Hello!! Guess who's here to finally write her travel log hahahaha. I went for an immersion programme in the US couple of months ago and honestly I cannot remember much details now but I really want to document the memories!
This entire post will be all over the place because that was how my trip was like hahahaha but I'll try to make it as organised as I can!
*An asterisk will be placed beside each must-try or must-go place!
Mandatory travelling shot HAHA. It's my first time leaving my homeland for this long and I had such a tough time keeping my tears in at the airport, especially when my dad and D said goodbye. 😢
No idea where we were but the view!! 😍
✈️ BRITISH AIRWAYS
Comfort: ★★★★☆
Food: ★★★★☆
Service: ★★★★☆
I didn't regret flying with British Airways! It's my first time taking such a long flight but I slept really well hehe (too well actually). The food is nice, and sometimes they serve rice too!
✈️ HEATHROW AIRPORT
We had a stopover at London! Honestly, it's the emptiest airport I've ever been to hahahahaha. For some reason, my phone couldn't connect to the wifi there (my mum and bro's phones could) so I was really bored. We touched down at like 5ish in the morning so there were nobody at the airport except for us.
The total travel time took around 24 hours (excluding layover time) and I can humbly say that I slept at least 18 hours HAHAHAHA. I have no idea why or how I did that, my mum was astonished at my ability. But better than not being able to sleep right!
💡 Bring a (cotton) eye mask
It was really, really, an essential for me throughout this trip. I require a lot of sleep to function normally and the eye mask was super helpful. My mum mentioned that cotton ones are better than the ones that feel plastic-y(?)
I usually cannot fall asleep to music but this classical playlist was surprisingly helpful HAHA.
✈️ LOS ANGELES INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
Pardon me for always commenting on airports I know it seems quite dumb HAHAHAHA but airports make the first impression of a country to me! LAX was... so super crowded everywhere hahahaha. Since it's our first time in US and it was after a really long flight, we decided to not be ambitious and take a cab!
💡 As far as you can, don't take the local cab. Always check Uber or Lyft first.
It wasn't very far from the airport to our hotel and yet, the bill came up to $100+USD (including tax) like WHAAAAT. We learnt from our lesson and never took a cab in US again. Uber/Lyft is easily half the price! I have friends who took cabs in US and the bill was $200+ USD it's crazy. 😱
🏨 DAYS INN GLENDALE
(~$180SGD per night)
Comfort: ★★★☆☆
Value: ★★★☆☆
Service: ★★★★☆
I didn't take any photos because honestly, it's not very impressive hahahaha. The design of the interior is a little old, and the elevator is very scary wtf I feel like it can malfunction anytime. Not the best bed/pillow as well and our toilet bowl kept getting clogged omgah. Wasn't a great experience but it's really one of the more affordable hotels out there. The service was pretty good though! Also, I just want to mention that it is located in Glendale, which is a pretty chill area with very little tourists! I enjoyed walking around the district because it was very quiet, yet it felt cosy.
We took the bus to Citadel outlet! In contrast to all the hipster photos we all see of LA, the state is actually really empty at most of the places and they don't have a lot of greenery. It made me feel a little weird because in Singapore we have thriving trees almost everywhere HAHA.
🚌 Take the bus if you can
I forgot exactly how much it costs per trip but it's really convenient! As LA is huge, it takes pretty long to reach your destination but there are bus stops located at a lot of locations, which makes it very useful. Not very sure if LA has trains/other forms of public transport, but taking the bus is definitely a lot cheaper!
📍 CITADEL OUTLETS
Okay I'm not a fan of outlet shopping (in fact, I'm quite the opposite because it turns me off hahahaha) so it wasn't a great experience for me personally, not because it's not a good place it's just that I hate outlet shopping. 😂 It's a huuuuuuge area so there are a lot of stores!
