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GEM Student Club

Who are we?
Previously known as the Global Immersion Programme (GIP) Student Club, our club has recently expanded to include participants in all student exchange programmes under GEM Discoverer and GEM Explorer. Further information on exchange programmes offered in NTU may be found online at NTU Global Programmes: http://global.ntu.edu.sg/global/Pages/gdp.aspx

Tips & Tricks for the road

What do we do?
GEM Club aims to be a touch-point for all outward-bound and returning exchange students by: - Providing opportunities for students heading to the same region to meet locally prior to going for exchange - Facilitating information sharing by students who have returned from overseas exchange

Packed for a trip overseas, but your luggage weighs a ton? Many travelers face the same big question: What and how much should I bring with me? Heres a tip or two, based on our own experience (and some extra information gleaned off the web), that we hope you will find useful when you are faced with the dilemma of choosing between your favorite book and a pair of extra jeans. While were at that, we thought itd be helpful to include some safety and security tips as well. Going to a foreign land can be intimidating, so being prepared would put some of your fears at ease.

How can you participate?

Outward-bound students Outward bound students are welcomed to attend our upcoming tea session to obtain mutual contacts and meet potential travel companions. Student coordinators will also be on hand to facilitate ice-breaking and provide information. 1. Pack according to the weather and climate of the your destination. Research thoroughly on the climate of the country you are visiting what season will it be when you are staying there? If you are leaving in January for a cold place, we presume you wouldnt want to freeze up like an ice popsicle. So leave that extra singlet and shorts at home! You can always buy new clothes for spring or summer when the weather turns warmer. If youre going to a place where Returning students Returning students are encouraged to join GEM Club as committee members. By doing so, they will have the opportunity to organize future events that promote student exchange in NTU, while getting to know other exchange students. They can also volunteer on an ad-hoc basis for specific events held throughout the year. Returning students are eligible to participate in the I Travel, I Eat, I Shoot Photo Competition to win attractive prizes! Look out for the competition details further in this booklet. 2. Small bottles often do the trick for toiletries. Invest in travel packs or clear/see through bottles that comply with airlines carry -on luggage policies. Instead of lugging a big bottle of shampoo around in your luggage, you could fill several small *Updated information regarding our activities and photo competition will be available online on the GEM Club Facebook page.
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it will gradually transit into autumn and winter, then bring sufficient jackets and sweaters that you can wear, but dont bother stuffing those thick down jackets into your luggage. Chances are, you wont need them until few months later. Plus, you can always buy these warm winter clothing when you are at your host country its usually cheaper, and there will be more variety to choose from!

bottles with the stuff you need, and refill them when you run out. These small bottles would come in handy too if you are going for short weekend trips!

3. Zip everything in! Divide your clothing and pack them into ziplock plastic bags (i.e. underwear, shoes, T-shirts, one bag for each type). Firstly, compressing the clothing creates more space when air is squeezed out; secondly, it makes life easier if you need to take something out of your luggage instead of having everything tumble out, you can take the plastic bag you need and keep some private items away other peoples prying eyes. Remember to keep the bags and reuse them for future travels!

Getting the most out of your student exchange

If you have been offered an exchange placement and accepted it, great! After the flurry of applications and packing for your trip, all thats left for you to do is to get into the right mindset for the exchange experience. For many students, this may be the first time they will spend such a long period of time far away from home. Hence, mental preparation is just as important as having your bags packed and travel information handy. Going on student exchange is not just an easy way to clear as many academic units as possible, or an excuse for a long holiday. Asking yourself what you hope to achieve through this experience and setting personal goals will help steer the decisions you need to make while abroad. This will gear you towards greater personal growth and cultivation of friendships that will last long after the memories of your trip have faded.

