Change jobs. √

Move into a new apartment. √

Try new foods. √

Meet new people. √

Travel somewhere interesting. √

Yep, we’ve all done these things before. Many times over. But when the opportunity presented itself to do all of the above and make a permanent move halfway around the world to Singapore, we jumped at the chance as living overseas has been a life-long passion for both of us.

How the Heck Did We Get Here?!

For us, it seemed like a pretty straightforward option when we chose it but after 17+ years of living and working in New York City… moving to Singapore was perhaps not that straightforward. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. How did we even get here?! We like to think that this story actually started back in 2016 when we both had the fortunate opportunity to spend a month travelling throughout SE Asia and visiting 7 countries and 13 cities, Singapore being one of them. Fast forward a year and half and here’s what happened. Nick happens to call his work colleague at Comcast, Joy, hears a long ‘international beep’ on the phone and when she answers, Nick says,

“Hey, Joy, are you in London (their European headquarters)?”

“No, I’m in Singapore pitching a new piece of business.”

Nick, not missing a beat says, “Well, if you need someone to manage the new business in Singapore, Tim and I would love to help.”

A day later Joy calls back and says, “Hey Nick, I wanted to ask you about Singapore.”

Nick replies, “Sure, we did a blog on Singapore in 2016 and can recommend a bunch of places to visit and restaurants to eat.”

Joy quickly answers, “Nick, I’m not asking about restaurants or tourist locations. I’m in Hong Kong right now. What I want to know is… were you serious when you said that you and Tim would be interested in moving to Singapore?”

Jump to January 2019 and there we were, standing in an empty apartment in NYC watching all of our earthly belongings being loaded on a truck to be moved half way around the world, two large packs on our backs and two suit cases in hand, ready to embark on a new journey. Yes, we were serious. And while it was an incredibly hard decision to leave NYC after 17+ years - including a cozy and comfortable home on the UWS, our amazing friends and beautiful family, and a life and lifestyle we had come to cherish and love - we also embraced the challenge and opportunity to experience a whole new part of the world; to grow and challenge ourselves in new and unseen ways.

Different? Yes. Familiar? Yes.

So, here we are… Singapore… well into a new job and a whole new life. When you think about moving halfway around the world, you expect (or at least we did) to be in an uncomfortable situation because you’re moving to a completely foreign land; however, Singapore is far from foreign. And that’s not just because we’ve been here before. From the moment we arrived, there was a certain familiarity to it.

Singapore could easily be describe as a well-organised, cleaner, warmer, and more polite version of NYC. Before leaving, there were a few moments of despair and loss over what we might not be able to get such as peanut butter (for Nick) or baking ingredients (for Tim) but guess what, you can get most anything here.

An iPhone. Yep, you can get it.

Blueberries. They have ‘em.

Our favourite Aveda products. No problem.

Real Canadian maple syrup. Sure.

Mexican food. No problemo.

You name it. They got it. Well, almost all of it. You will pay a price for those goods you can get but, in general, you can get most anything you want. Mall after mall, shop after shop, restaurant after restaurant, you need only go several kilometres to find what you’re looking for.

Of course, one of the other things that helps when you move away from everything you know is having friends at the destination you’re going to. We are fortunate to have known at least a dozen people before we moved to Singapore, many of them friends who had previously lived in NYC at one point or another. Thank goodness for all of them. All very welcoming and helpful in teaching us about Singapore… the local culture, where to shop, common phrases, their favourite restaurants, their favourite travel destinations in the region, and much more.

And then there’s language. In moving to a foreign country, oftentimes, language can be a barrier and can contribute to that feeling of ‘otherness’ or isolation. Not so much here. The local language of doing business is English. You will hear Mandarin, Malay, and Tamil plus a smattering of other Asian languages but all information is first and foremost in English. Even though the local language is English, there are small things that we needed to learn like an elevator is a lift. Shrimp are prawns. An ‘auntie’ or ‘uncle’ is a term of endearment for an older person. Coffee at the local places has to be ordered without sugar or milk (kopi-o kosong). Essentially, moving someplace new requires learning and adopting a new data dictionary of words, phrases, and brands (e.g., MRT, kopi, Cold Storage, FairPrice, HDB, CBD, PCN, and a whole new set of subway stops like Tiong Bahru, Tanjong Pagar, and Raffles Place).

