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By Fatima Zahra Kassidi

Growing up, my identity had always been an aspect of my person and character that was continuously challenged. However as of now, I am a strongly affirmed, 20 years old, muslim female and international Moroccan student, that worked hard to secure a position at a prestigious US university. I was born and raised in a Arab country that has a strong post-colonial culture, as French is still a commonly spoken language and an important portion of the Moroccan youth is still attending a French pedagogical system and are sent out to study in France after High School. In this way, when I am asked what my native language is, I seem to find myself struggle finding the adequate answer—I consider both French and Arabic to be my native languages but people usually expect you to only identify with one. Furthermore, Morocco is composed of a great amount of Berbers in addition of Arabs, my father being a Berber and my mother an Arab. Thus, the simple fact of being my parents’ daughter is already a great source of rich ancestral history to identify with.


Throughout my childhood, I never identified myself with any particular aspect of my culture. Indeed, I wasn’t much of a Moroccan traditional food, music or even clothing lover, I didn’t realize how beautiful and unique they all were until I moved to the US for my undergraduate studies. I would say leaving your country is the most relevant trigger to awaken your love for it. Although I enjoy being fully immersed here, in the US, it is still natural to feel homesick and start looking for places that remind you of your home identity. Moroccan restaurants were my go to in case of identity crisis but also calling my best friends or parents, just to be able to speak and hear some Arabic and/or French. The beauty of leaving the place you grew up in, dreaming of finally becoming the independent self you always wanted to be, is the realization of what you are leaving behind.


All of this is true, an important part of my identity is based on my Moroccan identity, but it is not limited to that. The other part of my identity, is being a global citizen, always looking for new experiences to further understand who I am and who I want to be. Coming to study in the US is the first thing I did towards that direction and I wouldn’t have it any other way. My American experience is also a part of my identity and I wouldn’t be the person I am today without it. Moreover, to fulfill my aim at integrating my global citizenship to my identity, I try to have as much international experiences as I possibly can, which is why I was extremely excited to intern in Geneva, Switzerland, last summer. This internship gave me the opportunity to travel and let myself flourish in all kinds of environments and cultures, I was able to visit Switzerland, France, Belgium, Monaco, Croatia and the Netherlands, all in only 2 amazing months. I’m extremely grateful for all the learning opportunities life threw at me during that summer and it encouraged me even more to continue on expanding my horizons but this time I flew East. Asia is such a mysterious and grand continent that I am just starting to discover. I’m hoping this study abroad opportunity in Singapore will help me incorporate a whole new dimension to my identity. Indeed it has been a little over a month that I first step foot in this part of the world and I already feel all the different array of cultures and the incredible environment impacting me in a way that makes me so much more grateful about where life has led me this far and how it has shaped me as a person.

By Taylor Garland

I’ve found that my early 20’s has been filled with moments where I must reconcile the fact that I did not inherit my mother’s punctuality, and that I am naturally and routinely late for things. True to form, a delay out of New York resulted in a delay at my layover in LAX for a full 24 hours. Being late to Singapore meant sacrificing the $5 I had put down for my hostel that night, and missing the 53th celebration of Singapore’s independence. Big bummer, but I had a great time in LA with some of my closest friends, so I wasn’t too upset.

After a 17-hour flight from California, I touched down at 7am in Singapore, and met a heavily air conditioned and spectacularly large airport. Immigration was quick (FYI: student visas are an easy online application away for those interested in studying here!), I bought my SIM card before I left the building (which I recommend) and exchanged some American money for local cash (which I also recommend doing in Changi Airport – better rates than in the US).

...continue reading "Acclimating to a New Architectural Environment"

By tanvibanerjee

One of my friends who went on an exchange program once told me, “Nothing lasts forever, especially, study abroad.” And how true have her words been! It feels like it was just yesterday when I landed in Changi on a hot and humid January morning (something, I never thought I would be able to say in the same sentence). Now, I am expected to pack up and fly back to New Delhi on a hot and humid May morning. Even though I have been prepared to go back home, I am whiplashed by how quickly the semester went by. More importantly, though, I am amazed at how much I have learned and changed over the last few months.

So, what have I learned from study abroad?

