Before and After living one year in Singapore. What has changed?

It’s been a year since I moved in to Singapore and coming from Americas, this has changed so many ideas and perceptions about this unique country. But, where did these came from? The only source I had was the internet, so I watched many videos and read many blog posts about the place I had decided to move with my beautiful wife. Now, I understand there must be many bloggers that just write posts about what they hear in the news or have not been here.

• I used to be under the impression that this is a hyper-strict country with the rules, people go to jail for almost anything. Now, I consider that even though most people is very keen to follow the rules and laws I haven’t perceived extreme fear to the law. Most people I’ve talked to, are just ok with the kind of society they want and what it takes to have it. There are evident efforts from the government to have a multicultural, caring and respectful community. Also, they are very open to having new foreigners coming and incorporating into the society.
• This country is famous for the food, it seems like everything works around food. Well, this is definitely true. With the multi cultural society and so many influences from neighbor countries, there are so many authentic and fusion options everywhere. The most important influences on the Singaporean cuisine are Chinese, Malaysian, Indian, Indonesian, Filipino, Thai and British. Also, being so close to Japan, Korea, China and Australia is is easy to find authentic and fresh overseas products. An interesting fact, is that most Singaporeans don’t cook at home, instead they eat outside at restaurants, food courts or hawker centres. There are many affordable options everywhere and a very high demand for prepared food island-wide. On the other hand, that high demand ends with too many stalls offering the same dishes, which makes it difficult to find out which are the really good stalls. One would assume that the ones with long queues are the best, but I’ve found it is not always the case.

• There is great food everywhere. Well, there is food everywhere for sure and so many options from everywhere in the world. But, not always great. It takes a while to find out which places are good, even if checking for reviews and recommendations. Because of this, I’ve found that either I’ve become very picky with food, or that there are many people who don’t really care about quality, but more about price and short queues. I don’t want to give the wrong idea, I love being able to search and find very good restaurants and I’m thankful for this. It is better having to choose for the best than not having that option.

• People must only use pedestrian/zebra crossings. Haha, not true. Even with strict rules and fines so many people cross the streets anywhere. But, that is also less frequent than in Americas. A big difference is that the public infrastructure is very well thought and continues to be improved. Most main roads will have underpass tunnels, links between public transports and commercial buildings, pedestrian elevated bridges with accessibility for everyone, so that even bicycles can use these.

• It is way too expensive. This has definitely changed from what I thought. I’ve found that although having a car and rent is much more expensive, there are lots of options and prices for everyone. You choose how expensive it can be. Even alcoholic drinks, which are heavily taxed. You’ll always find places with cheap price tags and very expensive ones.

• It is a very secure country. This one remains until today. It is incredibly much more secure from what we see in Americas(yes, whole America not just US). Using public transport even until very late at night is not an issue, many people would walk alone wearing jewelry and expensive gadgets without any fear. For women, it is even more notorious. I had always heard female friends and relatives talk about how men will always say improper phrases, harass, follow and having a constant fear to being raped. This is not the case in Singapore.

• Religion, would my religion create any reaction?. I’ve felt no reaction towards my religious beliefs. Being a multicultural society, with Hindu, Buddhism, Taoism, Catholics, Muslims, … Everyone is very understanding of others having different beliefs, and as long as we feel the same way there are no issues at all. Non-muslim women are free to dress however they prefer and I haven’t seen any discrimination towards others.

• It is so small, and with a great public transport so it doesn’t make sense to have a car. Not really. Even with incredibly good public transport, it could take up to five times more to move to a further away area using public transport versus using a car. It is also easy to solve this by taking a taxi, a grab(instead of uber) or renting a car. Yet, buying one and owning your private car could be three times more expensive.

• Government services must be the same, corrupt and inefficient. Wow, this was a big surprise. Do you need to do any public transaction or errand? Don’t worry it will not take you weeks here, it actually works. You are able to do most from your phone applications or government websites. Public offices are open even on Sundays and holidays (half-day usually).

These are some real perceptions I’ve got from my experience living in Singapore through out one year mid and post pandemic. I recommend you keep looking, experience and reading about this wonderful country.