For those of you who may not know, I am now in the second portion of the Asia-Pacific program, which is in Singapore! It’s nicknamed the “little red dot” because, on the map, it’s so small that it’s often depicted by a “little red dot.” My life down under has come to a close, and I’ve now jumped over to the little red dot, which honestly doesn’t feel that little to me.

Routine Changes

I’m really good at sticking to a routine—whether it be workouts, class schedules, you name it. Once I adjust, I thrive in that environment. Naturally, when I get pulled from my routine—whether it’s the end of the semester or the end of summer prompting me to readjust—it takes me a second to find my footing. Those comparisons now make me chuckle, as they feel like a cakewalk compared to finding a new routine in an entirely new country!

Little things get overlooked when you live in a routine, but when your routine is broken, you start to notice all the small details. For instance, the first supermarket we visited didn’t have celery, which has been my go-to snack (I have since found celery)! But supermarket shopping became stressful because I’ve never had to think about my type of produce—it’s just always there. The layout of the store had some similarities to those in the US and Sydney, but I still had to ask a few associates where to find certain items. Another big difference is how food is consumed in Singapore—it’s a lot of takeout! Our fridge in the accommodation is tiny, but that makes sense because the culture primarily focuses on getting food from elsewhere. Looking at our fridge, you can tell I’m resisting the culture a bit based on the amount of food I’ve stuffed on my shelf. I’m trying to do better, but it’s expensive—even ordering at the Hawker Centers adds up!

Speaking of Hawker Centers, the closest comparison I can draw is a mall food court, but even that’s an unfair comparison. A Hawker Center is essentially a food court times 20, with an overwhelming amount of food and people. It’s fascinating, though, because each stand has its own recipe it has been perfecting for generations. The difference for me is that I have very little familiarity with the types of foods, but I’ve been relying on pictures to help guide me to the right stalls. However, they’ve failed me twice—I accidentally ate spicy food (twice). My lack of spice tolerance is not doing well, but who knows—maybe I’ll come back and be able to eat spicy foods without my lips feeling like they’re puffing up. I will say that aside from the heat, the food has been spectacular.

Another slight routine difference that feels huge is that the light switch for the bathroom is on the outside of the door instead of the inside! You’d think I’d adjust, but let me tell you, I walk in and have to walk right back out to turn the light on! The elevator structure is also different. When I press the elevator button for floor 20, I expect it to be towards the top, but it’s actually at the bottom! So every time I have to catch myself—please see the image for a better visual. Also, some restaurants will charge you for tap water, and let me tell you, I miss my free water!

So, while all of this has been a lot and requires more acclimation than Sydney did, I can’t help but think of a story my mom once told me, which has been helping me stay positive.

When I was little, there was a time when I was happily coloring in my coloring book. Well, it became time to go to the park, and my dad scooped me up to take me away from my coloring book. Instead of being excited, I freaked out—because when you’re little, the concept of time is hard to grasp. In my mind, leaving meant I’d never get to finish coloring my picture again. Of course, that wasn’t true, but in the moment, it felt like it was. Right now, I feel like I’ve been pulled away from my “picture” again. I had finally settled into my routine in Sydney, feeling comfortable and thriving, and then—just like being taken to the park—I was suddenly placed into a brand-new environment: Singapore where it feels impossible that I could find a routine here because I loved Sydney so much (go with the dramatic use of impossible for understanding my point). But just like little me at the park, I know I’ll eventually readjust and have a good time in Singapore too.

Working Abroad

The study abroad experience is still ongoing, just taking on the new form of my internship—which, for most of you, I’m sure is the real juicy part of this update: how is my internship going? Well, let me tell you, as the Marketing Intern at Global Financial Consultants (GFC), I’ve been pretty occupied. This week has seemingly flown by, which is great because I’m ready to explore more of Singapore and get a lay of the land.

After reviewing the branding guidelines (which made the OCD part of me very happy), my first real task was to propose different social media campaigns. I can’t go into too much detail, but after my Account Management internship last summer, this is definitely flexing different muscles. While working through the proposal and brainstorming ideas for creative and copy (captions), I’ve been applying the skills I learned in MIDE 300. I plan to make a mood board so that not only myself but my manager, Tiffany (who is awesome, by the way), will have a clear understanding of what I’m trying to design. The freedom this project has given me has allowed me to use the MIDE skills of failing forward, creative confidence, and embracing ambiguity. I think Professor Grant would be proud. That’s all I can share for now, but I can already tell that I’m going to come out of this with invaluable experience.

General Impressions/Observation

So in the chaos of trying to find a routine and starting my internship I still have managed to notice general observations of Singapore. Before coming to Singapore we all had to read a book on Singapore and its culture to be better prepared which has served as my point of my reference—I’ve been looking out for some of the big ideas and I’m kind of surprised. One of the most prominent being that according to the textbook Singapore isn’t a very touchy society, well let me tell you the authors clearly they haven’t been where I have. People gather around and sit outside of the malls on the steps or just on the ground along buildings hugging for extended periods of time, PDA on the train—it’s not at all what I was expecting! Another is that while Singapore is nicknamed as “fine city” I’m surprised by all the rule breaking I saw (jaywalking in particular). There are cameras everywhere, but people don’t seem intimidated by it because people cross the street as soon as they can. But by the law if the little person isn’t green and you cross at the crosswalk that’s still considered jaywalking. One of my favorite things about Singapore is called “chute” which is where you reserve your table at a Hawke Center or wherever by placing tissues or other small items on your table to mark that it is yours—it just makes so much sense to me! I knew this before coming here, but the smoking of cigarettes is very prevalent and I am not a fan of cigarette smoke. Right outside of our accommodation I call it “smoke alley” because you’re allowed to smoke outside so people are always congregated there clogging up the sidewalk. I must say they are also always on their phones, people everywhere are, which has much more of a NYC feel, but in Sydney that was not the culture so the constant screen time is a total 180. I will say the people are really nice here, very helpful even though “Singlish” which shortens everything to be efficient initially came off as rude. I now understand it. When I was asking for directions at a 7/11 the cashier said “3” and then moved on to the next customer, but that was just the Singlish way of indicating I needed to go up to the third floor. Answering something with “can” or “cannot” is the biggest Singlish, but I haven’t heard it yet said to me only in passing. I’m sure there are more observations to come and I can’t wait to report my observations!

Saturday tour pictures:

PILATES IS BACK 

The highlight of my week (aside from having both Stella and Ariana’s birthdays back to back) was pilates class. Ariana and I signed up together and after having done three classes this week I’m even more in love than I was after the one class in Sydney. I love the environment even though it’s definitely a struggle. It’s great to get moving after my work days and while it’s very independent because it’s a class where you are struggling with others I find comfort in that. Our first core class I would just look over at Ariana and start laughing because her face would scream “why is this so hard, oh my goodness” but that’s exactly what we want from a workout class. So I signed up for a 10 class package, but we’ll see if I become addicted and need to buy 10 more to match Ariana. I’m definitely continuing to utilize the techniques I learn such as engaging my core or not using my lower back during legs into my weight lifting, which I’m loving! 

Cheers! (I haven’t found a Singapore-equivalent yet) 

-Alexa