By Raymond Mitchell

There have been so many highlights of my exchange at NTU and it’s been such a different experience for me, being my first-time travelling overseas solo and first-time staying in halls. One of the biggest highlights for me was getting to celebrate Lunar New Year in Singapore. It has been years since I last experienced it properly, the nostalgic buzz of seeing the whole city lit up in red, streets packed with stalls and smelling amazing – it reminded me of what it used to feel like back in Vietnam when I was younger.

I’m sure almost everyone knows about the amazing cuisine you can find in Singapore, and how much food you can find at such affordable prices. However, the pastries were a true highlight for me, especially considering it seemed to fly under the radar! There’s so much variety of pastries to find here, which to be honest, puts even the bougiest New Zealand bakeries to shame. I found a few favourites around that became part of my going-out-routine whenever I was nearby.

Living on campus was both a highlight and also an initial challenge. I’ve never stayed in halls before, so it was almost like being chucked in the deep-end having my first time staying in halls being overseas by myself. I was definitely overwhelmed once I opened my doors to my room, seeing almost nothing had been provided, but the ease of transport made it easy to go shopping for stuff like beddings on- and off-campus – though I do recommend trying your best to get a good nights rest before arriving to make it a bit easier! What hall and type of room you are allocated to is up to a lottery system – I was fortunate to have been assigned a single room with aircon (though eventually, I got used to the climate anyways), with good shared facilities and easy access to food – which every hall has!

Taking 5 papers instead of 4 like at home was initially daunting, but most of my classes had tutorials incorporated into their lecture time-slots, so in the end, I was spending a pretty similar amount of hours per week in class as I was back at Waikato.

My exchange has taught me to just take advantage of opportunities that come by! Going on exchange was kind of a “on a whim” decision, where I just decided one weekend I might as well go on exchange as part of my university degree while I can, because it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, especially with the scholarships available to support such a venture. If you’re hesitating about the change that comes with moving overseas, I found that routine and comfort can be built anywhere. It was admittedly uncomfortable being so far from home, family and friends at first; but it didn’t take long before small things, like getting breakfast, travelling around campus, etc. started to feel like my new normal.

From my exchange, I feel more prepared and capable of navigating what’s next in life. I’m now more open to broadening my horizons overseas, such as to Singapore or anywhere else in the future. I’m hoping that having gone to NTU will provide me with a “foot” in the door if I ever decide to move overseas, or provide as a good conversation starter in my future professional life!