Trust, Safety, and Belonging Abroad
By: Eliana Jaffee (SEAS ’27)
GRIP: Engineering Research in Singapore
The first aspect of daily life that surprised me was the subway system. I had heard about its efficiency before arriving, but experiencing it in person was different. The stations were spotless, the trains quiet, and the timing precise. At first, I thought I had lucked out, since each time I entered the station a train would appear within a minute or two. Eventually, I learned that trains were scheduled every three minutes, which explained the constant flow. This stood in sharp contrast to what I was used to, where delays and long gaps between trains were common. The consistency of the system made exploring the city less stressful, and it quickly became part of my routine. The reliability of public transportation also revealed something larger about the society itself: people trusted the system to work, and the system, in turn, supported that trust.
That sense of trust extended into other parts of daily life. I noticed how safe it felt to be out at any hour. There were evenings when I would take long walks at two in the morning, wandering through West Coast Park. Among the odd group of people to be found at a park between the earliest hours of morning, I never worried for my safety or felt uncomfortable. I stood by the water watching the lights of ships in the distance while listening to the faint sounds of cranes moving containers in the port, while crickets chirped and leaves rustled. I practiced line dances on my own, and was likely the craziest looking person around at that park.
Living abroad was not without challenges. At first, it was disorienting to adapt to new rhythms. Everything moved efficiently and rules were followed, which sometimes made me aware of how different my home environment had been. Yet this structure gave me the space to step out of my comfort zone. I began picking up new routines, such as practicing line dances late at night on my own, when the park was completely empty. It felt odd at first, but those moments of self-expression helped me grow more comfortable being independent in an unfamiliar place.
These experiences, from the trains to the midnight walks, shaped how I engaged with the city. They showed me how trust and safety formed the backdrop of everyday life. They also gave me a deeper appreciation for how a culture can feel both structured and open, and how that balance helped me adjust and thrive.