Wd40 wrote: ↑Fri, 01 Apr 2022 11:04 pm
malcontent wrote: ↑Wed, 30 Mar 2022 12:42 am
Lisafuller wrote: ↑Wed, 30 Mar 2022 12:19 am
Goodness. At least he knew when to leave, some expats develop an attachment to SG over time and refuse to leave even when they could be doing much better for themselves elsewhere.
Humans are creatures of habit.
Plus, being on an island surrounded by countries with just a fraction of the same level of development and wealth, I have noticed there is a certain level of group think here which seems to propagate this odd sense that Singapore is the ultimate rung on the ladder and living here is some kind of rarified existence that cannot be found anywhere else in the world. This kind of thinking then spreads and becomes reality for many.
Well, that example of French guy going to Geneva. Actually, I am not even sure what he was doing in Singapore. Singapore is to an Indian what Switzerland is to a French guy, I mean the weather, the food, the language. The reason many Indians are here is because there is a lot of commonality. But for French guy working here for 6k, makes no sense. I know a lot of Indians who have moved on from SG to Australia, Europe etc, but that takes initiative and consider the trades offs, to give up all the nice familiar things here.
Indians would relate to this; when we go to an vegetable store you buy like a basket full of vegetables and the guy gives you like curry leaves and corriander for free! This is like an unwritten rule in India and the same is followed in Singapore Indian vegetable stores. We know an Indian family who went to Zurich and they had to pay like 10CHF to get a small bunch of corriander leaves lol. Here we can just step out in our shorts and sandals, we dont need to own a car, we just catch a bus and in 5 stops we are a mall and that is our favorite passtime in India too, to window shop in a mall and eat at the food court. In Zurich, you need to look at the weather, wear all those hefty clothing and then learn to walk and drive in the snow. We had a trip to North India where it snows and the temperature is like sub 0 and it was a shock for us, even walking on the road with frozen snow is a challenge, you need to have proper shoes, we just kept skidding and falling. In developed countries they probably have lot of resources to clear the snow, put salt etc. But it just goes to show how different it is over there and here and the adaptation that is needed.
Hey Wd40 it’s been a while since I saw you post!
Your post above reminded me of how every Mexican restaurant in the US always give a free basket of chips and salsa when you have a meal there, but here I have to pay $10-15!
So true, everywhere is different. I often here Singaporeans complaining about how they can’t get a cheap meal in the US for S$3 like they can at a hawker center here.
I then explain how you have to look for the value menu at the fast food joints. Whenever I want a cheap meal in the US, I usually head to Taco Bell and get a beefy cheese burrito for $1.79 plus an ice water for $0… I think that might be more calories per dollar than you can get here! And, water is always free in the US.
The other thing we often do is split a dish, because the portion is so huge — yes, you might pay $6-8 for a meal at Panda Express or Chipotle, but that one meal is plenty for two!
Another way to save money if you are on the move, keep a cooler with ice in your trunk and fill it with a 12 pack of soda from the grocery store. Instead of paying $2-2.50 to buy a drink at the gas station, it’s less than 50 cents.
The system in the US is set up for convenience, but you often end up paying dearly for it… if you are smart, you will learn the tricks.