5 months are gone in the blink of an eye and I'm now thrown back to reality - back to school, back to a place where grades matter. This transition process is almost like a rehab, 'cept without cold turkey.
Despite me grieving over the fact that my 5-month long holidays are over, I'm so happy to be back in school and be surrounded by familiar faces (and the familiar Singaporean accent that I need to get used to... lolol)! And the fact that everyone's being so welcoming warms my heart :')
So everyone's been asking me the same questions about my exchange so I thought it'd be good to blog about my exchange FAQ!
1. How was your exchange????
It would be an understatement if I ever told you that 'it was good'. I think the most apt way of describing it would be 'IT IS THE BEST TIME OF MY LIFE!' I'm not even exaggerating. It is a once in a lifetime experience and deciding to go is one of the best decision I've made in my life. I get to take in so many dumbfounding scenery, explore so many beautiful cities and meet so many wonderful people from all around the world! There's no way I could've done all these without exchange! :)
2. How much did I spend and was it worth it?
I spent approx. $15,000 SGD, including accommodation, food, air tickets and ALL my travelling! Basically everything! That excludes the $2.5k I get from NASA scholarship. IT IS GODDAMN WORTH IT AND I WILL DO THIS OVER AND OVER FOR 999999 TIMES. It might seem pretty hefty but if you think about it, it's like going on a 5-month vacation at only $15,000 SGD! Within this span of 5 months, I covered about 9 states and 19 cities!
I had my doubts before deciding to go because of financial issues. But Yumin told me something that I felt made a lot of sense, "You can always earn back the money spent, but you're only young once."
3. Where did I cover on this trip?
Chapel
Hill, North Carolina
Raleigh,
North Carolina
Asheville/Great Smoky Mountains,
North Carolina
Myrtle
Beach, South Carolina
Richmond,
Virginia
Atlanta,
Georgia
Miami,
Florida
Orlando,
Florida
Washington,
D.C.
San
Francisco, California
Los
Angeles, California
Las Vegas,
California
San Diego,
California
Santa
Monica, California
Alhambra,
California
Grand
Canyon, Arizona
Page,
Arizona
New York
City, New York
Buffalo,
New York
And also some cities we stopped by along Highway 1 between San Francisco & Los Angeles!
4. Which is my favourite city?
This is a pretty difficult question. I visit most of these places as a tourist and I don't get to experience life like a resident would everyday. But if I really had to choose, I would pick San Francisco. Simply because it is a beautiful place with good commuting system. It's not a fancy city with lots of theme parks whatsoever. I just like its simplicity!
But I would say Las Vegas left the deepest impression in me (just like it had when I went to US for the first time in 2008). I love skyscrapers and the lights! It really awes me!
5. What's my favourite thing about the US?
The people. I met so many nice people while I was travelling around! There were a fair share of nasty ones but they were mostly helpful and friendly! I guess it's just in their culture to be so willing to offer help when needed.
The 2nd on the list for this has to be cheap Haagen Dazs and Ben & Jerry's!
6. What's the thing I dislike most about the US?
Food and cost of food. And it's a place not built for walking. I guess the latter it's more attributable to the fact that it's a gigantic place so it isn't as easy as it is in Singapore to build a developed commuting system. I guess the things I dislike is more of how I'm just not used to things. I love chinese/asian food so I just cannot bring myself to eat burgers/fried chicken/french fries/donuts/soda everyday. I need bubble tea, rice, noodles, soup and chinese desserts!
7. Was it cold? How was the weather like?
For people who's never been to the US, the climate varies across states and cities. The cities I visited in California don't get too hot or cold because they are along the coast. LA probably had the best weather. It ranges around 14 - 22 degree Celsius on average I think. North Carolina got pretty chilly during fall and it went to around -10 when winter approaches. It is pretty periodical though. I can be wearing shorts this week in 16 degree celsius weather and be wrapped up in my down jacket the next because of sub-zero temperature. The more north you go, it gets colder. New York was about -14 degree celsius to 2 degree celsius during the week I was there. The coldest I've been was in Buffalo, when there was a snowstorm. Temperature dropped to about -17 degree celsius.
It was burning when I went to Florida in September for Fall break. It was like Singapore (30-35 degree celsius) except it was a tad less humid!
8. Things Americans do
I came up with a short list of the top 4 things you should do if you wanna live a life of an American.
Disclaimer: It is based on my humble experience and should not be taken too seriously!
#04: Eat Cheerios
It's even better if you eat honey nut cheerios. It's Americans' No.1 favourite cereal and almost everyone in the suite has one box of it in their room!
#03: Order Chinese Takeaway
Just like in movies!!! Given the sheer size of US and how difficult it is to commute, it is really common for people to order takeouts! It's one of the best things ever. No matter what you may feel like eating, just order it through the web/phone and wait for your food!
My chinese takeout during my 2nd week in UNC!
#02: Watch a football game
I realise that this is not just about the strong sports culture in the US. People also watch these games as a family-bonding activity! I always see Dads bringing their kids and wife to a football/baseball game. Moreover, it's American football! Is there a need to further elaborate why you should watch it???
Students get free tickets if it is a home game! I'm not into sports but I truly enjoyed watching football games! :)
#01: CELEBRATE HALLOWEEN!
Franklin St right outside UNC Chapel Hill is the top 5 places to be in the whole of US for colleges to celerate Halloween! Pretty remarkable for a place that is not so 'mainstream' huh! Americans are hell serious when it comes to Halloween! I enjoyed my halloween these year because of the very onz people!
On hindsight, I think Kah Swee should've been joker from Batman Returns instead....
And as a Tar Heel, the most most most important thing that any Tar Heel should do at least once:
WATCH A BASKETBALL GAME!!!!
And we did! For both men and women basketball :) it's a pity we couldn't catch the Duke vs UNC game. Michael Jordan was from UNC Chapel Hill btw! Hehe. And I didn't realise how impressive Dean Smith was until this morning when I read up about college basketball in the US in my case assignment.
There are of course lots more to do like having a Thankgiving dinner, going on road trips, going for tailgate, grocery shoppin @ Walmart etc etc. So don't think that this is all about being an American!
I'll try to blog about my trips to places. I just uploaded 2000 pictures into my laptop. Till then!
These pictures are now the only thing that convinces me the past 5 months wasn't a dream.
Me & my lovely suitemates who threw a goodbye party for me! :')
