university

I have been attending classes for 2 weeks already. I want to describe the Singaporean university system a bit with a main focus on the differences between this and the Dutch system.
First of all, I was able to choose the days and time of my classes. Keeping in mind that I want to travel around South-East Asia as much as possible, I have decided to have all of my classes on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday in order to enjoy the benefits of a 4-days weekends (I have to say that I already took advantage of it by visiting my friend Pawel who is an exchange student in Jakarta). My roommate, a Polish girl studying in Maastricht decided to have classes only 2 days a week! I am really impressed by that, because attending classes over here is exhausting. The lecture lasts for 3 hours and 15 minutes with only 1 small break in the middle. What is more, attending all of the classes is compulsory (a thing that Tilburg students are not used to!) and the attendance is 100%.
Secondly, the classes are much more interactive. The class participation can be worth up to 20% of the grade. Unfortunately, this does not affect the level of discussion. Sometimes it seems that the students are talking for sake of talking.
Thirdly, every week there are papers to read for every class. I was really surprised to see the library full on a first day of the semester. Asian students are well known for their work ethics, and SMU students are no different. There are even stories that the exchange students keep telling among themselves. It all started with an exchange coordinator telling us that it is normal for students to meet up 6 to 10 times a day in order to discuss a project. I have also heard that the students can spend 3 hours discussing a color of the PowerPoint presentation. I am sure not all of the stories are true, but my first team was eager to meet as much as possible, including Saturdays and Sundays starting from 7 in the morning. Honestly, I freaked out and changed the class.
I think these were the major differences between SMU and Tilburg University. In this blog, I have covered the school stuff so far. If there is anything you would like me to write about (parties, sightseeing, travel possibilities, my travel experiences, etc.) do let me know, I am open for suggestions.
Take care,
Joanna

First days in Singapore

I have been in Singapore for 10 days already. The time flies over here: it seems that there is always something to do, somewhere to go. I have not been bored even once. On the contrary – I do not really know which place to go to first! Since the school did not start yet, I have some time to travel around. With a group of exchange students we have traveled to near-by islands, went to Kuala Lumpur (only 5 hours travel by bus), visited a botanic garden, went “prawning” (fishing for shrimps what involved grilling and eating the food we managed to fish), and did some sightseeing in Chinatown and Little India… The list of the activities we have done is very long, but I still cannot say that I fully understand Singapore. The best answer for the question “How is Singapore” still remains: It is different. Is it a culture shock? It might be. But the symptoms of it are certainly positive: it makes me more interested, eager, and happy to do new things and meet new people.
There is however one problem with meeting Singaporeans. They are very nice people, but it is really hard to understand them. The official language is English, but since the majority of people in here are Chinese, their language has a big influence on English: different accents, pronunciation, mixing Chinese and English words in one sentence… I am sure it’s a matter of getting used to Singlish, but it gets a bit annoying when one is lost in the “urban jungle” of Singapore.
Today is the first day of classes. I still have some problems with signing up to the courses because the system is highly competitive and, in the opinion of all the exchange students, unnecessarily complex. A student receives e$100 (electronic money) and has to bid for the courses through an auction. Right now I have to hurry up for one of my classes, so hope you have a great day and talk to you in two weeks!

Salutations,

I am a student of economics and business faculty at Tilburg University and the sixth part of my studies involves going for an exchange to a foreign country. It’s not obligatory, but most of the students take part in it since it’s widely known as “the best time of one’s life”. Therefore, expecting a great deal of fun and new experiences, I am packing my clothes to leave to Singapore in 3 days. 3 DAYS!!! I do not really feel prepared for it. Not even sure how to prepare myself…How can one get ready for moving out to Singapore for 5 months without even being in Asia before?

I probably should start this blog with some kind of introduction about myself. Keeping things short: I was born in Poland, where I’ve spent first 16 years of my life. Then, I moved to Colorado for a year to take part in a high school exchange program. It was so much fun that I begun to love travelling. As a consequence, I moved to Ireland for a bit and then ended up in Tilburg, the Netherlands, to get my undergrad education. So, as you can see, I do have some experience with living in different countries. Therefore, there is one statement I want to make: I do not believe in the culture shock. In my opinion, as long as the person is open and respectful to new culture, habits and people, there should be no problem with accepting, understanding, and enjoying the differences between the inhabitants of other countries.

With that attitude, I definitely am ready to live in Singapore, to travel around Asia, and to have as many adventures as possible. What is more, I will write about every single one of them in this blog so you are more than welcome to check it every two weeks or so to stay updated with the latest news from Singapore. Hope you’ll enjoy the readings!