Somehow through the booking of flight tickets and all, we only had less than 2 days in LA, which is really such a pity... I wanted to avoid touristy areas like Hollywood, but I guess I should've went there since there will be more things to do! My current impression of LA is that it's a very empty and boring place, which I know is not what LA truly is... So I will definitely be back one day to explore more about the city!!
Ooooooooooooooooo omg this costs $8USD but it. is. HUGE. I ordered a mix of normal fries and sweet potato fries. It was very, very nice!! This was at one of the eateries at LAX.
✈️ UNITED AIRLINES
Comfort: ★★★☆☆
Service: ★★★★☆
The seat is less comfortable as compared to the ones on British Airways, even though it was a short flight, it was still quite a torture hahahaha. The blanket though!!!! SUPER COMFORTABLE.
✈️ SAN FRANCISCO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
I think this is the airport that is the most similar to Changi airport! Very nice carpeted ground, beautiful lights, and easy access to a lot of areas!
🏨 SUPER 8 UNION SQUARE
(~$300SGD per night)
Comfort: ★★★★☆
Food: ★★★☆☆
Value: ★★☆☆☆
Service: ★★★★★
Sorry this is the only photo I have HAHAHAHA. It was an expensive hotel, for a very small room. But it was one of the more affordable ones we could find. Sigh. Anyway it's located in the central area of San Francisco and super convenient for us to travel around. It has a lot (like, really a lot) of restaurants around the area! Anyway the building was really old as well, the floor literally creaks when we walk around hahahaha and the vibe of the hotel is quite creepy... Breakfast is included and omgah the toast is so nice!! Also, the service is very good!
📍 PIER 39*
★★★★★
Officially the best place I've visited in San Francisco!! The weather, infrastructure, and view were really amazing.
💡 Arrive early to take photos
We reached there at like 8+ in the morning because we were jetlagged and couldn't sleep anymore. There were almost no one there except for us hahahaha so we went to take some photos! As it's considered a tourist attraction, the crowd will start to stream in at about 10am, which is when most of the shops open for business.
🍴 EAGLE CAFE
★★★☆☆
We went to this particular restaurant because I heard good reviews about its Lobster Bisque! The food is pretty pricey (~$25SGD for a main dish), but I guess because they are mostly seafood. But anyway the Lobster Bisque was not. nice. at. all. I feel so cheated wtf but my mum's Fish and Chips was super delicious!! I personally wouldn't recommend this place because there are definitely other restaurants there that will serve nicer food at more affordable prices.
🍴 Eat the corn dog.
It's a little pricey for a snack ($5.25USD), but it's really THAT good. 👍
📍 FISHERMAN'S WHARF
Walk along the street from Pier 39 and you will arrive at Fisherman's Wharf! There's nothing much at Fisherman's Wharf but along the way there are shops and really nice scenery, which we spent a lot of time looking at!
📍 LOMBARD STREET
★☆☆☆☆
It's the world's crookedest street! But the hike up is not worth it at all. 😂 Listen to Qidi and don't do it. Nobody warned me about the countless hills we had to climb. 😢
It's the world's crookedest street! But the hike up is not worth it at all. 😂 Listen to Qidi and don't do it. Nobody warned me about the countless hills we had to climb. 😢
📍 GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE
★★★☆☆
There's honestly nothing much so we didn't go too close! The only highlight is that we saw a baby whale from the shore hahahaha super cute!!
🍴 BURGER KING
★★★☆☆
The burger bun is really sweet??? Idk why or how but it turned me off so I didn't finish the meal.
📍 UNION SQUARE
★★★★☆
A really huge area with lots of shops!
The weather is really hot in the day I literally dress like how I usually do in Singapore. 🌚
A very bad try at this shot HAHAHAHA but this is how Union Square looks like! The shopping area is huge and the shops surround this "gathering area", which is Union Square itself.
Just a giant blueberry muffin.
Just a nice photo of ultra boosts hahahaha.
📍 CHINATOWN
★★☆☆☆
★★☆☆☆
There's nothing much here, but the Chinese food was really good!
