Minor Annoyances

[Skeeter01]

Okay so I have been here 5 days and I am just getting to know my way around and I have immediately noticed several things

On the stairs and escalators of the MRT/buildings people generally walk on the left or stand left - walk right but in the open spaces in a crowd it seems to be a free-for all with no discernible pattern. Is this like an ant colony and there is organization but I just cannot see it or is it just random ?

Personal space when standing or walking seems to be alot closer than I am used to. I am bumping people on the MRT/sidewalk everyday.

In London or NY people seem to walk fast on the sidewalks here they walk painfully slow. I am constantly running up the back of people.

If I am in the MRT looking at a map, someone will come up and stand right in front of me. If I was back home I would just push them out of the way - if it happened at all.

At buildings/malls there are taxi ques. If I don't stand in the exact proper spot people will assume that I am just a moron standing around because its fun and get in a cab in front of me.
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Your observations welcome!

[JR8]

Yes to all of those points hehe..... welcome to Singapore!

[Mad Scientist]

In SG term COMPLETE IGNORANCE TO SPATIAL AWARENESS.

Need I say more ?

[Mary Hatch Bailey]

Yep, all true and there are a dozen more you haven't discovered yet! There are some good points as well, many, many positives, but they are harder to notice, mostly because you don't notice the lack of something as easily.

Were you afraid taking money out of the ATM?
Did you step in piles of dog crap alighting from a taxi?
Was the pollution so bad you couldn't see out your window?
Was the MRT late?

Learn to take the good with the bad and you'll be fine. Dwell on the bad and I give you six months...

[sundaymorningstaple]

This is true. Spatial awareness is only a term that is found in a text book. There is not concept of what it actually is or means. But, what to do? If you want home, stay home.

[JR8]

This is true. Spatial awareness is only a term that is found in a text book. There is not concept of what it actually is or means. But, what to do? If you want home, stay home.

Spatial awareness man, moving from NYC to SG I found the presumed proximity extremely offensive. Call me weird, but I don't want complete strangers rubbing up against me thanks!

Learn to really hate, that's my tip.

[nakatago]

Next on Mythbusters: Spatial awareness in southeast Asia

...myth busted.


Welcome to Singapore.

[sundaymorningstaple]

Call me weird, but I don't want complete strangers rubbing up against me thanks!

Bet you didn't complain when she did it at the bar though!

[x9200]

Okay so I have been here 5 days and I am just getting to know my way around and I have immediately noticed several things

5 days only and already annoyances. Unless you are extraordinarily adaptive there is a lot of hard time ahead of you.

[ev-disinfection]

People here keep to the left on stairs and escalators, the right are for people to overtake (in a hurry).
But this will only happen on stairs and escalators, and not on the roads, so the regular expats here will tell you...

New Yorker moving to SG is like SG moving to Perth.

Welcome to Singapore

[beppi]

I had very similar feelings every time I relocated to a new country (and that has been many times!).
Fact is, there are changes and different habits and human nature seems to see the negative in some of this more than the positive, as a previous poster already pointed out.
The key is to learn to see it as different, not worse. Why should the whole world have the same preferences as you? For all you know, maybe the others see you as rude for some of the things you do as "normal"!
In addition, please make a trip to India - you'll never complain about the lack of personal distance again - while here there's usually still a gap between people, there it's always body contact!

[sundaymorningstaple]

What do you expect from a country much like Indonesia whereas the guys walk down the street holding hands like their preferences where slightly left of centre.

[Wind In My Hair]

The key is to learn to see it as different, not worse. Why should the whole world have the same preferences as you? For all you know, maybe the others see you as rude for some of the things you do as "normal"!

I like Beppi!

And yes it's true that many expats don't realise when their behaviours come across as rude to locals, like complaining incessantly about their host country and its people.

Skeeter, welcome! Be prepared for people who halt on escalator landings to decide whether to turn left or right next, who stop dead in their tracks without looking back to see if anyone is walking behind them, and who suddenly take a few steps back and literally butt straight into you with their hair in your face.

A very loud "EXCUUUUUSE MEEEEE !!!" generally gives you a wider berth

[vbelle]

What do you expect from a country much like Indonesia whereas the guys walk down the street holding hands like their preferences where slightly left of centre.

you mean india? referring to beppi post?

[prkravi]

The first few days anywhere is bound to be different cmon.

Give it a try there are many who love this place for what it is...
I'd like to see how you feel after say 5 months? Thats the time it takes i feel to sink in.