My First Week in Singapore…

By Micha Raja, Singapore Management University (SMU), Singapore

My first week in Singapore was crazy, jam-packed, and exciting. I felt so busy everyday even though Uni hadn’t started yet. The first couple of days, I spent settling in, buying house necessities with my flatmates and doing that first big grocery shop. This was really exciting though as it allowed me to explore the area and find out the cheapest stores to shop at.

I landed a couple of days before Singapore National Day. As it was their 60th anniversary this year, the celebrations were very big! We headed to Marina Bay Sands and watched the jet show and the fireworks and I was definitely not disappointed. The crowds and the views were unbelievable and to see all of that for no cost was an incredible experience. We also saw the Gardens by the Bay light show which happens every night so I will definitely be going back to watch that again.

This first week was essentially a ‘freshers’ week in the sense that there were so many events for exchange students from all over the world to meet and interact with each other. This was a great way to meet so many different people and make so many new friends. Meeting people from all over the world was exciting because I feel like I have learnt so much about so many different cultures already and I’ve only been here 7 days.

We also managed to do a day trip to Sentosa Island and spend time on the beach with some of the new exchange students we had met at an event the night before. This was one of my favourite days as so many more people kept showing up and we ended up having a really nice group to spend the day with. We then headed back to the mainland to a strip in an area called Clarke Quay where we spent time getting to know each other better.

I also had my Orientation day with the University this week which was really useful, not only in terms of getting to learn my way around, but also another social aspect of meeting so many more people. The University puts together a great day, involving team building, about a week before term starts and I found this really insightful and fun! There are so many amazing societies and opportunities this year that I am keen to make the most of.

Overall, my first week in Singapore has been incredible! I know every week won’t be like this because next week Uni seminars are starting so I will have to lock-in more to my academics but I am excited for all the travelling plans as well and continuing to explore Singapore!