Singapore Expats - What I Wish I Knew

This won't be relevant to my regular readers, but just in case someone googles "how to be an expat in Singapore," I've put this list together.  This will be extra relevant for American expats in Singapore, but some things could probably apply more broadly.  Some of this stuff I knew I should do before I left, but just ran out of time, but I should've prioritized it.  Please note, this is not an exhaustive or perfect list, but it's what I've learned and found to be most useful in my first 5 weeks - I'm sure this list would/will look a whole lot different in another month, a year, etc.

Before I moved, I reached out to so many people, Googled, read blogs and books and thought I had all the info I needed, and then I got here and learned new things everyday.  I feel it's my duty as an expat to pass this info on - after all, we must stick together out here, our lives are rough :)

Housing
- To rent something on your own, use the websites Property Guru or 99.co
- If you're looking for a room share, use Homie, EasyRoommate, or join the following Facebook groups:  Flat & Flatmates in Singapore, Find your room in SG, The Only Way is...singapore (this one also has lots of random helpful info), Housing Singapore

Don't feel bad about living in expat neighbourhoods or buildings.  If you were still at home living in Milwaukee, San Jose, Austin, wherever, you would want to live with people with a similar lifestyle, and that doesn't magically change just because you're living in a different country.  [I struggled with this weird sense of guilt about wanting to live with other professional expats for a while until my sweet friend Casey talked some sense into me.]

Groceries
Cold Storage is the most expensive, Fair Price is a bit cheaper and Giant is cheaper still.  There are "wet markets" that sell produce cheaply and also meat (but I personally wouldn't buy meat there).  You'll be able to get everything you did at home, although some of it will come with a HUGE price sticker.  Anything you know you'll want from home, bring it (i.e. jarred pesto, seasonings, Mexican food ingredients, chia seeds, flax seeds, quinoa, etc.)

I'd also recommend taking an Asian cooking class.  I don't really know how to cook anything besides a stir fry and if you can learn some great dishes using more "local" ingredients, I imagine it would help lower your grocery bill.

Similar to above, don't feel bad about wanting to eat some of the same food you did at home.  It's all you know and it can be very comforting and provide a much needed sense of "normal."

Transport
Get an MRT card straight away - works on trains and buses.  Tap it when you enter AND when you disembark.  They'll be crowded, so get rid of any ideas of sitting and reading a book on your commute.  I first relied heavily on the trains and thought I had to live NEXT TO a station, but I MUCH prefer buses.  Door to door service, TONS of them in SG, easier to get a seat and being above ground really helps you orient yourself.  I wish I would've taken them more at first.

Walk on the left side of the sidewalk.  Escalators:  stand on the left, walk on the right.  This is so much harder to get used to than you'd think.

Phone
Work provided mine so no tips on getting a new one, but store your old number on Google Voice.  You have to complete this step from the US (or have a dad and boyfriend that are willing to deal with the painstaking process on your behalf :))  Get a SIM card right away so you can use the internet to navigate and find places to eat.

Important apps to download:  Burpple (like Yelp for food), Food Panda (food delivery), MyTransport, Uber, Grab Taxi, ComfortDelGro (my favorite taxi company)

Language
Read up on Singlish and British/Australian slang/alternate words.

Money
There will be some gap in time until you get your local back account, so get a card at home that has a checking account with free foreign transactions and free ATMs.  I use Charles Schwab and I couldn't love that thing more.

Packing
It's true that less is more and that you CAN get virtually anything you want in Singapore, however there are a few things I wish I would've brought.
- Sheets and pillows.  I'm picky and had ones at home that I LOVED.  Still can't find exactly what I want.
- More pants for work.  The office is a frigid bitch.
- Hair dryer and straightener with correct voltage -- the ones I bought were super expensive and still pretty shit for my thick hair.
- Extra outlet adapters.  I'm super smart and brought ONE.
- Depending on the apartment, street and/or construction noise can be a real hassle.  I LOVE sleeping in my ear plugs and eye mask and you might, too.
- Appropriate jammies.  I wasn't used to having roommates, especially male roommates, and I realized my typical lounge clothes at home are super minimal.
- More bras.  Two words:  boob sweat (AND it's super hard to find nice ones in Singapore).
- An everyday sunscreen that doesn't smell like sunscreen for face and hands.
- Hangers.  Seems silly, but it was annoying that I wasn't able to unpack right away.

Shopping
Truly every store is here (and lots of each):  Ikea, 7/11, Cara, Forever 21, H&M, Gap, etc., so you'll be able to buy just about anything you want.  Except for gum, decent bras and poppy seeds (the Expat Wives group above goes on and on about this).

Entertainment
Bring DVDs from home and/or research and get a VPN ahead of time.  Some days it's rainy or you're hungover or just plain homesick and all you want to do is watch Sex and the City for 5 hours.  There's no shame in this and you should come prepared.

Travel
Look up the public holidays and start looking into travel for the weekends that are w/in the first two months you'll be here.  Travel over those holiday weekends gets expensive, so book in advance if you want to go somewhere.

Use skyscanner, Kayak, flights.google.com and Scoot to look for the cheapest flights, and then book directly on the airline's site.

Making Friends
Don't underestimate how hard the first bit will be knowing no one.  It's hard.

In general, people are very friendly and welcoming to newcomers, but it's hard because it's day-to-day normal life (not vacation), so it takes a lot of time to build deep relationships with people.  It sounds duh, I know, but when you have a bad day at work and you are used to calling your mom or best friend on your way home to vent, you likely won't be able to do that here thanks to the lovely time zone differences and it's hard to not have that local support right away.  If you get to know a few really nice folks they'll start inviting you out, to brunch, etc straight away.  [Shout out to the lovely friends I have made here in SG.  You guys are such kind and generous humans and I feel pretty lucky to have fallen into this friend family.]  Once you have a few people you know, don't be shy about setting up dinner parties, movie days, bar crawls, etc.  Everyone is in the same boat and wants friends and they appreciate you setting up stuff, too.  Some people told me joining sports teams is a great way to meet ppl - I'm not sporty so that wasn't for me, but look into it if that's your thing.  There's soccer, golf, run clubs, dragon boating, etc.

Say yes to stuff.  Even when you're tired and feeling anti-social.  Don't shy away.  Put yourself out there even though it can be scary.

FB groups to join:  Singapore ExPat Wives (okay you won't meet people on here, but the shit people post is HILARIOUS - it's a secret group so you have to get invited so track someone down asap to invite you), First Thursdays Group Singapore, Singapore Expat Gal Pals

Self Care
Take care of your self.  Know what makes you function the best and don't let those things fall by the wayside.  For me, I need sleep, exercise, healthy food and human connection.  Don't delay getting healthy food, go grocery shopping day 1.  Find out where yours is and go.  Hop in a taxi and ask them to take you to the nearest Cold Storage if you have to.  If exercise is your jam, you cannot do it from 8a-8p its just too hot.  Join a gym right away or join something like guava pass or kfit where you can go to lots of classes.


Once you're a seasoned expat, be the welcome wagon for others.  Your kindness, friendliness and generosity, even in the smallest ways, will be so deeply appreciated.

I'll leave you with this article that I wish I would've read before I left:  http://elitedaily.com/life/culture/what-to-know-moving-abroad/1075004/