5 Things I Will Miss About Singapore

Considering that I am now into my last couple of weeks in Singapore, I thought I should do a post on the things that I have grown to love during my year here and things that I will take with me once I leave.

1) Food

If you ask a Singaporean what they are most proud of about their country, it is food. Hawker centres (food courts which can be found on almost every street corner) are where most people eat. There are stalls serving a variety of food, demonstrating the country’s mixing pot of cultures, with the added bonus of all dishes usually costing no more than £3! As families tend to eat out here rather than in their homes, these hawkers centres are communal hubs and help in bringing people together in an environment which could have been socially isolating. The worry is that this distinctly Singaporean institution will disappear in the new future since the sons and daughters of current stalls holder have mostly received good educations and have different aspirations.

Hawker Centre in Tiong Bahru, Singapore

2) Travel opportunities

I have been lucky enough this year to have visited many wonderful places in the region such as Myanmar, Malaysia and the Philippines. The cheap transport (especially in Malaysia) has meant that I have been able to take advantage of any free time I have to get to know the areas around Singapore much better and as a result, I’ve had experiences that I will never forget. Without visiting the region, some may be inclined to think of the Southeast Asia as one homogenous region. My travels have shown me this is very wrong as I have seen a variety of different cultures and (certainly in comparison to Singapore) huge disparities in ways of living, living conditions and prosperity. Although arguably Singapore has no more travel opportunities than anywhere else, the exchange environment that I have been living in has definitely been conducive to exploring as much as possible.

Photos from my travels (Left, Philippines; Top Right, Mt Kinabalu, Boreo; Bottom Right, Bagan, Myanmar)

3) NUS

Undoubtedly I will miss the university. They made my move very smooth considering how daunting the experience could have been. The Geography department itself has opened my eyes up to a completely different perspective which I hope will benefit me when I return to my final year at UCL (see some of my earlier posts). The students have also been extremely friendly and welcoming, always wanting to tell me about the best places to go in the city. If I was to change one thing about my experience, it would be where I live. In terms of amenities, I cannot complain about the residential sites on campus. However, living on campus has meant that I perhaps have not experienced what it is truly like to live in Singapore, as university campuses can be artificial environments. On the plus side, this has given me the incentive to return to Singapore as a worker when I’m older so that I can really immerse myself in the city.

4) Urban Geography

This isn’t technically something I will miss about Singapore and more something that I have learnt. Having done one urban geography module at UCL, I already had an inclination that this might be the section of geography that I enjoy the most, and this year has confirmed this. ‘Globalization in Asian Cities’, ‘Changing Landscapes of Singapore’ and ‘Cities and Regions: Planning for Change’ have introduced me to new concepts in urban geography that relate in particular to the Asian region. Because Singapore is effectively just a city, I have been able to witness the vital importance that the state puts on urban planning, more so than I have seen anywhere else.

5) The people

Finally, I will miss the wonderful people I have met. People from far and wide have joined me on adventures and have we comforted each other during the times when the distance from home began to sink in. I have them to thank for making this year an experience that will stay with me forever.

Group of friends in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia