The End

To sum it up, this study abroad experience was a nice, long vacation. This wasn’t anything life-changing or beyond my expectations, but it did made me more appreciative of the small things I’ve taken for granted. I’ll surely miss the good things about Singapore like how safe it is and how it’s progressive in governing yet traditional in its culture. On the flip-side, I prefer being able to jaywalk (safely) and the generally shorter hours than the classes I had in Singapore.

Honestly, it isn’t too difficult to “experience culture” if you know where to look, and even then it is the minute things in people’s behavior that really stand out and tell you how a place is rather than a museum detailing history (though history is equally important!). I often said throughout my posts that I stayed away from doing touristy things or hang out exclusively with other study abroad study students since it defeats the purpose of coming to Singapore. Things you don’t understand are more interesting than sights, attractions, etc. that are specifically catered towards visitors.

If I can travel again, I feel like doing an internship or co-op would be preferable over a study abroad or dialogue. Although I would be killing two birds with one stone with the latter option, I wouldn’t get as much exposure to the people in comparison. It doesn’t help that I was there for only a month either. My advice to students looking to study abroad is that it is what you make out of it. I’d say always try to branch out of the touristy groups and make friends among the locals; it’ll give a second perspective.