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Varshaa Negi in Singapore, Singapore
Foreign exchange students are often the ones seen enjoying the waffles at the PGP canteen, sunbathing in the playground, partying on Ladies night and solving quadratic equations, deliberating world religion, discussing education systems - all with equal ease. Practically any student in university can fit this mould. The difference then, lies in the fact that these students are making a home for themselves, away from home. They only way they know how, is to try to immerse themselves in the Singaporean culture.
Janice from the United States of America feels, “I did not experience too drastic a culture shock, since a lot of standards were very similar to the standards I have grown accustomed to, such as the cleanliness of bathrooms, the selection of shopping outlets, the style of clothes, the diversity of food restaurants, etc.”
Ladies nights (i.e. Wednesdays, for the women out there who are unaware of this privilege) and weekends are the exploration times for the exchange students. There are plenty of foreign exchange students who claim that they continue to feel nostalgic about the free cover and free drinks at clubs like Insomnia and MoS. The immortal post clubbing hangout and the necessary pit stop for us around 5:00am is the Cheese Prata shop. There’s nothing quite like prata kosong and cheese prata to replenish our spent energy.
Foreign exchange students often see Singapore as an ideal gateway to explore the Southeast Asian continent. Bali, Cambodia, Malaysia and Vietnam are common vacation travels for these eager friends during the weekends or short term breaks. They believe that their foreign exchange stint in Singapore opens their horizons to a completely new world extremely rich in cultural heritage with immense unity even in diversity.
In spite of the foreign exchange students’ infinite love for the colossal variety of Singaporean cuisine and shopping, they are most awe-inspired by the hospitality of their amicable hosts. They find it hard to leave the second home that they establish here. They love to explore and by the time they return, they are well versed in all the tourist hot spots from Sentosa to China Town. They carry wonderful memories of the Night Safari, East Coast Park and the convenient transportation system that lead them to their favorite hangouts.
They appreciate the Singaporean culture and lifestyle. They perceive it as a great host country. Enjoying its multicultural heritage, Jan firmly says that, “It should not be taken for granted!” We couldn’t agree more. HOOKED
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