"Let life enchant you again." - Fernando Gros
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Blog // Travel
January 17, 2012

Singapore Six Months On

Today marks the six month anniversary of my move to Singapore. It’s been a bumpy transition. My mood, my health and my enthusiasm for this town has gone up and down during the weeks and months I’ve been here. Over the weekend I was chatting with a friend who also moved from Hong Kong to […]

Today marks the six month anniversary of my move to Singapore. It’s been a bumpy transition. My mood, my health and my enthusiasm for this town has gone up and down during the weeks and months I’ve been here.

Over the weekend I was chatting with a friend who also moved from Hong Kong to Singapore in 2011. That conversation reminded me that there is plenty of things I was glad to leave behind in Hong Kong, the pollution being high on the list.

My new home here in Singapore has a lovely balcony space. It’s not big, but it’s comfortable, private, has views out to some greenery and seems to catch the evening breeze quite well. I love being able to sit out there, rain or shine and write, play, think or just stare at the passing clouds.

In fact, a lot of what I am enjoying about life in Singapore is in the small, everyday things. Evening walks along tree lined streets, the quality (and variety) of the local street food as well as the pleasant and polite manner of the people here (except when they are behind the wheel of a car).

When it comes to the bigger things I’ve found Singapore to be somewhat unpredictable; welcoming and distant at the same time. Like every city that is tightly entwined with the global economy, Singapore is undergoing a lot of change, which will, of course, bring social challenges. I’ll comment more about this as I come to understand this place a little better during this year.

Right now, my concerns are simpler. I had hoped to have both home and studio fully set up by the end of six months, but I’m still waiting on furniture and having to order gear from overseas.

Most of the time I’m content and glad to be here. Singapore doesn’t excite or challenge me in the way that London, Delhi or Hong Kong did. This place is not dull, but, doesn’t have the same kind of “buzz.”

As boring as it sounds, I came here to work, to create and to breathe. The more I concentrate on that, the happier I am about being here.

Responses
Jay Oatway 12 years ago

That you still think of HK is proof to me that you’re still not over your love for her, despite her many faults.

What I know for sure is that HK still misses you.

J

Fernando Gros 12 years ago

Jay – I had the privilege of meeting some amazing people in Hong Kong. That alone means that I will always harbour a desire to visit the city again and again, regardless of where life takes me.

Claire 12 years ago

I think you sum up a lot of how I feel about Singapore, but perhaps more eloquently! So far, I have found it a city that contrasts and contradicts itself in many ways.

There are moments when I am delighted to be here – the view from my balcony as the sun sets, discovering a new local ingredient when out shopping, making new friends. But there are also times when I find Singapore confusing and frustrating – the ‘kiasu’ society/culture, the frustrating set of rules and bureaucracy, the lack of e-commerce.

This is a great new chapter in my life, full of new challenges and rewards. I may have my tough days, but I wouldn’t change being here.

Fernando Gros 12 years ago

Claire – thank you. I agree with your criticisms and also your outlook. I certainly don’t want to be one of those whining expats. There’s a lot that I like about Singapore and I’m determined to enjoy and understand this place, despite the limitations.

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