Finally in Singapore after a very long week in Cairns.

I didn’t expect to love the jam-packed days from GAV, but I ended up enjoying the constant activities. On Tuesday, our group was down two as Alexa spent time with her boyfriend Danny, who literally flew across the world for her, and Ariana took a self-care Pilates day. The four of us carried on and spent the day at Hartley’s Crocodile Adventures. The sun decided not to make an appearance that day (thank the Lord), because it was already hot and humid enough without it.

We first went on a boat ride, where we got to see a few of the 22 crocodiles they have at Hartley’s. Fluffy, our boat driver’s favorite croc, was taken from the wild and given a home at Hartley’s after she developed a taste for Pomeranians, both owned by the same poor old lady. Besides the crocodiles, we saw lots of koalas, cool birds, and cassowaries. The koalas were my favorite; it was so interesting to see their energy levels change throughout the day. One hour they’d be curled up in a ball, and the next, they’d be literally jumping from branch to branch.

As for the other animals, I hate to say it, but the Wildlife Walkabout Park did it much better. Their kangaroos didn’t seem to want to be pet, so after a quick hello, we left them alone. Afterward, I even got to touch a baby crocodile! Something new and different was definitely the crocodile show, where some unlucky crocodile caretaker has to get into the water with a very angry crocodile and feed it. No matter how cool this experience was, the highlight definitely had to be the little boy sitting across from me at the show, who had his hand up for at least 20 minutes even after the host stopped taking questions.

On Wednesday, we all went to Fitzroy Island. The boat ride was rough because of the awful couple next to us, but the reunion of the roomies plus Danny made up for it. None of us wanted to hike with Paul, so we decided to take a “leisurely” walk to Nudey Beach. It was, in fact, not leisurely at all, but I enjoyed it. I do have to say, the water never felt better. It was a super light turquoise color, and the sandy part of the beach was actually made up of pieces of coral, which I had never seen before. We played the card game Knock after getting rained on while lying on the beach, and while we were waiting to board the boat again, we saw another shark! That night, we went out to dinner and somehow ran into the same couple from the boat. This time, thankfully, he had his toes covered, and they had the decency not to cuddle in public. My Caesar salad was incredible, but I think I make a better sticky toffee pudding.

On Thursday, we got the band back together again and went to brunch! Brunch was great, but the beach afterward was even better. Danny and Alexa didn’t join us for our beach day, so the rest of us took an Uber to Palm Cove Beach and spent the day sunbathing, reading, and collecting seashells. I even picked up a gift for my dad, meaning every member of my family now has something from Australia.

Friday was by far my favorite day of the trip. We all got up early and made our way to Rusty’s Market. Compared to the markets in Sydney, this one was a little lackluster, but I had a really good chai, which made the trip worth it! Afterward, Maddie, Danny, Alexa, and I went to the Cairns Aquarium. I’m a sucker for an aquarium, so I had the time of my life. I rediscovered my love and appreciation for jellyfish. You’ll know I’ve made it in life when I have a saltwater fish tank of just jellyfish in my house.

After being unlucky and not seeing any sea turtles in the wild, the Cairns Aquarium blessed me with plenty of freshwater turtles, which aren’t as cute, but still cute, nonetheless. We got to touch starfish and even witnessed Timmy clocking out of his overtime shift and switching with another starfish (whose name, unfortunately, I forgot). The Rostar of starfish available for touching was truly one of the greatest things I’ve ever seen and this is coming from a girl who has now seen two of the greatest wonders of the world.

That night, Lauren, Maddie, Ariana, Sienna, and I went out for an early birthday dinner for me and Ariana. Since Sienna is now in New Zealand, it was our last chance to celebrate together. Both of our golden birthdays are coming up as we’re turning 20 on the 20th and 21 on the 21st, so we’re hoping this is our best year yet. And honestly, starting it off in Singapore isn’t too shabby.

Waking up at 4:30 to say goodbye to all of my NZ headed friends was extremely bittersweet, coupled with the journey ahead, Saturday was both the best and worst travel day of my life. From Cairns to Papua New Guinea, many Bucknellians (including myself) were hit with insane baggage fees because this airline didn’t allow us to purchase extra bags. Any extra luggage was simply considered overweight. Alexa and I shared an extra bag, expecting to split a $100 fee, but we each ended up paying $150. It was an overwhelming and unexpected start to our journey to Singapore, but we made it to Papua New Guinea, where Ariana and I truly had the time of our lives. Something about being there made us feel euphoric or maybe it was just the luck of scoring an exit-row seat.

The six-hour flight flew by, and suddenly, we were in Singapore. The airport was just as gorgeous as I expected, but I still can’t decide if the waterfall or the Shake Shack was a better welcome (It was the Shake Shack). 

Sunday was a nice reset day after the long travel day. We walked to orientation, where we came face-to-face with how alarmingly close Singapore is to the equator, and we went grocery shopping. After my roommates and I smuggled packs and packs of TimTams from Australia, it was both disappointing and a welcomed surprise to find out that TimTams are sold in Singapore. Knowing that beforehand could’ve saved us $50 in overweight fees…

Today was my first day of work. I love how our office is set up. It’s much smaller and more casual than I expected. Everyone works in one big room, and it feels good to walk around and see so much camaraderie. We have a gorgeous view of the marina from 17 stories up, and I got to make new friends with the other GAV interns.

My personal work consisted of staring at and playing with a giant Excel file full of every real estate transaction in APAC from the last 15 years. My boss, Alex, taught me about the differences between the North American capital markets industry and the one in Asia. I’m super excited to learn from him as he explains complex topics in a way that actually makes sense to me. Although today was a slow day since he was in meetings for most of it, I’m ready to hit the ground running tomorrow.

I feel settled in my new home in Singapore and can’t wait for the next eight weeks of travel and work!