I never really minded flying - it always meant that I was going somewhere; usually somewhere new and exciting. The new and exciting part of my flight to Singapore was true but the 20 hour length was definitely mind numbing (and butt numbing). But I made it here safe and sound, got all set up in my apartment, and have ran around the city a little bit to become oriented. My first couple of days here were basically a collection of miniature conquests - finding my apartment, figuring out how to work the hot water in the shower, finding a grocery store, trying to figure out what the heck to buy at the grocery store, etc. This will probably be sort of the theme for my first week here as I fight off the culture shock and start to get acclimated to Asia.
The official start of the semester is next week, however I believe that the first week is formalities and "orientation". Before Monday I have to get my physical (which costs $30 here as opposed to the $300 it would have cost in the US), register with the gov't for my visa, and meet with the officials at the US Embassy for an initial "briefing" on my Fulbright.
Below are a few pictures from my first two days in Singapore, the rest can be found here.
View from my new apartment
my living room
Nice park near the bay (note the lawn mowing crew)
Standard "tourist" Singapore pose
Downtown Singapore
As a bonus - here is a short video of the Thian Hock Keng Temple near Chinatown (I got really wet on the way home...):
"The exchange program is the one thing that reconciles me to all the difficulties of political life. It is the only activity that gives me hope that the human race won't commit suicide."
I'm a building energy engineer spending the year on a Fulbright Grant in Singapore. My focus in is building energy optimization and HVAC technologies.
This is not an official Dept of State website or blog. The views and information presented does not represent the Fulbright Program or the US Dept of State.
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