January in Review

Hello readers! So this week I actually was busy with school. Crazy I know, but to my surprise as well, I'm actually enrolled in a university here. This has resulted in a rather uneventful week for me (I mean as uneventful as getting recognized as Neil Patrick Harris repetitively at the club last night) so I would like to start something that I will be continuing for the rest of my time here which is pretty much a review of the month and my larger overall thoughts of my experience this past few weeks. If you are actually interested in classes or have any questions about Singapore or Study Abroad in general, please let me know in the comments or tweet at me at @thechrismorgan. I was also thinking we could do a large Google+ hangout or some other kind of Q&A event later in the semester if you all are interested, let me know!

Anyway, I digress.

January in Review!

(Australia Day at Altitude)

It's hard to believe that I have already been here for over half a month, but at the same time I've grown a little accustomed to living in Singapore already. Thinking back to when I arrived the second week of January, I had a lot of expectations for what Singapore would be like. Some turned out to be true, and some weren't.

One of the biggest expectations I had for Singapore were the extensive list of rules and laws here. While it is illegal to do many things (chewing gum in public, jaywalking, eating or drinking on public transportation, ect.) a lot of these things are not actively enforced across the country. This is most likely due to a lack of personel to actually regulate a dense population in accordance to all of the laws that are in place. That being said, many still follow these rules and hold others to them. (Except I've seen quite a lot of jaywalking.) (But I mean I would never do it. Please don't cane me.) The severity of the punishments seems to keep the laws in place without using active enforcement (there are cameras everywhere, but I've only seen the police twice). As a result though, the city is very clean, and that is something that was surprising and rather refreshing. However, clean doesn't mean "completely devoid of litter" just as many of the signs around the city say "Low crime doesn't mean no crime".

The nightlife here is another thing that I had heard a lot about. It is a common occurrence  especially with the student population of Singapore to go out on the town on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. There are many different clubs and bars that provide wonderful social venues for everyone to meet up, have fun, and relax together winding down from the weeks work. The bars and clubs vary in type, location, and focus, but it's hard to go wrong if you're anywhere near the bay on any of those nights. A lot of student interaction happens in these locations, the more popular clubs are a place where you can run into many people that you've met at the school that you wouldn't normally be in class with or get meals with on a semi-regular basis. Let me know if you want more details about the hotspots to hit up while you are here, I'd love to help you out. (1-Altitude still remains to be my favorite.)

When studying abroad, a lot of people tell you to research the country you are about to go to. And while that is a good idea, I would like to mention that doing this will not prepare you for actually living there. My recommendation to anyone studying abroad in a new country, talk to someone who lives there or has been there for an extended period of time, this will give you a lot more applicable information than any website could. That being said, there are a lot of things you just have to pick up on the fly once you arrive, and they come quickly. People are understanding here too (especially if you're as white as I am) and will sometimes even be surprised when you can understand a little bit of Singlish or pick up quickly on some of the mannerisms.

(The city is preparing for Chinese New Year!)

A majority of my time this month has been getting to know the city that I'm living in, adjusting to the very different class/school system, and getting settled in Singapore. In the coming month, I will be diving into a little more strenuous school work, so you can expect to hear about that. Chinese New Year is also coming this next month, so that should be exciting. In addition in February I will begin traveling around Southeast Asia, starting with Kuala Lumpur and Thailand. So look forward to some more travel posts coming soon!

That's all for now! Until next time!

The lack of Kraft Mac & Cheese has me cooking my own Fettuccini Alfredo

Another fun relaxing weekend has come and gone, and it's hard to believe that I've already been here three weeks! This weekend I visited a few attractions of Singapore that I recommend to anyone who is considering spending any time in the city.

