Singapore. I had heard so much about the place but had zero conception of what it was in actuality. Are you really not allowed to chew gum on the streets? Was it really more clean and contemporary than any city in the U.S.? Could the humidity really be that bad? For these reasons and many others, I was keen to experience this country.
One of the many benefits of studying abroad at Notre Dame Australia I knew coming in was that I would have the opportunity to travel to Singapore for a five-day class excursion with my Business in Asia class. I was told that we would visit several businesses, stay in a beautiful hotel, and eat some of the cheapest and most delicious Asian food out there. Sounded good to me. So, after months of anticipation, weeks of in-class preparation, and a couple of hours of last minute packing whatever “Business Professional” attire I had managed to lug to Australia, we were finally boarding that red eye flight from Perth to Singapore.
Those next five days passed by in a whirl of activity that I’ll never forget.
Daytime excursions included visits to organizations like UBS Bank, BP, and the U.S. Embassy where we discussed how business is performed in Asia and learned about the benefits of working abroad as an expat.
In our free time, we explored the many cultural districts like Chinatown, Little India, and Arab Street, we snuck up to the top of hotels with rooftop bars and infinity pools, and we continued on as wildlife explorers at the Singapore Zoo Night Safari.
One of the many benefits of studying abroad at Notre Dame Australia I knew coming in was that I would have the opportunity to travel to Singapore for a five-day class excursion with my Business in Asia class. I was told that we would visit several businesses, stay in a beautiful hotel, and eat some of the cheapest and most delicious Asian food out there. Sounded good to me. So, after months of anticipation, weeks of in-class preparation, and a couple of hours of last minute packing whatever “Business Professional” attire I had managed to lug to Australia, we were finally boarding that red eye flight from Perth to Singapore.
Those next five days passed by in a whirl of activity that I’ll never forget.
Daytime excursions included visits to organizations like UBS Bank, BP, and the U.S. Embassy where we discussed how business is performed in Asia and learned about the benefits of working abroad as an expat.
In our free time, we explored the many cultural districts like Chinatown, Little India, and Arab Street, we snuck up to the top of hotels with rooftop bars and infinity pools, and we continued on as wildlife explorers at the Singapore Zoo Night Safari.
The hotel was worth all of the hype. Every morning, we woke up to a continental breakfast that made Sunday brunch at South Dining Hall seem like an amateur production. Every afternoon, after a long day out, we would throw on the complimentary hotel robes and head down to the spa where we would spend what felt like hours in the hot tubs and sauna rooms.
Finally, despite Singapore’s current ranking as the 4th most expensive city in the world, we managed to eat quite well. The street food from the hawker stalls is every college student’s dream: food that is both incredibly cheap and incredibly delicious. I also found my new favorite restaurant with the world’s best dumplings: Din Tai Fung, I braved my way through an 8 course Chinese seafood buffet (fried octopus anyone?), and I experienced a traditional Peking duck brunch.
The entire trip to Singapore was surreal but a few takeaways are:
- Countries can be clean, efficient, and organized. Singapore is Exhibit A.
- Asian cuisine is so much more than General Tso’s Chicken and Egg Drop Soup.
- New life goal: to live and work abroad at some point in my life as an expat.
- The only place I will ever be okay with spending $28 on a cocktail is on a rooftop bar overlooking the Singapore skyline.
Cheers mates!
Maggie
Finally, despite Singapore’s current ranking as the 4th most expensive city in the world, we managed to eat quite well. The street food from the hawker stalls is every college student’s dream: food that is both incredibly cheap and incredibly delicious. I also found my new favorite restaurant with the world’s best dumplings: Din Tai Fung, I braved my way through an 8 course Chinese seafood buffet (fried octopus anyone?), and I experienced a traditional Peking duck brunch.
The entire trip to Singapore was surreal but a few takeaways are:
- Countries can be clean, efficient, and organized. Singapore is Exhibit A.
- Asian cuisine is so much more than General Tso’s Chicken and Egg Drop Soup.
- New life goal: to live and work abroad at some point in my life as an expat.
- The only place I will ever be okay with spending $28 on a cocktail is on a rooftop bar overlooking the Singapore skyline.
Cheers mates!
Maggie