A little bit about life in Singapore

For those in the U.S. who ask me where Singapore is, my answer changes depending on the asker's geographical knowledge.  "The" answer is that Singapore is on the southern tip of the Malay peninsula. If this response is met with a blank stare, as it often is, I shift to the more general "between China and Australia".

Singapore is one country/one city.  The island is shaped roughly like an eye, and you can drive across the whole thing with no traffic (ha) in less than an hour.  I live in the center.

Usually nothing is "too far" in Singapore.  I happen to break that stereotype, since I work all the way on the western coast of the country.  I literally see Malaysia every morning as I get to work.  So from my workplace almost everything is, indeed, kind of far.  I'll discuss my work life and commute in another post...

So we have covered geography.  When you read about Singapore, there are a few things that always come up - it's extremely safe (true), it's extremely expensive (also true), and it's extremely hot (true dat).... here's a recent article on the expensive factor:

  http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/singapore-now-4th-most/1262440.html

Now for me, a frugal person by nature, the price of life in Singapore is sometimes astounding.  As the article implies, though, the high price of life here is for the foreigners.  Singaporeans actually have a lot of benefits from the government that make life manageable.  For example, the public school system here is one of the best in the world.  For Singaporeans it is free.   For my kids, as a foreigner without permanent resident status, even if I wanted my kids to attend a public school, it would be difficult for them to get a spot in a school close to my apartment and even if they did, I would pay around $500/month per kid after paying close to $1,000 to take the placement test with no guarantee of placement.  The international schools (also to be covered by probably several future posts) are insanely expensive for someone whose heart is with public schools, but the system sort of pushes you into it.  My 3 children attend an international school.  My husband's job, which is the job that brought us here, provides a stipend but only for an international school.  The stipend covers about half of the approximately $24,000/year/child tuition.  So at the end of the day the local school would be a savings but to what extent?

 Here's an example of a high priced item in a supermarket.  Multiply by .8 for US$ price.

Yes Singapore is safe.  I think it's the safest country in the world.  There is almost no crime.  Coming from Florida it is a welcome change and maybe our favorite aspect of living here.  The peace of mind as a mom to not worry at all about your kids is something I wish for everyone.  You see children as young as 9 or 10 riding public transportation alone to school.  If we are out and about I don't hesitate leaving my 5 and 8-year-old at a table while I go order food.  I let me 11-year-old walk to the mall alone.  My only worry is traffic and teaching the kids how to be safety-minded crossing the street.  In a crowded restaurant, people leave their bag or their i phone to save their table while they go order.  And if there is a crime like a bicycle stolen, there is a big sign posted in the street.

The other day, my 8-year-old asked "why in Singapore where there is so little crime they put a sign in the street when something happens, and in Florida where there is so much crime they don't put any signs?  It doesn't make sense."  No, it doesn't.