I. First Step to Singapore
Department will annouce in website around April to encourage we CE students to exchange to Singapore. Due to Financial crisis in 2009, support fundings are not as enough as before. Despite this, NTU provides me monthly salary plus I use money economically, I can still make ends meet. Everyone has heard that Singapore is clean and well-developed, and I did live here for whole 2 months to go Singapore everywhere totally not just glance through as tourists. All in all, I hope I can innovate my thoughts from this trip.
II. NTU Experience
NTU is built on slopes, so floors are complicated. Everyone definitely would get lost around 2 to 3 weeks. The area of total campus is so large that shuttle buses go between MRT stations and inside campus. NTU all English lectures attract many international students to study here. Malay, Indian, Chinese, Middle Eastern and Western studens, we see all kinds of races, so we can easily realize this diverse culture in one canteen, where must contain exotic foods.
I attended some classes as an auditor. I concentrated on lectures because of my poor English. Some lectures are recorded as a video to let those who are absent make up a missed lesson. Professors are not always Singaporean. They may come from China, Hong Kong, Taiwan or other countries, so their English accents are different that I had difficulty on English comprehending. That would change indeed, I have got used to it gradually. What I should do is to gain my vocabularies.
There are only 13 weeks for 1 semester in Singapore compared to Taiwan 18 weeks. However, it is said that they are required more credits and should take some practical training in office or companies. Most of bachelor degree students enter workplace, that is to say, seldom of them study abroad for master or higher degree, and maybe master and PhD students in Singapore are 99% foreigners. All English conditions make them speak English fluently to be much more competitive, although they use UK English and even strange accent Singlish. The tuition for one semester is about 70000NTD, for international students is even higher. In comparison, our NTU-Taiwan is so cheap that we should treasure all resources we own.
III. Cycling Research Project
I belonged to Transportation Lab and under Prof. Wong Yiik Diew. 3 staff in lab often care for we Taiwan exchange students. The equipment of lab is complete with nothing missing like bitumen production machine and detector, etc, and sometime visitors come here to learn. All equipment in NTU-S maintain well, while NTU-T is not so complete, we should learn from them.
With regard to my supervisor, Prof. Wong, he is enthusiastic about teaching, and concerned with students. Even though he is Chinese, cannot speak Chinese, plus my poor English, I usually don't understand what professor said or don't know how to express myself. But he always listened to me carefully and wrote down the key point to me. I feel regretful why I cannot speak English well that I even don't know how to respond to my supervisor. When I was in NTU-T, I spoke too much to professors. Finally I decide to study harder to be better.
Prof. Wong and me
Concerning my project, at the first day, Prof. Wong told me that Singapore Land Transport Authority (LTA) has a project to research the behavior of cyclists. Because the infrastructure and policies about cycling are still not enough, the government hopes to open up this research field. Research about cycling is still initial in Singapore, and it is said that I'm the second cycling researcher. Three members will join in latter including Indian researcher, Jamal, and two NTU senior students to conduct their final year projects.
I only have two months. Professor gave me many reference and ask me to emphasize on the cyclist behavior at T-junction. He pointed out the direction but didn't tell me the details. I have to search on Internet or take refer to the past thesis to come out my research concepts. During the period of eight weeks in NTU, Prof. Wong discuss with me on every Friday, and I also summit some reports every week. Originally I started with the parking zone, crossing zone and other policies, because of the poicy difference between Singapore and Taiwan, I should understand the fundamental habitual behavior then develop next. I even borrowed video recorder to observe the behavior of cyclists and pedestrian from near tall bulding. Literature review is easy, we just read the materials, but once being asked to write some things, it became such a difficult thing.
IV. Overcome Obstacles of Research
There was a period of time that I faced a obstacles. I filmed a video but I didn't know how to get data and what data I had to collect. I was utterly dismayed that time, however, Prof. Wong still encouraged me to keep working another week to see the outcome. Actually I was so depressed that I didn't know the next step to do, so the only thing I can do was just looking at the screen. I had to gather some clues from this simple rule: "Red stop, green go.", so I recorded the number of all the cyclists passing in green phase in one hour. It was definitely a matter! I slowed down the video, and handed counters in two hands at the same time. Sometimes I should backtrack the video. My eyes seemed to jump out because of my long-term watching monitor.
The T-junction I observed
At the process of recording, I made sense suddenly. Don't know why, my brain burst out a lot ot inspiration, so I wrote down all ideas in hurry. I classified the cyclists, measured the signal phase and draw the paths all cyclists passed. These paths indeed had a big effect on the relationship among cyclists, pedestrian and cars. I made ppt until mid-night every day, draw the layout of the T-junction accompanied animation show, did a presentation that week. Althougt I wrote down the English transcript beforehand, it was still difficult memorizing all the draft. I follwed the transcript to state my statistics, and it successfully impressed Prof. Wong and Jamal. From then on, I understood the following the research development, and had much confidence. The senior students asked me how to conduct a project, I answered: "as long as keeping watching screen, some ideas will come to mind automatically."
