[Week 3] More Exploring!

Week 3: January 26 - February 1

This weekend was a huge creative event called Artbox! It is a festival held at in Expo Hall where artists, curators, and creators showcase their art and merchandise! It is similar to Made in Hawaii Festival, but with more art pieces. I attended this event with someone I met through a friend! Both my friend and my new friend met during their own exchanges.

Although it was a bit scary meeting someone new without a friend who already knows them, she was really nice! I got to learn a lot more about Singapore (since she is a local) and bonded over the food we tried at the festival! However she did need to leave, but I stumbled upon other exchangers at the event and hung out with them.

The later of the week was Chinese New Year which allowed us to have three days off from class! On the day of the holiday, a few exchangers and I hiked the Treetop Trail at Windsor Nature Park. It was honestly refreshing as it was away from the hustle and bustle of the malls in the city. And I can save money! The hike honestly kept me on my toes (in a excited anticipated way) the entire time because I was constantly on the lookout for giant centipedes and monkeys.

The day after, I had my second hangout with my NUS buddy who invited me to have dinner with her family! It was the sweetest thing ever and I was so nervous because it is a dinner WITH A LOCAL FAMILY! They were so nice and we shared stories about our upbringings and culture differences. I am beyond grateful for everything my buddy has done for me by having me feel so welcomed and comfortable with me having dinner with her family.

Lastly, I explored VivoCity which was a huge mall just five stations away from the campus's closest MRT station. The mall is so big in terms of land area that i made me lost trying to find my favorite coffee shop for 30 minutes. I went to Sentosa with a few exchangers, but it was not as nice as it looked since it was a rainy day. Sentosa is a man-made island/beach, but of course, Hawaii beaches always outrank other beaches.

Highlights~

Jan 26: Artbox

Jan 29: Chinese New Year

Jan 30: Dinner with NUS Buddy

Jan 31: Vivocity

Feb 1: Sentosa