As some of you know, I've been at the National University of Singapore (NUS) over the past two days for work. What kind of work, I won't elaborate. But it's the kind that requires a lot of walking, talking to people and most of all, THICK skin.
I was so happy yesterday when I was able to meet Annie for lunch. Annie works at NUS as a researcher in the Engineering School. She's a great sister in Christ of mine- and I will explain why in detail later.
But first of all, I got to try the famous Indonesian food in the Engineering Canteen.
For $2.90, you can have this fabulous plate of chicken chop with drool-worthy sauce, some curry veggies and rice with sambal to go on the side.
Super cheap and amazing!!! (I can still taste that chicken in my mouth)
If I had a car, I'd definitely drive here for lunch from time to time. Can't believe this sort of cheap good food exists in Singapore... And in NUS no less.
Annie showed me her office where she works.
Okay, so today is a great example of why she's been such an encouragement to me.
Before working today, I had a tiny little panic attack. Not anything severe, but certainly something out of the ordinary. All of a sudden, I felt very judged and scrutinised by everyone I walked by. I started to feel very self-conscious and worthless. I cannot explain this feeling, but it was like being swallowed up by a thousand burning eyes and whispers.
Maybe some of you are scratching your heads in amazement right now.
Yes, I DO get self-conscious once in a while!
I'm not always the outgoing, noisy, in-your-face confident Mindy that will feel fine and at ease in front of hundreds of people.
Out of sheer desperation, I found myself sitting in a corner calling Annie for help. Even though I had prayed already, still the feeling of uneasiness didn't go away. Dear dear Annie was so patient with me and prayed once more with me over the phone. After her kind words, I felt like my numb legs were set free to walk towards the hordes of people once more.
The rest of the day went by like a breeze. God answered all my prayers.
As I was wandering round the Engineering and Arts schools, I realised what a lovely view of the surroundings NUS has.
Not only that, but the buildings had corridors that opened up strategically to welcome the seabreeze from the south.
In the past few months, I've walked into many many different schools. I've been to all the polytechnics and almost all the universities, as well as some private schools in Singapore. I've walked their hallways, listened to students' gossip, tasted their food and observed the different cultures in different schools.
In the process, I realised that I had learnt so much about the different lives of students in Singapore.
Every school has its own culture, its own stories.
All the campuses are beautiful in their own way. Like NUS's Engineering School that has its lovely corridors and bridges looking out to the view, Temasek Polytechnic also has peaceful vistas from certain points in school.
You know, I keep thinking: these days, so many Singaporeans want to travel overseas. They want to see the world and explore other cultures. They want to eat exotic food, speak different languages, then come back home and stand out from everyone.
I totally get that. I adore Russian culture and would love to go hiking in Morocco or shopping in Korea someday.
But for now, I'm in Singapore. I don't have the time nor the money to travel extensively. Yet I find my time here so enriching- from the people I meet to the places I visit. There is so much left to see and do in Singapore besides the Zoo, the casino and Sentosa. There are unexplored canteens, bus routes that I've yet to be familiarised with. Khatib remains an exotic destination for me.
There's no need to eat at fancy restaurants, go to fancy clubs, or see cool art exhibitions (although these are certainly part of the experience as well). How about a day just hanging out with the skateboarders at East Coast Park? Or maybe talking to the uncles that work at the hawker centers... Whole new worlds await right at our doorstep, but very few people venture into them. Even if they do, they're usually being forced by school, or by work (me).
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