When I saw Boston from the plane, I was like 😍😍!!! I was so glad it's the place I was going to have my immersion programme at HAHAHAHA because LA and SF were not very nature-friendly. I don't know, I just feel so excited to see all the green patches and rivers/lakes from the plane!! Like, it's so beautiful. If so many plants want to live here, I think I want to too HAHAHA.
✈️ LOGAN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
A really simple, yet sufficient airport! We had shuttle services offered by the hotel so we didn't have to fret about transportation.
🏨 HAMPTON INN BOSTON LOGAN AIRPORT
(~$280SGD per night)
I can't rate for this hotel because I didn't stay in it, I just sent my mum and bro there and I had to head to my dorm! But either way, I helped with the check-in and the service was hands-down 5 stars, really really friendly staff! Anyway, this is the only hotel I took (proper) photo of because it's the most visually appealing out of all three!!!! And I don't get to stay in it omg. Judging from the name you'll know that it's really close to the airport, but it's a very secluded area, meaning there's nothing much around the neighbourhood. On top of that, the road right outside is like an expressway (without traffic lights) so it's not convenient to walk around. However, they do have shuttle services to many train stations for free which makes it more convenient and this can help to save on transport fees!
📖 WHEELOCK COLLEGE
Checked in for Year 2 Semester 1 to commence!
Val and I were the only ones without an allocated room when I arrived, so the staff had to put us in a spare room! Because of that we got allocated to a 3-pax room even though there were only 2 of us so it was really huge!! Really a blessing in disguise.
Guess who only brought summer clothes because it was /supposed/ to be a Summer immersion programme. I regretted big time on the first few days because it was freezing cold!! And all I have are sleeveless tops, not even normal t-shirts wtf. Eventually the weather got warmer and it was bearable!
Breakfast is provided in campus every morning!
On good days we have bacon!
On good days we have bacon!
Skyping le boyfriendddd 😁❤️
In contrast to LA and SF, taking the train is more convenient in Boston! This is Longwood, the station closest to my school.
We got new Charlie tickets every week for unlimited train rides!
📍 FANEUIL HALL/QUINCY MARKET
★★★☆☆
This is the restaurant that gives customers condom-shaped hats and their staff are allowed to throw insults/be rude to them. 😂
The food at Quincy market is very, very, expensive. I spent $14USD on a plate of Fish and Chips, and it wasn't nice at all. 💔 My friends bought food from other stalls and said they weren't nice as well. But if you have to eat there, try...
🍴 SARKU JAPAN*
(~$8USD per dish)
★★★★★
I've only tried the teriyaki chicken (I ate it twice) and it's really good! This store is located at many areas, mostly in a food court kinda place, where there is a variety of food stalls to choose from.
📍 TARGET*
★★★★★
Target is... an exciting place that sells almost everything you need HAHAHA. From toiletries, to clothes, snacks, drinks, make up, full-length mirrors, detergent, and even buckets hahahahaha. At very affordable prices!! We always go here when we need something because the things are generally very inexpensive and they have a wide variety! Not a very good place to buy groceries though, meat is pretty pricey and they don't have a lot of vegetables to choose from!
I thought this guy was a real person HAHAHA but it's just a standee. 😂😂
There are a lot of drinks in mini bottles and they are super cute!
Very nice posters at only $5.99 wtf, the quality is really good!! Bought a batman one for D hehe.
We bought more than 30 litres of water, and it was so heavy that the trolley couldn't support the weight and gave way twice HAHAHAHA. Boston wasn't experiencing drought, it's just that we were lazy to boil water for consumption. 😂
📍 STAR MARKET
★★★★★
$2.50 for a cup of very sweet strawberries!! Fruits are generally more expensive in the US (especially tropical fruits, I've seen pineapples at $9USD wtf) but Star Market always have promotions from time to time!
I don't like to eat cakes but somehow the cakes there look reaaaaaaally good man omg.
