A lot can happen in two weeks. A lot has happened in two weeks.
Singapore has been full of adventures so far! Overall I’m enjoying life here, particularly the food and walkability of this city-state. I’ve been busy getting logistics in order but hope to share more blog posts once things simmer down. For now, here are the highs and lows of my first two weeks.
Highs
- Registered for my employment pass – I can now legally work in Singapore!
- Signed a lease for a condo unit! Apartment tour to come once I actually move in…
- Met up for dinners with a former colleague I haven’t seen in 4 years, a freshly new expat couple I befriended at the gate in Newark, and a colleague’s older sister who happened to be traveling in SE Asia.
- This sunset. Wow.
- Ate a lot of…Japanese food. I’ve been staying in Clarke Quay and discovered the nearby Liang Court mall has loads of Japanese restaurants. So far I’ve eaten unagi, ramen, udon, and sushi. Lots of Japanese expats live in the area; that’s how you know it’s legit.
- Booked tickets to Taiwan in August to visit extended family and reunite with my younger sister before she starts her fall semester in Shanghai.
- Seeing the gorgeous Singapore frangipani tree for the first time, which looks exactly like a magnet I bought at Daiso (Japanese dollar store).
Lows
- Learned of the many things you cannot sign up for without your physical employment pass, which I do not have yet. This includes utilities & Internet, a bank account (I’ve made three trips and learned of new required documents every time), Grab (the Uber of SE Asia), and my Gardens by the Bay resident membership.
- Everything is on the left!
- Being drenched in sweat after a nighttime run.
- Every document needs to be printed and signed in person. No joke.
Other thoughts
- People are nice here but in a polite way, not a Midwestern go-out-of-your-way-to-help way.
- Word of the day: chope. It’s how Singaporeans reserve their tables at hawker centers by leaving a pack of tissues behind. It’s also a popular app used to make restaurant reservations.
- NFC readers are everywhere, notably contactless credit card payments. The US is behind!
Every day I learn something new and my experience gets a little better. In the next two weeks, I have much to look forward to: moving into my new apartment, my first visitor, and a birthday trip to Chiang Mai!