Welcome to My Study Abroad Blog!

Hello readers! In just couple days, I will be on my way to Singapore & Vietnam for the next two month. Right now I am very anxious about what's coming ahead, but also very excited about this long awaited opportunity to

experience something very unique! I wanted to create this blog to share with you what I will see and experience on the other side of the globe.

Below are my reasons for taking this trip and a little introduction to Singapore:

Why am I taking this trip?
Since my freshman year in college, I have heard about various study abroad experiences from my FIG mentor and upperclassmen and how those experiences allowed them to learn more about themselves. In addition, when I immigrated to United States, I learned that immersing myself in a complete different culture allows me to learn more about my own. Also my parents has told me how unique studying abroad in college would be and that even if I have the money to travel in future, it would not be the same as traveling abroad with professor and college peers to learn and to experience what the other country has to offer. So when I fortunately came across this program last fall, I decided to sign up for this once in a life time experience.

I chose this program, because I think it would benefit my future career of becoming a clinical pharmacist. I feel a critical component of being a clinical pharmacist is to have relative knowledge in nutritional health as I would be able to educate patients with diabetics or chronic disease with their management of diet and treatment. I feel studying abroad in Singapore & Vietnam will allow me to recognize how different social, economic, cultural, and public health policies impact individual's nutrition.

About Singapore:

Singapore is located south of Malaysia. It is a very modern country with strong international trading links and economy. The people of Singapore are majority Chinese, with some Malay and Indian. I was really happy to learn that majority of the people in Singapore speaks Mandarin, which would help me to explore Singapore as Mandarin is my mother language! A huge portion of the local foods are Chinese dishes. Some of the popular local dishes are chilli crab, Hainanese chicken (steamed chicken with rice), satay (meat kebabs served with rice cake) ...to just name a few. As fan of Chinese food, I really cannot wait to try those foods in person.

Due to earlier political turmoil in Thailand, this nutrition study abroad program, originally planned at Thailand, had to be switched to Singapore. However, Singapore would be a great alternative site as it is a country that is filled with fascinating contrasts and the blend between West and East .

I am very excited about the chance to surround myself in a unique country that blends diverse cultures, traditions, and lifestyles! I really cannot wait to be there in two days!