As we leave Australia for good this week and transition to living in Singapore, I wanted to emphasize how amazing it was living in Australia for the past nine weeks. I loved the atmosphere in Sydney and being able to adventure to so many different places in the city and around the country. During this past week in Cairns, we went to Hartley’s Crocodile Adventure and Fitzroy Island to wrap up spring break.
Hartley’s Crocodile Adventure
At Hartley’s Crocodile Adventure, we saw a lot of crocodiles and other reptiles and animals, and we learned how they farm the crocodiles. Going on the boat and seeing the crocodiles in their natural habitat was something I have never done or thought of doing before. But we got to see the tour guides feed the crocodiles which was cool because they jumped out of the water to grab their food. My favorite part of the day was when we watched the crocodile attack show, where a trained professional was basically tempting a crocodile to take a bite out of him. The show was extremely interesting and engaging, but I did have my concerns for the guy in the ring with the crocodile. At Hartley’s, they also farm crocodile eggs to serve at their cafeteria. Crocodiles produce a lot of eggs and Hartley’s takes good care of them by farming them a morally correct way. I had the chance to try the grilled crocodile at the food court, and I have to say it was pretty good. It tasted sort of like chicken, but unique in a way.
Fitzroy Island
The next day, we took a trip to Fitzroy Island where we were able to explore the island for the day. We first started off by hiking up all the way to the top of the summit, which took about an hour and fifteen minutes to get all the way up. Towards the summit, the hike got extremely steep, but the view of the whole island at the end made every step worth it. We also went snorkeling at Nudey Beach, but I preferred snorkeling at the Great Barrier Reef much more.
Arriving in Singapore
When we first got off the plane in Singapore, we all immediately felt the humidity. Driving to the accommodation, we were able to get to see a majority of Singapore. The streets were lit up at night with different restaurants, stores, and gigantic shopping malls, an absolutely electric environment. The day after we arrived, I went to the Newton Hawker Centre with my family, who is visiting. The hawker centre was nothing like I have ever seen before. It was bustling even at 9 or 10 P.M. at night. There were so many food choices, I felt overwhelmed and couldn’t decide what to choose. We ended up trying a lot of different dishes, but the most memorable was stingray, which is a Singaporean delicacy.
First Day at SDAX
On Monday, I started my eight-week internship at Singapore’s Digital Asset Exchange (SDAX). In the short time that I have been there so far, I have been working on reviewing company financial statements, summarizing board meetings, and creating slide decks for presentations.
