Every year, on August 9th, Singaporeans celebrate their independence from Malaysia in 1965. Having been aware of this national holiday, I was planning to go downtown in the morning and see how it is being celebrated. My expectations were crowded streets and public transportation every where, but soon I noticed that was not the case at all. It was a pretty quiet morning on my way downtown, but I still feel a spirit of celebration. People around me were wearing red and white, which are Singapore's national colors. Buildings were also decorated with banners and flags that commemorate the birth of this nation.

In the early afternoon, various activities were going on around the Esplanade area. Besides holding a national-themed exhibit, Esplanade also sponsored various activities for young children such as cultural performances from local schools and traditional games. I think it is a great way to cultivate a spirit of nationality in young Singaporeans as well as to educate them about their heritage.

The highlight of this holiday is the National Day Parade which takes "Making Memories Together" as this year's theme. It began at around 5 PM starting from the Marina Bay area. Citizens who wish to watch the parade up-close needed tickets. These tickets were obtained through a random ballot system. If you weren’t lucky in getting a ticket, though, don’t worry. Rest assured that non-ticket holders can still enjoy the live show from other spots around the Singapore river. By 4 PM, the banks of Singapore river had just been packed with people coming from all over the town. Without any knowledge of where is the best place to catch the show, I was fortunate enough to be invited by exchange buddy Christina to join her and her church friends to spend the evening in the spirit of celebration. The fireworks and the sky jet shows were magnificent. However, what truly moved me was the moment when every citizen said the national pledge and sang their national anthem. My new Singaporean friends seemed to be very proud as they were saying their pledge. Afterwards, they also educated me about Singapore as we played a national-themed pictorial game. All in all, the evening was just such a wonderful opportunity to be able celebrate the birth of my host land with its own citizens. This time around, I felt really glad that I stepped out of my comfort zone of sticking with other exchange students and actually developed new friendships with the local students.

The long-awaited journey has finally arrived, and I am very glad with my decision to head to the Singapore this semester. As I did my research on potential study abroad destination, I was mesmerized by the beauty and cultural richness of this country. However, beyond those words and pictures I saw on the screen, there are other things that amazed me even more. Singaporeans’ hospitality and kindness, by far, are the two qualities that I noticed right away just in my first couple days.

My flight arrived inconveniently early, which was 6:35 AM local time. It was a 40-minute ride from Changi airport to the NTU campus along the Pan Island Expressway (PIE) that connects the East and the West coasts. I expected that I would have had to wait until 8:30 AM, which is the normal start of business day in Singapore, in order to check in to my room. To my surprise, two of the office administrators were already in by the time I arrived around 8:00 AM. Apparently, they had my flight information and decided to come early that day to get me situated as soon as possible. My roommate, on the other hand, was awaken by my arrival yet still gave me her warmest welcome. She asked about how my flight was and whether or not I have eaten anything, helped me unpack, set up, and gave me a note and map of our hall. From these first encounters with Singaporeans, I soon felt right at home.

Within the next couple days, I experienced so many acts of hospitality and kindness from the locals. I soon noticed that every time I asked for directions to the locals, whether it is on or off campus, they would actually take the time to explain very clearly and ask back if everything is clear. Some of the local students I met were also very genuine in getting to know new friends. They would invite me to whatever group activities that they were doing and ask if I would like to be taken or guided somewhere in the city.
The weather in Singapore might be too warm compare to the weather I am accustomed to back in Philadelphia. Nevertheless, rest assured that I would always feel like home with the warm hospitality and kindness culture of my host land. I hope I can cultivate these qualities during my experience here as well.