A New Chapter (Part 1)

This is a blog post that I've dreaded and at the same time looked forward to write for some time now. Basically, my time in America is finally coming to an end. In a few days time I'd be back in good o' Singapore, sweating through my shirts and digesting a plethora of Singaporean "makan" again. But before I go, I think it's a good time now to look back and reflect on the past 4.5 years of my life in America; for closure, for nostalgic reasons, I want to write down my thoughts now, before my memories start failing me and the sense of being here, in the "land of the free" eludes me when I return to my "comfort zone".

I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous when I stepped on the Detroit-bound plane 4 years ago. I was leaving a lot of things behind that I deeply cherish; I was leaving my parents, my 2 brothers, my friends and the girl of my life. In some ways I also felt that I was leaving behind my passion for music, for just a few months before departure I opted to forgo a shot to make it in the music industry and decided to stick with my overseas scholarship. I was definitely leaving a lot behind, but I longed for a "bigger" experience, a chance to "feel" a way of life that's vastly different from the one I was used to. At hindsight, many of my perceptions about America (blame it on Hollywood!) were distorted and reflected little of the truth, but it was a very different experience nevertheless, and I feel really blessed that I was given the opportunity to do it.


A note I wrote upon my first arrival in Ann Arbor. This piece of paper would eventually be pasted in front of my desk for the next 4.5 years.