Food from the hot bar vol. 1
Food from the hot bar vol. 2
Yes I always choose the same things because I don't like to step out of my comfort zone when it comes to food HAHAHAHA. If something is nice, I stick to it. 😂
Yeap.
Star Market is basically a supermarket, and the special thing is that it has a hot bar! In the hot bar, there are food like fried chicken, fried rice, Mac and cheese, basically just food that can be eaten as a meal! These are weighed and costs $8.99USD per pound. I bought my meals at the hot bar quite a number of times because it's very filling, cheap, and nice! Other than the food from the hot bar, there are also pizzas, donuts, salad, sandwiches, etc! We also always buy our groceries from here!!
📍 WHOLE FOODS MARKET
★★☆☆☆
On the whole (see what I did there HAHAHA 😏), the things are more pricey here. But they do have a hot bar and sell other food as well! I looooove the cheese pizza there, it's huge and costs $3.50USD per slice, $6USD for 2!
📍 DOLLAR TREE*
★★★★☆
First time taking a double-decker train!
As you can see from the name, the store sells everything at $1! The things are of pretty good quality as well, so it's very worth it. It has snacks, toiletries, stationeries, party needs, and even helium balloons at $1 wtf.
The place is veryyyyy secluded hahahahaha we barely see anyone at the train station there. Boston itself is really small, so we actually travelled out of Boston (without a passport wtf), not sure of the name of the city though!
📍 SUPER 88 MARKET
★★★★☆
Being the typical asians, we went to this Asian supermarket to stock up on some food! You won't get to see a lot of things/brands that are found in Singapore as the products come from all over the world (e.g. India, China, Korea, Japan, etc.), but you'll find similar products!
📍 CHINATOWN
★★☆☆☆
There's nothing much at Chinatown, except for a lot a lot of food stalls.
Some pretty famous chicken rice, but it tasted meh.
Chicken pho at a Vietnamese restaurant in Chinatown! Pretty bland, I had to add a lot of soy sauce hahahahaha.
***
LET'S TALK ABOUT SHOPPING
📍 DOWNTOWN CROSSING*
★★★★★
This is basically a shopping street that has brands like:
PRIMARK
BATH & BODY WORKS
OLD NAVY
VICTORIA'S SECRET
FOREVER 21
TJ MAXX
MARSHALLS
GAP
MACY'S
I went there to shop at least 4-5 times despite the busy school schedule HAHAHAHA. And it's mainly because of...
🛍 PRIMARK*
♥♥♥♥♥
Hello, my new sweetheart. ♥
HAHAHAHA OMG WHERE DO I EVEN START.
I LOVE PRIMARK.
When I was in LA and SF, I was so sad because I couldn't find clothes that I like at all so I gave up on all my hope on shopping until I entered Primark in Boston omg... Okay let me relive the moment again. HAHAHAHA. I'm really so, so, obsessed and in love with Primark. They sell very, very, pretty clothes at super affordable prices!!! Some more the quality of the things are really not bad. Other than clothes, they also sell accessories like chokers, sunglasses, caps, as well as luggages, swimwear, AND THE POUCHES OMG idk how they manage to produce new designs every time I visit them again but I bought a pouch almost every time I go back to Primark. It's almost impossible to leave this shop without buying at least 1 item, even if it's as stupid as nail files or toothbrush JUST BECAUSE THE DESIGN IS TOO PRETTY AND IT'S CHEAP.
LIKE WHAT.
JUST GRAB.
I really...
Really...
Love Primark.
The best thing is that I bought so many things, but I didn't spend a lot at all.
Watch my haul video (embedded at the end of this post) to see what I bought!!
📍 CAMBRIDGE GALLERIA*
★★★★☆
Bath & Body Works was having massive 75% sale because of 4th of July and everything is legit so so cheap omg... If not for the fear of exceeding my luggage weight limit, I would've lugged so many bottles home (especially the foaming hand wash!!!)
