Fall season is just round the corner and I’m sure that the trees on Drexel’s campus are getting ready switching to yellow. NTU trees, on the opposite point of the globe, are a little too boastful and refuse to change color no matter what time of the year it is. There are no seasons in Singapore and its weather has a random mind of its own. I often wake up to the calming sound of rain outside the window but end up returning drenched in sweat to the room as sun comes out of nowhere around the day. However, one season nation meant not having to carry the winter clothing weight which was a plus! Anyway, last week, I told you about the beautiful campus NTU’s got and how I went to sleep like a baby totally unaware of the things in store for me beyond after the lovely lunch at my hall’s canteen. So let’s go to the further story.
After a good seven-hour sleep, I wake up to find someone unpacking his luggage on the other half of the room. I immediately hop off the bed and try to introduce myself with those sleepy swollen eyes and he apologized for disturbing my sleep. The guy was my new roommate, Kristian. He is a fourth year electrical engineering undergrad student from Sweden. I told him how I am very active otherwise and he should not form an impression of me as a lousy roommate. We both laughed at it and I think we got comfortable with each other since right then. The next day, we decided to go out together with some of his friends and chill at the place that defines the nightlife of Singapore, Clarke Quay.
Second day in Singapore, we got up early as there were still some student pass formalities which were pending. Getting done with them, I went to the supermarket on campus to get some things I needed and decided to see Kristian at the MRT station in a few hours (MRT = Singapore’s advanced version of Philly’s Septa). After buying some stuff and dropping it at the room, I got ready for the party night and reached the station to find Kristian and his friends waiting for me. He introduced me to everyone and it turned out to be a pretty diverse bunch of people! Kristian and Abdul from Sweden, Selena and Alicia from Canada, Trond and another Kristian from Denmark and I was from both India and the U.S.A. That is the beauty of flying over the national boundaries. You meet people from different parts of the world who have had stories of life totally contrasting from yours. We boarded the train and getting to know more about each other, finally reached the Clarke Quay station.
Boys bought some drinks, girls already had their stock and I could only say, “I don’t drink.” Yes! That’s true. I don’t drink, or smoke but yeah, I love to dance and have a good time at the party. You see.. you don’t really need to get drunk if you’re already high on life forever. We all went and sat on grass at the banks of the Singapore river near the ‘GX-5 EXTREME’ swing (in the picture above), pondering about how awesome it was for the world to come together that night at Clarke Quay. We talked about a whole lot of random stuff from Indian food in Philadelphia to football fans in Denmark. Honestly, it is a really amazing feeling to just sit with a bunch of people you’ve just met and discuss about their lives. It opens up your eyes to a bright wide world. The night finally ended with me sipping cold-coffee in the best bar of the place with a group of new friends gulping beer jars.
With the promise to be back with some more positive vibes, I sign off for this week. 🙂 Stay tuned! Dream big!
You must be logged in to post a comment.