G’day to you all! This will probably be the last time I use any Aussie slang in these entries, but I often feel like a local, so I may still use it for a while. That being said, it is our last week in Australia, and I am both very sad and very excited at the same time. Change is inevitable because this trip taught me not to be too comfortable doing the same thing, living in the same place, or interacting with the same people. Although most of the crew is headed to Singapore, there are some notable friends that we had to say goodbye to, including Dom, Jackson, William, Sienna, Ryan, and friends from other universities that we have gotten to know. Those folks travel to Auckland, New Zealand, or return to Sydney for their internships. On the other hand, I am super excited to start my internship and gain knowledge about taxes and auditing. Although I am a finance major, my accounting knowledge will help give me a better perspective on accounting and finance. Especially since both majors are within one department at Bucknell, it allows me to see things throughly on both sides.

Half Moon Bay Golf

On Thursday, I decided to go golfing at Half Moon Bay Golf Club. I wanted to golf because I enjoy doing it, even though I am still a beginner at it. After hitting the range once in Sydney, I knew Caines would be a perfect opportunity to play a casual round of golf. I played 18 holes, especially since I found a last-minute flash deal for an 11 am tee time. After going for my 6:30 am run, showering, eating breakfast, and tidying up, I booked the Uber to get to the course. It was still a bit pricey because I had to rent clubs and a pull cart and buy golf balls and tees, but overall, the experience was amazing! I could not have asked for better weather; the scenery was breathtaking. I had made some golf shots and have gotten better at hitting the ball up in the air. Although some of my golf shots were questionable regarding angle and distance, I am happy with how I played and look forward to golfing again soon.

Bunge Jumping at Skypark

Being Australia’s only official bungee jumping venue, I bravely took the leap of faith on Friday by jumping. As an big item on my bucket list, I have pondered the idea of bungee jumping for years. As someone who has been skydiving twice before, I knew something like this was up my alley. The only bad news was that the weather was not cooperative that day. When I arrived, the two other brave souls and I exited the bus, only to see we were the only ones there. It was also pouring rain, so it made sense that there were no people. I jumped first, and the anticipation of climbing the 50-meter tower to the platform was intense. Once I got up to the top, I greeted the staff, who helped assist me with my harness and the bungee cord. Once I was ready, I shuffled my way to the edge of the platform. It is quite a weird experience to jump from a large height. Although you know it’s completely safe and trustworthy, it feels so wrong and not usual to be doing this. Every instinct in my body was telling me not to jump, except for my brain, of course. I paid for the jump, and now I would do it! I then took a deep breath and leaped headfirst into the open air.

I will be totally honest. It is tough to describe what it is like to bungee jump or skydive. In order to really know, you have to experience it. I will try to share what it was like. Once I jumped out, I fell for about 2-3 seconds before feeling the bunge were my feet started to be “catched” of my fall. When in the free fall stages, I was not bound to be in any direction, but I was facing down because of how I jumped off the platform. I chose to jump off the platform headfirst (many jumpers do this since your head will face down anyway when the bunge catches you). Thus, the jump-off was similar to diving into a pool at the beginning of a swim race. Except here, there was no water to feel apart from the rain. After 2-3 seconds, you will feel the bungee quickly slow you down and eventually launch you back up.

It is truly a fantastic experience, and once you are launched up, you are in this weird part where you are not falling but not flying either. It is like being an astronaut floating around in the space station. Of course, the time interval is very short in this case. The process then repeats itself until you stop bouncing and hang upside down above a small lake. It is then where you are “rescued” by a staff member in a small boat by grabbing onto their pole and a person above lowering the teater to allow you to sit on the boat upright. All in all, I had a fantastic experience bungee jumping and even got some footage as well. I did not even talk about the giant swing I went on there, but as part of my experience, I got to experience one of the biggest and scariest swings ever. I was lifted almost 50 meters in the air, pulled onto a lever, and swung down below in an almost half circle. Hats off to Skypark at Caines for such an excellent experience!

