Singapore - Spring 2020 Study Abroad

In Spring 2020, I studied abroad at Singapore Management University (SMU), where I learned the fundamentals of marketing, gained insights into consumers' needs in Southeast Asia, and curated innovative branded campaigns. One of my main motivations to study in Singapore was to learn more about the Asian markets. It was essential to have an international marketing perspective because I learned to create campaigns that will reach a more global audience while understanding local industries and customizing content messages. This SMU exchange program was perfectly equipped to enrich my understanding of Asian culture, enhance my academic pursuits, and expand my career goals in marketing. This program provided me with further strategic expertise to drive growth abroad to new markets.

I have grown so much from my study abroad experience. In just four short months, I immersed myself into the Singapore culture, made new friends, traveled around Southeast Asia, and learned new skills from my marketing classes. Through this exchange program, I discovered something new about myself and pushed myself to my highest potential. I have developed my independence and adapted to new changes. Despite all the challenges and the dynamic paradigm of the pandemic, the year 2020 had been the most memorable time of my life. Filled with various emotions from ecstasy and somberness, optimism and unease, contentment and vapidity, I am so blessed for this life-changing moment. As I move on from this chapter of my life, I am looking forward to my next journey. I wonder where my next destination is.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

March 8-9 - Soon after my trip from Thailand, I realized that I love traveling so I went to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for the weekend with my friends. Some of the best highlights of the trip were the Petronas Twin Tower, Menara Kuala Lumpur Tower or KL Tower (7th tallest freestanding tower in the world), and Batu Caves. It was my first time visiting Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia. There were many mosques for Malays to pray and partake in religious affiliations. At the top of the KL Tower, I had an overview of the city and its park. I arrived one day before my friends so I took the extra time to visit the National Gallery Museum, several mosques, Chinatown, and the Butterfly Garden. At the Butterfly Garden, I had the chance to take close-up pictures of the butterflies. On the second day, we went to the KL Tower for the dinner buffet! The restaurant had a 360-degree rotation of the city.  It was amazing to eat and chat with my friends, Kyle, Alan, and Wendy while enjoying the precious moment in Malaysia.

March 11- For the last day at Kuala Lumpur, my friends and I went to Batu Cave. This was a famous tourist site with rainbow color steps, a Hindu temple mixed with the backdrop of the limestone caves, and a large golden Hindu god. The hike up those steps was tiresome and strenuous, but once I got to the top, I had a spectacular view of the caves and monkeys playing around. After Batu Caves, my friends and I decided to go to the Aquaria KLCC, an aquarium to see the sea creatures. My favorite part was the underwater tube where I saw a wide range of animals such as sharks, stingray, turtles, fishes, and beluga whales. It was the perfect timing because they were feeding the animals and I had the chance to see something so rare. 

Bangkok, Thailand

February 25- Arrived in Bangkok! The first day was the busiest and there was so much on my schedule. Since Bangkok is a large city, I decided to not book a tour and explore the place on my own. Bangkok is known as the river city and I finally understood why. There were many cars and motorbikes on the street which results in heavy traffic and inconvenience during rush hour. Therefore, ferry rides are very popular for the locals to get from one point of the city to another. Today, I visited so many places. I bought an all-day ferry ride on the Chao Phraya River and my first spot was Wat Arun, a famous Buddhist temple with many stupas, a place for mediation for monks, and chaitya, which is a prayer hall. Many Thais are Buddhists. To enter religious temples and see the Buddha, females will need to wear long pants or long skirts that cover below the knees. Tan-tops are not allowed and the shoulders must be covered. Finally, everyone is required to take off their shoes before entering the place to show respect for the monks and Buddha. Therefore, I bought several elephant pants before entering the tourist places. After visiting Wat Arun, I went to the famous reclining Buddha and then Grand Palace where the current King and his loyal family of Thailand reside. The Grand Palace was so “grand” and heavily guarded by the security and Thai army. The architecture of these buildings and temples reflect on ancient Thai culture and traditions. For my lunch, I tried crocodile meat for the first time! It was exotic yet delicious, food that you will never find in Western culture. Bangkok is so cultural, I am falling in love with this city!

February 26-  On my next tour, I had a one-hour drive up to the northern part of Bangkok and reached Ayutthaya, the ancient capital of Thailand. Ayutthaya was a prosperous international trading port, from 1350 until razed by the Burmese in 1767. Many of the places that I visited were the remaining ruins of the old city and formed the Ayutthaya Historical Park, an archaeological site that contains palaces, Buddhist temples, monasteries, and statues. The ruins brought me back to ancient time and it was a reminiscence of the ancient Kingdom of Siam. I enjoyed every moment of the trip because of its history and ancient beauty. My favorite was at Wat Mahathat with the Buddha head on the tree. During the fight with the Burmese, many temples were destroyed and the Buddha's heads were chopped off. After one of the Buddha's heads fell off, it was left alone, and years afterward, surrounding trees grew around the head representing a symbol of hope for the Thai people. We also visited Ayutthaya floating market where vendors sold street food and desserts to the passers-by. 

