I obtained my Masters’ degree from NUS in 2005, and was employed as a full-time Teaching Assistant with the Department until July 2006. After this stint helping to educate students to the nuances of physical geography in Singapore (and Thailand!), I accepted the offer to start my Ph.D. at Arizona State University (ASU) from August 2006.

Apart from teaching undergraduate classes on introductory physical geography and meteorology these past few months, I’ve been getting used to the American education system. Frequent (and animated!) discussions on geography with my peers and professors often take place in classes, which often continue unabated at the nearby breweries after classes end! Just like in NUS, there is a very strong focus on inter-disciplinary research linkages and co-operation here, even at a graduate-school level. I’m part of a class held in the auspices of the recently-commissioned ASU School of Sustainability where notable faculty from different fields of study (e.g. Economics, Archeology, Engineering, Life Sciences etc.) discuss issues of sustainability with an eclectic bunch of graduate students, and thankfully the grounding I obtained from NUS Geography helps tremendously when I lead discussions and projects with others.

Getting used to a different culture (and climate!) took some time as well. As an entity, America really defies definition, as rarely a day goes by without me being stupefied by the sheer grandeur of this country. Being based in Phoenix is great for hikes to the brilliant beauty of Sedona and appreciating the magnificence of the nearby Grand Canyon, which is really inspirational for this physical geographer. Oh, and I’m only about 5 hours drive away from Las Vegas, but that’s another story…