Upon entering Singapore we were greeted by a beautiful airport that set the tone for how pretty the city-state of Singapore is. Within the airport, after landing there was an extensive amount of natural greenery that leaned into the vibrant nature of the country. Initially, before the trip, I had very high expectations of Singapore with its rich culture, food, and scenery. After the very first day, I was blown away by the gorgeous sites, delicious food, and kind people. I was hoping to gain from this trip a broader knowledge of South-East Asia as a whole and more of the culture you don’t just see reading about a country online. The global business program started off amazing, going to a stunning 5-star hotel group called the “Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group.” Here we learned about the hospitality industry within Singapore as well as more about their company which started in Hong Kong and has since grown exponentially. This corporate visit set off a great tone for the upcoming visits we would go on. Initial expectations were exceeded by huge margins once exploring the city. The stunning views everywhere we walked whether it be tall futuristic buildings with gardens built into them, to typical roadways that were covered in green. Singapore was indeed a “City within a Garden,” as their first prime minister Lee Kuan Yew declared to try and create. A cultural difference that was apparent right away between the US and Singaporean culture was the hardworking nature of every person no matter their position. Throughout Singapore no matter the job someone had an apparent pride which was evident in what they did. Whether it be a chef, waitress, office worker, etc Singaporeans seemed to have pride in what they did. In the US and across the world it is common for people to have pride in their work naturally. Although I have never seen so many people who genuinely care about their craft and what they do for a living.
