Singapore Expats

First impressions you get, when you arrive in Singapore.

I arrived yesterday and my senses are being bombarded, so I'd like to note some of them down before I get used to them. I thought it might be a potentially useful 'what to expect' topic, for people on the cusp of relocating into Singapore.

I've had a similar form of list of unexpected impressions when moving to other countries, AND even when moving back home after a long time away. So please, this is not a place to whinge, rather it is a place to make observations of differences that hit you on day 1+ in-country.

- It's hot and humid, but if I walk slowly it's ok. I've managed to break only one bead of sweat so far.
- It's crowded, people are much closer to me than I am used to.
- Changi airport has duty-free on arrival. I suggest you max out your allowances. Very friendly staff.
- Friendly taxi-driver, though he was grumbling about plans to raise the population.
- Hotel front desk. Doing the 'love bomb' on us, whilst trying to sell us internet and dining plans. It wore thin very quickly, considering our long journey.
- Dinner at the food court at Wisma Atria. The food was good, but my God that place is noisy. Clearing trolleys of plates, incessantly being pushed along, over uneven mosaic tiled flooring! ... agh!
- Only one stall has beer, AND the price :-O
- Most things seem extremely expensive.
- At Orchard Road. The lack of dress-sense. Young girls dressed in pink towelling baby-doll sets, coupled with black knee-length leather platform gladiator sandals.
- So many unattractive young people.
- Most young men dress, act, and/or appear homosexual.
- In the supermarket food section, a 'promoter' is incessantly ringing a bell (hotel front-desk style). It lends to a sense of insanity and chaos. At the fridge section another is encouraging me to buy sake... [Thinks: Please just go away!]. People leaning right across me at a fridge unit, trying to force me to move out of their way.
- Local friends come and visit, and within first 2 minutes ask what the hotel room costs, and how much for our flights.
- Special offers that underwhelm, example 'Hitachino Nest beer, Usual price $10.90 for 1*330ml bottle, special price $9.85'.
- Genuine OMG!!! RIGHT now, looking over at neighbouring building c50 or less feet away and a stark-bollock naked man is having a shower in FULL-view.
- Then remembering that if it were a female, *I* could be arrested for voyeurism just for noticing.
- Then noticing a congregation of young ladies who appear to be foreign working girls, waiting for the night to get going.
... and so on...



- Just moved from major W/Euro city.
(This is my 3rd time moving into Singapore, hence my interest in considring the culture shock and experience)

We came back from a 2 week vacation from Bangalore and I am sweating like a pig right now, while siting on my sofa and the stand fan ON and it rained today! Yet its so humid

Have to say though that I am living in the top floor, so that doesnt help.

Agree with the duty free shopping. Although you dont save much when you are a beer drinker and looking for the cheapest deals. I got 12 cans of Stella Artois for ~2$ each can. Not bad

The things we buy at DF are of high alcohol content. Vodka / gin etc. get tripled in price after crossing the border.

On a side note, pigs don't have sweat glands

Everything JR said....

First impressions say a lot, good noting them while they're still fresh. Us? We're jaded to all that nonsense.

" - Local friends come and visit, and within first 2 minutes ask what the hotel room costs, and how much for our flights. "

Classic.

When is there going to be a "Don't Be Tacky Campaign"?

Brah wrote:When is there going to be a "Don't Be Tacky Campaign"?

When they do, it will be the beginning of a long and protracted campaign to eliminate a culture (or the embodiment of a lack thereof).

Just went out for an end-of-eve stroll, I wanted take-out ice-cream really, but just got out of the hotel and got a group hit-on by 3 young girls (a 'Group-on'?)

Weird - respectable looking, very attractive... but so clearly on the game, or some game.

Shock + saddened for them too.

p.s small pot of HD or BJ ice-cream $8-9, for like 100ml...

Welcome back JR8! Interesting (and funny in places) to read your comments on arrival. How much more expensive do you think it is now compared to when you last lived here? Being here over 9 years now, we've seen how the prices have just gone up year on year, but it must be more of a shock to be away for a while and then see a step change on your return.

Actually I wonder if he's arrived on the cusp of a downward trend - less foreigners, lower rents (but goods and services are still high for most things), higher tensions, changing business demographics.

Brah wrote:Actually I wonder if he's arrived on the cusp of a downward trend - less foreigners, lower rents (but goods and services are still high for most things), higher tensions, changing business demographics.

We've been saying that for years and yet.......



With regards the airport duty free, as Wd40 said, skip the beer and the wine, only buy the spirits. Best is to get beer and wine in your suitcase from just about anywhere else on the planet.

Mi Amigo wrote:Welcome back JR8! Interesting (and funny in places) to read your comments on arrival. How much more expensive do you think it is now compared to when you last lived here? Being here over 9 years now, we've seen how the prices have just gone up year on year, but it must be more of a shock to be away for a while and then see a step change on your return.

Thank you!

I only made it into a Watsons and 7-11 last night (well, after dinner out), so give it a full day here and I might have a better feel.


...later!

Brah wrote:... lower rents ...

No lower rents yet, quite the opposite. We recently moved house, the rental for 2BR HDB around Katong/Paya Lebar is now $2,500. Decided to get condo instead for a few hundred more.
I am wondering though whether that will change soon, but we have been waiting for that for years already ...

JR8 wrote:First impressions you get, when you arrive in Singapore.

- At Orchard Road. The lack of dress-sense. Young girls dressed in pink towelling baby-doll sets, coupled with black knee-length leather platform gladiator sandals.
- So many unattractive young people.
- Special offers that underwhelm, example 'Hitachino Nest beer, Usual price $10.90 for 1*330ml bottle, special price $9.85'.

LOL. We came from korea/Los Angeles so it was quite the shock..

I thought it was just me that felt the "special discount" here was a joke. At the market I frequent, Meidi-ya, their sale is always 5.50 on sale for 5.38! I don't think 20 cents in Singapore really makes a difference.

yk2366 wrote:I thought it was just me that felt the "special discount" here was a joke. At the market I frequent, Meidi-ya, their sale is always 5.50 on sale for 5.38! I don't think 20 cents in Singapore really makes a difference.

It's a big deal for some people. I remember reading about someone complaining to SBS about being charged extra for bus fare. SBS then mailed her a cheque for 10 cents. The woman then took a bus to the bank to deposit the cheque. She said it's the principle of the thing, even though she just spent 63 cents more just to get a 10 cent discount.

x9200 wrote:The things we buy at DF are of high alcohol content. Vodka / gin etc. get tripled in price after crossing the border.

On a side note, pigs don't have sweat glands

But they stink