Intro to self
- 4th and final year FASS student
- Sociology major, writing thesis on interactions between exchange students and NUS students
Where I went
- Queen's University in Kingston
- between Toronto and Montreal
- 2nd sem of 2nd year (2005)
Why?
- experience Canadian winter
- something completely different
- challenge myself
- isolate myself from everything familiar and see how i thrive
- travel, seize opportunity to see the other side of the world
- escape Singapore, venture beyond my comfort zone
Friends/Student Unions/School Spirit Festivals/Culture

- Harkness Hall: living with people from Canada, Hong Kong, France, UK
- speed dating, movie nights, school productions
- attending conferences: AIESEC, ASUS
- going on trips: Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Niagara, Quebec
- applying concepts learnt: in terms of tourism, geography
- meeting locals: Nick, Emily, Scott
- birthdays: minnie’s surprise party, sacha’s birthday

Studying
- profs and students
- learning new things: IDIS 306 Culture, Identity and Self with Paul Fairfield; French; Women and reproductive technology; Religion and Film
- most learning happened outside the classroom from talking to people, observing surroundings, building relationships
- studying by the lake, studying on the grass

Shopping & Eating
- foodwise, I acquired a fondness for salads and pasta; fortune cookies; Asian food, cheap pizza, living like a starving student
- shopping… was not everything


New things
- Skiing, skating, curling, ice hockey
- learning French, picking up Spanish
- traveling solo
- pub culture: socializing
- making the best out of everything: even though I don’t drink, I learnt about the social habits of Canadians
- representing Singapore: goring pisang tak jadi, fettucine and oyster sauce

Day to day life
- supermarkets: walmart, food basics, A&P

Places of interest
- Staying at Nick’s for a weekend
- Fort Henry
- Toronto’s vintage culture; very cool
- Ottawa’s museums and galleries
- New York City’s EVERYTHING