What is one word to describe your study abroad experience:
"Socialize. Explore and experience new cultures. The world is much more different than you may think it already is."
JASON T.
Exchange student at the National University of Singapore, Singapore
Fall semester
Studying Bachelor of Computing, majoring in Software Engineering
- What is the best thing that happened while you were studying abroad?
Meeting all the amazing people along the way. Chatting with the locals, and other exchangers from places like Sweden, Japan, China, and the U.K shaped my exchange experience. If I were to narrow it down to one of many experiences, it would be getting involved with the NUS community at the on-campus residence I was staying at.
- What was the biggest cultural adaptation you had to make?
It's important to mention here that I am of Asian descent (Filipino-Chinese). Most of the values I believe in lie towards my Asian side despite being born and growing up with some Canadian culture. This made me feel more at home when I arrived compared to when I was staying in Canada. The biggest adaptation, as a result, was probably communicating. Singaporeans generally use Singlish (a combination of Malay, Mandarin, Indian, and English) which is spoken very fast. It took me about 1-2 weeks to adapt to the fast usage of English.
- In terms of your own cultural self-awareness, were there any instances where you realized that your own behaviours, perspectives, or attitudes were different. Where did those differences stem from?
Because my roots lie towards my Asian side, there were many things that I was already familiar with. However, the conflict-avoidant attitude was something I was met with a lot in meeting people. In my opinion, this is a more Asian attitude but growing up in Canada taught me that sometimes we need to face conflict to move forward. Other than that, it truly felt like I was fitting in.
- Where was the coolest place you travelled to during your study abroad experience?
Probably Japan. I travelled to Thailand, Japan, the Philippines, and Malaysia in my study abroad. The reason I'm choosing Japan is because it's always been a childhood dream of mine and it was truly exhilarating. I learned a lot about the Japanese culture along with having the opportunity to experience a new environment.
- What is something that you know now, that you wish you knew before you studied abroad?
Extend your travel insurance to cover a little over than you estimate. You never know when you may get sudden plan changes or get sick. It's important to account for this as I got sick after my travel insurance expired. Highly recommend setting your travel insurance 1-2 weeks after your estimated arrival. I set mine to December 10 (last day of school in NUS) but I actually had extra plans to travel outside that I'd never accounted for.
- What was your best learning moment?
Because I met a lot of people from across many other countries, I've realized that the demeanour of people from different countries is quite different from Canada's. It makes me enjoy socializing and going out to meet new people. It rekindled my flame for wanting to meet new people and has made me feel determined to travel even more.
- Is there an issue that you can articulate whereby you had the opportunity to view the perspective from a different worldview or cultural lens?
Poverty and homelessness. In Singapore, most people are either generally well off or are surviving. However, homelessness and trash are hidden from the general public by the government. This is a mission to keep the country/city clean, however, as a result, it means people who are not better off have a harder time making a living and generally live somewhere obscure.
- Who was the hardest person to leave from home? How did you deal with that?
My girlfriend. I already live quite far from my family attending school in Guelph since we're from Toronto and we're used to this lifestyle. However, it would be the second time I'd be having a long-distance situation with my girlfriend. It's important to note that the time difference between Singapore and Canada is 12-13hr difference depending on daylight savings. We dealt with this by setting expectations between ourselves and calling in the mornings. Communication is essential and is what keeps us together today.
- Who was the hardest person to leave that you met while on exchange? How did you deal with that?
A Japanese exchanger I met. Together, he toured me around Japan and we went to places together that he had never gone. He's like a best friend to me that I'll never forget. We truly had a deep connection with each other and we saw each other off in the airport together. It was a really sad moment but we promised to write each other letters to keep in contact.
- If you were to recommend exchange to your best friend, what would you say?
Socialize. Explore and experience new cultures. The world is much more different than you may think it already is. We are naive people. There are so many amazing people out in the world who are just waiting for you to meet them.
- What are your packing recommendations?
If you're worried about bringing clothes, I highly recommend buying them in Singapore as you have access to amazing online shopping stores like Shopee and Lazada that enable you to purchase large sets of clothes in bulk for extremely cheap. Don't pack too heavily like anything related to beds or heavy clothing. Singapore is around 30 degrees Celsius almost all year round. Pack light so you can take home a variety of souvenirs. Pack using the largest luggage you can find.
- Would it be helpful to learn another language for this exchange?
No. While Mandarin and other Asia region languages are helpful for travelling outside Singapore, it is perfectly fine to just know English for this exchange. Singapore's national languages are Malay and English, however, everyone speaks English.
- What role did language and communication (both verbal and non-verbal) play in fostering appreciation for a different perspective?
Conquering the language barrier between Singaporeans and other exchangers helps to understand a more whole perspective that allows you to really understand and appreciate the experiences other people have had. This is not easy so it's important to be patient and understanding towards everyone.
- Did you live on-campus or off-campus? Would you recommend it, and why?
I lived on-campus at CAPT (College of Alice & Peter Tan). I originally applied for UTR (UTown Residences) since it was what appealed to me the most. However, after going to CAPT, I'd highly recommend it. They fit my values as a Christian and it was an amazing opportunity to meet sociable, sporty, and religious figures like myself. Other than that, CAPT fosters social events and connections between your peers so it really pushes you to meet new people.
- How did you finance your study abroad experience?
Partially OSAP, partially parents, and all other external travel expenses from my internship. I previously completed an internship at Microsoft before my exchange earning more than enough to fund my study abroad experience. Costs came to around $8,000 CAD as of 2023 for tuition, on-campus housing, and meal plans. In external expenses, I spent around $10,000+ as I was quite reckless with my spending but it enabled me to enjoy the experiences I was able to have.
- What interesting courses did you get to take while studying abroad? What was the title of the course(s)?
The courses I took were MUT1201, LAV1201, CS3237, GEX1015. The most interesting of the bunch was CS3237 and LAV1201; these are Introduction to Internet of Things and Vietnamese 1 respectively. I thoroughly enjoyed the CS course as it's not offered at Guelph and allows students to explore the opportunity to work in a group and develop an IoT solution. In my group, we developed a smart washroom model using tools like 3D printing, Arduinos, AI/ML, and Cloud services (AWS). Our group performed really well and our model is visible in the COM3 Makers@SOC building.
- How do you see your exchange experiences benefiting your future career?
In the future, I take my exchange experience as an opportunity to consider life and work in Singapore as Singapore is a heavily tech job-based country. Most of the people that are in Singapore work office jobs related to tech and software development. This sets the opportunity for consideration that I may want to take in the future.
- Is there any other helpful information you would like to share with future study abroad participants?
Allocate some money to external travels. Make plans for everything beforehand and be realistic with some cash to spare. Too many exchangers I've seen lose the opportunity to experience their exchange to the fullest because they came without any funds. Use the opportunity now to find support for your exchange and enjoy it to the fullest.
