This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UCLA chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.
It feels like just yesterday that I was riding the MRT into Chinatown to get matcha, walking to the 24-hour Roti Prata joint in Rochor, and studying global business strategy, specifically for Asian markets, at Singapore Management University’s campus. And yet somehow, here I sit, drinking an overpriced, decidedly not Singaporean matcha, two weeks into fall quarter. Time is funny like that.
Even as I descend into the familiar apparatus of being a UCLA student, with moments of clarity found in friendship, going outdoors (shoutout excursion club’s trip to Julian), and the invigorating feeling of being in a class that makes my mind feel like it’s literally expanding, there remains a Singapore-shaped hole in my heart. Why?
My whole life, I’ve been raised to value travel, history, knowledge and experience. Growing up with an immigrant father from Romania and a mother who primarily reads and watches history-related books and documentaries, I have always had a high appreciation for what going to new places, meeting new people and leaving your comfort zone brings. One of my mother’s regrets from college is not going abroad for a whole year instead of a semester, and so I was very much encouraged to explore abroad opportunities at UCLA.
Still, when friends and acquaintances would say that their study abroad was the highlight of their college years, I believed them, but I was unsure if that feeling was universal. Can a life abroad truly surpass all the other incredible moments I’ve had thus far at UCLA? The big, the small and everything in between? I’m thinking about that moment when I decided to be an English major, when I fell in love with analyzing stories and finally seeing what was there all along; I’m thinking about the life-changing car ride with a stranger on the way back from my first backpacking trip, silent tears sliding down my face as we talked about the struggles of college, a conversation which ironically made me feel like UCLA could really be a place for me. And at the same time, I’m thinking about late nights with friends, early mornings at yoga and the grilled cheese from Kerckoff. I’m an optimist, so I do believe the best is yet to come, but on the other side of my abroad, I fear nothing can ever compare.
When I initially left Singapore, I didn’t mourn the end of my experience, at least not as much as I thought I would. In hindsight, this isn’t all that surprising. I generally have an idea that life ebbs and flows as it’s supposed to, and I can honestly say I was thoroughly living every moment to the fullest in Asia.
The beauty of my study abroad experience was that, while it was educational in a traditional sense — I took two classes, Global Business Leadership and Global Business Communications — it was also educational in more nuanced, subtle ways. I learned a new public transit, expanded my taste buds, knew where I was going most of the time, found my favorite places and went back and made true friends with strangers. But still somehow, I feel like my mind added another layer of depth it had been lacking. Additionally, due to its proximity, I was able to explore Malaysia, Tokyo, Thailand and later Hong Kong — extensions to my initial study abroad experience that I wouldn’t change for the world.
My “missing of Singapore” comes in moments when I wish I could be back in the place that forced me to rethink, imagine and live as independently as I ever had. Singapore’s history of just reaching sixty years as an independent country was unique in that it’s still a very young nation, and its infamous laws (no chewing gum, for instance) serve as ways to stabilize and establish order. Even then, remembering the chaos of the Hawker Centers, where I could find everything from scallion noodles to xiao long bao to mangosteens and sugarcane juice, offers a contradiction to the stereotype of a rigid, buttoned-up society. Singapore, being a world capital of food, combines the cultures and cuisines of Chinese, Malay, Indian and Eurasian influences (coincidentally representing the four official languages of the country: Mandarin, Malay, Tamil and English), and I’ve yet to go through a week back in the States without missing something I ate there.
Funnily enough, despite the strict regulations in Singapore, I felt like I was meant to try and experience almost everything. When would be the next time I was living there, deciding what my days looked like, and establishing a routine that became familiar? During my time abroad, I fell into a state of comfort, ease and excitement all at once as I forged a new me, a me that is forever evolving and in flux. To this day, to this second, to the last dregs of my milky matcha, I still feel like I learned so much that I’m still exploring, discovering and unveiling. Beyond words and beyond what I’m able to express in this piece, I’m so grateful to have spent an unforgettable summer in Singapore.