Von Bayern in die weite Welt

From Bavaria to the wide world!

My name is Sandra and next week my life will change. I grew up in a small town in beautiful Upper Bavaria. I have been studying economics with a focus on business informatics at the Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg for two years. I have always remained loyal to my home Bavaria and have never lived anywhere else. But that will change next week: my semester abroad in Singapore begins next week!

The question I am asked most often: “How did you come to Singapore, Sandra?” - I want to go to a country that is different from what I know before. A country in which the population, culture, religion and also the climate are different. I'm doing the semester abroad because I want to gain experience and “see the world” at the same time. At the same time, it shouldn't be the most dangerous place.

Singapore is an extremely intercultural, aspiring country, especially when it comes to education. Safety and cleanliness are very important to Singaporeans. Traveling in Asia is also possible with the financial resources of a student - so for me, purely in theory, it's the perfect choice.

In mid-March I finally applied to James Cook University Singapore through IEC International. Almost two months later I received acceptance from the university. The joy was great. Now it was time to plan, plan, plan.

Two months ago I finally booked my flight. Next week we leave Munich via Frankfurt to Singapore. 14 hours. 670 euros for a return flight including travel cancellation insurance, you never know what will happen. If I want to stay longer, I can rebook the return flight for a small surcharge. When it came to flight times, I made sure that I landed in Singapore during the day. I imagine it would be more pleasant to get lost when it's bright, because orientation isn't my thing. By the way: Changi Airport is one of the largest airports in the world and is completely carpeted...I'm excited.

After the flight, there were less exciting organizational items on my to-do list: insurance. But unfortunately they are also part of it and are important. Above all, international travel health insurance. I also took out baggage insurance. If for some reason my suitcase with all my valuables didn't arrive in Singapore, it probably wouldn't be the best start to my semester abroad. But if you're covered...who cares?!

What's also on the to-do list and what will definitely be exciting is looking for an apartment. I booked a hostel for the first few days. I first want to get an overview of the city and then throw myself into the search with all my might. There is a large selection of inexpensive hostels in Singapore. The price for one night in a room for 6-12 people is the equivalent of around €12 to €20.

So all that remains is to say goodbye to my family and friends. That's why there's still a lot of celebration at the weekend. Then one last check to make sure I haven't forgotten anything and finally the adventure begins...

“Are you looking forward to it?” is the question I get asked most often. And all I can say is: YES, of course!! Even though I'm super excited, have a few concerns and feel a little nostalgic that I won't be spending Christmas at home with my family for the first time. On the other hand, I can hardly wait to finally get on the plane and take off. There are now only a few days left until it starts and I'm almost bursting with anticipation. This feeling prevails – clearly.

Sandra Guldner is studying at James Cook University Singapore in the winter semester 2015/2016. During this time, she writes once a month on our website about her experiences, impressions and what else happens to her during her semester abroad.


Next week, student Sandra Guldner is setting off for her semester abroad at James Cook University Singapore. Here she tells us how the preparations are going.

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