📍 NEWBURY STREET*
★★★★★
So pretty right!! Newbury street is another shopping street that is... amazing hahahaha. It's a lot longer than Downtown crossing so I'm super thankful I wore comfortable shoes HAHA. The shops in every shopping area/mall is about the same, but they have different products at different outlets so there's always something new to see...
and buy. 😂
📍 SOUTH SHORE PLAZA
★★★★☆
😍😍😍
Guess who really needs a Primark in Singapore hais.
This is from Chicken Now and the chicken tenders taste like our western food stalls in Hawker centres hahahaha super nice! Lemonade from Charley's Philly Steaks was meh.
📍 ASSEMBLY ROW
★★★☆☆
This place is like a mini outlet shopping area and I got a few things from Adidas for really cheap! Like $14 for a drawstring bag, and t-shirt for less than $10!
I bought a cabin luggage from Marshall's at $44USD because I needed more space for the things I bought.
A random pretty luggage I didn't buy.
A random pretty dress I didn't buy.
***
LET'S TALK ABOUT FOOD
💡 In fast food restaurants, everything is ala carte, which means there are no "meal deals". Burger, fries, and drinks are all separately priced and ordered.
💡 It costs on average, $10USD for a meal if you eat out. However, most of the portions are huge and can be shared. 💡 It is a lot cheaper to cook, if you have the time to. Groceries are inexpensive, but comes in pretty big servings, so it's more worth it to cook for a larger group of people.
💡 It's actually pretty easy to find Asian food around.
🍴 MACDONALD'S
★★★★☆
4-piece nugget happy meal at $4.59USD!
I had a happy meal and they customised the fries pocket into kid-size omg secute. I think it tastes just like the Macdonald's we have in Singapore! Nothing special, just my favourite place to get fries hehe.
🍴 ROD DEE 2*
(~$10USD per dish)
★★★★★
Pad Thai that I've ordered many times BECAUSE IT JUST TASTES THAT GOOD. It's pretty pricey but the serving is huge so I usually split it into 2 meals!
Crispy fried chicken with egg fried rice, really good as well! But my friend ordered the tom yum fried rice and it's better!! This is more than the serving of 2 meals honestly hahahaha if I finish everything, it would be 2 reaaaally filling meals.
🍴 FIVE GUYS
★★☆☆☆
They literally threw the fries ($4.19USD). By that, I mean other than filling this white cup with fries, they threw SO MUCH fries into the paper bag containing all my food as well. 😂 Legit #frenchfriesoverload I mean I would be elated, but the fries didn't taste as good as I thought they would. ☹️ It's served hot, but it's not crispy and it's wayyyy too salty for my liking. The Bacon burger ($5.99USD) was good though! Not super mind-blowing, but good enough!
🍴 GYU-KAKU JAPANESE BBQ*
★★★★★
The first time we visited, I ordered the Kimchi ramen. It was meh, didn't taste like how kimchi soup tastes like in Singapore nor Korea, and there's no meat.
The second time we went, I ordered the beef bibimbap and this dish is the reason why I gave the restaurant 5 stars HAHAHAHA. Just for this one dish that they do it so amazing, I would glady visit the restaurant every alternate day. It's different from the bibimbap we get in Singapore and Korea as well! They don't have that much vegetables (in fact, barely any at all) and this is the non-spicy one so there's no gochujang inside. So... I don't know what they used to season this dish but it tastes really good!! The beef slices... is the most tender thing I've EVER eaten like legit omg. I never knew beef could taste this good.
🍴 TACO BELL
★★★☆☆
I ordered the Nacho Cheese DLT ($2.19USD), it was pretty small but it was not bad! If I had the chance, I would order something different though!
🍴 BURGER KING
10 piece of nuggets for $1.49USD! Like whaaaaat right, so cheap but so nice!!