Saturday night, we took at trip to the Financial District and to Marina Bay, where we found probably the largest tourist trap in all of Singapore; the Merlion Statue. (Also happens to be one of the signature locations, but I mean seriously, there were way too many cameras) (Also I have no idea what a Merlion is)

(View of the Merlion with the awesome Marina Bay Sands Hotel in the background)

Relatively nearby we then moved to what is now one of my favorite locations in Singapore: 1-Altitude. It is a classy and stylish club located on the rooftop of one of the tallest buildings in Singapore (Right above the restaurant on the 63rd floor). It is one of the highest bars in the world and has an absolutely incredible 360 view of Singapore from one of the highest points in the city. It is impossible to truly explain how amazing the view is, and even the pictures I took don't give it enough credit. For a $30 cover charge you get entrance, elevator to the top, and a drink. It is well worth it in my opinion and a must see for anyone visiting the city. I highly recommend going at night. Pictures don't turn out as well, but the view is incredible

(The view even makes the Marina Bay Sands hotel look small)

The next day, we headed to yet another tourist trap; the Singapore Zoo. The amount of tourists there was actually interesting to see. And while it meant I didn't get double-takes for being white, it also meant that I heard some things that made me realize that even after just 3 weeks of living here, I'm not really a tourist and it shows. (Pro-tip: It's called "Chicken Rice", not "Chicken and Rice". It's a very common dish in Singapore and while it is simply just chicken and rice, throwing that "and" in there when you ask for it displays to everyone around you that you are new.)

By far, the most exciting part of the zoo was a particular netted in exhibit. At first, we thought it was for birds and butterflies, we walked in through the netting and got to go on a nature walk where interesting birds were all around us. After a while however, we noticed that this open exhibit portion didn't only house birds. At feeding time, lemurs and flying foxes (look a lot like bats) came out of the woodwork to fill a large portion of the pathways and viewing platform. It was crazy being able to interact with the animals who were surprisingly comfortable with humans, even if all of us weren't comfortable with them (Ask the girl who almost fainted from a flying fox wing hitting the back of her head as it flew over). The flying foxes (I feel like they were bats, but I mean I'm no zoologist) were interesting if not a little creepy. However, the lemurs were excitable and very friendly, they jumped all around us (and at us a few times) and weren't afraid to be pet or stop for kodak moments with the visitors.

(One of the more chill lemurs stopped to allow this little girl to stroke his tail)

The zoo was huge, and very fun! A lot of different animals and worth the $22 entry fee. When visiting, I recommend blocking off a decent amount of time, we got through it in about 3-4 hours, but you could easily spend 5 or 6 there. There is also something called the "Night Safari" which is open from 6pm to Midnight, it looks cool, and I will be trying that out eventually. I'll let you know how it is!

That's all for now, thanks for reading! I'm heading into yet another week of class, but I'll try to do something exciting so my blog posts this week aren't only about Marketing Theory and how much I actually spend at the Starbucks here. (Spoiler Alert: It's a lot)

Until Next Time!

So hard to find cheese here... Not beach parties though.

Well hey there! It feels like its been a while since I've posted on here. Don't worry! I haven't been caned to death for dealing Hubba-Bubba and Double Bubble in the only shady alleyway I could find here. As classes are picking up (Yes, I'm actually here to study...) I will most likely only be posting about 2 times a week. Luckily I got into all my classes finally, so we're all good there.

This last weekend I got to experience Sentosa for the first time. Sentosa is a resort island of the Southern coast of Singapore. If Disney and Singapore had a small lovechild, but then it was bought by Universal Studios, that's what Sentosa would be.

(Not actually a photo)

Between the cleanliness, the Universal Studios Park, water/light shows, beaches, and large resorts; it really does feel like a small Disney World. There is a tram that travels all around the small island, and is pretty easy to get to by the MRT (which I'm convinced is the greatest public transport I've seen yet)

While I was there for the day, it rained for the first bit, so I wasn't able to enjoy the beautiful beaches as much as I could have. (It is currently monsoon season here, so that is to be expected) But that didn't stop us from playing a small soccer game in the sand.

At night it cleared up, which gave us great weather for the many beach parties that were held all across the southern shore. They were a lot of fun! And between all the dancing, foam pools, and the beach at night, it ended the day with quite a bang!

(One of my friends enjoying a foam pool at a club on the beachfront)

I highly recommend a visit to Sentosa to anyone visiting Singapore. It is great for all ages (except for the bars, those aren't) and makes for a fun and relaxing day. Try to make sure you are there during nice weather though (not monsoon season).

