From Rainy Reflections to Riverside Discoveries: Finding My Rhythm in Singapore
Days 3–10: Settling In, Inspiration and Exploring Singapore
Sitting here now, typing this final part over a warm bowl of Phad Si Yiu, just 450m from home, I can’t help but reflect on how much these past days have been a whirlwind of experiences, challenges and simple joys.
Day 3 – Cosy Rainy Sunday
Sunday greeted me with a cozy morning in bed, watching the rain sweep across the city from the 18th floor. After a FaceTime with my honey back home—our daily ritual that keeps me grounded, I decided it was time to hit the hotel gym—my first proper gym session in years! I eased in with a 1km run, a 500m row (limited by my healing finger) and some light split lunges and front squats. Not quite the heavy lifting I used to do back in my Melbourne gym days, but it felt good to start again. Living an active lifestyle in nature has kept me healthy over the years, but being in the city, I know I’ll need some new routines to stay strong.
The rest of the day was spent ticking off essentials: house-hunting concluded, followed by trips to gather Japanese rice bowls, tea cups, chopsticks and bedding, and more wonton noodle soup for lunch (I can’t seem to get enough of it right now).
In the afternoon, I finally got a moment of deep rest with a meditation session on one of the hotels garden rooftops surrounded by trees. Maybe it was all the greenery, but whatever it was it definitely helped me drop into my first deep meditation since arriving.
Dinner was a fiery Indian mutton curry with dosas, rice and milk ginger tea. The waiter called it “medium,” but the chili was definitely off the charts! During my early evening meal, a group of Indian women in vibrant saris were celebrating a birthday nearby, taking over the restaurant’s speakers with booming Indian music —hilariously unexpected and heart warming.
The evening ended with a visit to Mustafa Centre (If you know you know!), which felt like a treasure hunt through a packed maze of everything imaginable, yet somehow I left with stainless steel containers, Japanese knives, spatulas and naturally an umbrella.
Day 4 – Sore Legs and a Busy Monday
Ohhhh yeah, my legs were feeling the effects of Sunday’s workout! Monday kicked off as a business kind of day—organising paperwork and running errands.
First stop: finalising my student pass, which went surprisingly smoothly and was done in under 20 minutes. Next on the list was setting up a bank account, yet little did I know there would be lines to get into the banks. Whilst in line, I met a lovely woman in the queue who explained the frenzy—people were exchanging cash for fresh, crisp notes for Chinese New Year offerings. Not the best timing for a new account, so I’ll have to return another day.
Next, I set out to get a Singaporean phone number. Three shopping centres and a lot of walking later, I was officially a “+65” gal. With sore legs, I was happily riding the escalators instead of climbing them. Lunch was dim sum, paired with jasmine tea—surprisingly delicious for a teabag brew!
Back at the hotel, I packed up my new house purchases and suitcases, ready for the following day: picking up the keys to my new home and starting at NAFA. I can’t believe it’s only been four days and I’ve accumulated so much stuff already!
Days 6–8 – First Days at NAFA & keys in hand
My first official days at NAFA were filled with inspiration. The lecturers are clearly passionate about biophilic design and eager to share fresh perspectives. I felt like I was finally among people who “speak my language.” Topics like fostering a “nature appetite” and integrating more natural elements into urban spaces resonated deeply with me.
However, starting late due to visa delays made catching up on assignments tricky. Adjusting to a new country, navigating public transport, overcoming language barriers, finding a home, and diving into university all at once has been overwhelming. But with every challenge, I’ve felt supported by the natural flow of this journey and my growing belief that abundance unfolds when you trust in the process.
That afternoon, I picked up my new keys and walked—yes, walked—to my humble new abode, just minutes from uni and everything I could need. How cool is that? If you're going to live in a city, you might as well be right in the middle of it—or close enough! Luckily, I found a little haven on the hill, within walking distance of the city yet tucked away on a quiet, empty street just one block back.
Craving a taste of home and on the cusp of my moon cycle in need of some iron, I ventured out for a steak dinner, drawn by the promise of amazing Australian beef. The rich, smoky aroma hit me as soon as I walked in, and the first bite took me straight back to home. It was exactly what I needed—a little taste of comfort in the heart of the city.
Day 9 – A Chinatown Adventure
I met Singaporean Vanessa (a friend-of-a-friend) in Chinatown, and she introduced me to the vibrancy of the Lunar New Year season. Together, we explored hawker stalls, trying everything from sweet potato noodles to lotus root stir-fry and dodging mouth-numbing Chinese peppercorns (a detail she neglected to warn me about until halfway through!).
The streets were alive with puppeteers, karaoke singers and traditional treats, and we even sat through an evening prayer at a Hindu temple before wandering into a Buddhist temple glowing with red lanterns. She insisted I try a pungent Chinese herbal tea, which she called “the worst,” but it reminded me of Ayurvedic herbs and felt oddly familiar. And to cap off the evening, we braved the stinky, delicious, weird and wonderfully wild durian—a fitting finale to a night of culinary adventure. With our bellies full and senses buzzing from Chinatown’s vibrant energy, Singaporean Vanessa kindly dropped me back at the train station. What an unforgettable initiation into this iconic neighbourhood!
Day 10 – A Simple Home-Cooked Day
After a much-needed sleep-in, I enjoyed the simple pleasure of avocado toast—my first meal in my new home. There’s nothing like the freedom of eating in your pyjamas! A morning FaceTime with my honey added a comforting sense of normality before I set out for the day.
Later, I met a uni group member for an intensive site visit for our first project. The area had industrial blocks, residential HDBs (government housing), and a large field where locals were playing cricket. Each section was disconnected by busy roads, making the area unfriendly for pedestrians or families.
The site we’d been given for our assessment bordered one of Singapore’s longest rivers. During our visits, to our surprise, we found 1.5m-long lace monitors gliding through the water and turtles bubbling up for air. It felt surreal to witness such vibrant wildlife in an urban environment, a living example of the balance we hope to design into the built world. Now comes the fun part—reimagining how to humanise the space and blur those harsh edges.
After wandering the streets of our site and waving goodbye to my classmate, I set off in search of some second-hand furniture stores, though “second-hand” seems hard to come by in Singapore. It got me wondering what happens to everything people throw away here. There’s definitely a gap for sustainable, second-hand homewares.
Next stop was a nursery to get plants for my new home. A friendly staff member tipped me off to a larger nursery further out of the city, where I could get the same plants for half the price. Definitely on my to-do list for next week.
13,000 steps later, I was more than ready for my afternoon meditation and a little arvo nap. This journey has been a whirlwind—exhausting, inspiring, and packed with lessons—but every step feels like part of something truly meaningful and I’m loving the ride.