Bryan (left) and Esther (right) witnessed firsthand the development of the student-led “March For Our Lives” after a high school shootout, befriended Rahmat-Ali outside a humble food truck, and ended up standing before a Sundance Film Festival juror with their film – all within their 5 months at Bryn Mawr College. Read the very first feature in our exchange journal series, UniverSalPals.
Names: Bryan Chua and Esther Rim
Exchange University: Bryn Mawr College (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.)
Which aspect of your exchange was the most impactful for you?
Unlike safe and sheltered Singapore, the social problems in America are very much apparent – homelessness, racism, gun violence. We got to experience a totally different world from the one we were familiar with – and in that sense, we’ve learnt to appreciate the security we enjoy in Singapore, and the tolerance we have for other races, and we’ve definitely grew to become more concerned about the world we live in.
We are all too familiar with the glitz and glamour of Hollywood, so we were really taken aback by the huge homeless population in LA (more than 50,000). Walking around Philly, it was jarring to see people making their homes on the streets or around the subway stations, even in the dead of winter – we can’t even imagine how unbearable it must be to sleep on cold hard pavement, surrounded by the stench of urine and the sound of unforgiving traffic. News of racial discrimination was also widespread. We heard news of two Black men in Philly being arrested while innocently waiting in Starbucks – an obvious case of racial profiling.
The Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Florida also happened during our time in the US. It was national news everyday, and we began to understand how much it affected the local students – the thought that such acts of violence could happen to us at any given moment was terrifying, to say the least. We later witnessed it grow into the student-led movement, March For Our Lives.
Another thing we miss about America is its wide, diverse library of human stories and its culture that made it easy to talk to strangers. Navigating ourselves in an unfamiliar environment also undoubtedly forced us to put ourselves out there, even in small ways such as striking up conversations with strangers and raising our opinions in class – and we have to say we were met with an exceeding welcome when we allowed ourselves to immerse in this foreign environment.
We had conversations with interesting individuals: from a pro-trump Uber driver to an elderly Black Lives Activist. These random conversations enlightened us on how people came to adopt their beliefs and it led to new friendships in the most unlikely places – a 3-hour bus ride squeezed in the corner of the bus, long Uber rides to town, and even at a humble food truck outside a university campus. We continued to meet up with these friends we befriended on bus rides and at school canteens.
Rahmat-Ali, a Pakistani food truck owner whom we met outside Drexel University and later featured in our documentary that was screened at the Tri-Co Film Festival
Hezel Gadzikwa, an international Bryn Mawr student from Zimbabwe and our best friend during our time there
Aisyah, a fellow NTU student who was on exchange at Bryn Mawr College too and whom we spent nearly almost everyday with
Highlights
#1 – Documentary
Definitely our Advanced Documentary Filmmaking class in Haverford – for many reasons, but also because our film was eventually screened at the local Bryn Mawr Film Institute for the Tri-Co Film Festival 2018. It was truly an honour and privilege to have our film judged and nominated by a Sundance Film Festival juror.
The filming process itself was memorable on its own as well – we miss travelling to Drexel University where our friend, Rahmat-Ali works; we miss chatting with him at his place, where he made roti prata for us and shared his journey to the States. And, we also miss toiling the nights in Haverford College’s VCAM editing room rushing our final cut, where we were chased out by the janitor twice.
#2 – Various Events
Attending local events can truly allow you to experience the way of life in the States. We attended the Women’s March for rights on our second day in Philadelphia. During the Superbowl Fever, we headed down to the city centre to soak in the finals’ atmosphere as we caught the game live on TV with tens of locals in a burger joint. The moment the Philadelphia Eagles won, the entire city came alive and rushed out onto the streets to celebrate. Days later, we attended the Championship Parade with hundreds and thousands of people with the support of our professor. It was truly an amazing and immersive feeling to be part of Philadelphia at that time. Even though we were merely exchange students, we felt a sense of belonging and identity such that we would scour shops just to purchase an Eagles T-shirt. Later in the semester, we also headed over to Washington DC to join in the March for Our Lives rally to protest gun violence in the aftermath of a deadly school shooting.
Bonus: Expectations vs Reality @ Bryn Mawr College
Expectation #1
“Travel all day every day!”
Reality
“Writing a report…at 3am…on a Sunday???!!”
TBH. The workload is pretty heavy in BMC. Expect readings that you will never complete, assignments you might pull all-nighters for, and classes on the weekend (depending on the classes you take, so plan wisely!). Also! Skipping two classes will make you drop by a grade, so remember that when you are making your plans. Thankfully, we managed to find some balance and I think we benefitted from having both a fulfilling academic experience and squeezing in some travel!
Expectation #2
“RABAK dorm culture! Party all day every day!!!”
Reality
“Where is everyone???”
Despite what you might have in mind of American sororities and parties, BMC is nothing like that. There is barely any noise in dorm because everyone is either in the library or locked in their rooms STUDYING. People are incredibly wholesome, and any party on campus is usually very tame. (pro tip – head to Swarthmore on the weekends instead, for the full college party experience 😉 )
Expectation #3
“Bad cafeteria food….lunch ladies….mushy meatloaf….”
Reality
“Is this really school food????????????”
The dining plan at BMC is amazing. You get a wide buffet spread everyday, and depending on the menu, you might even get steak and salmon for dinner! Breakfast is no exception – apart from the usual toast and spread, you can also pick between crepes, pancakes, waffles and 7 kinds of cereal. What’s more, you can also enjoy a free-flow ice-cream bar, fruit and salad bar, and fountain machine. PLUS the dining hall is located right in the comfort of our dorm building. (On days we had no classes, we literally did not step out of our dorm :>)
Expectation #4
“Maybe I’ll join 5 CCAs.”
Reality
You are going to be VERY busy. We barely had time to gym in the later half of the semester, let alone star in a sports team. BMC offers a variety of student activities and CCAs but joining any would definitely mean sacrificing quite a bit of your spare time – exchange is what you make of it, so prioritise the things you want to do!
Expectation #5
“So….I’ll be the only guy in class?”
Reality
“There are other dudes!!!”
BMC is a women’s college, but it is part of the Tri-Co, meaning the male students from Haverford College and Swarthmore will attend classes with you. Yes, you might have to observe a couple of their female traditions, and YES you might get strange looks and people asking if you are a ‘HaverBro’, but everyone is generally very welcoming and will make you feel right at home. Just ask Bryan.
Cole Samson, a fellow male species and Haverbro in the Tri-Co
Ari, another male species and good friend from our Documentary class
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UniverSalPals is an initiative that invites students who have gone for NTU-USP Study Abroad Programme for a semester to journal and share about their adventures, changes in perspectives and their growth paths on exchange. Living in a foreign environment for 5 months isn’t a long time, but you can’t say it’s short either. You’ll be surprised at how much a semester exchange abroad can teach you – both about the world and yourself.
