Singapore: Living in PGP

I thought I'd take a break from my usual "a week in the life of" postings, and tell you a bit about life as an exchange student in Singapore.

The overall difference is the intensity of the semester. Regardless of whether people are on pass/fail gradings (most of the Americans, and some Europeans) or not (like us), the semester just seems so intense. We travel more, party more, and generally do more than the local students.

It even seems to be the unspoken goal to travel more than the other exchange students!!! Personally, I've lost this already - I haven't travelled since midterm break, and many others have since travelled twice!!! I need to catch up!

On campus, we do stand out - there are 400 exchange students here, and the majority are white, in a country where Caucasians make up less than 2% of the population, you expect to. For me this was unexpected, as when I came here with my family in 2003, where we visited was mostly on the tourist trail. That and we also always had each other, acting as a kind of buffer between us and the rest of the population.

Now, being a student here means I eat locally, I shop locally, and I am beginning to feel more and more like a local in all but accent and skin colour. It's happened so quickly too! Soon I'll be speaking in Singlish, lah!

But back to the original point of this post: The Halls v PGP debate!

The Halls of Residence (Kent Ridge, Sheares, King Edward VII, Temasek, Eusoff and Raffles) are like USyd's Colleges, except less clique-y. They are all known for one thing or another (sports, music, cultural activities etc) but they are definitely not exclusive. You do need CCA (Co-curricular activity) points however to stay in one - and these can be hard to get. The existence of this partly explains why the hall musical committees have up to 8 people in them. Everyone desperately wants those points!

For an exchange student in those halls, life seems a little bit harder than it is for us in PGP. There are no rooms with attached bathrooms in any of the halls, and only KEVii has optional air-con in some rooms (for an extra charge). Whilst some exchange students have really become involved in hall-life, many don't, and seem to feel intimidated by the pre-existing relationships that those on their floor already have. Some halls have countered this by placing all the exchange students together in one block - really just creating a mini-PGP.

The food is OK - I find it a welcome change from my usual Thai/Japanese/Lemon Chicken at PGP - although it is oily. What they lack in variety and taste, they sure make up for in size. The portions are huge by Singaporean standards, and the meals definitely leave you full. I know some students, however, who commute to PGP every evening for dinner, as they dislike hall food that much...so if you are reading this and thinking of coming, bare that in mind. It is monotonous.

The plus of the halls is the atmosphere. You will get to know your neighbours and you can run to someone else's room on the other side of the hall at any time and see them. In PGP, with its security gates and restricted lift access, you can't do this, and have to meet someone at a common meeting place to get to their room. Secure, yes. Practical, no.

Personally, if I was here another semester, I'd stay in a hall - just to get a balance. However, I'm really glad I stayed in PGP - based on my experience with my local friends, it is a lot easier to meet other exchange students, and despite what everyone says, you still get a different perspective on the world from meeting them (it just may not be the Singaporean perspective. For those only going one semester, you really have to make a choice - hall or PGP. I've met people in both who disliked it, and people in both who loved it. It's your call.

Ciao!