Singapore’s Sizzling Summer

How it all began

Starting my journey at the end of June, to begin my new student life as a first-time foreigner in Singapore. To be very honest, I was quite frightened to begin living alone since it was my first time away from my family and friends but at the same time, I could not wait for the adventure to start, and it didn’t take me long to find the first giant tourist hit – Changi Airport. This was my first glimpse of Singapore, and it welcomed me with its modern marvels and bustling energy, setting the tone for my exciting trip.

Dorm Life at NTU

Staying at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) was an amazing experience for me as it was the first time I had stayed in a dormitory, so this was all quite new to me but helped me learn so many things. Keeping up to date with washing your clothes, living with a roommate who was chosen completely randomly, and sharing a bathroom/shower with about 20 other males, these were just some of the new experiences I got to undertake. Although some of these things were a massive learning curve for me, I loved every bit of it as I got to finally feel like a real adult with some real responsibilities.

New Faces and Places

The summer program was planned out so beautifully, with having many social activities like our first get-together in the form of a city tour to meet all the students studying abroad while also visiting all the main local attractions. As our tour was guided by NTU staff, we got to visit places like Chinatown, Little India, and the main city with the famous Merlion with my many new friends. It was so enlightening to meet all the students from all across the world, seeing faces from Canada, USA, Denmark, Switzerland, UK, Hong Kong, and so many other countries which really surprised me, opening my mind to a whole new side of travelling which I hadn’t really experienced before.

Convenience at NTU

The university displays some of the most beautiful architecture of buildings which blew me away and has everything you need right on campus. There’s a supermarket, a bookstore, an electronics store, and from memory, around 22 different food courts on the campus that offer all kinds of delicious foods from around the world. You won’t go hungry, that’s for sure. Since NTU is so large, they’ve got free buses that take you to all the important places on campus and these buses had the coolest air conditioning although this was so refreshing in contrast to the hot humid air of Singapore, it made leaving the bus messy for my glasses turning my lenses into sheets of condensation. If you need to get to an MRT train station, no worries – there are also some paid buses that can get you there in no time, making it super easy to commute to the city and other attractions within Singapore.

Nights to Remember

Some of the amazing memories that I cannot forget were those nights when me and my neighbours all got together in one of our dorms to plan trips together for upcoming days like our Sentosa Island adventure and our Yacht trip but was the most fun when had endless conversations that went on and on creating timeless bonds. Having shared many dinners together was so enjoyable, but when it was time to split the bill as a group, our inner engineering skills kicked in. We put our math prowess to the test, tackling real-life math problems to divvy up the cost, which included insanely high percentage surcharges for service charges and GST making this process 5 times harder, especially when paying in cash.

3D-Printing Exploration

When it came down to studying at NTU, I really enjoyed all aspects of it, especially when we got to go down to the labs to see the high-tech 3D printers. Despite the lengthy 4-hour classes, our professor’s captivating expertise in 3D printing kept things engaging. Getting hands-on with actual 3D-printed models was such a cool experience. About halfway through the marathon lectures, our wonderful professor would surprise us with a stash of local Singaporean snacks, which we savoured, and this became something I would always look forward to.

Overall, I think taking the opportunity to travel to Singapore for a summer exchange was one of the best decisions I have ever made, capturing some of the best memories I could ever imagine. Immersed in Singapore’s culture, I studied my passion—3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing, where NTU’s advanced 3D printing facilities turned theory into practical skills which I loved. Learning abroad improved my adaptability and confidence in socialising with diverse international peers and building these friendships with peers enriched my perspective about life itself and social gatherings became hubs of shared learning.

Aiden Adam
Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology
3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
Global Short Programs Travel Scholarship Recipient