Moving to Singapore
When and why did you choose to move abroad?
Nils: When I was 20, I went on a 4-months trip to South America with my two best friends. It was the first time that I was away from home for an extended period of time and it was one big adventure. I knew then that I have to live abroad - at least for a while. Before moving to Singapore I lived in Luxembourg for 2 years but culturally and geographically it is very close to Germany so it did not really feel like living abroad.
Simona: When I was 21, I did a one-year internship in Guam, a Pacific island which is 5-6 hours flight away from Hong Kong. Afterwards I went back home to complete my degree program. Before graduating from the university, I was looking for job opportunities outside of Hong Kong. 2008/2009 was not a good time for job hunting, so I was grateful that I received an offer in Singapore. Just two days out of uni, on 1 February 2009, I relocated to Singapore, and have been living here since then.
Why did you choose Singapore?
Nils: I did not really choose Singapore. There was an interesting job posting, I applied and got the job, so I ended up here. I was definitely excited to come to Singapore but had hoped for a less developed country - preferably Latin America or India.
Simona: I was prepared to live & work in any city, except Hong Kong. Singapore is close to Hong Kong - just 3.5 hours flight, and it's one of the more developed and international cities in Asia. Also, at that time, I thought it would be beneficial to me since English and Mandarin Chinese are the official languages in Singapore. I'd hoped that I would be able to improve my English and learn to speak Mandarin...Now, that didn't really materialize, but if I could choose again, I would still choose to move here.
How did you prepare for the move to Singapore?
Nils: Honestly, I didn't do much preparation. The only thing, I really took care of was to find an apartment to stay before I arrived. So I just got on a plane one day, flew to Singapore, arrived and figured everything out once I was there. Singapore is probably the easiest place to settle into. Everything is strait forward and people are really helpful.
Simona: Not much. Just reading up articles about Singapore online, browsing room rental websites...and then packed a big suitcase with some clothes, shoes, bags and a few pieces of personal belongings. Well, it was a huge and overweight suitcase - 49 kg! 😅
How did you find a place to stay?
Nils: One thing that was important to me was to have my own place right away. I really did not want to live in a hotel for the first weeks. So a few months before moving to Singapore, I went there for one week to look for apartments. I must have seen around 50 apartments. I finally chose one that I really liked and I ended up staying there for 4 years.
Simona: Well, that was tricky and it turned out to be quite different than what I'd expected. I thought I would be able to rent a studio apartment and have my own little place. However, on the third day of arrival, I realized that studio apartments were more expensive than I thought...(over SGD 2,000 a month)... I did browse through some room rental website before I came to Singapore. But I didn't fully understand what "common room" and "master room" meant...Eventually, as a compromise, I rented a master bedroom at a condo in the east coast. Yes, I had to share the apartment with other people (3 other ladies), but I had my own bathroom and the room was spacious and had a nice view.
What were your first impressions and experiences after arriving in Singapore?
Nils:
Well the heat was just killing me. You break into a sweat every time you walk to the supermarket. I figured out later that you have to slow down and change the way you move, then you will not sweat that easily. Another surprise was the food. When you think of Asian food in Europe, you usually thing of cheap food, spring rolls, fried rice and so on. I was amazed at all the different dishes and especially about the amazing quality of Chinese food.
Lastly, a lot of people in Singapore speak a local accent called 'Singlish' which is a mix of English, Chinese and Malay. This makes it difficult for foreigners to understand them.
Simona: The people I met in the first weeks in Singapore were quite friendly (compare to HK). It's clean and organized here. But I did have difficulty in communicating with others...mainly because I was (and still am) not comfortable with speaking in English...Mandarin is even worse. Soon after I arrived I noticed that people tend to mix a few languages/dialects in the conversation...It was hard for me to comprehend what they were trying to say. It's like...as soon as my brain adjusted to one channel, the conversation would then jump to another...It'd taken me over 3 months to get use to it. Another thing was the food...I found the local food too spicy and salty (way too sweet for dessert), very oily and had MSG...But then again, I get used to it after a few months. The one thing that I'm still not so used to is the weather. It's hot and humid all year round. That means there's no need to shop for autumn and winter clothes...no change in food...no change of scene...Nothing seasonal.
In general, how does life in Singapore compare to life in your home country?
Nils: The weather is a huge difference. In Singapore it is always more or less 30º C, no matter if it is day, night, summer or winter. In Germany on the other hand the weather varies all the time. In general I prefer the weather in Singapore but sometimes I miss the seasons.
Also, in general people are much friendlier. Usually you are greeted with a smile respect, especially as a customer. In Germany that is not always the case. People tend to focus more on the task than on the customer experience.
Simona: In general, I enjoy living in Singapore better than in Hong Kong. It's true that it's not as convenient here and things don't have that much of variety, but the pace is slower and people are not as mean lol. So, it's more relaxing to live and work in Singapore than in HK. That translates to more personal time and time with my loved ones.
What has been the most challenging experience?
Nils: There was not one big challenge but in general, when you live abroad you have to learn that things work differently and that can be frustrating. Sometimes you have a problem and you know exactly how to fix it in your home country. Usually there is an equally good fix in your host country but you might not know it. So I learned that it is best to ask my colleagues for certain things and they always come up with (for them) very obvious solutions.
Simona: So far I haven't encountered anything major that I couldn't resolve. But things like being sent to hospital (and didn't know what they were talking about) and looking for a place to move (moved 4 times) were not very easy.
What do you miss the most?
Nils: Obviously family and friends are on top of the list. The distance and time difference makes it very hard to stay in touch and you will miss some really important events in their lives.
Food wise, Germany is hardly an Eldorado but there are certain things that I miss. Some can actually be bought here albeit at outrageous prices. Other dishes, I have learned to cook myself. Also I found that there is a German supermarket in Bukit Timah.
Simona: Family, close friends, local Hong Kong food, convenience, variety of goods, Octopus card, shopping & wearing long sleeves clothes & jackets & boots...But then I know I can't have everything.
After all those years, how is it for you to live in Singapore now?
Nils: Singapore is home for Simona and me. We live here, met each other here, we work here and Singapore is where our daughter will be born. I can't say if I will stay in Singapore forever but Singapore will forever have its place in my heart.
Of course, Frankfurt will always be one of my homes, and in a way, so is Hong Kong. I feel like we just have several homes now.
Simona: Having lived in Singapore for over 8 years, I definitely feel comfortable to be here. Usually I dont think much about it...The mixed and confusing feelings typically only attack me when I go back to Hong Kong...In Hong Kong, I feel like a foreigner (but because my Cantonese is still ok, people kind of assume I would know what they are talking about...Sometimes talk as if I've always been in HK and never left)...But in Singapore, I'm an alien...Not sure if it's identity crisis, but certainly feeling like getting stuck in between. Now that Nils and I are going to have a baby, it feels more and more like home here though ☺️
