And so the journey begins...

Day 1

A big welcome to all from the mini sauna which will be my home for the next six weeks. I’m in Singapore doing a project about sustainability on the university (NUS) campus. I can’t tell you much (or anything really) about the work at the moment, but the adventure has definitely begun and there are already stories to tell!

The journey here, from London, to Dubai, to Singapore, felt surprisingly quick. That’s probably due to my slightly irrational love of airports. It’s definitely not because of the duty free or the sitting around with nothing to do, but mostly because of the idea of airports – they are the gateways through which we can reach any country in the world. So the flights were quite fun (and rather entertaining when I woke up and realised that I’d unintentionally fallen asleep on the shoulder of the German boy who I was sat next to! I guess that’s one way to make friends...).

Never seeking the easy option, I decided to take the underground instead of a taxi from the airport, which meant trailing my suitcase around, but otherwise was not a problem at all. The diversity of people in Singapore is just incredible! And it really is as clean as everyone says - I’ve probably only seen one piece of rubbish on the floor since I’ve been here. And people seem really friendly - after only a few minutes on the shuttle bus on the NUS campus somebody already approached me to chat and offered to help me! Yay J I met the really lovely lady in charge of my exchange and she helped me to settle into my accommodation (which is by far the most humungous and confusing, but quite exciting, building I have ever seen!) Then, sleep was one option, but exploring seemed like a better option. But first, I had to figure out how the key, which looks more like a mini space ship than a key, works. Unlocking the door was fine. But locking my door was a different issue altogether. Anyway, after 45 minutes of fiddling and clicking I was good to go. As I walked out of my room, in the near distance I saw a vending machine, and realised that I hadn’t had a drink since the airport. On a sudden mission to avoid dehydration, I walked towards this vending machine. But given the 3D maze which is this building, half an hour later I was still searching. Eventually I wondered into a room which had a different vending machine and happily sipped my 7-Up, still slightly perplexed by the location of the first vending machine. The next challenge was to leave the building, which I met only after another hour or so of wondering round (and venturing into a multi-storey car park which was attached to the building). Let’s pretend that it was all part of my exploration plan!

I hopped on the tube to Holland Village, which is a vibrant and exciting area of restaurants, bars, shops and so on. As I wondered around and soaked in the vibes, I was already overwhelmed by the extensive choice of food available. Thai, Chinese, Italian, Japanese, Spanish, Indonesian... You name it! I can definitely get used to so much yumminess. Although this means that I really have to become more decisive... On the way home I met a beautiful new friend, who said that I looked and sounded like Emma Watson. Definite brownie points for her!

Day 2

Sleep was very welcome indeed! I woke up at 11.30am (4.30am in England – not too bad at all!) and decided to explore the NUS campus, which seems like a mini city in itself. There’s a really convenient free shuttle bus which I took to the University Cultural Centre, where I checked out the NUS museum and the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music (which was rather empty, but I’m sure provides amazing concerts and facilities). I was feeling quite warm, and whereas in most countries the last thing I’d want to do is go on the underground, the underground here is so wonderfully air conditioned that a journey into town was much appreciated. I got off at City Hall (there’s such a range of street and station names here, from all over the world) and walked to the Raffles Hotel. I guess this simultaneously represents past colonialism, and the present beauty and wealth of Singapore. As well as the hotel, Raffles is home to abundant expensive boutiques, antique shops and galleries, and many serene courtyards and gardens which are adorned with palm trees and other greenery. The flora in Singapore is just incredible... I feel like I’m living in several parallel worlds – an exotic jungle, a sphere of powerful finance, a land of unlimited food...

I walked to Clarke Quay, the beautiful river side, through Fort Canning Park. Here, in the spice garden, my nose received a gift like none before. As I came to each new bush or shrub, I was overpowered by a new intoxicating smell, which lingered before being replaced by a new, equally exotic smell. I reached the Quay just as the sun was setting and the atmosphere was perfect. As I walked along the riverside, I was immersed in the lively buzz and laughter of the streets and restaurants. The ripples on the water and the multicoloured quaint houses lining the river were lit up beautifully by the fading sunlight. After a delicious rice and seafood platter, I sleepily wandered back to the station, lost in my own thoughts.

All of a sudden, I heard ‘Come on, join in!’ and looked around to see a group of five or so very sweaty people on some exercise routine. Now, this area is the Singaporean equivalent of London’s City, and is pretty upmarket. I was wearing a dress and sandals, but as I was in no position to turn down friends, I said okay! So the guy told us all that we were going to bunny hop and before I knew it, I was bunny hopping along with what turned out to be a group of bankers (female and male!) who do a weekly exercise class after work. I was certainly entertained, they were entertained by my attempts to bunny hop, and I’m sure that everyone around us was equally entertained. And the craziest thing is that they’ve invited me along with them again next week!!

Just to add to the excitement of that evening, I got lost in my accommodation once again. When I got back, I persistently tried to get into a room which I was convinced was mine, but turned out to be the equivalent room on a different floor! The people who came out to deal with me were very confused at first (because I told them again and again that this was my room), but were surprisingly understanding considering that one of them had been woken up to sort me out...

Day 3

Today was my first day at work, where I had to be at 8.30am. I was slightly apprehensive about such an early rise, but all went to plan. My shuttle bus journey was brightened up by another new buddy who wanted to ensure that I got to where I needed - he said that he had some time and could do another round on the circular bus route, so he missed his stop just so that he could deliver me to the right place!

And the day pretty much followed in the same jolly way. I was given a great tour of the building where I’d be doing my sustainability project, which is designed to be wonderfully sustainable itself. The roof garden is especially cool! The work which I’ll be doing also sounds really exciting, and I’m definitely ready to start researching. And while I’m on the topic, these are issues which we can and should all research – reducing energy use, recycling, reducing food waste, decreasing our emissions of greenhouse gasses, reducing our water usage, preserving biodiversity... These issues affect every one of us every single day, and should therefore be on our minds every single day. I feel very lucky to be in such an amazing place doing such interesting and globally important work.

Lunch was characterised by an ubiquitous choice of food and laughter with my three new colleagues, who I already like very much for their friendliness, helpfulness and humour! After a few more briefings and meetings, we were released at 6pm. Feeling quite proud of myself for surviving a full day of work in the real world (although a very exotic version of the real world), I headed to U-town, which is a new part of campus dedicated to yet more cafes, restaurants and shops. There I experienced how Starbucks has adapted to local tastes – a green tea frappuccino!! The air con in the office had actually made me rather chilly, so I relaxed on the grass for a bit before navigating my way back to my room, making sure to get the right room this time.  

Note to self: no volume of anti-frizz shampoo can save my hair from this humidity!! See Friends episode where Monica plays table tennis for reference...