🍴 CHATIME
Overpriced bubble tea from Chinatown hahahaha. For $4+USD, please don't be like me and order green apple ice blended (it costs $1.50SGD in Singapore). Buy something more worth it HAHA.
🍴 WAHLBURGERS*
★★★★★
Hands down.
The
Best
Fries
I've
Had
In US.
It's so good!!!
Fries is my favourite food of all time and you would think in US, I would be basically living in heaven but I didn't like a lot of their fries actually. ☹️ But this is so good!! It's called the Yukon Gold Fries and it costs $3.50USD.
I also ordered Mac and Cheese with bacon ($4.95USD) because a burger would be too filling. It was really good as well!
And I went back again for the 2nd time hehe. Featuring my first and only purchase from Victoria's Secret. It's been a sweetheart in most of the females' lives but for me, I only found my favourite scent when I was there. It's called "Crush"!
🍴 SHAKE SHACK*
★★★★★
Sorry for the blur photo (I only realised it after I finished eating) I guess I was too excited.
I ordered the Shack Burger ($5.39USD) and it was the best burger I've had in US omg. Really, really, delicious!!
I love it so much I had to go back to Newbury Street to get it on my last day in Boston HAHAHA.
🍴 MOUNT VERNON RESTAURANT & PUB
★★★☆☆
Pretty pricey, because it's at a restaurant. The pork wasn't good, it was super dry. But the fries were not bad!
Chinese food that we ordered from a food court as well! The serving is super huge, I always share it with someone.
I can't remember the name of the stall nor the price actually. 😂
On a very fine day, we ordered delivery of Korean fried chicken from Ubereats! Hehe it was super good!!
WHAT WE COOKED
No idea why we kept cooking Korean food (probably because of me LOL) but this was Japchae!
Army stew. And instant noodles with hot dogs HAHAHA.
It tastes really different from when I cook it in Singapore, I'm guessing it's because of the variance in the seasoning.
Ooooo one day we cooked spaghetti and I was shocked to find out that each of us only need to pay $1 for the meal! Super worth it sia hahahaha because it's really easy to cook as well.
Instant noodles because... Are you a Singaporean overseas without eating instant noodles? 😂
Instant noodles (cooked using stock cubes) and to clear up our leftover kimchi, we added into the soup too!
SNACKS
★★★★★
This was really good! Pretty pricey, but the packet is huuuuge. My friend told me she's skeptical about how spicy this snack will be because US don't usually make their food very spicy. But. Omg. This... is like a volcano HAHAHA but it's so good I can't stop eating!
★★★★★
I know it looks pretty gross but I really like it! Not as sour as I thought it would be, but very very tasty!
★☆☆☆☆
Tastes too oily, seasoning is a little weird.
★★☆☆☆
Really bland. I usually like corn snacks but this is really meh.
★★☆☆☆
Not nice also.
★☆☆☆☆
Meh as well. I guess because it's oven baked, I really didn't like the texture.
☆☆☆☆☆
Don't buy this. Really cheap but tastes superrrrr weird. 😂
★★★★★
Really nice!!! I only discovered this on my 2nd last night in Boston and it's such a pity if not I would've drank this so many times hahahaha.
📍 BOSTON LIBRARY
★★★☆☆
A pretty nice place to... take photos hahahaha. The interior is really nice, probably has some historical value, but the books hmmmm.
📍 GLOUCESTER
We set off to Gloucester for whale-watching! A bit nervous hahahaha we're going to a foreign place that is super far away without a professional guide. 😂 But thanks to Val, all of us got there and got back safely wheeeee.
So pretty right!!
