At the end of April 2021, I received information from the International Office that there was still the opportunity to spend a semester abroad in Singapore or other countries in the summer. As I had already spent my vacation in Singapore in 2019, I quickly decided that I wanted to go to James Cook University (JCU) in Singapore. As there was very little time until the start of the semester at the beginning of July, I quickly submitted all the documents and applied for them together with the International Office and the exchange organization GOstralia.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, I also needed a special student visa, as Singapore had very strict entry restrictions at the time. When I received confirmation from JCU, I just had to wait for my student visa to be confirmed. However, as the number of cases in Germany was relatively high at the time, the immigration authorities suspended visas for Germans. That’s why I decided to start the semester abroad online from Germany, despite the six-hour time difference.

The time until the online orientation week flew by, so I had to get up early! Some introductory events started at 3 a.m., but as I wasn’t the only foreign student who still had to wait for her visa, I quickly got to know other students from all over Europe. After that, the first week of lectures began: I had a total of four courses: International Business, International Marketing in the Global Village, Accounting Information Systems and Principles of Finance. The courses are each divided into two to three-hour lectures and the corresponding two-hour tutorials, which take place once a week. In each course, students take three to five examinations over the course of the semester, which may consist of written examinations, written assignments or online tests.

Overall, the learning atmosphere is very informal despite the sometimes large courses with over 150 students, as the lecturers are always available and you do a lot of group work in the tutorials. Through the group work, I was also able to make friends in Singapore from Germany, with whom I later met up, even though many of them were in their home country at the time.

In mid-August, I finally received the news that Singapore was issuing student visas again, so I registered online straight away. Together with two other students from Germany, I was given the opportunity to enter the country in the first possible week so that we could book our flights and accommodation for the 7-day quarantine (Stay-Home-Notice, SHN for short) straight away.

A week later, we were already on our 14-hour flight from Frankfurt to Singapore. Fortunately, the plane was very empty, so each of us had a complete row of seats to ourselves. We had to take a PCR test before departure and then the second of three PCR tests immediately after landing before entering the country. Immigration itself went smoothly and was very well organized, although we had to present numerous documents. We then had to take a special SHN cab directly to our accommodation, which we were not allowed to leave for the next few days. This was monitored by daily visits or video calls, a special app in which you had to enter your body temperature three times a day and a tracking bracelet that you couldn’t take off.

We spent the 7 days mainly completing assignments for the university and ordering as varied food as possible. At the end of the 7 days, we were again taken by a special driver to our last PCR test, which fortunately was also negative for the three of us. We were then able to remove our wristbands, no longer had to send daily reports to the authorities and were able to leave our accommodation for the first time.

Life in Singapore is very different from my everyday life in Germany. The biggest difference is the food culture, more on that later, and the extremely courteous behavior of the locals. During my stay in Singapore, I lived in three different parts of the city, each of which belongs to a completely different cultural group. In general, Singapore is mainly characterized by Chinese, Indian and Malaysian culture, which is more or less noticeable depending on the district.

The weather is mostly the same, with occasional thunderstorms, but with an average temperature of 28 to 30 degrees, this is not a problem.

What can sometimes be very disconcerting for Europeans is the security situation in Singapore, all public areas are strictly monitored by cameras and there is hardly any crime. It is therefore normal to reserve your own seat in a café using your cell phone or laptop. Compliance with the applicable corona measures is also strictly monitored, e.g. a mask must always be worn in public and only vaccinated people are allowed to eat out or enter shopping malls. At the beginning of my stay, I was allowed to meet up with five people, but after three weeks the rule was reduced to two people. This applies not only to public areas, but also in your own household if you are not part of a family.

Another big difference is that all stores are also open on Sundays and you can still go shopping normally until 10 p.m. for the most part, and supermarkets are mostly open 24 hours a day.

JCU is actually an Australian university with two campuses in Australia and one in Singapore. The campus in Singapore is very open and also has a large library, a canteen with various food stalls and several sports fields. Due to the current coronavirus regulations, lectures were mainly held online, but this was not a problem thanks to the excellent learning portal.

The subjects themselves are divided into different levels of difficulty (from 1-3) and partly build on each other. The subjects Accounting and Finance were assigned to difficulty level 2 and International Business and International Marketing to level 3. In most subjects you write several papers and tests during the semester and at the end you take an exam, which accounts for about half of your grade.

Singapore itself has many highlights, even if some activities were only possible to a limited extent due to Corona. From an impressive skyline, which is best admired at sunset from the rooftop bar of the Marina Bay Sands Hotel, to numerous museums, shopping malls, nature reserves and various islands. I was particularly impressed by the National Gallery and the National Library, the latter of which I often visited in preparation for my exams.

In the relatively central MacRitchie Reservoir, you can experience the tropical rainforest up close and encounter snakes, monkeys and turtles, for example – even if a hike can be very strenuous in the weather. To relax, we recommend the islands of St. Johns and Lazarus, which can be reached after a half-hour boat trip. The Sentosa peninsula, also known as Fun Island, is also suitable for a day trip. I have not only been to Universal Studios on Sentosa, but also to the beach. The particularly brave can also go to the climbing park or do a bungee jump. Numerous centrally located parks and the man-made Gardens by the Bay also reflect Singapore’s tropical location in the city. Even the airport in Singapore is a highlight, offering numerous activities such as pools, a movie theater and the world’s largest indoor waterfall.

THE highlight in Singapore is definitely the food culture. It is very diverse and mainly characterized by Indian, Chinese and Malaysian influences. There are small food stalls on every corner where you can buy one of the many national dishes at a very reasonable price. Particularly popular with the locals are the “hawker centers”, a hall or square with many market-like stalls, most of which have been perfecting the dishes on offer for years. You should definitely try the following dishes in the numerous Hawker Centers:

Crabs with chili and black pepper (chili crabs): Chilli and black pepper crabs originated in Singapore, where they were created by various restaurants on the east coast in the 1950s. The special thing about chilli crabs is the thickened, sweet and spicy sauce, which tastes a little like a cross between chilli and tomato sauce.

Hainanese chicken rice: The national dish of Singapore par excellence. Adopted by the early Chinese immigrants from Hainan Island, this deceptively simple dish is particularly popular for its aromatic rice cooked in chicken broth, tender, juicy white chicken meat and chili sauce along with dark soy sauce.

Laksa: Noodles cooked in a rich and creamy, spicy coconut milk sauce.

Roti Prata: The crispy and fluffy flatbread has evolved from a Pakistani and Indian pancake recipe and is often served with curry, some also love it with a spoonful of sugar. The variety of pratas in Singapore is becoming increasingly exciting. In addition to the original egg, onion and cheese varieties, there are also fillings with fruits such as durian and banana, ice cream and chocolate.

Satay: One of the most popular Malay dishes in Singapore, these meat skewers are available with chicken, beef, prawns and duck. They are grilled over charcoal and the outer layer is slightly charred, while the meat is sweet and flavorful. They are typically eaten with peanut sauce.