu, Japanese hokikimori, and the idea of enemyships.  I would encourage everyone to take on experiences where they will be exposed to diversity and multiculturalism; it can truly alter the way you look at the world. I think all students should study abroad. My advice would be to choose a country or region that you find particularly interesting, be open to experiences, talk to locals and set goals for your time studying abroad.
            This semester has made an impact on the way I will take on CMU when I come back. This semester has allowed me to become a much stronger student. By having to compete for grades, I really had to step my studying up and really stay on top of it. Since I did not know how well I was doing or how well others were doing I had to do my absolute best. During finals weeks I studied from dawn to dusk in preparation for exams and it really paid off. I had never spent that much time studying in my life but it is nice to know that my limits are much further than I though.
            Being abroad will also have an impact on my life in general. Living on my own has allowed me to gain practical skills that I can use in everyday life. One of the most obvious is traveling. I have learned how to find and navigate the various types of transportation that I had absolutely no experience with before. I also had to truly budget during this time. I had to monitor how much I was spending on food, entertainment, travel, souvenirs, and personal items because I had a set amount of money to live off of during the semester abroad. My communication skills have improved greatly as a result of this semester. I was required to give presentations for all classes at some point in the semester, I had to effectively learn to understand the various accents that were thrown at me on a daily basis, and I needed to be able to effectively communicate to people that did not speak English using nonverbal communication. My desire and ability to maintain interpersonal relationships has also been enhanced as a result of being abroad. Not only did I have to focus on relationships that were forming here in Singapore, I had to actively nurture relationships with friends and family back home. It is certainly not easy to keep up with people that you would normally run into during daily activities from such a long distance.

            All in all, this study abroad experience has certainly been one that I will never forget. It has been lots of fun, exciting, and filled with joy while sometimes being sad, confusing, and lonely.  It has caused me to completely leave my comfort zone, become a better communicator, world traveler, and global citizen. This has given me a more open-minded view of the world while also realizing that anything is possible with faith, passion, and hard work. I am sad that this chapter of my life is coming to an end but that only gives room for the next chapter to begin. The plane trip is coming to an end and we will be reaching America shortly. I am looking forward to being greeted with lots of love from my family and friends as I step off the plane and turn the page to start a new chapter of my life. Zai jian!

Home for the Holidays

28 November

The unfortunate part about being on exchange fall semester is that you miss important holidays like Thanksgiving! The good thing is that you will be home for Christmas! Time spent with family laughing, singing, feasting, and celebrating is like priceless. Another good thing is that we will get to have a Thanksgiving here! A few other American exchange students decided that we should go out to eat for Thanksgiving and we will even invite a few Singaporeans and other exchange students. I am very excited to see how this goes. I am also excited spend time to teach my friends about the Thanksgiving traditions that my family does and learning about how other families around the States celebrate this holiday. Cheers!




With Americans (and also my roommate) celebrating Thanksgiving!

Finals Week

November 26


This week is the first week of exams! I do not think I have ever been more tired from studying. When I say this past week I have been studying from sun up to sun down there is no exaggeration. (But, on the other hand, the sun starts going down at 6:30pm.) The exam period is three weeks long and for some reason ¾ of my exams were scheduled for the first Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of the exam period. It is nice to get them over with but that much exam stress is not good. After having taken a couple of exams, I have to say the exam system is much stricter than at CMU. First, exams are not administered in the lecture hall, they are administered in the several gymnasiums around campus and individual desks are places in perfect rows to seat about 300 students at a time. Instead of your professor and the teaching assistants administering the test, there is a team of “invigilators” that come in to administer the test. Another thing I was surprised by was that none of the invigilators spoke during the exam, there was a prerecorded voice over a loudspeaker reminding us that cheating was wrong, alerting us to when we could start the test, telling us when to stop writing, once again warning us about the repercussions of cheating, and randomly telling us to remain quiet until we are dismissed from the hall. I must say, the whole examination system was quite intimidating and if I had not prepared so much, the process may have made me too nervous to do well. All in all, I think I have been doing well on exams and it makes me excited to get the last ones out of the way. Once finals are over we will reward ourselves with a final trip before heading home to our respective countries!
Is this work in Chinese? Literally. 
Two words: Finals Week 



The Final Countdown

November 24

In exactly 17 days I will be going through US Customs and Border Protection to make my grand entrance back to the United States. What a thought! I still cannot believe how long it has been since I have been home but I will definitely be glad to be home.

In addition to happiness, I expect to have a wide range of emotions upon returning to the US. I talked to a few people that have studied abroad as well as looked up information on people’s reactions after their time abroad. Many people experience what you call reverse culture shock. That is, upon returning to the States one may need to readjust emotionally and psychologically to living in the US. Many people report feeling surprise, disorient, as though it is different than how they left it, a longing to return abroad, and a wide range of other emotions. One thing that I noticed at the end of each person’s account or story is that there is no place like home and they were glad to be back.  I am sure the adjustment will be just fine.


I am looking forward to coming home as I have developed a slight case of homesickness and everything seems to remind me of home. I have began to miss the food, the loudness, the hugs and, of course, my loved ones. My feeling are torn between sadness as the days dwindle down in a country that has become a second home and the excitement of counting down the time until you arrive home!

Jurong Point trying Cronuts [Croissant Donuts]
Jasmine, Bryan, Mr. Kant, and Nay Oo from Management 
Group Projects

Viet Nam

Traveling to Vietnam

This past weekend I had the opportunity to travel to Saigon, Vietnam. I actually arrived back in Singapore this morning in time to grab breakfast, have a quick chat with my roommate and head to class. I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Vietnam not only because it was beautiful, but because of the cultural experience. We went on a day tour of the Cu Chi tunnels and learned all about the American war. We Americans call it the Vietnam War, Vietnamese call it the American war. Our tour guide happens to have fought in the war and was fighting on behalf of the North. America was fighting on behalf of the South, which made the tour awkward at times. He showed us his wound from being shot by Americans during the war. It was interesting to hear about this war from an alternate perspective. He was very respectful for the most part considering the circumstances and mentioned that he nor the Vietnamese hold grudges against any countries that were involved in the war; they would like to move forward. I could tell that not many Americans took this tour (there were four of us out of the 30 tourists) because at the end of the tour they play a video in which they refer to Americans as the enemy and things of that nature. We had a chance to climb through the tunnels that the Vietnamese lived in and slept in during the war, they were about three feet high; a very tight fit. We got to experience the real Vietnam and try great food. Overall it was a great trip and one of the more memorable experiences of my time here.
Non la (leaf hats)

In Saigon, everyone is a cyclist!

Sleeping Buddha

It was unbelievable to learn about he tunnels that the Vietnamese soldiers (and civilians) lived in during the American (Vietnam) war. The tunnels were only a couple of feet tall and they would live and sleep there during times of war to avoid being killed. Even though the tour was a bit awkward to be on as an American, (our tour guide happened to have fought in the war...against the Americans) it was interesting to get a perspective on the war from another perspective. 
US Army Tank from the American War (Vietnam War)

When In Vietnam You Must Try Coffee

And pho


Mekong River

Mr Tong telling us his side of the story and his recollections of the American war.  Then he proceeded to show us where Americans shot him in the arm during the war. Even though he has strong feelings about the war, he was an awesome tour guide and it was definitely worth the experience to hear the other side of the story.
Notre Dame Cathedral