kukumalu wrote:Dear Expats of Singapore,
I am a local guy who is really sick of the inane mind-numbing mall-hopping tedium of life in Singapore. This feeling is becoming especially acute ever since I came back from hiking Mount Kinabalu and all it's wonderful natural beauty.
I've tried asking around in my social circles for advice on overseas life and how it stacks up with sg, but it appears that no one has any useful insights to offer. If anything, the propaganda instinct goes into overdrive and all the other countries 'unsafe', 'crime everywhere', 'boring', 'no shopping', 'racism', 'no maid', etc etc all starts spewing out.
I really want to get out of this place, at least for a while and if it's not too much trouble I would like to seek some small insights as to whether sg living is really all that great. Almost everyone I know seems to really believe that we are the best place to live in and somehow I dont quite feel its true
Thanks so much!
What type of work do you do? Maybe you could teach Mandarin Chinese abroad if that's something you think you'd enjoy. The only reason I mention that is because I've heard of Americans going abroad for a few years to teach English.
Another thing some people on here mentioned was Singapore's low taxes. However, I think the high prices of rent/housing, cars and groceries here negates that.
As far as what your friends have told you......
Also, anyone can be a victim of crime, but it's less likely if you stay away from shady characters such as drug dealers and lock your doors. Another thing, the government controls the news media in Sg, so you only hear what is "approved." I've seen crime stories buried on page 10 of the newspaper here, whereas they might make headlines if the same thing happened elsewhere. Maybe bad things are more known about other countries because they have a more freer press not affiliated with the government.
There's plenty of shopping most cities and it's more affordable. It's just that Sg is a series of overpriced malls on steroids. When I got here I was shocked how many malls there were and wondered how they could all stay in business.
Racism is everywhere. I can't speak for most of the world, but the majority of Americans don't have anything against Asians. There are lots of Asians in America, especially in large cities. Most of the racist Americans live in small towns in the "deep south" and they're too busy bad-mouthing Hispanics and blacks to worry about Asians. Another thing, some Sg businesses require job applicants to provide a photo with their resume. That in itself is racism. Why should it matter what a person looks like? Why not look at their qualifications/experience and not judge by looks/skin color? That kind of stuff would not be allowed in the USA unless someone is applying for a job as an actor/model.
No maid. Yes! That's true. There's something to be said for being able to do things for yourself and to have privacy, although many will disagree with me. Minimum wage laws (which Sg lacks) make the cost of live-in maids unaffordable in many Western nations, which is why only billionaires might have them. There are weekly/monthly housekeeping services, though. It's so funny how people come over to my place in Sg with a look of disbelief on their face and say stuff like, "You don't have a helper? You do this all by yourself? You clean yourself? You cook your own food?" I have to laugh and say it's no big deal.