Learning "Singlish" was one of the many linguistic and cultural differences Laura Niederhäuser has experienced during her exchange semester in Singapore. Read more about her experiences.
Welcome to Singapore! Despite its small size, you'll find plenty of modernity, nature,
incredibly delicious food and lots of culture here. It's good to know that there are fines for
almost everything here – about 1,000 SGD for chewing gum or 500 SGD for eating and
drinking on public transportation. Or that Singaporeans place a high value on orderly queues
so that everyone gets a turn. There are queues for a variety of everyday activities or
situations, such as ordering food or boarding a train. The system of table reservation in the
popular Hawker Centers and other restaurants is particularly interesting: Before you order
your meal, you “chop” a table – that is, you mark it with personal items such as tissues,
umbrellas or water bottles to signal your claim. Singapore's tropical climate makes light
clothing a must, but you should always have an umbrella with you. A thin sweater is also
recommended for the often heavily air-conditioned shopping malls. By the way: you won't
need a weather app here – the high humidity and changeable rainfall are a constant anyway!
As a tourism student, I knew from the very beginning of my studies that I wanted to complete
a semester abroad. Choosing the destination country was not difficult for me: I wanted to go
to Singapore. This decision was based on my wish to experience a culture shock, but in an
environment that still has a certain Western influence. After five years, I was the first FHGR
student to travel to Singapore to study there. That's why we only noticed later that the
semester times here are different from those in Chur. My semester in Singapore started in
October and ends at the end of February/beginning of March, which means that I will not
return exactly on time for the start of the new semester.
Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP) provides accommodation for students. I live right on campus, on
the 10th floor of a student residence, sharing a flat with five other students. I share a room
with another female student. Despite the proximity of the facilities, the size of the campus
means it takes me almost 20 minutes to get to my classrooms. The university canteens offer
an impressive variety of dishes – from typical Singaporean chicken rice to Japanese dishes
and Turkish kebabs, there is something for everyone. The classes are very different from
those in Chur. Here, the face-to-face sessions mainly take the form of tutorials, in which you
often work in small groups. The associated content is developed separately via e-learning.
This leaves students plenty of free time, which can be put to good use at the large and well-connected Changi Airport! In the almost two months I have been here, I have already taken
advantage of this opportunity and traveled to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, Seoul in South
Korea and Perth in Australia.
Laura Niederhäuser is currently enrolled in the Bachelor of Science in Tourism at the University of Applied Sciences of the Grisons. She completed a semester abroad at our partner institution Nanyang Polytechnic in Singapore.