“They could have been me” – Fund for Education Abroad

After having an adventure week, it was time to settle back as school started for the second half of the semester. I

had a midterm for my Tamil class. So, I spent the first half of the week studying for the exam. I became friends with one of my classmates, Priya. Therefore, we helped each other study. Priya, like myself, is also a Tamil American who is also not fluent. So, we got to talk about our experiences and it was so heartwarming to have that form of community here- someone who understands where you come from. We had our midterm on Wednesday and I finished right before the time was up. But I finished it nonetheless! Besides my Tamil class, the rest of my classes this week went smoothly since my assignments were due two weeks ago for them.

On Saturday, my friends and I went to Little India again to visit the Indian Heritage Museum. It was amazing!! It was mesmerizing to see myself reflected in the archives and the photographs of the people who lived in Singapore and still do. They looked like me. They could have been me. I took home a few souvenirs including a kid’s museum activity packet so I can better practice my Tamil. Afterwards, we went to a South Indian cafe and had medu vadai (fried doughnut-shaped snack made of vegetables and dal) and idli (rice lentils). On Sunday, we went to the National Library so we could study. It is a massive 14-story building in the heart of downtown Singapore. Afterwards, we went to a Korean-Mexican restaurant for Taco Night!