Subcontinental PR Abuse....... :x

[Hidy Ho]

The title of the article, if you bothered to open it up, was:

ST REPORT REVEALS INDIAN FTS PREFER TO SEND THEIR KIDS TO INTERNATIONAL INSTEAD OF LOCAL SCHOOLS

I was linking a specific article. I further went on to include ALL abusers from MY point of view. Maybe you ought to read for context next time. Hmmmm?

I actually bothered to read all your posting and the article.

The title was pretty much YOUR own words (abuse) and even included mad emoticon that pointed to one particular group of people ... then you CYA'd by including ALL. That's how I read it .... hmmmmm????

[Hidy Ho]

On the other extreme, there are people who don't or don't even try to integrate into their "adoptive" countries.

I see examples of this in Singapore and Thailand all the time. People who's pretty much left their "home country" to come live here for long time and yet somehow feel the need to keep looking down on their "new home" and see themselves as "different" from them ... even after say 10+ yrs.

[Wd40]

+1.
Yes, how do you forget your past or history. I believe people of Indian descent have a great system where you can keep ties to India by your race.

On the other extreme, there are people who don't or don't even try to integrate into their "adoptive" countries.

This is true with most of the 1st gen migrants, regardless of race. Its only the 2nd gen and later that you can expect to integrate with into their "adoptive" countries.

Also the fact that you easily get your own kind of people in such abundance, makes it harder to integrate. For eg. in my office(MNC bank) so many Indians, my team has only Indians, I haven't even picked up Singlish yet, because I just dont get to speak with locals at all.

My wife though worked for a local IT company and interacted with lots of locals and has picked up quite a bit of Singlish and she speaks it subconciously quite often

[sundaymorningstaple]

The title of the article, if you bothered to open it up, was:

ST REPORT REVEALS INDIAN FTS PREFER TO SEND THEIR KIDS TO INTERNATIONAL INSTEAD OF LOCAL SCHOOLS

I was linking a specific article. I further went on to include ALL abusers from MY point of view. Maybe you ought to read for context next time. Hmmmm?

I actually bothered to read all your posting and the article.

The title was pretty much YOUR own words (abuse) and even included mad emoticon that pointed to one particular group of people ... then you CYA'd by including ALL. That's how I read it .... hmmmmm????

There's your problem. The title referenced the article. My additions and emoticon pointed to abuse regardless of who it was by. But you are welcome to read it any way you feel like, that's your prerogative.

[katbh]

And what I do not think has been touched upon much here, is how welcome do you feel and would this mean you are more likely to want citizenship.
I know when I came here I loved it, loved the people, it was the best country in the world, lectured my friends about how their countries could learn a lesson from Singapore etc. I went through the first 7 year expat experience - love, distain, love etc.
I wanted, after setting down strong social and business ties here, to become a citizen and become a Singaporean, but I also knew that as an Ang Moh, I could never be one. I am tired of being asked where I am from...I tell them Joo Chiat...that annoys the crap out of the asker. I am tired of being asked when am I going 'home'. Wow, and here I was thinking that Singapore was home. I am tired of people being surprised because I work, do not have a maid, have children in local schools, eat in food courts etc. These would never be 'surprises' if I was a new immigrant from China.
And conversely, in my country of origin, I would never ask this (where are you from or when are you going home) of someone of a different race ..... I am just as likely to find that the Chinese couple running the local takeaway have families who have lived in the country more generations than mine. And to ask a person of a different race 'when are you going home' sounds redneck / skinhead in the extreme.

[x9200]

+1.
Yes, how do you forget your past or history. I believe people of Indian descent have a great system where you can keep ties to India by your race.

On the other extreme, there are people who don't or don't even try to integrate into their "adoptive" countries.

[..]
My wife though worked for a local IT company and interacted with lots of locals and has picked up quite a bit of Singlish and she speaks it subconciously quite often

So if you are not kiasualized enough or still show some common courtesy, does it mean you are not well integrated?

[x9200]

[..] I could never be one. I am tired of being asked where I am from...I tell them Joo Chiat...that annoys the crap out of the asker. I am tired of being asked when am I going 'home'.

Weird a bit. I have never been asked the later question. I am asked pretty frequently the first and then I typically respond with some sort "I am already local" variation and I don't see people get annoyed. But it's true that being an Angmoh does not help too much in integration or better say gaining some trust on the social ground. Also the local culture does not help too much.

[QRM]

. And to ask a person of a different race 'when are you going home' sounds redneck / skinhead in the extreme.

Though it is understandable, we are on a very small island with a huge transient population, bit like meeting folks in an airport.

I just dug out my kids school year book from 2011, over half of her class of 25 have moved on or returned to their home countries.

[the lynx]

I am tired of being asked when am I going 'home'.

On the other side of a coin, I've often been asked by the locals, "So you want to apply for PR?" when I'm very sure that I'm merely here for work. And I'm the type who won't apply for PR unless I'm very certain to be a permanent resident here.

I feel that the question is as crass as, "So you're going to marry our men and be a citizen here?"

