Life in Singapore

November 28, 2007 7:30 AM

I'm considering applying for a maths PhD in Singapore. I'm from the UK. I'd like some thoughts on living there for an extended period. As far as I can tell there's been a certain degree of liberalization recently - any opinion on that?
posted by topynate to society & culture (7 comments total)

I think there has been, simply because you can't be as techno-mad as Singapore and completely resist liberalization. I lived there in the mid-80s, while in middle school, and it was a pleasant place to live as a kid but I can't imagine living there now.

A story I like to tell people about my time in Singapore: you know school sometimes have newspapers? With things like Mr. So-And-So is celebrating his 20th year teaching, our basketball team the Singapore Such-and-Suches are playing the Hong Kong Whatsits on Saturday, stuff like that. We had one, and in order to even print it, we had to get a authorization from the government. Every issue had a little number on it.

So I'm sorry I don't have anything to contribute here of a timely nature. I'll definitely be watching this post though; I'd love to visit Singapore again someday.
posted by the dief at 8:05 AM on November 28, 2007

Liberalisation is happening, but don't expect it to be even half as liberal as the average western nation; the media is still very much self-censored, and you'll find that people generally don't speak up as much as they do elsewhere.

Some things are as you hear from others (heavy traffic fines), other things are not (chewing gum ban - only bringing through customs and sales are prohibited, chewing it is not).

I'm not quite sure where to start describing what life is like, or even points that might be pertinent (since I've never lived in the US or UK), so if you have key concerns just raise them and we'll try to answer.
posted by kureshii at 10:36 AM on November 28, 2007

Thank you both.

Let's see... can you work, e.g. do tuition of some form?

Is the social life good enough that it won't bore after three/four years? I'm thinking bars, clubs etc. - I gather the food is excellent.

How affordable is it to live there?

How common is it to see foreign students and young adults? How many of those are from the West?

What sort of things might you experience living in Singapore that you wouldn't get to, necessarily, as a tourist? What sort of adjustments would it be necessary, or advisable, to make to avoid making too many horrific faux pas?
posted by topynate at 11:00 AM on November 28, 2007

I think one thing to remember is that Singapore is a city, an island, and a country, with all the benefits (organization, easy to get around, political stability) and disadvantages (parochialism, local hierarchies, lots of bureaucracy) of each of those political entities. And the island factor makes it easy to forget that right next door is massive Indonesia (an amazing place to live and visit - I did both last year and LOVED it, and Singapore is just an hour's ferry ride from the Indonesian island of Batam) and up-and-coming Malaysia, and is a few hours from places as diverse as Thailand, India, China, and Australia.

Also, its regional uniqueness can't really be overstated: Singapore is majority-Chinese, majority-non-Muslim, developed, and as pro-business as a country can possibly be, basically - all in total contrast to all of its neighbors.

I say apply for the position (NUS?) and think of it as a regional base for exploration and discovery. It's the hub of the region, well-connected to the rest of the world, and probably at least as interesting as Britain as a place to hang your hat for a few years. All that in addition to the benefits of doing a PhD abroad, from networking with a different circle of fellow academics to finding out how much you like the idea of living and working abroad.
posted by mdonley at 11:50 AM on November 28, 2007

What sort of things might you experience living in Singapore that you wouldn't get to, necessarily, as a tourist?

Speaking as a Singaporean, IMHO, you don't get to really know or experience the culture, or the city's underground / seedier sides as a short-term tourist. There are a lot of interesting activities [e.g. music gigs, art shows] that take place which aren't always advertised or known to tourists. Sometimes the fun stuff to do may require the help of a local friend bringing you around, or a fair bit of urban exploring. Tourists tend to see the shiny, packaged side which is very different from how most Singaporeans live their day-to-day lives.

What sort of adjustments would it be necessary, or advisable, to make to avoid making too many horrific faux pas?

As a country we're quite Westernized, and most people are forgiving of foreigners who accidentally commit a faux pas.

Try to pick up the local pidgin - Singlish - or at least little phrases of it. It will endear you to many people, especially the older folk, and is a sign of you being like 'one of us'. Great for getting people to loosen up in social situations... down to communicating to the food seller at the market... or bargaining. While we're used to foreigners from the West living and working amongst us, many Singaporeans are still shy or cagey towards foreigners. Singlish helps to break down these barriers.

You might have heard about some of our laws, but not all of them are really actively or strictly enforced as some reports might lead one to think.

If you're on livejournal, there's a Singapore community, sg_ljers, and the members are often very helpful in answering questions from potential visitors.
posted by jollyroger at 1:49 PM on November 28, 2007 [1 favorite]

Hey, great first post, jollyroger! I may well join lj and see what they have to say. mdonley, it is indeed the NUS. Being able to get around that part of the world easily is a big motivation for me.
posted by topynate at 2:09 PM on November 28, 2007

How affordable is it to live there?

Food prices here are largely reasonable, though the recent GST hike has changed that quite a bit... you'll find that prices here are generally lower than those in Western nations, though, so I'd say you should have no problem with that.

How common is it to see foreign students and young adults? How many of those are from the West?

This varies from region to region; as small as Singapore is, we do have small localised areas with their own character. "Foreigners" aren't that rare, there are alot of permanent residents working or studying here.

What sort of things might you experience living in Singapore that you wouldn't get to, necessarily, as a tourist?

While the touristy stuff is fun (food, shopping etc). Give it some time, though, and you'll see the other side of Singapore. Niche shopping centres, sale season, small art shows etc, they're there if you know how to find them.

What sort of adjustments would it be necessary, or advisable, to make to avoid making too many horrific faux pas?

Definitely pick up Singlish - there's hardly a Singaporean who doesn't speak Singlish in one way or another. And it's not difficult to pick up - its loose grammar structure (a mix of English and Chinese structures), wide vocabulary (from the major languages spoken here) and other quirks are easily picked up or learned from locals.

Just remember that in the workplace, we may be multicultural but still very much Asian. This means that much communication is not exactly open, and is very much based on contextual body language and other non-verbal cues.

I'm not saying you should do as the Romans do (Singaporean work culture is one of the things I don't really like), but don't be too surprised if your boss presents a ridiculous plan and nobody at the meeting says anything (they'll probably tell him after the meeting, or inform him through an email), because this is what Asian work culture is like generally.

As mentioned by jollyroger, laws aren't really as crazy as they seem, but I'd strongly advise against speeding, illegal parking and other minor but still illegal acts, at least until you start picking up "law-breaking" tips from the locals.
posted by kureshii at 12:28 AM on November 30, 2007