I am currently trip planning today. It looks like after I explore Singapore a little more (there's still a lot to see) I will be traveling Indonesia and South East Asia, getting my diving certificate, climbing a volcano, and fighting a dragon! I'll keep you posted ;)

Thanks for reading, and let me know if you have any questions about Singapore or Study Abroad in General!

Until Next Time!

Hipsters, Nightclubs, and there was class in there somewhere, I'm sure

Well the first week of classes are over, not that it felt like class at all. The two weeks are without Tutorial sections (like Quiz Sections back at UW), so not only is it an easy first class, but I only was actually in school three times this week. That's not the only reason it didn't feel like school though...

Wednesday night is "ladies night" at almost all of the night clubs in Singapore, meaning that often students go out on these nights as there are great prices and ladies get in free (I say "great prices" in comparison to normal, which doesn't mean they're actually great). On top of that, this last Wednesday, there was a free entry guest list opened up to Exchange Students, as kind of a "Welcome to Singapore" gesture.

I spent my first night out on the town in Singapore at the Avalon night cub. A great and stylish place located in one of the greatest spots in the city: on the water of Marina Bay, surrounded by the city lights of the Singapore high rises, and the Marina Bay Sands hotel. The lights and music, stylish design, and glass walls give the club a great feel and a great view to everyone, no matter where they are in the main club area.

It was a fun gathering of many of the exchange students, and a great night! There are many other hot spots that I have yet to go to that are key parts of Singapore's night life; including the Altitude Bar (on the 71st floor), the Eski Bar (Singapore's Ice Bar), and Clarke Quay (which is where many of the night clubs are located). I'll let you know more about them when I visit! But it'll be hard to top Avalon, it seems like it will be easily one of my favorite clubs, based on style and location alone. Check my Facebook photos if you want to see more!

Aside from all of that, I visited the local Starbucks to get a taste from home, write more of my book (which I just finished editing the first third!), and attempt to be even more hipster as I write more entries to my hipstery blog (Yeah, Keren, I said it. Hope you're happy). I would also like to add, that I wasn't the only hipster at that Starbucks, just saying. But despite its hipster nature and less than comical posts, I would like to say thank you to everyone who has been reading and following my posts and my trip. I had not expected so many people to be interested, thanks! I'll try to keep them entertaining!

Tomorrow I will be going to Sentosa, the resort island just off the coast of Singapore, for a Business School Orientation and a beach party. It's a tough life I lead, I know. Stay tuned!

I have class this week?

I found all of the white people in Singapore, they're at the Irish Pubs on game day. We grabbed a glass and yelled at Van Persie and Suarez when they missed goals, great venue! Outdoors too, it's called Muddy Murphy's, we'll be watching the Champions League there undoubtably.

Oh right, classes. The whole "Study" part of "Study Abroad". Well first and foremost, registration is a lot different than in the States, and a lot more difficult (at least for me). You place requests for 6-9 moduals, then you are assigned a certain number of them as your classes (I got 3 moduals). You then have a week to Add/Drop, which doesn't always work in my experience, so I'm appealing to change a class still. Luckily, professors understand this, so the first few weeks are pretty easy.

I'm taking all of my classes at the business school, which is a beautiful building, and I'm only in class once a day, 4 days a week! I'm enjoying a Marketing Game Theory class, which is supposed to be insanely difficult, but we'll see! It's only the first week of classes, so you'll hear more about that later.

(Front of the Business School)

Tomorrow I will be going out on the town to check out the nightlife, Wednesdays are the days here to go out, so I'll be posting about that next on Thursday or Friday. Stay Tuned!

Thanks to everyone for reading!

So Gum Smuggling is a Thing?

Well it is almost the end of my first weekend in Singapore, and it's hard to know where to begin when writing this!

I live in a residence called PGP (Prince George Park) which we have lovingly been referring to as "Philippine Ghetto Penitentiary". Its not a horrible residence, but in comparison to the new dorms, it looks a little like a slum (The newest residences being U-Town, which just finished last year, look amazing, won architecture awards, and have been known to cure people of lifelong ailments).

