I've had the lucky opportunity to take a business trip to Singapore. I'm still here and I can say its a nice "change" to TEDA.
I think living in China brings its challenges, especially around the language and culture. Whereas Singapore feels a lot more western and more diverse.
After my first week, I've already gotten a good feeling for the city and its people. All you need is a couple full weekends and you really get the hang of it, especially if you've ever been in bigger cities like New York, London or Beijing.
First, I love the diversity. After a couple months in China, surrounded by other Asian ethnics in Singapore is nice. There are still many Chinese, I believe about 70% make up the total population, but you also have a mixture of Malays and Indians. And what I didn't know until I arrived, a good amount of Filipinos! I can hear people speaking Tagalog everywhere. From my colleagues, to the people that work in the service industry, to the people that pass you by in the street.
Second, I love the food. Its good and its cheap. I love the Hawker centres! You have your traditional Singaporean food, and various different other varieties of Asian food that I've never tried before until this visit. I absolutely love the Laksa, Tutu kueh with peanut filling, Bak Kut Teh, BBQ Stingray, Chicken satay, and of course Chicken Rice! The expense of beer is another story though. Not so cheap.
Thirdly, there are too many shopping malls! I've never seen so many high end shops spread out through the city in my whole life. Usually you get your high end shops in one concentrated area in big cities, but I see Louis Vuitton and Gucci everywhere! The city comes off like everyone is making so much money!
Lastly, its so clean. Its probably because the fine for littering is pretty steep. Last I checked, it was SGD 300 (150 GBP) just for littering cigarette butts or candy wrappers! And you can't even eat in the train. Eating/Drinking on the train is a SGD 500 fine! I grabbed a quick snack before going sightseeing and started to eat my scone before entering the train. Bad idea! Luckily I saw the signs and stuffed my snack back into my backpack!
I've had a few more impressions, but those are the ones that stick out the most. Would I move here? Maybe. If the right timing and opportunity came along, I think me and my better half would consider it. For a couple years, I'll deal with the fact that there aren't any real seasons, but I wouldn't mind. After all, the rest of south east Asia would be at our doorstep! As London is a hub for Europe, I think Singapore would be the same for Asia! Maybe one day.
