Interning in Singapore: A Personal and Professional Growth Opportunity Past Review
By Kit L (Business Honors and Supply Chain Management, Texas A&M - College Station) for
Texas A&M University: MSC L.T. Jordan Internship and Living Abroad Program (ILAP)
My experience abroad taught me that some countries focus more on work than on relaxation. Because Singapore is primarily a service-based economy, their human capital is very strong. What I noticed is that the employees of the company where I was interning at would work long hours for very little pay. Thus I was somewhat understanding when my host family would not be around to take me out to eat or have food prepared because they were generally very busy. The cost of living is very high in Singapore and although the government provides a lot for the citizens, it is very expensive to afford to have a lot of materialistic possessions (such as a car). I learned a lot more about the Singaporean culture and my lessons made me more appreciative of what I have in the United States.
Review Photos
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
I participated in an internship there, so I guess if that is related to my educational experience then it was a very rewarding opportunity. I learned more about the field of e-learning and I was able to develop an open-source learning content management system called Moodle for the company that I was interning at. The only issue that I had to deal with was that sometimes I did not feel very engaged during my internship projects/assignments. Also the company culture is different than what I was used to. I was mostly stuck in front of a computer during my work-days. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
My host in-country coordinator was very familiar with the Singaporean culture. He helped answer any questions we may have had about Singapore as well as joined us on some of our excursions to nearby neighboring countries. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
My host family was very respectful and treated me like a family member to an extent. My program specifically stated that I was to be offered two meals (breakfast and dinner) during the weekdays and three meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) during the weekends. There were times when I had to pay for my own meals/transportation to restaurants because there was no meal offered. I even had to cook my own breakfast a few times because my host family did not provide me with breakfast. Other than the food aspect, my host mom washed my clothes and cleaned my room for me. |
| * Food: |
I did not receive food at times when I was with my host family, but the food that I ate in Singapore was very good. Most of the food is geared towards the Asian culture (Malay, Indian, Chinese) so meats are not as common during the meal. The food portions are a lot smaller than the portions in the United States and there are times when you have to order two or more portions just to be full. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I really enjoyed exploring the country and what the country had to offer. I got to travel to a small island near Singapore called Pulau Ubin with my host sister and her friend where we rode bicycles around the island. I had a chance to check out the variety of malls in Singapore as well as tour the local attractions such as the Merlion statue and Sentosa Theme Park. This program also provided a one week excursion to Malaysia and Thailand where I got to gain further exposure of other cultures within the South-Asian area. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Singapore is a very clean, safe country. There are very strict laws regarding issues such as littering, vandalism, eating/drinking, etc. There were no health issues in my host country. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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Finances
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* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?
(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
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Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | I would tell the student to save money for this particular study abroad program because I spent at least an extra $1,000 on this trip for miscellaneous expenses. Also it is important to keep an open mind when interacting with Singaporeans because their ways of interaction may be different at times than how Americans interact. The type of student that would benefit the most from this program is a student that is willing to learn more about the Singaporean culture and way of life. |
