It’s May of 2021, I receive my admission letter to pursue a postgraduate degree at NTU. It’s a dream come true, and the things that then come to mind are flight bookings, hall, course registration, monthly budgeting and so on. I ask people around me for my checklist of sorts, and people tell me how to get my documents in order, and how to get money in order, but I am not once warned about the impending social doom I am about to face. Why do I liken this to calamity and something disastrous? Well, as an introvert, social interactions do not come easy to me, but at the same time, I do enjoy conversation and investing myself in the relationships around me, and soon I would be losing all that, or at least, having to start from scratch. Fast forward to December 2021 and I’m finally in Singapore, with more or less everything ticked off my “moving abroad” checklist. I wanted to hear sounds of celebration, something to ceremoniously mark the start of a new chapter in my life, but all I hear are crickets. I quickly got into the work cycle at NTU. I didn’t think the drastic curb in social interactions would affect me much, but it didn’t take long for me to crave the social interaction I was missing. There were not many opportunities for post-graduate students to forge such interactions. While putting myself out there more and pushing myself to be braver than I am in social situations, here are a few things that made it easier and helped me forge beautiful friendships in a place so far away from home.
- NTU Graduate and Undergraduate clubs and activities
One of the easiest ways to meet people is through activities hosted by the various clubs and societies under NTU. A quick search of ‘NTU’ on Instagram will show you numerous clubs hosting a myriad of activities on campus. While it may seem like most of these activities are hosted by undergraduate students, a quick DM enquiring if they are open to hosting a post-grad student quickly helps clear things up. There are activities always hosted around the various festivals celebrated in Singapore, but you will find more interest-specific or cause-driven activities and clubs as well.
- Meetup App
Most of the people I interacted with were students from NTU. If you want to delve into and embrace Singapore more, I would highly recommend using the Meetup App. People host board game events, book clubs, group hiking events and badminton meetups (to name a FEW) there. All it takes is an RSVP to one of the dozens of events to get you in. I’d say a good majority of the events are free to join, and it is a great way to interact with locals and find people with the same hobbies as you.
- Telegram Channels
A gem I found too late was Telegram channels that post about events happening all over the island. My favourite would be the Best Things to Do (SG) – FindPlanGo channel (https://t.me/findplango). Channels like these post about fun, usually limited-running, activities as well as their cost of entry and the location. Intriguing art exhibitions, walking tours, and concerts are a few of the events you will come across here. You might just find someone to go along with to these events on the tele channels or end up striking up conversations at the events themselves.
- Art Workshops
While these do come at a price to pay, there are dozens of art workshops and art jam sessions held all over Singapore. From rug tufting, pottery, palette knife paintings and much more, these workshops are a great way to get the creative juices flowing even with little to no arts or crafts experience at hand.
- Fitness Classes
If you’re into gymming, then the gym is always a good way to meet people. The gym personally wasn’t for me, I did however sign up for spin classes. Spin class was such a fun way to keep fit, I realised you also end up bumping into the same people regularly if you stick to a schedule. There are pilates classes, yoga classes, and kickboxing classes to name a few outside of the gym. These classes usually have a student discount, so make sure to keep your eyes open for these offers.
The silence that comes with moving abroad alone can become so loud so easily. A vicious work cycle can be draining especially when you’re so far away from home. As an introvert, I realised I did have to be braver than I normally am but if there’s anything I’ve learned it’s that Singapore will embrace you with open arms; just don’t be afraid to ask questions when you need to, soak in all the languages and the food and this small island will soon become a home away from home.