Different? Yes! Familiar? Yes! Singapore is both different and familiar at the same time.

And there’s more…

The Logistics of Making a Move Halfway Around the World

For all of the planning and research we did, we got most things right with this move but sometimes you just don’t know what you don’t know until you get to your destination.

We did a lot of research online about banking, mobile numbers, healthcare, and real estate before we got here. We even did a looksie tour in December for 5 days which was really helpful in giving us a lay of the land. However, there are some things that only made sense once we got here and experienced them first-hand. Of course, not so different than the US where a passport gives you access to services, getting mobile accounts, bank accounts, etc. all hinged for us, on getting our In-Principle Approval (IPA) from the Ministry of Manpower (or as Nick likes to call them, the Ministry of Magic) and ultimately getting our Employment Pass (EP). You can’t partake in any of the relocation services in Singapore without your approved immigration paperwork.

Mobile Phone Number

Let’s start with the mobile number. While the plans in the US are all-inclusive plans, plans here are still based on purchasing data and voice plans. Not to worry, the plans here are much cheaper than the US and include a good amount of data (20 GB). And since most everyone uses WhatsApp to communicate, and because free WiFi is everywhere, we never get close to our monthly limits.

Also, we fretted a bit about giving up our US phone numbers since most of our friends and family only have this number. If you don’t want to lose that number, we entertained a few options.

1. Get a dual SIM phone, keep your US number and put it on the digital SIM with a cheap international plan from your local US carrier. OR

2. Port your number over to Google Voice which is essentially a free way to maintain your number and still get phone calls.

Bank Accounts

Setting up a bank account was also a little bit of black hole before we got here. While this blog post is by no means comprehensive, we learned a lot about local versus international bank accounts. While we had an account with HSBC in the US, getting an HSBC account here still involves a 2-3 week approval process since it’s an international account. 2-3 weeks is a long time to wait when you need money immediately to put a deposit on an apartment, receive pay checks, and simply buy food. And getting cash from an ATM from our US account or using a US credit card was not a smart move given the high exchange costs. So we realised the importance of setting up a local bank account which can take place in a day with an IPA, a passport, a phone number, and a local address. Of course, banking and money transfers will continue to be a learning experience as we start to explore other services like TransferWise and OFX for moving money overseas.

Technology

In short, Singaporeans love their technology. As an international hub for business and a financial powerhouse in SE Asia, having a robust internet is critical for Singapore. And it’s better than you would expect. Free WiFi is everywhere including the MRT (subway) and almost all public spaces. And the wireless network coverage is amazing. It’s fast and reliable. Going to and from work everyday, we find that most everyone is watching videos, playing games, or reading stories on their mobile phones with perfect ease and simplicity. Of course, we thought NY’ers were bad about burying their faces in their mobile phones while walking the city…Singaporeans got them beat, hands down. But we figure that’s the outcome of an overly connected country.

Weather in Singapore… a Perfect Sine Wave

Friends and family back home have often asked us about the temperature in Singapore. We’re not sure that weather actually deserves a whole section in this blog post. There shouldn’t be much to say since the weather is pretty much the same every single day. It’s about 79°F/27°C in the morning and toward the middle of the day, it goes to the 90s/30s. Every single day. Remember your geometry in high school? Well, if you look at the 10-day forecast, it’s a perfect sine wave.

Also, the sun rises and sets at pretty much the same time every single day + or - 3 minutes throughout the year. So here’s the thing… it’s gotten to the point where we don’t even bother to check a weather app. It’s pretty much going to be the same today as it was yesterday with the exception that we might get a crazy rainstorm or thunderstorm. Oh yes, and rain storms. They are way different out here then what you would get anywhere in the United States. When you come to Singapore, leave your rain jackets at home. They won’t cut it out here and besides you’ll sweat once you put it on and will still be wet. Umbrellas are an absolute necessity. And happily, those clever Singaporeans have figured it out and have built lots of protected covers throughout the city along many of the sidewalks leading to the MRT (subway) and to stores and restaurants in order to protect everyone from both sun and rain.

Moving Around Singapore

And speaking of moving around Singapore, we definitely need to talk about transportation… how easy and pleasant it is along with how cheap it is (as long as you don’t own a car).

Singapore’s MRT system is perhaps one of the cleanest and most efficient systems we’ve ever seen. Clean because no food or drink is allowed. And don’t try to violate that rule. You could be fined for up to S$500 for eating or drinking in the subway system.

