Morning
Afternoon
Night life
Today we were able to wake up a bit later than the previous days, since we had to gather 20 minutes later. Breakfast was the same as prior days, toast, spreads, and/or cereal. At 8:20 we started the epic trek to our visit of the day, Nanyang Technical University! For this we traveled for roughly an hour, by metro, bus, and maze (of university buildings).
We were greeted by a Romanian associate professor, who introduce NTU to us. She told us about the structure of the department of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology. After, enthusiastically also explaining about the student life and the student clubs, we embarked on a tour of the facilities. We started at the teaching lab, a lab divided into three parts, containing workbenches, analytical equipment, and 150(!) fume hoods. To say we were impressed, would be an understatement!
Thereafter, we got to see the organic lab of our guide, where we passed operating roto-vaps without any PPE! To say we were shocked, would be an understatement.
After a final picture all together. We were let free for lunch until 15:15, to gather for the next phase. Almost Everyone traveled back to the hostel to change, into shorts and a t-shirt, since business-casual dress was no longer needed. For lunch, everyone split into small groups, although most followed a theme, eating at a hawker market.
At the designated time we met up at the Bayfront metro station. As we ascended the stairs out of the station, we heard the roar of thunder, and the splattering of rain. Due to it raining cats and dogs, we were unable to enjoy the Gardens by the Bay (our destination) to their fullest extent. Luckily, we had hard fought for tickets (<3 Amy) to the flower dome and the cloud forest. We’d certainly recommend these two if anyone is ever planning a trip to Singapore.
After the walk arounds, we once again split for dinner. Some of us went to MBS already (the Marina Bay Sands) to enjoy the view of Singapore from one of its most iconic structures. Many of the rest of us, went for dinner at Satay by the Bay. Here we indulged in satay (obviously), various dishes, and a Singapore’s signature chili crab and black pepper crab. Although the crabs smelled great, they were devoured ferociously, in a way that removed a lot of the appeal. TLDR: cracking crab legs is a dirty business.
After dinner, we went to check if it would be possible to do the skywalk, since the thunder and lightning stopped. UnF.O.R.T.unately, they had already closed it due to the bad weather. 🙁
Some people stayed to enjoy the Garden Rhapsody, while other returned home for an early night. The Garden Rhapsody is a light show set to music (mostly musical theatre pieces) on the Supertrees of Singapore. We recommend looking them up for more clarity. Another bunch of people went to enjoy the fountain show “Spectra” in front of the MBS.
Yet another group went to see what the nightlife of Singapore had to offer. Tomorrow is the free day, and everyone has already made, discussed, and amended their plans in anticipation! Written by: Sven Nash & Sanne Litjens
