Hello! What a whirlwind of a week. I can feel time racing by, and honestly, it feels like it’s going to win. It was another great week, with surprisingly less rain than usual.

Work Trip to Batam: I love my job

I went back to Indonesia on Tuesday! This was my third visit — first Bali, then Bintan, and now Batam. Each island is unique, and where I’d recommend really depends on what you’re looking for. GFC took all the interns — me, Autumn, Eamon, and Owen — to Batam for a golf day with a client. An American client! I think Kevin might be one of the only Americans I’ve met since arriving in Singapore. He’s been living abroad since before his retirement, though, so he’s more international at this point.

Batam was similar to Bintan in that we just took a ferry, about 45 minutes, instead of a plane like we did for Bali. The ride flew by. I’ll never get over the massive cargo ships in Singapore’s waters. They’re huge, and the possibilities of what they’re carrying seem endless. We traveled Deepak-style (he’s one of the advisors at GFC), and that’s definitely the way to go. Special doors were opened for us, and we were picked up by Fanny, who was incredibly sweet. She took care of me and Autumn after we left the golf course.

Autumn and I joined for the front nine. I’ve watched a lot of golf, but it was my first time seeing caddies in action for non-professionals. After every shot, they would wipe the clubs, hand out tees, call out distances, and even suggest lines. At one point, I half expected them to just hit the shots too. It was all good fun — just a very different way to play. I had a blast watching and occasionally putting with Autumn. We actually had a few good holes! After the nine, Fanny took us for massages. It was a little different from what I’m used to — a large room with curtains dividing each person. I got a one-hour full body massage and a 30-minute body scrub for under $20 USD, and I have no complaints.

After the massages, we stopped by a mall to grab bubble tea (“boba” in the U.S.). The malls here still blow my mind — they’re massive, stunning, and always spotless. We then met back up at the golf course to get ready for dinner. We had dinner and drinks at the Marriott rooftop bar, which was absolutely gorgeous. If I’d brought my glasses, I probably could have seen Marina Bay Sands from up there.

It was a great evening full of conversations. I especially loved chatting with Fanny. She told me how she studied something totally different in school but now runs her own business coordinating golf travel. What started as a side hustle turned into her passion. As a MIDE major planning to go into advertising, it’s comforting to hear how people’s journeys don’t always follow a straight path. Overall, it was an amazing experience getting out on the course. I’m super grateful GFC let me join. And yes, I’ll definitely be working on my golf game to level up from just putting.

Sentosa Island: An Underrated Trio

This weekend, my apartment was completely empty. Everyone else had travel plans, so I had the whole place to myself. I love my alone time, don’t get me wrong, but after 15 weeks of constant company, the sudden silence was weirdly jarring. I missed everyone more than I expected.

Luckily, GAV/Bucknell had organized a day trip to Sentosa on Saturday. I woke up early, headed to the lobby, and set off for the mini adventure. Thankfully, Aleksa and Dylan were around, so the three of us got to spend the day together. Sentosa is technically part of Singapore, but we took a cable car to get there, which made it feel like more of a trip. (If you’ve been to Disney, it’s similar to the Skyliner — just slower, and the final stop isn’t quite as magical. No shade to Sentosa!)

As soon as we arrived, I knew I wanted the beach. Dylan navigated us to the nearest one, where we spent around four hours — which is how I earned my sunburns of the day. (They’ve already faded, don’t worry.) The beach was pretty standard, but sadly no seashells. We laid out, swam in the warm, clear ocean (similar to Bintan), and swapped stories about travel plans and thoughts on the program. Aleksa has the coolest layover going home — he gets to stop in Germany! After soaking up way too much sun, we grabbed pizza at a beachfront restaurant.

We still had some time before our cable car ride back at 2:30, so I suggested we visit Fort Siloso. Fort Siloso tells the story of Singapore’s role in WWII and its occupation by Japan. Walking around, I could totally feel myself channeling my dad — I read every plaque and watched every video. While the tunnels, forts, and guns were fascinating, they had these motion-triggered speakers that blasted air raid alarms. It definitely stressed me out, but it added to the atmosphere in a real way. I’m so glad I went. I learned so much I wouldn’t have picked up otherwise. Like the fact that “siloso” in Filipino means “a jealous person”.

Fun Fact: There’s a famous myth that the guns at Fort Siloso were never fired during the battle for Singapore in 1942 because they were facing the wrong way. However, the guns were designed to fire at naval targets. So when Japanese troops invaded Singapore, the guns were rotated and fired landward.

Next up, I’m headed to Japan with the gang, and I couldn’t be more excited! Bali is still my all-time favorite trip, so Japan has some tough competition. But I already know a shopping spree is in my future — especially for skincare and haircare products. I can’t wait to record it all. Stay tuned!

Cheers,
Alexa