We’ve made it over halfway!

Time FLIES, especially when you’re having fun 😀 Can’t believe we’re over halfway through our exchange here at NTU Singapore, and soon enough, we’ll be back home!

Academics

Firstly, an update on how my subjects are going. In my last blog post I mentioned I’m taking 3 electives at NTU: Chinese, Arabic and Business Operations & Processes.

My teachers are very knowledgeable and my classmates are lovely. Marks-wise, I’ve smashed my language assessments so far (yay!), but I did unfortunately fail my Business Operations quiz (whoops…).

IN MY DEFENCE, however, I did study super hard for the quiz and most the cohort failed too. My understanding is that this is quite a common occurrence here at NTU, but the bell-curve grading system moderates everybody’s marks. I’m hoping for the best!

A surprise visit

Fortunately my mum could make an 11-day trip over to visit and we had loads of fun at the F1 Grand Prix night race and exploring Palau Ubin and other parts of Singapore. I was lucky enough to be able to stay with her for her whole stay, meaning I had my own room and ensuite for 11 days – a far cry from the communal bathrooms in the university halls!! (But don’t worry, it’s character-building! :’D)

Recess week trip

During the mid-semester break I made a 4-day trip with Winnie and Vic (other UTS exchangers at NTU) to Phuket. I’d never been to Thailand but it was soooo beautiful, and definitely the relaxing time we needed after some intense uni. My favourite experience in Phuket was spending a day speedboating, snorkelling and swimming off Phi Phi Islands. Highly recommend if you ever visit Phuket 😀

I also made a short 4-day trip back home to Sydney for my grandmother’s birthday. She had no idea I was coming so I was delighted to give her a huge surprise 😊 Needless to say, it was also great catching up with my friends and family I’d been missing so much and hearing all their news. It’s amazing how much happens in 2 months!!

Where to from here

Now we’ve recovered from recess week shenanigans and are getting back into the swing of study and preparing for tests and other submissions. I’m very conscious the next month and a half will pass even quicker than the journey thus far, so there are no excuses!

I have a close friend visiting Singapore in November, so I’m very excited to show her a good time. My best friend will also be flying over after my final exam on 5 December, and we’ll be travelling Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing together until the end of the year!!

Lots of exciting times ahead, and hopefully I’ve inspired you a little to take on an exchange experience as part of your degree 😀

 Monica Axiak
11998604
Bachelor of Business
Nanyang Technological University
Singapore