A Friendly Welcome

I’ve been in the United States for almost three weeks, and the most common question I get here is, “Which country is Singapore in?”

I wouldn’t blame them for not knowing where Singapore is considering the whole country is about the size of Monroe County. Having lived in Singapore my whole life, the sheer thought of studying in a country some 15,000 miles away is certainly overwhelming to me.

The second I “booked” into my dormitory, the first thing on my agenda was to visit the world-renowned IU Kelley School of Business. I had a pleasant surprise when I stepped into the hallway and right there in front of me hung a clock telling the time of Singapore! Now how about that? I traveled 15,000 miles from a country the size of Monroe County not expecting many people to know where Singapore is and there it was, a clock showing the time of Singapore right past the front door of the world-renowned Kelly School of Business.

What was even more surprising to me was that there were 30 of the friendliest Singaporeans studying right here at Indiana University Bloomington! The Singapore Student Association (SSA) organizes fun-filled activities for freshmen to make our transition period a smoother one, and I am truly grateful to them.

In my opinion, the people in Bloomington are generally very polite people. Having been to Los Angeles on quite a number of occasions, I feel that the people in “The City of Angels” ought to learn a little manners from the people here.

These first three weeks has brought a whole new positive experience to my life, and I look forward to the coming year.