Life in Singapore, HCIBS

Written by: Winiella Winditta Widjaja (21S7J)

My Second Family

When I first set foot in my new room in boarding school, the rush of unfamiliarity brought about a huge wave of homesickness and panic. I had no friends or family with me when I first came to Singapore as a secondary 3 scholar, and I did not know how I would survive in a foreign land without my support systems. Fortunately for me, all my worrying was futile. Staying in the boarding school allowed me to make a lot of friends from different countries, schools, and levels through the events held. Boarding school also introduced me to boarding mentors, who were both parent figures and friends to me. These are the people who cared for my well-being. They stayed up with me until the wee hours of the night when I could not sleep, fed me a lot of food, and were always there to listen to me complain when things got tough.

Getting (More) Involved

A big reason why I’ve had many fruitful experiences in boarding school is because of the Boarder’s Council (BC). The events they held allowed me to play games with and get to know other boarders. After joining the BC, I had even more fun planning activities. Despite having to forgo sleep sometimes to finish up proposals, I enjoyed being with the council and attending meetings as they were always filled with laughter, lively discussions, and a lot of food. Being in BC taught me a lot about event planning and being more organised, skills that I still use today. Moreover, it’s always rewarding to see my efforts in event planning bear fruit as our events were sure to bring smiles to everyone’s faces.

Is it really always fun?

Many have told me that I must be lucky to stay with my closest friends. Yes, staying in boarding is nearly equivalent to having a sleepover every night: we’re free to watch movies till late, or have a pizza party at any moment we like. Not only that, I’m surrounded by friends who are always there for me to confide in and cheer me on during tough and stressful periods. However, misunderstandings and small arguments may happen, as they are bound to because it can get suffocating to see the same people every day. Luckily for me, these conflicts are always easily ironed out and definitely pale in contrast to the countless fun moments I’ve had.