1. It is okay to feel like a fish out of water

In some aspects, coming to Singapore has not been a culture shock to me simply because the Indian culture is an important part of Singaporean culture itself. However, I have still felt like a fish out of water many times here and especially during my travels through Southeast Asia.

One of the first times that I felt completely out of sync was when I tried to order my first cup of tea at a local hawker center. I was extremely confused by local names such as ‘Teh, Tea O, Tea C etc.’ and ended up ordering iced milk tea, instead of the hot one that I wanted.

The first final that I took in Singapore, also baffled me. First and foremost, it was held in a huge sports hall. Even though my class was small with only 10 students, we took our exams with nearly 400 other students in the same space. The local students put away their bags in the corner of the huge hall and walked to their assigned seat numbers with complete ease. One of my local friends had to actually guide me through the entire process. ...continue reading "Lessons and Letters: My final blog on Singapore"

By shellytakessingapore

It was a sunny day when my plane was descending from an eight hour flight from Doha International Airport into Singapore's Changi International Airport. As I looked out the left window, I could see the famous boat like structure on top of Marina Bay Sands, the Singapore Flyer Ferris Wheel, and even the Supertrees. When the plane finally touched the ground and came to a stop, my first thought was "This is it. I'm actually here".

I didn't think that these past five months would have gone by as quickly as they did. There were certainly dull times throughout the semester where the days went by and all I had done was stay in my room and do some work. However, as I have to come to learn, studying abroad doesn't necessarily mean doing something new every moment. Often times people studying abroad say they have been enlightened or have changed as a person. While I can't necessarily say that I have changed, I have learned a lot more about the world through the lens of the locals in Singapore and the countries I have visited. I have enjoyed having meaningful conversations with my fellow exchangers about their home countries and how their culture is similar and different from my own.

Looking back on my semester, I don't have many, if any, regrets. There are some things that I wish I had known before coming to Singapore. These things include basic things like sunscreen (it costs so much here!), an umbrella (despite all of the sun, it rains at any given moment in Singapore), and also general assumptions such as spending. While the food in Singapore is cheap, I have found myself being constantly low in cash. Singapore is mostly a cash based economy. The country is moving towards being cashless by encouraging people to pay with NETS, the Network for Electronic Transfers. NETs is a national electronic payment system that is owned by banks in Singapore including DBS, OCBC, and UOB.

...continue reading "It’s not a goodbye, it’s a see you later"

As a rising senior, I am about to embark on the wild journey that is apartment hunting. However, for many Singaporean residents, apartment hunting does not begin until after their marriage or in their late 20s. Due to scarce land and an ever declining birth date, the Singaporean government has taken several measures that make single people under the age of 35 to go through a lot of difficulties to get their own house. Furthermore, families are given preferences for housing over unmarried buyers. So, how has housing changed in Singapore? What does it look like now? Has it impacted the average Singaporean!? This blog tries to answer these questions.

History of Housing in Singapore

After World World War II, most residents of Singapore lived in Kampongs i.e. villages. Extended families lived under the same roof and most houses were traditional “Attap houses” made of Attap palm. However, these houses were very prone to fire. When the People’s Action Party came to power in the 1950s, they began to modernize Singapore. Urbanization and modernization became even more important once Singapore became independent. Without no natural resources and limited land, the pragmatic state had to start relying on developing Singapore’s manufacturing and services sector! It had another important work to do, inculcate nationalism amongst its diverse yet fragmented population, which had been segregated from each other on the basis of ethnicity, religion, clan associations etc. One way to do so was through housing!

Today, a majority of the Singaporeans live in tall high rises. The shifting of people from kampongs to urban planned townships began in the 1960s and continued into the late 1980s and early 1990s.

I visited the housing estate in the quaint Tiong Bahru area, which was built in the 1920s and 30s and is characterized by its unique architecture, a change from modern Singapore's high rise apartments.   ...continue reading "Housing in Singapore!"

It's that time of the semester again. After four months of doing the bare minimum amount of work, students hustle to cram four months of knowledge in their brains during finals seasons. This universally dreaded season, that lasts from April 28th to May 12th this year, is not too much different at NUS as it is at GW. One key similarity is that every study space is jam packed with students reading class textbooks for the first time or reviewing online lectures for classes they barely attended.