Sun too bright even my camera doesn't like it. 😂
🍴 BLUE COLLAR LOBSTER*
★★★★☆
★★★★★
IT'S
REALLY
SUPER
GOOD
When people recommend me to eat lobsters in Boston, I was always skeptical like "how good can lobsters be?" Because I've eaten quite a few lobsters in Singapore and they just tastes like giant prawns to me HAHAHA. But it was really, really, tasty! They didn't season the lobster at all, so all the taste comes from the ocean itself! It tastes very fresh, and there's also saltiness. The only downside is that it's so fresh... that the lobster poop is still inside so we had to clean it. I guess I still consumed some of it inevitably and I had a pretty bad diarrhea afterwards HAHAHAHA. But it was really worth it! We ordered the triplets for the 3 of us!
Astea managed to re-assemble her lobster back after she finished eating. Val and I's were like a total mess HAHAHAHA.
In memory of my sunglasses (which is a couple pair with D), which dropped into the ocean when I was watching the whales. ☹️
🐳 WHALE-WATCHING*
★★★★★
If I'm not wrong, whale-watching is only available during Summer, when the whales roam closer to the surface of the water because they are waiting to breed. We got a promotion for the tickets from Groupon at $23USD per pax!
💡 Bring a jacket, sunglasses, and/or a cap.
It takes about 1.5 hours to reach the area where the whales usually hang out at so make sure you have a seat. The wind is super super strong and it gets pretty chilly (even in summer). Sunglasses/cap will be useful as well, because it can be really hot if you're not seated in a shaded area.
Tadaaaaaaa. It was really worth it! The whales were super close to our boat and one of them even did a belly flip! It was reaaally spectacular even our guide on the ferry was so excited hahahaha. Initially, I was skeptical about it because there is a chance where we will not see a whale because we're visiting them in their natural habitat, so nothing is definite. But I'm really glad we went!!! They are such adorable creatures hehe. The whole process took approximately 5 hours, including the time we took to reach the area and come back to the land.
This guy used to stay in Singapore when he was younger! Hahahaha and he still remembers that he always take bus 61 to school. 😂😂
📍 ROCKPORT
★★★★☆
He helped us to call cabs so we could go down to Rockport!
I took the front seat and it was pretty scary to experience right-hand driving (even though I wasn't the one driving) hahahaha. Like I'm supposed to have a steering wheel in front of me but it's so empty. 😂
Rockport is really, really, beautiful!
The houses are really... 😍😍😍 I asked Ms Mona and she said Singapore's weather can't accommodate housing built using such materials. It's such a pity because they are all so pretty and I really love them!
🍴 BLUE LOBSTER GRILLE
★★★☆☆
I shared this with Wan Ling! Pretty pricey, at $13.86USD. The chicken tenders were nice but not the baked potato and fries.
📖 WHEELOCK COLLEGE
So... let's talk about school now because I wasn't there to just eat and play ya HAHAHAHA. In fact, the schedule was pretty tight even though we have most of the weekends free for ourselves. I did assignments till midnight whenever the due dates were near. I felt really tired most of the time when I was there, despite getting enough (or actually, quite a lot) of sleep every day!
We have giant turkeys roaming around outside our Brookline campus. 😂 It's funny because they welcomed us on our first day of school but we didn't get to see them again afterwards. All we saw were poop.
The (only) day when I went running with Val!
Professor Paul Thayer, whose lectures were so, so, inspiring. I noted down so many things that he said and I really hope I don't forget what he imparted.
With Professor Lavina! ☺️
Pardon the mess, it's the 3rd pax bed that we didn't need so we dumped a lot of things there usually hahahahaha.
Letter from Ms Lavina before she left for Singapore.
Honestly I feel so comfortable in the dorm it makes me want to stay in and go out less HAHAHA.
We bought this mirror from Target for $6.99!!
And then Science class started and I was like ??? most of the time because #socheemicannot.
📍 BLUE HILLS RESERVATION
Science field trip!
Highlight (for me) was this boardwalk experience! Super exciting HAHAHAHA because there's a possibility of slipping and falling into the mud. 😂 Don't go without a proper guide though!! It can be quite dangerous because it's supposed to be under repair.
We walked all the way for this view... But the experience of the boardwalk itself is more entertaining than this scenery to me actually HAHA.
