My program had previously had three exchange options, but one of them had been dropped out since the year before. So from the two remaining ones I decided to apply for exchange at the National University of Singapore, one reason being that it is a highly ranked university - and also because I was interested to visit Singapore and to experience the life there.

As a modern city state, travelling to Singapore was easy - as a North European no visa for entry was needed (I could apply for the student visa while already in country), and also no extra vaccinations were suggested. So my preparation was mainly buying flights well in advance to profit from cheaper prices, and packing the big backpack with summer clothes and an old computer.  

When arriving, I just took a taxi from the airport to the university accomodation, which was the easiest way. There is a MRT (metro) connection, but with all the stuff a taxi is a better option. At PGPR there were staff available taking in registration and giving out the rooms.

The first weekend I went sightseeing with a fellow student from KI who had arrived earlier, and know the main places already. It's a good idea to my the MRT card at the very beginning, as well as a prepaid mobile SIM card with data access, and after that one can always use a smartphone to check things. 

 Generally electronics are not especially cheap in Singapore anymore, but I ended up buying a new laptop and saving thousands of kronor with that purchase compared to Swedish prices.

On the NUS campus there are two large student housing complexes - Prince George's Park Residences and UTown Residences. UTown is more modern, a really nice setting on the other side of the campus, and it has everything one might need, starting from supermarkets, lots of different food places, parks, study spaces and even a free swimming pool! However, I for some reason had selected PGPR as my first accomodation option and ended up in there, which I also considered quite nice - although a bit older, it was much closer to the MRT and the facilities were ok.

The rooms have free wired interned, so I ended up buying a wireless station for distributing it to my laptop and iPad. The internet speed is ok but not as fast as in Sweden, especially if one tries to access Swedish websites (it was possible to watch Netflix via a VPN connection, but HD quality was out of the question). 

I paid extra for getting the A-grade accommodation at PGPR, which meant having my own bathroom and also air conditioning. It really costs almost double, but with the weather (about 30'C around the year, and even at night it often doesn't go below 27'C) I really benefitted from the air conditioning (I had it set to 25 or 26 but that made the room nice and 'cool' to sleep - and the other students from Sweden, who had taken a room without A/C were complaining about that a lot!)

Btw, it's a good idea to learn the basic coffee vocabulary in advance; if one just orders coffee - 'Kopi', it comes with milk and sugar. There are different terms - 'Kopi O' and 'Kopi C' for ordering it without one substance, or 'Kopi O Kosong' for a black coffee without sugar. Also Tee comes similarly with milk and sugar by default.

As a very international and English speaking place Singapore is easy to go to and it feels quite natural to be there. One thing to learn is the always hot weather, and the million flavours of great Asian food available; I decided to jump right in, and found a large number of good or even excellent new tastes, some of which I have found myself missing afterwards.

In the same room that my research lab shared with a different group was a lot of Chinese students, who often talked very loudly in Chinese. Besides learning just a few words, I mostly didn't understand anything, and kind of leaned to let it pass out of the other ear. With more time it might have been good to try to learn more Chinese, and I feel I kind of feel that I didn't take up the opportunity as well as I should have.

 

    

The Marina Bay offers great views and a lot to see, and Gardens by the Bay continue on the other side of the Marina Bay Sands. Chinatown has a great vibe, and is a must to visit at Chinese (lunar) new year. Botanical Gardens take more than one visit to see though (and there is a free campus bus between NUS campuses, one of which is located just at the corner).

Singapore is also very centrally located in South-East Asia with cheap flight all around, and it's a good idea to visit some other countries nearby. That also emphasises the differences between Singapore and the neighbouring countries, and while experiencing great things abroad, you'll be happy to return to NUS for studies :) I heard that some exchange students spent most of their time travelling, which was not nice to their local supervisors, so it's a good idea to discuss the travel plans in advance with them at the start of the semester, so that everyone knows the deal. I didn't travel that much abroad as I valued the time I had in Singapore and at the research group, and I plan to go back some day just to travel more as a tourist.  

As a student I enjoyed the possibility to participate in real work at a research lab, to visit local hospitals and talk with the professionals. Also the course I took complemented nicely the studies I had some at KI - even if the topic was something I had learned already, the angle and approach was different and I feel the combination will serve me well.

But first and foremost it was nice to live in a new continent for one semester, and to experience it first hand. It was a kind of Zen'ish experience, not to have too much stuff or too much to do, so I had time to read, walk and just to think about things. I guess I did also eat and drink healthier (as there are so many good options, like the freshly squeezed fruit juices made to order for about 10kr at the cafeteria at the Uni), as it wasn't as expensive as in Sweden.

So, in hindsight, would I go if I had known what I know now? Absolutely. And actually after Singapore I wrote an email and got invited to work as an intern researcher in another famous research group in Europe for the summer (I got the idea about that while still being in Singapore) - something that I probably hadn't even thought of if I hadn't gone there. So, looking back, I cannot imagine all the things I had or would miss if I hadn't had the exchange experience; it's now an integral part of me :)