I have been in Singapore for eleven days now and, seeing that this is my first post, I have managed to get a bit behind on this whole blog thing. Sorry about that. Here’s the Sparknotes version of my experience so far.

The flight was long and filled with sleeping, eating, and the occasional movie. Upon arrival, I met the other exchange students who will be here for the spring 2009 semester. Together we tackled the paperwork and errands required in order to make our stay official. Though the process was a bit tiresome, and at some points didn’t seem to make sense, (apparently you needed a cash card to get a student pass, and a student pass to get a cash card), eventually it all worked out and I met some amazing people. Though a majority of students are from the States or Canada, my peers also hail from France, New Zealand, Norway, Indonesia, India, Sweden, Mexico, Scotland, and more! My roommate, Nassera, is a French Moroccan who is studying information systems management. We get along great!

My exchange university, NTU, is incredible. It looks like a vacation resort and the professors seem really knowledgeable. My advertising professor has over 25 years of experience as an art director for Ogilvy and Mather!

This past weekend we began our travels and set sail for the island of Bintan in Indonesia. As the waves tossed our ferry, the ride soon became a test of how much we could handle. Soon a gruesome symphony of sounds and smells filled the cabin, and even those who do not suffer from motion sickness began to feel nauseous. Luckily I was ok, but I don’t think I would soon repeat the experience.

While in Bintan, we stayed in bungalows built on stilts in the water. Here we were able to relax and explore the beaches that surrounded the area. The best experience of the weekend was a trip that we took to the local fishing village. Along the mudbanks of the river, houses built on stilts were crammed together to create a village about eight feet above the ground. The pathways were made of recovered pieces of wood haphazardly nailed together – often they would bend and test your faith in Indonesian engineering. The people who lived there were so friendly; and showing them my pictures and playing with the kids was an incredible experience.

So far, I absolutely love it here in Singapore. I plan on creating a flikr account to post my pictures. When I do, I will post the link here.