Author : Bee – Malaysia
Having to live away from home is really not easy. Luckily, being Malaysian, Singapore is just next door, which means that the culture, food types and style of living is quite similar.
Personally, I prefer living off-campus over on-campus accommodation options. I like having my own space and also experience living amongst Singaporeans. So, I found myself a room not too far away from NTU in Jurong West; which is less than 5 bus stops away from Nanyang Business School (where classes are held). It is also only 3 bus stops away from the nearest MRT station (Pioneer station) and the heartland malls. (One of them, Jurong Point, is actually Singapore’s largest heartland mall which is like a self-sustainable mini city on its own!)
Most Singaporeans (about 80%) live in government-built apartments known as HDB (Housing Development Board) flats. These flats average 100 sqm (1076 sq ft) and usually have 3 bed rooms. The master bedroom has a connecting bathroom/toilet, while occupants of the other two common rooms will need to utilize the common bathroom usually located next to the kitchen.
These types of public housing are affordable ways for Singaporeans and residents to live comfortably without having to pay exorbitant prices for condominiums or landed properties and their utilities. Although one may argue they get to luxuriate in facilities like swimming pools and tennis courts, I will point that just opposite to where I stay, is a huge sports complex (Jurong West Sports Complex) – a 4-storey building that has an Olympic-sized pool, a fun-themed pool (it’s huge!) with slides, tubes and fountains and lazy rivers, and badminton/squash courts, kickboxing, yoga, pilate and dance classes, a running track, a football field, and more!
Multiple common lifts on every level of the HDB flats also means more convenience and the maintenance of the flats (Cleaners come to sweep and mop the common areas) on a daily basis also provides a clean and hygienic state to live in. I like that when I have rubbish to throw, I can simply chuck it down a rubbish chute, which has an opening in every flat. The collection point is cleared every day, making it again, very hygienic.
Money-wise, I think I am paying a fair fee for rental of my room (I settled for a furnished common room with a family of 4). My monthly rent of S$500 includes electricity, water and wireless internet broadband). I’m so thankful the family I live with also hired a domestic helper, so the house is always spick and span.
At meal times, I simply take a lift downstairs and walk 3 minutes to a hawker centre (food court style) to eat. They’re mostly opened till the late hours of the night, providing satisfaction for my post-study hunger pangs! When I crave something more up-market, Jurong Point which has more than 40 restaurants and cafes, is just 1 MRT station away!