The first week in Singapore has been nothing short of eye opening and life changing. It has not only provided me with a glimpse of what living in the city would be like, but also working in the city. One of the key success factors to success is efficiency. In other words, properly maximizing the value of a resource. One resource that I have noticed is important to both work and life is time. This city utilizes time unlike anywhere else I have seen. Anything from talking to riding public transportation to even grocery shopping has been tweaked in a way different in order to improve efficiency. The people of Singapore talk fast and punctual. Instead of “will you like the food to go or will you be dining in” it is “here or take”. Instead of “yes you may” it is “can”. Examples of speaking efficiency are prevalent in everyday life. The theme continues with the public transportation system. In Sydney, I would sometimes be waiting 20 minutes to catch a train to go to class. In Singapore, it seems like everytime I arrive at my desired train station, I am sitting down in the train and moving within a minute. Even grocery stores have implemented digital price tags in order to improve efficiency. The operation and design of Singapore makes it seem as if nothing is left to chance. Additionally, the city is as organized as it is flooding with culture. This weekend, we had the privilege of receiving a walking tour through Chinatown, Little India, and Kampong Glam (Malay influenced). The culture in Singapore is a combination of these three cultures. Because of this, it was interesting to see each culture on its own. More specifically, the architecture of these three distinct locations is what stood out to me. In Little India, the vibrant and radiating colors of the buildings and window doors combined with the smells of traditional feasts and the local markets made the visit to the small town amazing. After Little India, we were taken to Kampong Glam. What stood out to me about this town was the Sultan Mosque. The building was a blinding white shade with a large golden globe resting at the top like ice cream on top of a cone. Then, in Chinatown we visited a temple where citizens were praying. In Singapore, everything is connected. There are no stand alone buildings besides private property such as houses (which I have not seen many of). However, the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple was stand alone. The building was massive and studded with gold. The inside of the temple was even more impressive. The temple was quiet. The building was filled with fumes caused by religious incense. In the middle of the temple stood three solid gold statues. Observing, comparing, and enjoying the differences between these three segments of Singapore was both aweing and educational.
(Photo Taken From Sultan Mosque, 3/23/2025)
On Monday, I began my internship as an equity research analyst at Morningstar. Equity research has been something I have been interested in since doing a stock comparison project in Professor Suslavas Foundations of Accounting class Freshmen year. Having the opportunity to engage in work that I am interested in, in a country different from the US, has been, and will continue to be, an opportunity that I am grateful to have received. On the first day, I showed up to the office and first got set up with IT. As opposed to my last summer internship, this only took a couple of minutes which was the most pleasant surprise I have received since discovering that I can get a chicken and rice bowl for less than $5 (but I digress). The work culture at Morningstar has been nothing short of excellent. My boss works from Melbourne and because he is not in office, my coworker took me to lunch and helped ease me into the office. Every single person in the office has put in both time and effort to get to know me which has immensely helped the transition. So far, work has helped me develop a routine into the culturally rich city which Singapore is and I am extremely excited to see what the rest of the experience will provide.
(Photo Taken Outside Work Location ‘UOB Plaza’, 3/21/2025)