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!