(View from my room, and yes I mean it when I say the other ones put this to shame)

(My room. Yes I bought a plant from IKEA. It's named Gwen)

So, because I'm not sure where to begin, and I'm a business major, I'll break this up into bullets and talk about 3 of the big things that I love here so far:

The Food! The food here is not only cheap but amazing. With so many choices at canteens (which are located in the residences and all over the city) its impossible to find something you won't like, even for the less adventurous. Singapore is well known to have good food, and they've definitely proven that to me. You can get a decently sized meal in canteens for under 5 singapore dollars, for example Chicken Rice (one of Singapore's most common dishes) is 2.50 at the canteen downstairs from where I live. And that selection is not even including the large number of restaurants and bars around the city that also offer amazing food. (Happy hours have great deals at certain restaurants) Let me know if you have a question about any of the foods, I'd be more than happy to answer it in a later post.

The City. There is so much to do and see here that is can be a little overwhelming at first. Yesterday I went on an 6 hour tour of the city and probably only scraped the surface of what the city has to offer. The mix of cultures creates an amazing atmosphere and results in places of the city like "Little China" and "Little India". Between the Zoo, the Marina, the resort island of Sentosa, and the shopping on Orchard Street, I'm not sure where to begin! The city has beautiful architecture and is very clean. Traveling is made easy by the cheap, clean, and efficient subway system called the MRT. Not only is the city great, but it is also commonly used as a "launch pad" to explore all of South East Asia, which is very exciting. I plan on going on a few trips while I'm here, to places like Bali, Hong Kong, Thailand, and Cambodia. I'll let you know more when I actually travel though.

The People. Like I said earlier, Singapore is a gathering of many cultures and people. This is even more diversified by the exchange students that I have met in my short time here so far. Its an interesting and amazing feature of this experience and in Singapore that is hard to explain. Just know its really cool.

Classes begin tomorrow, and my next blog post will most likely be on school here, but that's kinda lame so we'll see :)

Until next time!

Learning how to open doors and other introductions

Welcome to Singapore!

What a beautiful city it is. It can be quite overwhelming at first however, especially if you take the route I did (Taxi to the downtown area to find a hotel) on your first night after a long flight.

As far as first impressions go, the city itself is beautiful in architecture and has a futuristic feel that is surprisingly widespread throughout what little of the city I've actually gotten to experience so far. So futuristic in fact that I was unable to figure out how to open the hotel lobby door, and ended up pacing by it many times to the amusement of the local residents who saw. (You tap the black-tinted glass door and it slides open? Jet-lagged me couldn't quite get a grasp on that)

The hotel was quite lovely, and although the room was small and my feet stuck off the end of a queen mattress (the joys of being over 6 feet), I really enjoyed the room. Excellent interior! Decent service, although I'm still having a little trouble with communicating in the broken english dialect used here. Two days in and I am already breaking my native language :'(

I have just now arrived at the dorm, and later this weekend (after I am more acquainted with what the hell I'm doing) I will give you an update of beginning campus life here, as well as some tips for future study abroad people. At least then you can learn from this chaos that I am lovingly referring to as an adventure.

But no, in all seriousness, Singapore seems great. Can't complain in tropical whether even if I hate humidity.

Until next time.

(Stay tuned, I found a Toast restaurant. Yeah. I'll let you know how that goes.)

And so it begins

Hello! My name is Chris.
For those of you who know me: Hi! How are you?
For those of you that don't know me, here's a brief introduction: I'm currently a Marketing Student at the University of Washington in Seattle. I work in Freelance Marketing as well as for the Ferndale School District as a Music and Choreography Instructor. In my free time, I play soccer and I am currently working on my first novel and my second symphony... also reddit. I do that a lot too.

I'm making this blog for my study abroad experience to Singapore, where I will be attending the National University of Singapore's Business School for 5 months. Here I will be cataloging my events and possibly giving advice for anyone who is looking to study abroad or even travel to Singapore. Allow me to be your guinea pig in this experience.

Thanks for reading, and check back for more posts or follow me on twitter for updates! Also feel free to ask questions about me, study abroad, or Singapore at @thechrismorgan. (Or in the comments below)

I fly out on the 8th, and then the journey will begin.

Until next time!