天美麻豆

Since Sept 2010

Kharkov, Ukraine

Peace Corps Volunteer: I work as a teacher of English as a foreign language at the secondary school level.
I love the diversity and big city feel of Kharkov - while the city is totally walkable, having the option of transportation by metro and marshrutka buses is great.
The blatant open mouth staring can take a little getting used to, especially if locals overhear you speaking English loudly in public places.

Jul 2010 - Aug 2010

Beijing, China

Exchange student at Tsinghua University, department of Industrial and Systems Engineering.
Cheap and tasty local food and interesting street markets, tons of shopping (especially if you're interested in finding knock-off lookalikes of designer brands).
Its not very easy to get around China if you don't speak any Chinese, since most of the street signs and restaurant menus are in Chinese. Luckily most locals are used to tourists, so they'll probably help you out if you point and gesture enough. Don't be afraid to bargain with the street market sellers, they fully expect you to bargain so they always quote the price of an item at least 100% more than it should really cost.

May 2010 - Jun 2010

Buona Vista, Singapore

Exchange student at the National University of Singapore, department of Industrial Engineering.
Singapore is a great place for ex-pats... it is already a blend of many different nationalities and offers a wide variety of delicious ethnic food restaurants. It also has the most efficient public transportation system that I've ever seen: you can buy a plastic credit-card sized card instead of using coins or tokens and simply tap it to enter/exit the subway and buses, then the bus/subway automatically calculates your fare based on the distance traveled.
The summer weather was super muggy and always humid, and drinks can get expensive at bars/clubs due to Singapore's high tax on alcohol. Also, it is illegal to eat or drink on the subway - beware or you'll be fined by the local authorities.

USA