I wrote a massive blog yesterday, and then the connection went down, so it all dissapeared and I went to bed. So here goes mark II.

Freshers week was hectic. I didn't know it started the day I arrived, it's optional to join in or not, and international students are not told about it's mainly designed for first years. It involves a week of activities, mainly competative team games.

I'm in Hall 1, 600 students, not sure how many freshers, but about 60 were on the orientation camp, split into 4 families, Disneys, Simpsons, chipmunks and us, the Garfios, something to do with garfield and Odie, but I couldn't quite figure it out. so we played loads of stupid games like piggy-back basket ball and three legged races. It was all far too energetic for me. It was all organised by the seniors of the hall, who took great pride in not telling us what we were doing next and keeping us up until the early hours of the morning. Erikka and Yohan from Sweden were also in my team, and we spent most of the week trying to avoid the activities.

On Tuesday we had a day off and went to the introductory meeting for international students. There are 179 exchange students here, mostly from Europe (36 from France, 34 from Norway) but also from Mexico, Taiwan, Korea. None from Africa or South America. 7 from the Uk, but only me from England, the others are from Strathclyde University in Scotland. Lots from scandanavia.

On Tuesday night there was a murder mystery tour around the hall which was good. At the end of the week we had to perform a sketch to the rest of the hall, which we had to come up with. It involved chants, dancing and costumes. This would have been ok, but we had to practice every night when we got in from the other activities, so we were up until 2 or 3 most nights, not my idea of fun.

At the beginning of the camp we were given song sheets with family chants to learn. Halfway through an activity we'd all burst into some chant or other and start waiving our arms around in the air. It was all a bit much really, S-U-P-E-R .... SUPER! That's what we are!

Wednesday night was "SP" night, secret partner night, where you were twinned up with a member of the opposite sex from another family and had to walk hand in hand to the otherside of campus, stopping at various stations to playgames along the way. It ended in a candlelit dinner, in which half the room were blind-folded so they didn't know who they were sitting next to. Not me luckily.

On Thursday we went to Sentosa Island, a man made beach in the south of Singapore, after too many hours of beach games, we watched a horror movie in chinese and then went on a ghost walk through an old deralict british army barracks, with various senoirs jumping out at us along the way. got a couple of hours sleep before we were woken at 4am to practise for our performance, which now had swedish, english and chinese elements in it.

Left Sentosa on Friday after yet more competative games. Arrived back in time to shower, before we dressed up in our chosen costumes as red indians and around the stage - I was the drummer! Photo's to come I'm sure. We won the competition and the best overall family, but me, yohan and erikka made our excuses and left early before the games finished. We subsequently found out that we missed the best game of all (!) where every fresher was blind folded and made to walk around campus for 5 hours whilst the senoirs threw eggs, flour and water at them, before letting them go to bed at 7am. shame.

In summary, it was an interesting experience, and very good to meet the other singaporeans in my hall. But.... it was like torture, not knowing what you were doing next, or what time you were going to bed, being told when you could eat or where you could go. If we had not have had Tuesday off, we would have not have had a minute to ourselves. Very different to pissed-up fresher antics in the UK, definately.

Saturday was another busy day, orientation around singapore, china town and little india, with all the other international students. was good to meet everybody and I've already some good friends from Europe, it culminated in a bar on Clarke Quay, for me anyway, others went onto a club. It's expensive to drink here, but the food is great.

Classes started today, and I was half an hour late for the first one (there are two lecture theatre 1's!) basic audio and video production, looks like it's going to be good. Taught by a woman from the USA, the first weeks home work is to watch episode 1 of The Sopranos. Other subjects are business law, mandarin Chinese, organisational behaviour and design and international relations. Also looking at doing economics and journalism if I canfit them in.

The University is great, campus has so many facilies, and is huge, 9000 students live on campus. 10 minute bus ride to the MRT (tube) then 40 minute ride into town.

By room mate is called Quan, from Germany, but originally from Vietnam, I'll put some photo's up soon. So far it's good, but very hot and very tiring.

John

After two nights in Kuala Lumpur, headed to Malaka, two nights there and this morning arrived in Singapore, half an hour tube ride out from the centre and a short bus ride and I arrived at Nanyang. Registered for my accomodation and was dragged out onto the sports field to partake in "freshers week" singapore style, which so far has involved far too much excercise.

The campus is really nice so far, havn't met my room mate yet, nice room, on suite bathroom.

off to eat.

will write more when I get some time... It's quite hectic at the moment. john... but good.

I left Panang on Tuesday morning after spending 4 nights there. Some great food to be had there. Went to the museum, Penang Hill (although not much of a view as it was very wet) then went to the unversity on the last day an looked suitably lost enough to be met by a local student and shown around the place. Had lunch with some U.S Australian and Candian students who were also studying there, and got a chance to ask them about what it's like. All are enjoying it so far. Got confirmation from home that I have been accepted to study at Penang, and a confirmation of the scholarship in Singapore. Met some friends there who were teaching on a gap year in India, until it all kicked off, when they left to travel for a while before going home to start university. Travelled with them to the Cameron Highlands, and enjoyed 2 nights of cool mountain air and a very noisy dormatory (not me making any of the noise!) Some good walks to do up there. Will probably go back later in the year.

Currently in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia. Very hot and polluted, in a 16 bed dormatory, so another noisey night, but only 2 pounds a night, so I'd prefer to save my money, I'll have a twin room once I get to Singapore. Really looking forward to going now. Probably heading for Malaka after 2 nights here, but I may stay 4 nights here and leave Malaka until later in the year. See how it goes tomorrow I think.

Exam results came through and looking good, I'm just averaging a first, so I'll have to work hard when in my first year to keep that. Also going to have to work har at not getting fat whilst I'm over here, the food is so good and so cheap, cheapest in Sout East Asia so far. When I get some holiday I'm hoping to go to indonesia, and to northern Laos, not on the same holiday though. Not sure when. it's hot, humid, but good. john