By Noh Sangeun (23S06Q)

My fun fact is having a backup fun fact: that I’m Korean. As Shin Jiyeon (23S03O) puts it, the common response to this is that everyone already knows.

While it might not make for an exciting self-introduction, being Korean has certainly shaped my experience in Singapore, as it presumably has for the twenty thousand-odd others of Korean nationality living in the country. For this article, I interviewed four Korean RI students to find out more about their perspectives on living in Singapore as Koreans.

By Hsiao Jia Ying (23A01C), Natalie Tan (23A01B), and Tay Yu Ning (23S06E)

When asked about how they spend their free time, the average RI student would probably respond with: “I play video games!”, “I listen to music!”, or even the very sad, “I’m behind on lectures so I have no free time”. But for Randall Neo (23A01E), his hobby is collecting vinyls. Every once in a while, he goes down to the vinyl store to flip through their vinyls, before picking out just one or two that he likes. 

Randall is but one of several students in RI who have the uncommon hobby of collecting unconventional items. 

From empty bubble tea cups to bus memorabilia and twentieth-century-pressed vinyls, these students’ hobbies have allowed them to discover a new side to themselves as well as connect with others having similar interests. 

By Chern Huan Yee (22S06A) and Shreya Singh (23S03C)

Looking for a new hobby to pick up in the future? As part of our mini-series on RI students with interesting hobbies, we’re introducing three hobbyists with creative past-times that are a bit less common than most – perhaps here you’ll find your next passion project!