Lost and Found at NTU

Another full-day campus tour! This time, in NTU. NTU is located at the far west end of Singapore, so far away from the center that it almost reaches Malaysia to the west. It took me nearly 1 hour on the green line (East-West Line) from Kallang to get there. After getting out of the train station, I noticed a campus shuttle bus and boarded the bus without second thought, until I realized that I didn’t know where I should alight! I asked a teenage boy sitting next to me for help and he recommended me to download NTU Omnibus, an app dedicated towards campus shuttle bus, to navigate in the campus. I have to say that the app is so difficult to use and being unfamiliar about the signs or names of the buildings on the campus, I got lost for about an hour before finding the seminar room where my professor was giving presentation.

After that, I was invited to a western-styled boutique restaurant, PEN & INC, and had a wonderful meal for free! My food option was a three-course set lunch, consisting of

• a small bowl of soup as appetizer,
• prawns, salads, flatbreads as main course
• and a piece of brownie as dessert.

I spent the rest of my day exploring the campus, soaking in the natural beauty in its serene gardens, such as Yunnan Garden, in awe of its aesthetically pleasing architectures, such as the Hive, admiring the creative designs scattered around the campus. Academic buildings and natural landscape live in harmony on the campus, accompanied by the regularly beautiful sky of Singapore and the chirping of birds flapping between trees, creating endless picture-perfect spots for avid photographers and refreshing eco-friendly environment for nature enthusiasts alike. Symphonizing with songs of birds, water features, such as waterfalls and fountains, add a touch of dynamics to the lively atmosphere. Pavilions with green-tile roof and strikingly-red colonnade are strategically placed around Yunnan Garden, providing shelters to hide and places to rest for students and faculty after a long-day work. From time to time, colorful butterflies are chasing each other amidst arrays of flowers, dancing to the melodious songs of nature. As the two staple colors commonly found throughout the campus, red-roof residences of hall and greenery complement each other harmoniously, creating a scene that can soothe the soul bothered any trouble. At the south of the campus lies Nanyang Lake, where flowers of different colors blossom on the trees and fish of various sizes swim carefree in the water.

I loved the scenery on the campus so much that I didn’t leave until the night fell and I couldn’t enjoy the nature as much as in the daytime. As for dinner, I bought a cup of blueberry juice, which was bitter and tasteless, and steamed chicken rice, which is traditional Singaporean food, at one of its many canteens. I finished off by visiting the Arc, another learning hub as the Hive, though it’s less attractive from the outsides, especially in the darkness.