Finally I finished two English presentation and submit a research project. Prof. Wong said the following researcher can refer to this projcet (laugh out loudly), Jamal also asked me the ppt skills including animation and drawing. This cyclist project is still undergoing, and I hope this project can go smoothly to improve Singpore.
V. Singapore Life Experience
NTU didn't provide us dormitory to live, so we found an empty HDB by relationship which is egough for 4 people and we can experience the real life of residents. 70% of the Singaporean live in HDB which is cheaper than high-class mansion where the rich live. However, I always got lost in HDB area, because they all looked alike, and their colorful lookings are totally different from Taiwanese iron shutters. Landlord told us the social order is good in Singapore even I forgot to lock the door, the thief doesn't visit my house.
HDB I lived
Maybe there are many people heard that "Singapore is clean", but actually that is not absolutely right. It is clean around tourist regions while it is totally opposite near HDB and food court. Garbage are gathered in 1 floor of each HDB, although cleaners will come to clean up at regular intervals, however sometimes the smell burst out, and that really annoyed me. The smell of trash in Singapore is different from Taiwan. It is said that it is similar to "Jah Han Mien."
There is one special in Singapore that they hang out
the clothes over windows. What a spectacular scene! The clothes on lower
stories may easily get wet again, and you can see several clothes on the ground
blown by wing.
As for food, sometimes I eat at school canteen, or
try to cook by myself, but of course I definitely hold this good opportunity to
taste Singaporean cuisines like Chicken Rice and Bak Kut Teh. They use Thailand
rice and chicken oil to cook good smell Chicken Rice. Bak Kut Teh are Chaozhou
style (clean soup but with a lot of pepper) and Hokkien style (similar
to Taiwanese ribs soup with Chinese medicine favored). It is perfect to
eat with rice especially we can have soup as much as we like. I also
like Kaya jam and fruit juices, Sugar Cane water and coconut water, etc.
The living expenses are almost the same to Taipei that we don’t need to worry
about exchange rates too much.
Famous Chicken Rice
VI. Around Singapura
Transportation is quite convenient in Singapore:
bus stops in each MRT stations and well designated. We sometimes stroll
around with map, and will feel satisfied once find out the place we wanted to visit.
We did lose directions and ask for help, and even want to save some transport
fees to walk more than 2 or 3 hours per day. (I really admire my legs!)
It is also surprising that many Taiwan TV programs are broadcast here. As long as anyone knows I come
from Taiwan, he definitely ask me have I watched “Variety Big Brother (Taiwanese variety show)” and “Love (Taiwanese
soap drama)”. Chinese newspaper and TV report many things related to Taiwan.
I use my weekend days to conquer Singapore. As a famous tourist spot in Asia, tourists bring enormous revenues. There are 3 zoos where you can fetch and feed animals safely, and watch animal shows. Abundant tree resources make zoos like a jungle, and let you feel step in real animal world. Although the history of Singapore is short, I still spent whole night enjoying every small hero story in Singapore past times. You can see tourists from all of would to gather together in the beach of Sentosa. Singapore they can do that, I think Taiwan can too, but we still need to learn from them.
It happens to be National Day (August 9) during our
stays. My Singaporean friend gave us NDP (National Day Parade) rehearsal
tickets to see the festival (even mixed concert) on floating stadium in Marina
Bay. Finally I find that NDP could be such an exciting activity and not limited
to dress parade and military equipment display only, but vivid
element, processes design and NDP pop song every year. When I saw the Singaporean
wave their national flags proudly with shine on the flag seal on the face,
I can't help admiring their true
patriotic spirits.
There are many places worthy to discover slowly. I
cannot share all my emotions in articles, so please visit Singapore directly to
experience “authentic” lives. It has passed 1 month since I came back from
Singapore, I still miss the agreeable pace in that small island and don’t
yet get used to “stand on the right side” in Taiwan. It has aroused the
southern cultural tides in my deep mind, to let me review this country. I am
wondering when my next time come back to Changi Airport again.
Collect Merlion Water
Istana Open Day
Energetic Marina Barrage
I was so appreciated those who helped us. All my acknowledgement are to Prof. Wong Yiik Diew, Prof. Henry Fan, Prof. Lum Kit Meng, Jamal, 3 staff in lab (including Ng-Ho Choo Hiang, Choi Siew Pheng and Liew Kai Liang), secretary New Hsio Wei, Ms. Chia Laii Chan, Zhang Yuan-Rui, Tan Min Rui, Kenny Kuek and Prof. Jaw Jen-Jer. Without their support, my Singapore travel would not be so wonderful. This article is also published in NTU-CE epaper vol.25
