Settling In

"Hey! So, obviously you have gotten into sync with life over there....haven't heard from 

you recently"

These few words from the younger sister confirmed what I already knew.  For my family, who initially heard from me every day upon my arrival, I had grown slightly silent in the past week.

I don't know if it's correct to say that I've gotten into sync with life here but it's feeling more and more familiar and I do feel settled.  I officially survived the first week of classes.  I did not get lost but I also did not necessarily take the most efficient routes from place to place either.  

I 'm thinking I will enjoy my modules (courses).  I am currently enrolled in the following:

     Shakespeare in His Time and Ours

     European Literature

     South Asian Literature in English

     Singapore Literature in English

If you took at look at the list and thought 'wow, that'll be a lot of reading', you are correct.  I believe my life shall be spent clued to my e-reader.  It is my constant companion these days but since we spend a lot of time doing this ...

Waiting for the train to head into the city

... I have plenty of opportunity to read while waiting for and riding on transit from location to location.  It's been fun exploring the city through public transit but at times when waiting for the next bus or train, I must admit that I do really miss my car and the independence it provides.

In the last couple of days before classes began I was able to head to Sentosa Island (or the beach), the Botanical Gardens and Orchard Road.

Sentosa Island:
   Lots of possibilities for fun and entertainment however we found ourselves a nice spot on the beach and spent the afternoon relaxing.  If you want to know more about Sentosa, go to google!

        

               

Botanical Gardens:

      Took a brief walk through the city's Botanical Gardens last week end.  I plan to go back sometime and actually walk through the whole thing.  What I did see was beautiful though.

The gardens are close to campus and may prove to be a nice study location when I'm in need of a change of scenery!

Orchard Road:  

     If you wish to spend a day or 2 or 3 shopping while in Singapore,       this is the place to go.  Multiple malls to choose from and to all   you Waterloo people, when you think mall, erase images of               the Conestogo Mall from your brain because compared to                 the malls here, our malls are dwarfs. 

     The malls are all multiple stories and have incredible design and        decor.  However, the street also has its own share of beautiful          landscape, lights and decorations.  Also, as the pictures indicate,      we were not the only ones out for an afternoon of shopping.  I          had fun sitting back and watching the crowds.  In one afternoon,        we only touched the tip of the iceberg of malls on this street.

 

The throngs of people waiting at an intersection                                  Street Decor                                              

 

Then it was time for classes to begin:

    All my classes are held in the Arts and Social Sciences area of campus.

This is the Central Library building.  All the FASS (Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences) Buildings are to the left.  These are the main buildings that I spend my time in while on campus.  

   

   

 

These two pictures show the courtyard area of the Central Library/FASS section of campus.  I'm thinking it's another great option for studying, as long as it's not too hot.

River Safari:  Features some of the main rivers throughout the world and has tanks with some of the different fish/turtles/reptiles/snakes that can be found in the various river areas. The river safari also includes Pandas, which was definitely my favourite.                                                                                                                                                               

        

 

A few miscellaneous pictures:

Night time views of the main building and the main entrance of our residence.

The Food Options are endless.  I am a happy girl.

 

AND .... yes, among the fun of settling in and exploring, here's proof that we have actually done a little bit of what we've come here to do:   STUDY!!

                                                                                           

The hanging gardens are another great study place as long as the bugs and ants aren't trying to hard to get your attention.











Well folks, I am signing off and going back to my readings.