4. Keep important items separate. Try to split up your valuables (credit cards, cash, etc.) in different compartments and pockets, so that you wont lose everything at one go. If you have pockets, always have a bit of cash stuffed in them for emergencies you could also use the cash to pay for small items without taking out and exposing your wallet to potential pickpockets. 5. Save an electronic copy of all important information. Before you leave for your trip, its best to scan your documents (passport, tickets, acceptance letter from your host university, etc.) and send it to your own e-mail. In the event you lose something, you can always access your e-mail to print it out again. If you need a replacement passport, it would also speed things up if you have a copy of it to show the authorities. If youre carrying credit cards, you might want to save the banks contact information, in case you need to cancel the cards right away. Also, having the contact information of your host universities and next-of-kin in your email will be useful. 6. Vigilant, vigilant. Be alert and aware of the surroundings as you explore new places. Keep an eye (or best, a hold) on your belongings, especially in areas like trains/bus stations and tourist attractions, where people with swift hands are likely to take action. Be discreet when taking items out of your bag, you wouldnt want others to know exactly what things you have in your bag. If you need to consult maps, choose a brightly-lit place where you can sit down, or have your back against a wall, so that there wouldnt be anyone sneaking up to you. With all these tips in mind, we hope you are feeling more confident about embarking on your trip. All the best on your exchange!
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One of the keys to a unique experience is to be more than a casual tourist. It possible, get to know local students and familiarize yourself with the social customs and history of the country you are visiting. This will greatly enrich your appreciation of the places and local practices you will see. Besides that, having an open mind to understand the value systems of different cultures will lessen the effect of culture shock and help you adapt better to your new environment. The great thing about being on student exchange is getting to live with an international student community. Instead of sticking to your own clique all the time, make an intentional effort to befriend students from other nationalities. Sharing food from your own country is a fun (and not to mention delicious) way to make new friends. A few useful tips include brushing up on some simple home-flavoured recipes and bringing souvenirs from home as gifts. Interesting facts about your own country can also be good conversation starters and will be helpful for cultural presentations. Student exchange is also an opportunity for you to develop life skills such as budgeting and communicating well with others. You will most likely have to share accommodation and make travel plans with other students, hence learning to compromise is essential for an enjoyable stay. Living in a foreign country may cause students from the same university or country to rely more on each other. This can lead to lasting bonds of friendship but can also cause a greater intensity of conflicts faced. No matter what, remember to maintain a positive attitude and constantly keep in touch with family members back home.
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In conclusion, having clear goals will enable you to have a successful exchange programme. Though you may initially feel uncomfortable about being outside of your comfort zone, the adaptation process will cause you to mature as a person. With an outwardly focused attitude that is receptive to learning new things, student exchange will prove to be one of the most enriching experiences of your life.

Exchange Highlights
Breathtaking scenery, bizarre sights and once-in-a-lifetime opportunities were all part and parcel of what NTU students experienced on their exchange programmes. Some of their best remembered stories are shared below...

I Travel, I Eat, I Shoot Photo Competition

GEM Explorer/Discoverer participants for May 2012 - April 2013 are eligible to participate in this photo competition. 1st, 2nd, and 3rd prizes are up for grabs in each of the two categories below. Up to 10 consolation prizes will also be given away for shortlisted photos. So hesitate no longer and submit your entries from 11 March - 7 April 2013! Category 1: General Submit a photographic shot of you or you and your friends in a setting that best encapsulates My most defining moment in my overseas program in your host country. Provide a short description (50 words max) of the place and your feelings at that moment. Category 2: Food Submit a photo that can best represent the food culture in the host universitys country. It would be good to have you and your friends in the photo along with food. Provide a short description (50 words max) of the place and your feelings at that moment. An additional short description of the food needs to be provided. Submission details: Each participant is allowed to submit a maximum of 1 photo for each category. Participants are to send their photos and captions to gemphotocompetition@gmail.com, addressing the subject title in the following format GEM_Overseas Program_Overseas City_Name_Matriculation No. For example: GEM_Discoverer Work & Study_Shanghai_Selene Tan_U1234567Z More details at the GEM Club Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/gemstudentclub
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Perhaps the most unforgettable recollection of my exchange to China would be the time I scaled the heights of Mt. Tai in the province Shandong. It was part of a field trip organized by PKUs International Relations Office and it was eye-opening to see other regions in China beyond the city that we resided in. If you thought scaling the Great Wall of China was a great feat, the effort paled in comparison to the intense cardio expended at Mt. Tai. With its highest point some 3000-odd metres above sea level, me and my fellow Singaporean friends painstakingly inched towards our destination, taking frequent rests along the way to soak in the sights and sounds of the whole landscape. What struck me the most would probably be the amazing physical threshold of the Chinese people; there were local old folks climbing up with ease, and even sedan services up the trail provided by middle-aged men, moving nimbly up the steep and rocky pathway. Concluding the adventure was the equally treacherous journey back down and a bout of near-paralysis and extreme cramps for the rest of the week. Nonetheless, this journey truly allowed me to appreciate the beauty of the Chinese landscape and scenery and it also marked my first, and probably last, time attempting to scale a mountain.

Leon Lim, Peking University, Beijing, China, INSTEP

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Exchange Highlights

Exchange Highlights
"It was Halloween and we were roaming the streets in London with a few hours to spare before night fall. I heard a commotion further up the streets and we decided to take a look. To my 'horror', a horde of zombies were marching towards us with flailing loose limbs and bloody intestines. They 'attacked' pedestrians and motorists and went into shops along the street to harass the patrons. It was an amazing scene. I succumbed to their attacks and my last living moment was captured before I was zombified."

