Flight From Paris → Helsinki → Singapore

There we go, last day in Paris, lunch at a Brasserie, and a few minutes to decide what to bring, what to leave... I am still not sure of what kind of clothes I will be wearing there, such a cinfusing weather : it is humid, raining, but damn hot (35°C!!) Anyway, the fewest time I have, the most quickly and efficiently I decide, well, USUALLY.... I forgot to leave my heavy Marinière rain coat (imperméable) which even lower the amount of stuff I'll be able to bring back home...

First time I travel so far beyond a specific program, whether it is with a private organism or a school exchange. Fortunately, I am not on my osn either, since I am stayin at a host family's, who seems very committed and to whom I already talked to trough WhatsApp, and I am doing an internship, so this is still within a school frame, which is quite a relief.... I love to travel, like hell, but for once I am kind of reluctant to leave, even kind of apprehensive: will I manage to complete my work correctly and in time? Will I be able to see the things that must be seen? Will I be able to talk easily with people? Will I be able to afford everything I need? Maybe this is also because this time I realise I will really miss people from France, and I am not sure to find immediately anyone to get along well with once I am there.... I like to have landmarks when I travel, my only ones this time will be my music, sport time and books I brought. Well, let's see what happen next!

Leaving Southern part of Europe, entering Northern territories, sunset.

Most people from my first flight catch the Singapore connecting flight just like me, fortunately the boarding door was given on screens while we were landing, because it changed from the one written on the ticket... Some people were late for the departure from Paris, so maybe they had to change the doors then. It is not difficult to find the door and I do not have to take care of my luggages. Since we were late, the boarding already started, so I got in almost immediately, so exhausted but released I found out my way. Now, I know this is the right flight: all the staff is Asian. The flight is a casual one: we are served dinner, lights are switched off for us to sleep, and we can watch movies. This is the first time I will do like everyone else and follow the casual timetable and sleep. Because I am damn sick and tired, so I know my body needs some rest, especially since I will need all my energy to find my way through the airport and city when we land, and I will have to struggle to ask information, to get a sim card, transport ticket and everything.

I was not expecting the heat to feel that good. I feel it ultimately once we get out of the plane. First it felt really weird compared to the coldness of the night time on the plane, but then it was okay, my body, which was not used to it, kind of enjoyed it I guess. But then, when you start walking, spending energy thinking, looking for things, carrying all your heavy stuff, you start to sweat a lot. Like truly. I did not realize ultimately, but now I think that each movement costs more to your body when you are evolving in such a hot environment you are not used to. You feel like resting all the time.

Welcome to Singapore, where you can truly notice you are on an island (humidity, warmth, jungle everywhere, well, you know)

I could get my simcard easily. Did not check how many sms or calls I had, but once I knew afterwards, it happened not to be too expensive (5 cents for local sms and 10 cents for calls). Not supposed to have data but could check on internet some stuff, do not know how it worked then... But still, need wifi for Snapchat, WhatsApp, or even internet. Maybe I can use those and Google Map if those are already opened, I just cannot update it.

This is MRT, exactly the same than the RER in Paris. It's long, speaking of the shape as well as of the time you can spend in there....

I finally found the MRT (train to city), after climbing many floors, and I found there another french family who was with me since Paris!

Those are LRT, short carts. Those are real landmarks to find your way in Singapore, especially for foreigners. Rather slow, I definitely think it is not worth it to pay, I'd rather walk as much as possible than wasting my time in there.

One woman helped to get my ticket to my final destination, and I did not pay that much, regarding the fact that I crossed the city! I was also given a map at the information desk. The thing is, I was fuckin not expecting transportation to be that long ! It took me almost one hour and a quarter to get to my final destination! Well, okay, I changed line three times, but still, more than 5 minutes between each station? Come on xD !

It was not hard to know which side to get off, to get what direction you had to go, which way was the cart/train. Well, the first time, I had the choice between two sides, and I fortunately get on the right one, but I had not understood I had to watch which side, I still do not know where I should look, for the next ones I looked through the windows the name of the station, which is pretty not a guaranteed method...

I saw buildings that reminded me of Pacific islands, and the nature here makes you think of jungle. You really feel like you are in some documentary, or back to some wild era when nature was huge, impressive, everywhere. Air was heavy. My feet hurt so much, but I knew I almost made it so it was okay. What started to be annoying though was people staring at me. Indeed, since I left airport, I had not seen any non-slitted-eyed person. Let's say I felt like I was the freak. It was not a mean stare, just a curious one. But still, I like cities because you can anonymously cross the crowd. Impossible when you are westerner foreigner in Sinagpore. Well, I understood afterwards that this is because I am not staying near where are all the foreigners located. I am surrounded by locals only.

Landed at 4:00pm, arrived at home at 6:00pm. My host mother was waiting for me at the last station. Fortunately the sim card worked and I could send her text messages, to know where to stop and so on. The thing is, the maps I got from Singapore are only showing the center of Singapore, the latter being bigger than I expected... I though the whole city could be shown in details on a single map! Well, I have got this horribly wrong. I thought as well I could walk, at least for half of my way to work. Well, still a false guess. If my company does not have any picking up point nearby, I shall pay almost 5$ per day for transportation. No fuckin way.

Whatever, my host shows me my room, bathroom, how most things work. Within the next two days, I can ask and am shown everything else can be useful: where are the hoover, paper rolls, I am given towels, am explained how the washin machine and most equipments work, especially, THIS IS THE FIRST THING THEY SHOW FOREIGNERS AND NOW I UNDERSTAND WHY, how to turn on the fan and air con to get fresh air. Honestly, I first thought "seriously guys? Such a waste of electricity, such an over consumption, such a luxury we could maybe give up on". But then, when I went out of my room wich had been refreshed, oh dear I felt I was entering an oven. No kidding. ell, I better shut up then.Therefore, I promess, I use it the less I can, but at some point, you cannot even lay without sweating, because it is so hot. Yet, not so unpleasant that warmth: indeed I feel it is such a wonderful experience to wake whenever you want and experience to pass from a cool room, to a really hot atmosphere. First time I let all the windows constantly opened, first time sleeping on the bed sheets is not enough to make you sleep while keep being fresh... This is the fist time I have a 5°C shower as well, and if sometimes you can still feel the coldness, you dry so quickly, you feel like you are some local living in the tropics.You really feel like you are constantly in vacation in some paradise island hut.

Well, just a little campaign to prevent from dengue. How classic. I guess this is culture shock.