TF LEaRN @ NTU 2019

Each time we travel or visit a new country, we gain new experiences and new perspectives. For me, Singapore is an intriguing blend of Western modernity and Asian culture. For first-timers, it’s an excellent way to be introduced to living in Asia. Within a total area of roughly 700 square kilometers, you’ll find gleaming skyscrapers, Chinese shophouses, Malay mosques, Hindu temples, and endless chains of air-conditioned shopping malls.  Also, Singapore is extremely safe, clean, and green – proud of its reputation as a Garden City. In the aspect of safety, you literally  don’t have to worry about walking late at night, but of course the usual precautions would still apply.  One interesting thing I find here that is different from my home country, is the myriad of shopping malls found at almost every MRT station! The public transport system in Singapore  is extremely fast and efficient, and will whizz you to your destinations without fuss. Trains, buses and taxis are...

The aim of community service is that as a responsible citizen, we should give back to our community. While it sounds simple, it is actually so much more than that. Back in Indonesia, I have previously been involved in a two months Student Volunteering Project, where I need to propose a minimum of five programmes that could develop the rural area in the province. That’s why when I heard about the community service requirement in Singapore, I thought I would end up having to go through similar hurdles as part of the community service. But it is, truthfully, easier here in Singapore because of the existence of the cooperation between NTU’s TF LEaRN programme and St Luke's ElderCare. Unlike my previous community service experience, we are not necessarily required to create five different programmes to be implemented in the centre, but to focus on interaction and helping the elderly. The opportunity to be involved in the community service at St Luke's ElderCare has given me so ma...

With the theme of Uniting Nations for a Peaceful and Sustainable Future, on the 17 th  of October 2019, the TF LEaRN Young Asian Leaders Forum was held at Shaw Foundation Alumni House (NUS) for scholars across the four universities  –   NTU, NUS, SMU, and SUTD. TF LEaRN scholars were blessed to have the opportunity to attend, speak, and deliver their inquiries on social issues surrounding them. As much as the phrase “the young generation today will be the leaders in the future” has come up now and again in recent times, it does have some truth and an awakening reminder in it. Expecting everyone to become the leader, the lead entrepreneur, or something similar to it might be a bit overwhelming to us, but we did–no,  do— have the agency to advocate changes. We were and are responsible for the outcomes in the future. With this realisation, this Forum took on more significance and importance in shaping the mindset of the young people, who would then be the leaders in ...

Experiencing NTU's student life has been what we were super excited for and also dreamed about, especially before arriving in NTU for the exchange semester. Most of us would be expecting to have the best time in Singapore, but somewhere deep down, we were also afraid that the experience would not turn out to be the same as what we imagined. But fortunately, everything went great just as we pictured, and even better! The first thing that I was really eager to see from the moment I arrived in the campus was the hall room I was allocated to. It is my first time living by myself away from my family, thus the hall room became my refuge and second home where I could always rush to after class or a tiring day. My assigned roommate is also one of the TF LEaRN scholars, so we bonded almost instantly over the common activities we had. The room was tidy and clean, however it wasn't long before we added more character (and chaos) with piles of clothes and books! Since it was going to be...

As a newcomer and an exchange student, the desire to know more about the place that would be my home for the coming months kept growing. Knowing Singapore only from its tales and stories, I was certain that its origin and long history would be as fascinating and glimmering as the narrative of modern Singapore nowadays. The Bicentennial Experience provided me with just what I needed: the long journey of a small port city that eventually became the Singapore that we see today.  With a tagline of "From Singapore To Singaporean", The Bicentennial Experience was  held to commemorate the 200 th anniversary after the landing of Raffles, the so-called founder of the port city, in 1819. There were two main sections, The Time Traveler and The Pathfinder , exposing one to every bit of Singapore and Singaporean's history.  The Time Traveler brings you away from modern Singapore, travels you through time and space, and lands you to the time where it all began: the...

The TF LEaRN Friendship Day was a special occasion where the TF LEaRN scholars from NTU, NUS, SMU and SUTD met up to interact and have a day of fun. The event took place at the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, NTU Novena Campus on 12th September, 2019. The event began with an introductory speech by Mr. Gerald Yeo, Senior Director of Temasek Foundation. Mr. Yeo gave a hearty and passionate welcome as he called upon scholars from all the countries and universities, followed by an elaborate introduction of Temasek Foundation. It was indeed an eye-opening and informative session as we got to know about the immense amount of  philanthropic  work done by Temasek Foundation to  build capabilities in communities of Asia and beyond. N ext up, a couple of TF LEaRN alumni provided us with meaningful insights of how they made the most out of their 'once-in-a-lifetime' opportunity. They made us realize that studying in a foreign country is not just about adapting to a n...

It was a cold, rainy morning and all of us were excited to get going on our first proper tour of the island nation. As the bus arrived (unfortunately late), we were welcomed by a friendly tour guide who addressed himself by his English name Rayney. Fortunately, the rain stopped after a while and before we knew it, we were on our way to the Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall -- the first stop for the day. Rayney talked about Singapore’s demographics, history, and culture, and also introduced us to places that we passed by along the way. He had a great sense of humour and was extremely passionate about his job as a tour guide. As soon as we reached the Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall, we took a group photo in front of the statue of Stamford Raffles, the founder of Singapore. We were told that the statue was initially located at the Padang, but due to various reasons, it was moved to where it is today. It is believed that the statue is facing the area that Raffles had la...