The most memorable experience I had for my exchange was a trek in Iceland. I remember running across volcano fields as half frozen hails stones grazed my lips. The mosses on the ground were dirty green and sank like quicksand with every step I took. I had a near death experience when the soil near the edge of a cliff eroded away without warning. The peak of the trek came with natural volcano springs where I soaked my cold feet in the warmth of Icelands most amazing wonders. The scene was so picturesque and unique.

Cheong Yaowen, University of Strathclyde, INSTEP

Lim Wei Shan, Royal Institute of Technology, INSTEP

"During my exchange in Illinois, USA, me During my exchange to Troyes, France, all of us went to the lakes of the Fort dOrient, a protected area of woodlands and lakes in the Champagne-Ardenne region. We tried many water sports like canoeing, catamaran sailboats and a team rowing sport which is like dragon-boating, except the oars are made of much heavier wooden logs! We also managed to have a go at other sports like ball trap and a traditional France ball game called Ptanque. The summer weather was really cool and we laid around leisurely on the catamaran sailboats enjoying the breeze before ending the evening with a BBQ! and two other friends made a spontaneous decision to head out of school to a nearby airfield for skydiving. The airfield was extremely small and dubious, but we already paid the down payment so we had to go through with it. The planes were also visibly worn out; I remember when I was in the plane, it couldn't start after a few ignitions so we had to literally rub the plane with our palms to warm it up sufficiently so that the propeller would start running. As the plane climbed to 14000 feet (my drop-off point), I looked down from the plane and just gave up on life. Everything was already out of my control. Obviously, there are no words to describe the experience. I can assure you that nothing would supercharge you with so much adrenaline in your life. Nothing. Life begins when you step out of your comfort zone, so just do it (at your own risk)."

Tan Zhenyang, University of Technology of Troyes, GSS

Yeh Sing Hwa, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, INSTEP AY11/12

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Quick Recipes
If you are traveling on a tight budget, cooking your own meals at backpackers hostels or in student dormitories where you live is a good way to save money. Eggs are tasty, easy to cook and available at any decent supermarket, so here are some recipes on how to make your meals more egg-citing!

Classic Omelette
Preparation time: 2 minutes Cooking time: 2 minutes

French Toast Recipe

Preparation time: 5 minutes Cooking time: 15 minutes INGREDIENTS 4 eggs 2/3 cup milk 2 teaspoons of cinnamon 8 thick slices of 2-day-old bread, better if slightly stale Butter Maple syrup Optional 2 teaspoons freshly grated orange zest 1/4 cup Triple Sec (orange-flavoured liqueur) Fresh berries METHOD 1. Beat eggs, milk, and cinnamon together. If using, add orange zest and/ or Triple Sec. Whisk until well blended. Pour into a shallow bowl. 2. Dip each slice of bread into the egg mixture, allowing bread to soak up some of the mixture. Melt some butter (or use vegetable oil) over a large skillet on medium high heat. Add as many slices of bread onto the skillet as will fit at a time. Fry until brown on both sides, flipping the bread when necessary. 3. Serve hot with butter, maple syrup, and if available, fresh berries. Yield: Serves 4. Recipe adapted from Simply Recipes, http://www.simplyrecipes.com/

INGREDIENTS 2 large eggs Pinch salt and pepper 1 tsp cold water 1 tsp oil METHOD 1. Gently beat the eggs together with salt, pepper and a teaspoon of cold water. 2. Warm a medium frying pan over a high heat and coat with some oil. 3. Pour the egg mixture into the centre of the pan and cook over a high heat for 12 minutes. 4. As the egg begins to set, use a spatula to push the set egg towards the omelette centre. Continue this action until the entire egg mixture is set. Cook the set omelette for another minute, then loosen the edges with a spatula and fold the omelette in half. 5. Tilt the pan and slide the omelette onto a warm plate and serve immediately on its own or with a crisp green salad. Micro Tip: You can also make omelettes in the microwave. Beat the eggs, water, salt and pepper. Place 1 tbsp of butter in an 18cm non-metallic pie dish and melt in the microwave on High for 30 seconds. Pour in the egg mixture, stand pie dish on an upturned plate in the microwave and cook on MEDIUM-HIGH for 1 minute. Use fork to draw the outside of the cooked egg into the centre of the dish and microwave on MEDIUM for a further 2 minutes. Stand for 1 minute before serving. Before your omelette is set, add your favourite filling such as cheese, ham, mushrooms, tomatoes or even chicken tikka. Yield: Serves 1.

Recipe adapted from http://www.eggrecipes.co.uk/

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