Raffles Institution Exchange

This summer I had the opportunity to travel to Singapore and go to school at the prestigious Raffles Institution.  The trip is an experience that I will never forget and opened my eyes to just how vast the world is.
Traveling to Singapore and First Impressions
Falkner Werkhaven, J.T. Braun, and I left for Singapore on the 20th of July.  Traveling for 27 hours was very tiring.  One highlight was Falkner being stopped in the Tokyo Airport and swabbed down to make sure he was not carrying any diseases. We arrived in Singapore at 12:30 in the morning on the 22nd of July.  We were essentially flying both the 20th and the 21st.  We walked through Customs, and met our tour guide Rachel who took us to Raffles.  Many of the cabs were Mercedes, which was definitely different, and the fact that they drove on the left side of the road took a while to get used to.  I finally got the dorm at 2:30 and took a shower.  The only problem was that I didn't know how to turn the hot water heater on, so a cold shower did the trick. It took me about 4 days to overcome the jet lag and the 13 hour time change.  
First Week

The view from the Singapore Flyer.

Biodiversity Pond

The first morning we went around exploring the campus.  The entire school was outdoor (except for the classrooms).  Everything was in the shade, so it never became very hot.  The most interesting part of the school was the Biodiversity Pond where many variety of fish were held. Falkner tried to catch the barbed fish with his bare hands but was unsuccessful. The school was 7 stories tall and consisted of lecture halls and smaller classrooms.  The classes were similar to the ones at MBA except for the fact that we were placed in an all-girls class. Having gone to MBA for the last 5 years, this aspect was certainly different but fun.  We were fully welcomed into the class and were shown around by all the girls throughout the trip. A usual day consisted of going to classes, followed by a field trip of some sort, and then having the night to do whatever we wanted. The first week we went to the Singapore Flyer, Singapore Discovery Center, and the Singapore Art Museum.  The Singapore Flyer looks right over the bay and is located near the financial district of Singapore.  Being afraid of heights, the Singapore Flyer was pretty scary, but the view was very good. 
Second Week

Singapore Night Safari

The second week we were more on our own, and we started taking the train to many of the shopping center around Singapore.  Since Singapore is small, we could travel to many places in under an hour.  Every few days we would meet our class at a subway station, and they would show us the large shopping centers.  One of the highlights of the second week was going to the Night Safari at Singapore, which is essentially a zoo that is only open at night.  We first watched a show that featured all the various animals and then walked around to see the native animals. The weather that night was very nice, but just like Nashville, it was very humid. In addition to the Night Safari, we went to the Peranakan Museum, which features the Asian Culture and most importantly the varying groups that partake in the culture.
Third Week
During the third week the group from Korea that traveled to all these different sights left, so we relied on our class to take us on some adventures. One night we ate dinner at our English teacher's restaurant.  The restaurant was pub style as the teacher was British.  We ate fish-n-chips and it was certainly the best meal of the trip. Trying to stray away from Western Food, we spent the last night in a local market, which mostly featured seafood. I tried the fried Oysters and a sugarcane drink, but I did not like either that much.  I did find some chicken kabobs which were outstanding though.

Interesting Facts about Singapore

1. Singapore prides itself on its cleanliness. The streets are spotless and because chewing gum is against the law the sidewalks are also very clean. The harsh fines for eating in the train, spitting, or littering range anywhere from $200 to $500 US dollars. The people of Singapore take great pride in their city, so maintaining this cleanliness is not as hard as one would think. 

2. Compared to the large population, the percentage of people who have cars is very low. Citizens have to bid on their license in order to receive one.  Sometimes these bids can be thousands of dollars.  Singapore wants to limit the number of cars on the road, so the city is maneuverable.  Many of the cars are Mercedes, BMW, and Audi because most of the wealthy drive cars.

3. Because many items are imported, the price of some goods is extremely expensive.  It costs roughly $20 US for two pints of Haagan Dazs ice cream.  Skittles were $4 US for a small bag.  Drinks were usually the most expensive.  A coke cost usually $4 US and that did not include refills.  Many of our friends could not believe that we drink up to three glasses of coke in one meal. The only way to eat fairly cheap was to go to the markets and local restaurants.  We found a Samosas store near the Indian center and bought 15 for $8 US.  On the topic of food, one oddity was that neither the milk nor the eggs were refrigerated.  Bread is also a hot commodity.  We found many vending machines that housed loaves of bread.  Some of them would even heat the bread for toast. We also came across the common mashed potatoes and gravy dispenser.  These could be found in any Seven-Eleven (similar to our Walgreen's).  None of us, however, were brave enough to try it. 

4. Public housing is provided for all citizens of Singapore.  The housing is in apartment styles and new apartments buildings are being added very regularly. Because most married couples live in public housing instead of asking your girlfriend to marry you you ask, "Dear, shall we apply for a flat together?" This phrase was one of the few I did not pick up at first, but most of the language is very similar.  One word that I did pick up was "pon," which students use to mean skip as in skipping school.





I would like to thank Mr. and Mrs. Warner for their generosity and all the planning that went into making the trip what it was.  It was an experience I will cherish, and I thank you for giving me the opportunity. I would also like to thank Deborah and Emily for showing Falkner, J.T., and me around Singapore for the three weeks and Rachel for welcoming us and planning many of the field trips. Additionally, I would like to thank Mr. Gioia for setting up this relationship with the Raffles Institution. I have learned so much from my experience, and I would like to thank everyone once again who made it possible.