November Break Series: Exploring Singapore

Welcome back to my blog! I hinted in my last post that I’d be doing some more traveling in November, and indeed, I write to you now a few days after returning from the incredible trip I took across Asia over my school break (KUIS was closed for placement exams). I spent 3 days in Singapore, 2 in Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam), and 3 more in Bangkok (Thailand) and am excited to share my trip highlights from each city with you. But before I start, if you take anything away from my next few blog posts, let it be that you absolutely should, if you have the means to do so, travel to multiple other places during your study abroad program—exploring so many different cultures this past week has been more important and impactful for me than has an entire semester in Japan.

Singapore may be my favorite non-US city out of all the places I’ve traveled to. It is lush and green, yet full of futuristic glass buildings as well as the colorful, older hubs of culture that are this very international city’s Chinatown, Little India, and Muslim Quarter (and of course the infamous hawker food centers), making for an overall feeling of charming authenticity balanced with modern sophistication and luxury. The transportation system is extensive and reliable and very easy to use given that all you need to do is simply tap your credit card when entering and leaving, and the city-state’s primary language is English, so you won’t have any problems navigating or chatting with the many different types of people who live there. I was also especially pleased to encounter a thriving youth culture as well as a clearly joyful spirit in the city, with laughter, singing, and conversation everywhere—a very welcome change following the unsettling silence prevalent in Japan. I do have to note, however, that Singapore is incredibly hot and humid, and that torrential rains are an everyday occurrence, so I don’t recommend visiting if you can’t handle these conditions. Here are my top picks: