After spending approximately one-and-a-half years in Singapore, Jim and Venitha are leaving the Asian city-state of Singapore to fly back to the USA. Living and working in Singapore brought them a plethora of experiences--some good, some bad. They appreciated and enjoyed the things that Singapore had to offer, like the culture and the travel opportunities. Still, they are not at all sorry about the prospect of going back home.

Jim and Venitha

January 29 2007 

-Where were you born?
Wisconsin, USA

-In which country and city are you living now?
Singapore

-Are you living alone or with your family?
Just the two of us, a couple in our late 30’s, married for ten years.

-How long have you been living in Singapore?
19 months

-What is your age?
Late 30’s

-When did you come up with the idea of living in Singapore?
The job opportunity presented itself for Jim about 9 months before we actually moved, and we’d talked about being open to the possibility for at least a year before that. Co-workers who had traveled to Singapore and/or were currently living there were very encouraging, and we liked that Singapore was “Asia Lite,” yet presented many exciting travel opportunities.

-Was it hard to get a visa or a working permit?
Given that we both had jobs lined up (with the same companies we worked for before the move), no. Obscene amount of paperwork, though.

-Was it difficult for you to get medical insurance before you went there or when you first arrived?
No, and again this was thanks to the companies we work for. Figuring out the process for getting our medical insurance to reimburse us for our medical expenses, however, was a complete nightmare.

-How do you make your living in Singapore? Do you have any type of income generated?
We both had jobs lined up before we moved (with the same companies we already worked for in the US), with Jim’s company sponsoring the move and providing the “package,” and Venitha’s company riding on the coattails.

-Do you speak the local language and do you think it's important to speak the local language?
Most Singaporeans speak English (for some definition of English), which is a huge advantage for a Westerner wanting to move to Asia. Jim and I took a Malay language class, mostly for fun, and it was very helpful in learning a lot of the local idioms and foods. Many locals also speak Mandarin, and while knowing some Mandarin would certainly have added to our experience here, it’s definitely not necessary.

Regarding local customs, part of the fun of living in Singapore is the wide variety of religious holidays that are observed, though it’s unfortunately very difficult to befriend locals so you can see how these holidays are truly celebrated.

-Do you miss home and family sometimes?
Absolutely. It’s far more difficult that we had expected to be across the world from aging parents and growing nieces and nephews, and we miss our lifestyle in the US, especially its many outdoor recreational activities, more than I’d have believed.

The limited recreational activities available here is one of our chief complaints, as indicated by the fact that our top one, travel, requires actually leaving the country. But Singapore is a great launching pad for anywhere and everywhere in SE Asia, and we’ve really made the most of this, traveling somewhere new and exotic nearly every month we’ve been here. Within Singapore, we’ve attended international sporting events (badminton, table tennis, rugby) and seen many cultural shows (West Side Story, Forbidden City, Stomp) and concerts (Eric Clapton) at Singapore’s world-class venues, and enjoyed the wide variety of celebrated religious holidays. Singapore also has many excellent museums and art galleries and a fabulous zoo. Jim laughingly lists massage as his favorite recreational activity here. No, he does not mean “happy ending” massages, though that’s readily available as well.

-Do you have other plans for the future?
We’re currently in the process of moving home. We’ve got less than a week left in Singapore, and we couldn’t be happier about it.

-What about housing, have you bought, or are you renting a home? How much do you pay for it?
We’re renting a condo. We (actually, Jim’s employer) pay S$3500/month for a 19th-floor three-bedroom penthouse apartment, including a fabulous rooftop garden with an incredible view of the city.

-What is the cost of living in Singapore?
Jim receives a cost-of-living adjustment that implies that it’s more expensive here than at home, but we find it very inexpensive to live here, primarily because we’re happy using the wonderful (and cheap!) public transportation instead of owning a car. In general, necessities here are cheaper, and luxuries are more expensive. For example, food, especially eating out, which is the norm for the locals, can be very affordable; alcohol, on the other hand, is ridiculously expensive.

-What do you think about the Singaporean people?
We’ve found the locals to be impolite, unfriendly, and unhappy in general - and fairly indifferent to foreigners. They work a lot, and many have few interests outside of work besides food, shopping, and family. Most Singaporeans grew up here and have their entire families and lifelong friends here, so have no interest in spending their limited time getting to know someone who won’t be around for long.

Singapore’s enormous population of expats more than makes up for this, however, and we’ve made wonderful friends here from all over the world. I had been told all of this before we moved here, and I was determined to break the mold, to make Singaporean friends and not just to hang out with other expats. This attitude made for a very lonely and unhappy first six months here and was a big mistake. Friends make all the difference in the world.

-What are the positive and negative aspects of living in Singapore?
The positives: the travel opportunities, the fact that it’s an Asian country that speaks English, the enormous expat population, not having to drive, great food.

The negatives: the weather (it’s impossible to stress enough the wide-ranging effects of Singapore’s hot and humid weather, from how fit I am, to what leisure activities I do, to my hair, to how much I enjoy Christmas, to…), the complete lack of work/life balance, the distance from family, unhappy and unfriendly locals.

-Do you have any tips for our readers about living in Singapore?
* If outdoor recreation is important to you, think long and hard before moving here. My initial reaction to the first things I learned about Singapore (that it’s hot and that the people love shopping and eating) was that I would hate it here, and I was absolutely correct, in spite of going into the move with a very positive attitude.
* If you’re a normal-sized westerner (no, I don’t mean fat), bring all the clothes and shoes you’re going to want with you.
* It’s well worth the effort it takes to learn the bus system.
* Easily the best thing about living here is the many fabulous travel destinations nearby – take advantage of it! We went somewhere nearly every month we were here.

-Do you have any favorite Web sites or blogs about Singapore?
*Singapore Adventure – The good, the bad, and the ugly about our life in Singapore, start to finish, including lots of tales of our travels.
*Expat Singapore – Great resource for expats in Singapore. Includes incredibly useful, though very negative, message boards.