The Solo Student Exchange Programme Experience

Introduction

Shortly after submitting my list of chosen countries for exchange, many of my peers started to ask who I was going on exchange with. Strangely, it never really occurred to me to ask around who else was interested in going to the same country for exchange, but I started to contemplate it. Hence, I would like to offer my take on doing a solo exchange, 2 pros and 2 cons.

Disclaimer: My perspective may potentially be one sided, and may generalize stuff about exchange with peers. Also, many things in this post are oxymoronic in nature, for every pro has its buddy con. It should definitely be noted that everyone cherishes things differently and has varying comfort levels, hence you may be finding me belittling things that you like, or overvaluing things that you pay minimal attention to.

Context

I think it be best to offer context to my time here in Peru. What does a solo exchange in my case mean?

For starters, for the spring semester of 2018, I was the only SMU student who applied to Universidad Del Pacifico (the only Peruvian university with a partnership with SMU). As far as I know, NUS and NTU do not have links here. Actually, I am not sure if there are even other SMU students in South America, though I am aware that there are a few in Mexico.

During orientation, the university was really nice to hang up flags of all countries that this batch of exchange students were from. As I carefully scanned through the flags, I was really surprised to find that I was the only Asian exchange student for this semester. Thinking back, it was at this moment that it hit me that be it talking to locals or my fellow exchange students, I was in for a huge cultural exchange.

With this, the stage is set, and I can start to blog about the solo exchange experience!

Pro - Immersion

Similar to when traveling solo, you naturally immerse further into the society, environment and culture. Now this is not to say you can’t do so if you travel with friends, but naturally you are likely to pay some attention to them and thus less to your surroundings. Face it, you are more likely to talk to your peers and spend time with them as opposed to interacting with the other students. In my case, every interaction gave me a new insight into the lives of not just Peruvians, but also that of my fellow exchange students - shoutout to my French, German, Norwegian, Belgians, Dutch & American friends!

If anything, my time has beaten into me the importance of not making communication or cultural assumptions. On several occasions, it struck me that due to having grown up in a particular environment, we tend to place norms, assumptions and expectations of these environments onto other societies. Without having Singaporeans or even other students from Asia with me, the cultural differences were made highly apparent to me. I spent all my time with people from different cultures, be it during group projects, meal times, or even chilling at home.

I guess I am on the way to earning a citizenship of the world!

Con - Chemistry

Quite frankly, every time I see my friends on exchange post Insta stories of them having meals with fellow Singaporeans or road tripping together, I do feel slightly jealous. I would totally be lying if I said that there is no value in being able to live with fellow SMU peers, seeing the amount of fun that stems from that.

While I have had a great time hanging out with a small group of exchange students, and have high regard for them, the familiarity and common upbringing amongst Singaporeans certainly creates a near irreplaceable chemistry.

Additionally, since none of my Singaporean friends are in South America, it means that I can’t easily go to find them, and vice versa. I always found it heartwarming when I see friends on Insta crashing at each others’ places in different countries, and of course their home cooked local meals!

Con - Lack of an Extra Sauce

I think we can all relate to this point. When you are down, be it because of a physical sickness or when things are not going well, it is really comforting to have close friends & family with you. In my case, I came down with food poisoning for a week in May, which basically left me half crippled during that time.

Additionally, as one of my travel mates pointed out, sometimes we can enjoy a great scenery by taking it alone, other times, it is nice to be able to share the moment with friends. After all, you can always discuss your travel experience, but not everyone will really get it, unless they were there in that exact moment with you.

Pro - Freedom

With regards to solo travel, it is something everyone should try at least once! You have total control over your travel itinerary and can travel in a style that you desire the most. Also, without others to look out for you, you become more keenly aware of everything and thus am forced way out of your comfort zone. Personally for me, it made me try many new things and go for stuff I never imagine doing so before.

When I joined local open tour groups, I found myself interacting with people from all walks of life, of every age, race and job that you can imagine, brilliant! I became acutely aware of my ignorance of the world, as I sat in on discussion/debate topics which I never knew existed or heard different point of views that are uncommon back home (heck they may even be taboo in Singapore). It was fascinating to seat between individuals who argued a single point from completely different perspectives due to their upbringing back home. This fed my hunger to learn more about the world and to question many norms and beliefs I held.

Along with freedom comes true independence. I am truly responsible for everything - can’t rely on anyone else to help me get my shit together! While it is difficult to pinpoint what exactly, my time here has definitely built some character in me. Also, it has definitely increased my appreciation for the care and support I got back home in Singapore.

Conclusion

There are plenty more pros and cons to doing an exchange solo. As I have mentioned here, I definitely do feel envious of some of my friends who are doing exchange together. But nonetheless, if I had a chance to redo my choice of exchange, I won’t change a thing. Living overseas alone has been a truly insightful and rewarding journey that I won’t trade for anything else.