If you don't like that rule, that’s okay. There’s lots of other things that make the subway system pretty awesome such as…. everyone is so orderly in getting on and off the subway with perfect lines. The subway fares are super cheap costing around S$.89 ($.65 USD) for a ride that covers around 5 to 10 km. The subway system works like clockwork. In the morning, the trains arrive every two minutes. Yes, every two minutes. And mobile connections on the subway… perfect and seamless. We’ve started conference calls with London in the office and continued them on the subway all the way home. The MRT cards are easy to top-off with extra dollars. The entrance and exits to the subway are extensive and clearly marked so that people exit out certain turnstiles while others enter certain ones. No conflicts.

And while the subway system is pretty extensive, you can also move around Singapore easily on busses. The busses in the city operate on the same MRT system as the subway so if the MRT can’t get you there, a bus will.

And Grab cars, Singapore’s version of Uber? Very, very cheap and another great way to move around the city whilst staying dry in an air-conditioned vehicle.

Other “Ah ha!” and “Huh?” Moments in Singapore

Drink Cases: Singaporeans are pretty clever and innovative. We love the little carrying cases to hold hot and cold drinks. Ingenious.

Hawker Markets: If you want to eat inexpensively, the Hawker markets (where many of the locals eat) is the place to go. Our favourite Hawker market is Buhkit Merah View where we also have our “beer babe” who brings us cold beers in ice-cold beer mugs for S$7 per beer (the cheapest we’ve found in Singapore) and where we can get a plate of Pad Thai and a soup for S$3.  

Singlish: Singlish is basically the local Singaporean slang. Our favorite slang phrase is “Can!” You’ll hear it everywhere to questions like, “Can I pay with cash?” “Can!” “Can we make a reservation for 5 PM?” “Can! Can!” We also love how you can refer to an elder woman or man as “auntie” or “uncle.” So, if we say, “thank you, auntie” to the woman who cleans our office, it is seen as term of endearment and respect.

Bathrooms: During our apartment hunt, when I walked into some of the bathrooms, I inquired where the outlets were for those people who need to dry their hair or use an electronic toothbrush or razor. Nope. No outlets in bathrooms in Singapore. We were told ‘too dangerous.’ Huh?!

Kitchens: When we were looking for apartments, I expected to find large open kitchen‘s with big ovens for cooking. Most people however do not cook in Singapore because it’s so inexpensive to go to the Hawker markets and buy food. As such, the big open kitchen is hard to find. And most of the kitchens are closed off by glass because of the large amount of fried Chinese cooking that is done.

Apartment Square Footage: Apartment hunting was very eye-opening. During our apartment hunting, we also quickly learned that the square footage of an apartment includes a lot of non-usable space (e.g., built-ins, maid’s quarters, balcony). We did ultimately find a very nice apartment with good space but we had to be a bit creative to fit our NYC-sized furniture in our Singapore-sized apartment.

Athletics: Singaporeans, unlike many other Asian countries we’ve been to, are much more into athletics! And this is where we might be a bit spoiled. Our apartment has a 50M outdoor lap pool so we can swim can swim every day if we want. And with the heat, many days we do want to swim. Behind our apartment is a network of trails called the Park Connector Network or PCN for short. And it’s awesome. Kilometres and kilometres of trails… all connected… and all beautiful. We’re also just a few kilometres away from the Botanic Gardens, another beautiful place to run. And while the roadways are not super friendly for bicycles, we are slowly discovering some cool places to ride like Sentosa Island. There’s a pretty big gym culture here, too, with lots of options. And Singapore has a lot of other sports like cricket, dragon boat racing, tennis, football (soccer), triathlon, etc.

The Architecture is Beautiful: Singaporeans take pride in their architecture and buildings as well as the gardens surrounding the city. It is definitely one of the most well-manicured cities in which we’ve ever lived or visited. There are flowers and plants everywhere and because we are in a tropical environment, the plants are are colorful and sometimes kind of crazy. Many of the buildings have huge cut-outs or walkways with big trees and plants. It’s a well-tamed urban jungle and a pleasant oasis at the same time.

There is so much more that we have seen and heard and experienced. It often feels like we are drinking out of a fire hose. And so it begins… with so much more ahead of us, we look forward to sharing more of our adventure with you in the days, months, and years to come.