To find out your exam date, you have to go to NUS's equivalent of Blackboard called IVLE. Each course has its final exam date listed in the course page. It's really helpful to know when your final exam dates are so you can plan trips and the flight back home easier. This semester, my exams are on April 30th, May 2nd, and May 9th. Additionally, I recently had an unofficial final exam for my Public Health in Action class. Perhaps its just my classes, but I have found that a lot of classes at NUS offer open note exams. I was allowed any soft copy material for my public health exam and will be allowed any hard copy materials for my Global Economic Dimensions of Singapore class. The exam formats are very similar to those at GW: open response essays, multiple choice, and short answer. However, some exams are conducted online on an application called Examplify. Moreover, the exams are worth a greater percentage of the overall grade for the class. With 40% of the grade being class participation, my public health exam is worth an outstanding 60% of my grade!

Like GW, NUS also has a designated reading period for students; however, NUS's reading period is one week long whereas GW's reading period lasts one or two days. While most local students spend that time preparing and reviewing for exams, exchange students use it to make their last few trips to other countries. Many of my friends are going to China, Taiwan, Vietnam, India, Thailand, and even the UK! I, myself, will be spending three days in Bali, Indonesia. While many of my friends are spending the entire week abroad (while abroad), I have decided to actually use some of the reading week for its actual purpose. I also hope to make a solo trip around Singapore itself during one the reading days. ...continue reading "Finals, Family, and Feelings"

By shellytakessingapore

"Singapore's greatest export is its brain!" joked my '80 year old' professor in my Global Economic Dimensions of Singapore (basically the economic history of Singapore) class. Only 278 square miles in size, Singapore lacks natural resources to fuel its economy. Its main economic asset are its people. The government invests heavily in its people, especially in the education sector in order to produce future leaders in all fields. Upon a simple Google search of countries with the highest academically ranking students, you will find Singapore consistently popping up towards the top of the list. Moreover, Singapore is home to the top universities in Asia and the world including the National University of Singapore. However, the education system itself is not the sole reason for the success of Singapore in ranking highly on international scholastic performance exams such as the PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment). If you walk through almost any spot on the NUS campus with tables, you will find students with their nose stuck in a book. Singaporean culture gravitates strongly towards academia; this is not to say that every Singaporean values academic success above all else. Below, I will describe the wide variety of students that can be found at NUS. Many of these characteristics overlap between students and this is certainly not an exhaustive list of the types of students at NUS.

1. Muggers
No, when I say mugger I don't mean in the literal sense of the word. While having a discussion with a local friend, I learned that a mugger in the Singaporean context is a student who you barely see outside of the library. This student is constantly reviewing notes from lectures, doing practice problems, and preparing for exams. A mugger is the stereotypical image that comes to mind when one thinks of a nerdy Singaporean student. It might seem that being called a mugger is offensive, but many Singaporeans find being called a mugger a compliment.

2. International Student
In my residence hall, UTown Residence (UTR), a majority of the residents are international students. These students are not usually undergraduate students but rather master's and Ph.D students. The first few floors of UTR are actually married flats which means that instead of the typical four single bedrooms with a common space format like the other rooms, the room has one single large bedroom separated by a door to a tiny living room with a full kitchen. Not a lot of the masters and Ph.D students occupy the married flats though and they are often assigned to exchange students who wish to transfer out of other residence halls to UTR. Despite being stressed out about their constant projects and presentations, the international students often attend the activities held by the RAs and are friendly and pleasant to talk to.  ...continue reading "Types of Students at NUS"

By tanvibanerjee

The Quaint Yet Lively Telok Ayer Street

From serving as a landing spot for immigrants to housing modern restaurants, Telok Ayer has come a long way. The Telok Ayer street once faced the sea and served as Singapore’s original waterfront. Initially, the neighborhood housed several Chinese Hokkien and South Indians. However, many immigrant communities built altars of worship on the street to thank their deities for granting them a safe passage to Singapore. The area’s diverse places of worship include a Chinese Methodist Church, Thian Hock Keng (A Chinese temple), Al Abrar Mosque and Nagore Dargah. Even though these places represented different religions and sects, I was really struck by their close proximity to each other. Today, this area houses several chic eating joints. Many of them serve Korean and Japanese food. So, if you are in the mood for some Korean BBQ or want to explore Singaporean diversity, Telok Ayer is the place to be!