Arrival in Singapore!

On Saturday morning, we all got up early to get a quick pre-picked breakfast at Thirsty Flamingo right in the resort before all got ready. The drive to the airport was quick. We were scheduled to take a flight to Papa New Guinea and then to Singapore because there was no direct route to Singapore from Caines that was existent or feasible for us to take. That said, the flight to Papa New Guinea was swift at about 90 minutes, and the flight to Singapore was over six hours. Having already experienced a 15-hour flight from California to Australia, the flight to Singapore was a breeze. Once we arrived, it was just after 7 pm; we then swiftly made our way to the baggage area. After getting our luggage, we made our way through the declaration area.

At that point, I went to the declaration area to declare the small souvenir bracelet I bought as a gift for my older sister. I bought it several days back at the crocodile sanctuary we went to. When I checked out that day, the cashier gave me a special paper and the receipt, deeming the crocodile bracelet acceptable to transfer across international borders. However, after showing the customs officers the item, they were unsure it was adequate and asked me many questions. The form the cashier gave me had the year 2005 on it, not 2025. Although it could have easily been a mistake, it hindered the process significantly, and my best counter was that the attached receipt was dated correctly. I was then escorted to the customs authority area and questioned about my identity and purpose in Singapore. I was very cooperative and considered myself good at handling these situations. The time was crawling by, and all my classmates were on the bus waiting for me. I decided to speed up the process by asking the officer if they could discard the item and if I could be on my way. Unfortunately, the officer informed me they were on hold with the higher-ups and could not make that happen. Thus, I was stuck waiting there.

Although I wanted to keep the item since it was a nice gift, I was willing for them to take it simply because I waited around an hour and a half by then. Luckily, the man got off the phone and returned the item to me. I was free to go with my souvenir! Free at last, I met up with Sharon from GAV and got a quick view of the fantastic waterfall before I took a Grab back to my new home. For those unaware, Singapore does not have Uber, but the best alternative is Grab, which offers food delivery and rideshare services around the clock. I then reached the accommodation, where I quickly unpacked and settled. I was tired after a long day and fell asleep quickly the next day. One thing I noticed upon getting to the accommodation was the interesting atrium spanning every floor of the building (pictured below)

First Day in Singapore

Sunday, March 16, was our first full day in Singapore, and it was also exciting. After sleeping in, my roommates and I went to the hotel lobby at 10 am, where we met up with everyone else in the program. We walked around 30 minutes to the classroom, where they told us everything we needed to know about Singapore, including the laws, shared knowledge, internship etiquette tips, and more. I paid full attention the entire time as I knew there would be important information I needed to remember. In addition, we had to be aware of our Ministry of Manpower appointments the next day (or in two days for a few students) since we would need to obtain a Work Holiday Pass Card to work in Singapore. After the orientation, we went to the welcome lunch, which was a short walk away. Although the food was not ready, the venue was attached to a huge mall, giving us all an ideal opportunity to check out the shops. I bought an air refresher and many napkins (tissue paper packets). As we learned in our orientation, most food vendors (especially the ones in Hawk Centers) do not supply napkins, meaning it is the customer’s responsibility to carry them in Singapore. Although one can buy individual packets at some food places for 30-60 cents a packet, buying them in bulk at the store is most economical, and means paying much, much less in the process. After walking around the mall and talking with different students from our program, we made our way to lunch. I wanted to start my time in Singapore with a familiar meal, so I chose the chicken cutlet. It was very good, and the sauce that came with the chicken was even better.

Overall, despite the setback of airport customs, I have enjoyed the Spring Break Trip and Singapore. I am excited to begin my internship, and it should be an excellent experience. I apologize if some future blog entries are shortened a bit. Sometimes, it can be not easy to keep up with the blogs with the internships, but I will try my best! That being said, I will keep the big moments in the spotlight, including, for example, the big walking tour we have planned this weekend in Singapore! Thanks again, and see you next week!

-Colin