First Impressions

Where to begin in my description of Singapore? It's been really difficult to formulate a coherent impression of this city/state, as I've run around trying to find a place to live, and furniture to live on throughout this first week. Though a tiny country (the island of Singapore is about a fifth the size of the island of Montreal, with about a million more squeezed into S'pore than Mtl), each neighbourhood is very different. Singapore is incredibly multicultural, filled largely with people from Malaysia, China, and India, but also from every other country in South East Asia, as well as a sizable international ex-pat community. Cultural tolerance is a huge value here, and Buddhist temples sit comfortably next to Muslim mosques.

One of the great benefits of this diversity is the incredible variety of food that is available around every corner. Singapore is definitely a foodie's paradise, and food is a national obsession. Hawker Centres are a staple - like a food court, they consist of about 6 to 12 food stalls surrounding clusters of tables. Each hawker centre has stalls with every kind of food imaginable (Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Malaysian...), and as a new-comer the choices are a bit overwhelming. However, I am starting to decipher the types and styles, and I can certainly appreciate the price - hawker centre food tends to cost between 3 and 5 Singaporean dollars (Sing Dollars, as they call them) for a generous portion. I have not yet worked up the courage to try Fish Head Curry, a local favourite, but I'm determined to at some point - I think the key is not to look directly into the fish's eyeball...

Along with the variety of food comes eclectic architecture. Remnants of colonial buildings sprinkle the island, while in the city centre bizarre modern buildings spring up all around. Throw a variety of Asian influences into the mix, and you've got quite the mixed landscape. Unfortunately, finding a place to live has been a stressful and time consuming occupation, so I haven't seen a single tourist-y attraction, but there's plenty of time for that. Still, it's hard not to be impressed by this country. The city is incredibly clean, safe, very beautiful, and very intelligently planned. There are gorgeous green spaces all around, palm trees line the streets, and the subway system (called the MRT) is spotless and uber-efficient. When I say spotless I'm not exaggerating - all completely modern, not a speck of dust to be seen, energy-efficient escalators that speed up when you step on them, never more than a 5 minute wait for the train... I think the Montreal/Toronto subways will seem simply inadequate in comparison upon my I return!

On some levels, Singapore seems a bit paradisaical. The country is beautiful, clean, tropical (I will get to weather in a second), has an excellent education system (which I will discuss another time - this post is getting long!), a world-class health care system, and is incredibly efficient. To illustrate - the day we moved into the apartment (by "we" I mean my new roommates and I: Katie from Chicago and Nick from the UK - both teachers as well, they are just lovely), my housing agent had a guy in to service the air conditioning, found us beds and had them delivered, and called an internet provider who came within the hour and set up our connection in 5 minutes, all within the space of a few hours - all things that would take a couple days each to deal with at home. Yet all of these wonders come at the cost of social control - the government here is a democracy in theory, and a dictatorship in essence. They control all the media, and keep a tight grip on the population - for instance, 85% of Singaporeans live in government housing, called HDB flats (Housing Development Board). On the one hand, this means that housing is affordable for almost all citizens (basically, there is a large middle class, and small upper/lower classes). Simultaneously, this gives the government incredible control - for example, you can only buy an apartment (rather than rent) if you are married (and fyi homosexuality is illegal here - although there is a bit of a "don't ask, don't tell" attitude). Even renting includes an application process, which allows the government all access to you and your cohabitants information. Still, the people here can't complain, because their standard of living is so much higher than those in most surrounding countries.

There are also 2 Singapores - the one of the Singaporeans, and the one lived in by the ex-pat community. The ex-pats largely live in privately owned condo buildings, and often live near/in the city centre, never venturing into the rest of the country, known as "the heartlands." They even seem to function in a different economy, spending entirely different (aka higher) amounts on food and amenities. Still, I'm lucky - I get to live in the heartlands, work with and teach Singaporeans, but escape into the Western ex-pat community when I want to. There are places on the island when you would swear you were at home - I think this is in part why Singapore is sometimes called "Asia light."

Consumerism also permeates, and I have never seen so many malls in my life. Orchard Road is a famous shopping mecca, though I found it incredibly overwhelming - mall after mall after store after store, and throngs of people... I couldn't deal with it. Another large adjustment has been the weather - I have heard Singapore described as a "wet oven," and I will vouch for the accuracy of the image. Basically, it's hot. Really, really hot. I literally have never sweated this much in my life. What's worse, the locals tell me the last week has been quite cool by Singaporean standards (I was sure they were kidding. They weren't). Though I am already a bit more used to it than the first days, I can already tell I'm going to miss waking up to a crisp fall morning... I've given up on looking like anything but a sweaty frizz-ball.

I've been here over a week now, but already it feels like ages. I will write again soon about my school and the people I've met, and I'll post picture of my apartment (though I mentioned the stress of finding a place, by the way, I'm glad to say I've found a great place, in an awesome location, with wonderful roommates - so no need to worry!). I miss you all already and I can't wait to hear back from you - Please write soon with news!

love love love,

Miriam xoxox