Cho Chu Kang Chinese cemetery and Farms in Lim Chu Kang

Cho Chu Kang and Lim Chu Kang initially housed traditional villages called Kampongs, various farms and Chinese cemeteries. The new land development plans in Singapore have only allocated around 1% of Singaporean land to agriculture, which is why the farms of Lim Chu Kang are so unique. Additionally, space constraints have caused the Singaporean government to exhume old graveyards in order to make way for new buildings, housing complexes etc. So, when I first saw the open space around the Chinese cemetery of Cho Chu Kang and its old graves, I felt I had been transported to another era altogether. The farms and the cemetery gave me a great insight into how Singapore has changed in the last 6 decades. Update: The expansion of an airbase close by is forcing the Singaporean government to exhume several graves of the Cho Chu Kang cemetery and cut down its size by one-third.

Lorong Halus Wetlands

If you happen to find yourself on the eastern side of Singapore, try to take a stroll through the Lorong Halus Wetlands. This area is located close to many residential blocks and is easily accessible by MRT (Although the journey from NUS itself will take you a long time). I loved watching the sunset on the Halus Bridge, and would recommend it any day! The wetlands are close to the Punggol container market, which has some really nice restaurants. P.S. it is also pretty close to Coney Island.

...continue reading "5 “Offbeat” Places I Loved Visiting In Singapore"

By shellytakessingapore

In last week's post, I mentioned I attended a public speaking seminar where I had the opportunity to hone my oratory skills as well as meet local students. One of the local students I met is a bubbly and friendly girl who is in her freshman year at NUS. This week, she took me on a journey through Singapore's food at one of the largest Hawker centers near one of the metro stations stops called Lavender. This Hawker center is three stories tall with food stalls located in every direction. The diversity of the food makes it almost impossible to decide what to eat. With the help of my local friend, I tasted new dishes and experienced new flavors from combinations of foods that I have never previously thought could go together.

1. Milo Dinosaur
This is an iced drink that is made from a powder called Milo. Milo is a combination of sugar, chocolate, and malt powders and is usually mixed with milk or water. I would describe the taste of a hot milo drink similar to that of hot chocolate. What makes Milo Dinosaur different from regular iced Milo is the addition of Milo powder added to the top of the cup. If you have a sweet tooth, this will be the perfect drink for you.

2. Goreng Pisang
While Americans might be used to the U.S. being the capital of deep fried dishes, Singapore also has its own twist on deep fried food. One of them is called Goreng Pisang which means "fried banana" in Indonesian. While consumed as a snack, this sweet dish is made from slathering batter on bananas and deep frying it. ...continue reading "Food 102: Another Introduction to Local Singaporean Food"

By tanvibanerjee

In my previous blog, I wrote about my experiences in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh. However, the next leg of my Cambodian journey took me to the town of Siem Reap.

At first glance, Siem Reap looks like a sleepy provincial town. Yet, on every corner, there is a sign of a magnificent building — The Angkor Wat. Due to its close proximity to the Angkor Wat complex and other ancient temples, Siem Reap has rapidly developed into a well-known tourist destination with resorts, hipster restaurants, and pubs abound. However, with its booming tourist industry and a rich history, Siem Reap is also a hotbed of wonderful people and their stories.

Angkor Wat

“What if the handrails fall off? Or you slip on the next step, Tanvi!” My friend teased me as I clutched at the wobbly hand railings, eyes carefully glued to the steep staircase that I was trying to climb down.

When I was a kid, my life’s ambition was to go to two places on earth: First, the Great Pyramids of Giza, and second, Angkor Wat. So, when I first laid my eyes on the wide gates of Angkor Wat, I felt a giddy sense of excitement. The massive temple complex was originally built by the Khmer emperors for the Hindu god, Vishnu. However, as the Khmer empire adopted Buddhism, several statues of Buddha were placed in the temple as well.

...continue reading "Short Stories from Siem Reap"