I was glowing.
Kidding it's oil + sweat HAHAHAHA ok I'm disgusting bye.
Random photo during theatre class.
The day Ms Mona cooked for us. The curry was so good........ omg.
We had a dinner reception with President David Chard!
Ms Mona! ☺️
With my biggest female crush ever... Professor Ellen hehe. 😍😳 Her voice is so, so, charming. Okay it's embarrassing to elaborate so I'll stop here HAHAHAHA.
Scientists at work.
We took a quiz and I found out that if everyone on Earth lived like me, we need 4.7 Earths to provide enough resources. :(
📍 THE MUDDY RIVER
This is the 'park' that we always go through to get to Longwood station and also the one that we conducted our Science experiments at.
Yes they roam about without a tinge of fear for humans. In fact, one of them actually tried to attack us because we went too close to his/her kids. 😂
📍 BOSTON CHILDREN'S MUSEUM
★★★★☆
Not sure if I would want to pay to go in again but it's definitely a great place for the children!
Another field trip!
🇺🇸 4TH OF JULY
It wasn't like how I expected it to be but was still a nice experience watching the fireworks! We left early actually because we wanted to get on the train before the crowd disperse.
⚾️ BASEBALL GAME
(REDSOX VS YANKEES)
★☆☆☆☆
Oh maaaaaan, this thing was so expensive hahahaha. I couldn't see shit from my seat too and my mood got ruined because of the negative vibes the audience was giving Yankees. I mean yes, I understand that in sports, it's like that. But calling names and all sorts, even letting children actually direct hate on people they don't actually know, I think this could be done better. How would you feel if Red Sox were being put down this way in New York? Maybe I just don't get the culture, but it's a vicious cycle and it's sad. So... not worth it for me.
📍 MEETING HOUSE CHILDCARE CENTRE
We had a 2-day attachment to different locations and I got posted to a childcare centre! I really appreciate this opportunity to experience the early childhood sector in Boston first hand. I have to say, there is a whole lot of difference to how it's like over there. But that doesn't mean it's a bad thing, like for everything, there are pros and cons.
This is how an empty classroom looks like! The ones in used are generally more messy and cluttered, because the children need more materials to manipulate with!
Their neighbourhood walks are to lakes like this. Like. OMG.
Just a random shot of the toilet!
In US, I discovered the miracle of detergent pods. I don't know where to start but it simply makes laundry so much easier!! Why do we not have it in Singapore?
Last night with my crazy yet adorable roommate.
Took Uber to the airport! This Uber driver just assumed that I'm a Japanese LOL when I settled down in the car he asked, "Japan airlines?" then he giggled wtf. Idk if he was trying to be funny or he was just racist LOL but it was 4am and I wasn't fully awake to realise anything. 😂
Bid goodbye to Boston with a sunrise. 😍
It was my first time taking such long flights all by myself and I have to say luckily I went to English-speaking countries if not I would've been so lost. But anyway, I was subconsciously worried about a lot of things so I couldn't sleep well on the plane at all. I stayed up the night before I flew because I thought I would sleep as much as I did when I flew to US... So I was really tired and not being able to sleep was very torturous sigh.
I was supposed to arrive in Singapore earlier but the plane flew around in circles before landing. 😂
All in all, it was a really great experience! I think because I didn't have very high expectations for it, things were really a lot better than I've imagined it to be. It was an amazing opportunity for me to discover more about myself as well, and I guess I can now say that I take pretty good care of myself hahahaha.
This post is mainly for me to document these memories (that I still retain) and guide myself in the future when I'm going to US again! But if anyone is still reading my blog, I hope you enjoyed this super lengthy and messy post. 😂
Some useful tips when travelling to US
💡 T-Mobile has an unlimited data plan for $30USD, for 3 weeks!
💡 Bring your own drink if you want to save money! Drinks are mostly not included in the meals and they are generally pretty expensive.