GRIP, Research Abroad A Chance Encounter

Engineering Research in Singapore

The sun hid behind a blanket of clouds as a rag-tag group of adventure-hungry Penn students stepped onto a bumboat amidst loud plops of rain against rough waters. “It always randomly rains like this,” I assured the others. “It’ll be over by the time we get there.” As the boat rumbled across the waters, Singapore shrunk into the horizon, and I sat in trepidation, questioning my own words.

This day was not unlike the past two weeks since I’ve arrived, and I have grown accustomed to the extreme weather and learned to enjoy the deliciously cheap food available on every street corner. On this day, we were determined to sweat and delve into the forests of Pulau Ubin, an island just off the Eastern coast of Singapore. As an avid hiker in the nearby trails of my hometown in Reading, Pennsylvania, I was curious and excited for what new challenges these exotic forests offered. My eagerness soon faded when I realized that the area was for the average tourist, with open, paved paths and easy hills. This would be just like any other hike.

Regardless, I was determined to discover more of Southeast Asia on this island. We obtained bikes to explore more efficiently, and we soon found ourselves yipping in glee into the leaves above, in the pure joy of cruising through lush greenery not found in Philadelphia. With little sense of direction, we chose paths at random, and soon came upon a steep hill. Steeper and taller than any other previous hill, we decided to retrace our steps and try another route.

Suddenly, I heard a quick yelp, followed by a scream. I turned around and, hanging off the side of my friend’s bike, was a small monkey. Immediately our entire group started yelling excitedly, and as soon as the monkey appeared, it disappeared off into the forest. I looked around at my peers, and no one could hide their expressions of astonished amusement and gaping mouths.

As one friend loudly regretted his slow reaction to capture the moment on his camera, and the other made sure the monkey didn’t take anything, I shook my head in surprise, at myself. How could I so foolishly think that this day could be mundane? I was so used to the comfort of my own hiking experiences that it literally took a monkey to jump out of the forest to remind me that the jungles of Singapore are not at all similar to the forests of Reading. I left the island feeling physically tired, but also humbled into deeper appreciation for this small taste into the vastness of this world.