SINGAPORE Jun 2 - Aug 7, 2013 Chunhui “Xiao Xiao” Xie
Country: Singapore, officially “Republic of Singapore” Capital: Singapore Official Languages: English, Malay, Mandarin, Tamil Area: 710 sq km, aka 274 sq mi Population: 5,312,400
This summer, I took a trip to Southeast Asia for a co-op. The city I spent ten weeks at was Singapore, world’s only island city-state. Growing up there during five of my most impressionable years, I have since become a permanent resident of Singapore and considered myself Southeast Asian. But this time, coming back as a young professional designer with friends from UC, USC, UC Berkeley, Texas A&M, and Michigan State University has given me a totally different tropical experience, one MAGICAL summer.
In the first week, Academic Internship Council (AIC) Singapore invited students in this summer internship program to tours visiting landmarks and famous Singapore cultural districts such as the Singapore River, Malay Heritage Center, and Little India. My fellow UC friends and I also had a chance to connect with UC alumni in Singapore over an elaborate dinner. To my surprise, the lady who organized this dinner went to the same middle school as me – small world!
Then, before work officially started, I visited the S.E.A. Aquarium, the world’s largest aquarium accredited by GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™. In one afternoon, I went through “Strait of Karimata & Java Sea”, “Strait of Malacca & Andaman Sea”, “Bay of Bengal & Laccadive Sea” and “Ocean Journey”, “Open Ocean”, and other fascinating sections of water bodies around the world. I absolutely loved the soothing feeling when you can walk around swimming fishes and stare at them for hours!
A trip to nature was also very delightful and spiritually uplifting. At Gardens by the Bay, I not only found a giant indoor waterfall cascading down an artificial mountain seven-stories high, but also got to scrutinize a plethora of beautiful flora from high-altitude all the way to tropical areas in award-winning architectures. The picture above shows a night scene at Supertrees which are both vertical gardens and sustainable solar energy collectors.
In Singapore, we can always get outside and have a good time with friends. There are also a great deal of social events that one can take part in as well. Top: Enjoying a day at the beach at Sentosa with friends from UC, USC, and a local university, SMU. Right: me attending a concert by my favorite band, Mayday; experiencing Beerfest Asia with my friends; taking part in Pink Dot SG 2013, an event advocating the freedom to love in Singapore.
Or just spend an idle yet educational afternoon at the Charles and Ray Eames exhibition in Singapore ArtScience Museum looking at my favorite designs!
4th July BBQ
Pulau Ubin (“Granite Island�) ferry and bike adventure
Johor Bahru: Fruit Farm & Ostrich Farm
Singapore Zoo & Night Safari
Last but definitely not least, I will always remember this place – where I worked and learned for ten weeks – STUCK, a growing Singapore-based industrial design consultancy. Everyone here was friendly, helpful, and treated me like a team member, and they constantly inspired me in many ways. Won’t trade this one for anywhere else! Check out STUCK’s work at http://stuck.sg
STUCK together