February 27- Today was another very busy day with a split schedule visiting the National Museum of Bangkok in the afternoon and then seeing the Calypso Show at night. Thai culture is so fascinating and interesting and I felt that I needed to learn more about its history and establishment. The National Museum of Bangkok was the best place for that. It had a range of exhibits and artifacts from Thailand’s history, porcelain pieces, jewelry, clothing, food, and the royal family’s carriages. After that, I met up with Pal, an exchange friend studying at SMU who was from Bangkok. We both went to Asiatique, a port with shopping shops, restaurants, and a Ferris wheel. It was very pleasant to see a friend and have someone to share the moment. I have been traveling in Thailand alone so it was a nice change to have someone else accompany me. Afterward, I watched the Calypso Show which included dinner, ancient Thai masked dance, and the main performance with the ladyboys. Ladyboys are transgender individuals and are very common in Thailand. You can see them on the streets and everywhere in Bangkok. Thai people are quite respectful of these ladyboys and seem to support the LGBTQ community. 

February 28- Last day in Bangkok! Time flies when you are having fun. I went to IconSiam, one of the most famous luxury brand shopping malls in Bangkok. I loved the design of the food court because it reminded me of the floating market with an indoor river inside the mall. Afterward, I went to Jim Thompson House, a museum with an art collection from an American businessman and architect named Jim Thompson. Thompson was the museum designer and former owner. The red house design was captivating with a combination of American-style and traditional Thai culture. 

It was very stressful at the end because I had to rush to the airport for my flight back to Singapore. I tried to time my schedule so that I utilize every second of the day, but I should have left more time to travel back to the airport. There was extremely heavy traffic on the road and it almost delayed my arrival time. Luckily, I made it through the check-in and security checkpoints smoothly with almost no queues. I even had a bit of spare time to quickly grab dinner and get on the plane. This wraps my portion for the trip to Thailand. I had an amazing experience of traveling alone and discovered a lot about myself. I can’t wait to share my travel highlights with my friends and family.

Phuket, Thailand

On February 21, I flew from Singapore to Phuket, an island located in the southern point of Thailand. Phuket is known for its beach resorts and beautiful view. It was my first day at Phuket and I booked a tour to play with elephants! It was so fun! I had the opportunity to feed and clean them and even give them a mud bath, such an unforgettable moment to have a close-up view of such large animals. Touching their elephant trucks was amazing. Their skins were very rough, yet the elephants were very gentle and friendly animals. I had so much fun playing with them. It was so relaxing and stress-relieving. I also received a pink handmade shirt! I highly recommend others to visit Thailand and feed elephants.

February 22- Day two in Phuket, I took a 45 minutes speed boat to Phi Phi Island, one of the most famous places in town. I had the opportunity to go snorkeling and swim with the colorful fishes by the coral reefs. The sky was clear and the water had a glossy glow with a beautiful turquoise color. The markings on the mountains were so beautiful. By the end of the tour, I sunbathed on one of the beaches and got a wonderful tan! That’s a real paradise. 

February 23- For the first half of the day, I went on a Phuket City Tour to see the ancient Thai temples, Karon View Point, and the famous Big Buddha. At Karon View Point, I had a great view of the coastal sea connecting multiple islands. It was so beautiful. For the temples, the intricate embellishment was embroidered with gold. It was nice to walk through the city of Phuket and try a variety of food. In Thailand, one of the most famous fruits is durian, which is a delicacy for the locals. The spikey-looking fruit has a distinctive smell that some people say smell like a rotten egg. I love eating durian! At the Big Buddha spot, I also tried coconut ice cream. It was so soothing to have something cool in the hot sun. For the evening, I bought tickets to watch the Phuket FantaSea Show, one of the most famous night entertainment performances. Inside the area, there were many shopping stores designed to look like an amusement park. Prior to the show, I had a Thai-style dinner buffet which was one of the best highlights of the day. I tasted a variety of food including green curry chicken, pad thai noodles, roasted beef, authentic Thai seafood, fried rice, fruits, and traditional Thai dessert. I definitely overate at the buffet. At the theater, it seated 3,000 occupants and the show was an award-winning Las Vegas-style theatrical production featuring Thai culture, magic illusion acrobatics, elephant performance, stunts, and special light effects. The show was extraordinary and magical!

February 24- Have you seen the James Bond movie? Today was the day I went to James Bond island where the actual movie was filmed, something very special and unique. I had to make my spy pose there. Before reaching James Bond island, we canoed into the dark caves in the lagoons. We had to lower our heads to pass by the narrow area, so mythical yet enthralling. Finally, we made the last spot for swimming in the sea and jumping off the 2-story boat. My first time jumping off a boat and diving into the sea. It was nerve-wracking and my heart was pounding for the initial jump, but it was so fun and exciting. Thrilled and in awe, I ended up jumping off 4 times from the boat, what an unforgettable moment. Today was also my last day at Phuket and at night, I flew to Bangkok, the capital of Thailand. Looking forward to my second part in Thailand.