[zzm9980]

[..] I could never be one. I am tired of being asked where I am from...I tell them Joo Chiat...that annoys the crap out of the asker. I am tired of being asked when am I going 'home'.

Weird a bit. I have never been asked the later question. I am asked pretty frequently the first and then I typically respond with some sort "I am already local" variation and I don't see people get annoyed. But it's true that being an Angmoh does not help too much in integration or better say gaining some trust on the social ground. Also the local culture does not help too much.

I've been asked both like Katbh. I'd say about 50% of my cab rides alone. I answer "I'm from Marine Parade". The topic quickly steers as they ask "WAA! You live in HDB one?" We can then bond on "Condo so expensive laa".

The other 50% of the time as mentioned, the conversation inevitably goes directly into talking about Orchard Tower or Geylang, as the cabbie just assumes I'm only visiting and that's the only thing I care about.

[Wd40]

And what I do not think has been touched upon much here, is how welcome do you feel and would this mean you are more likely to want citizenship.
I know when I came here I loved it, loved the people, it was the best country in the world, lectured my friends about how their countries could learn a lesson from Singapore etc. I went through the first 7 year expat experience - love, distain, love etc.
I wanted, after setting down strong social and business ties here, to become a citizen and become a Singaporean, but I also knew that as an Ang Moh, I could never be one. I am tired of being asked where I am from...I tell them Joo Chiat...that annoys the crap out of the asker. I am tired of being asked when am I going 'home'. Wow, and here I was thinking that Singapore was home. I am tired of people being surprised because I work, do not have a maid, have children in local schools, eat in food courts etc. These would never be 'surprises' if I was a new immigrant from China.
And conversely, in my country of origin, I would never ask this (where are you from or when are you going home) of someone of a different race ..... I am just as likely to find that the Chinese couple running the local takeaway have families who have lived in the country more generations than mine. And to ask a person of a different race 'when are you going home' sounds redneck / skinhead in the extreme.

Yeah, it is typical stereotyping. How often do you see Ang Mohs walking under HDB blocks or in food courts or in the HDB children's play area.
Also it is a Asian cultural thing to become curious and ask questions directly, some that could be very personal.
I wouldnt take the question about "Where you are from?" as such a bad thing, they are genuinely curious to know which country you are from and may be start a conversation.
Although, asking "When are you going home?" is definitely a rude thing and they really want you to know you are a foreigner.
People ask me the 1st question very often and when I say I am from India and I work in IT, the response is usually very good like "Indians are very good in IT" and "I have been to India, to visit the buddhist piligrim places" or "For business in Bangalore"
People also ask "Have you applied for PR?" usually when it comes to housing related and when you tell them that you are blowing up so much in rent, they usually get back "Apply PR, lah and you buy a house and you will save money" ofcourse deep inside they might be thinking something else.

[Wd40]

On the other extreme, there are people who don't or don't even try to integrate into their "adoptive" countries.

[..]
My wife though worked for a local IT company and interacted with lots of locals and has picked up quite a bit of Singlish and she speaks it subconciously quite often

So if you are not kiasualized enough or still show some common courtesy, does it mean you are not well integrated?

Yeah! Integration basically means being one among them, walk like them, talk like them. Its almost impossible for the 1st gen migrants to become like that unless you do atleast some part of schooling with the locals.

You need to live here through the events, watch the local TV shows etc to even understand some of their jokes.

[Mi Amigo]

So if you are not kiasualized enough or still show some common courtesy, does it mean you are not well integrated?

I LOL'd at that

[ecureilx]

You need to live here through the events, watch the local TV shows etc to even understand some of their jokes.

One of the contestants in the Final 1, speaks, behave very Singaporean, though her parents are 1st Gen .. and I had a tough time accepting and I was super-convinced the person who was mentioning her roots was bluffing .. until I knew who her mother was .. the mother just needs to say few words to prove she isn't local ..

And a co-volunteer, A Brit living here for dozens of years, speaks Mandarin too, but 9 out of 10 times the response comes back in English as some cannot accept an Ang Moh speaking fuent mandarin

Then again, an Indonesian, chinese descent friend, who speaks virtually zero Mandarin and only Hokkein, gets scolded often by local aunties in coffee shop etc. when she cannot reply back in Mandarin, as the local aunties and uncles demand she speak Mandarin ..

Tough to 'integrate' and it is not so cut and clear ..

and +1 for X9200

[sundaymorningstaple]

I only get those questions with the under 40 generations. Most of the Chinese educated above 40 (who are primarily Channel 8 watchers) already recognize me as me Ang Mo face appeared in over 100 different Mandarin Serials over an 18 years period from 1988 till around 2006 when I stopped taking on part time acting roles with SBC/TCS/MediaCorp & MediaWorks. But it's good when you walk into kopitiams & the drinks auntie or chicken rice seller recognizes you with an " ahh, you SBC/TCS/'Mr. Brown' izzit?" Yah Lah!. "Wahlau! See you long time olredi." Then get extra boneless breast on Chicken Rice!