"I've got quite a few books by the late great Lee Kuan Yew -- I really enjoy reading those" Sam shares about his deepening connection to Singapore over the past 7 years. He reflects on the cultural differences between Singapore and the UK, his fondness for Singapore's efficiency, and the warmth of its people.
Watch more: https://www.asiaone.com/video
Watch more: https://www.asiaone.com/video
Category
🛠️
LifestyleTranscript
00:00Back on the first day, I thought I would work my Mandarin skills.
00:04I said,
00:05Ni hao zi rou guo tiao ma?
00:07And she was like,
00:08What the heck is rou guo tiao?
00:09Oh, back with her, yeah.
00:11She's like, yeah, no one says rou guo tiao.
00:13So that was a funny one.
00:15I was put back in my lane on that one.
00:23I'm Sam.
00:24I'm from England.
00:25I'm 31 years old
00:27and I've been in Singapore seven and a half years now.
00:31Growing up in the UK was nice.
00:32It was a quiet life, a simple life.
00:36I'm from the countryside, so it was very rural.
00:39It's not so connected to the biggest cities like London and Manchester.
00:44Yeah, you feel a bit cut off.
00:46The lifestyle there compared to Singapore is very different.
00:50It's night and day.
00:51You know, here it's alive.
00:53You've got such a multiracial society.
00:56It's an international hub.
00:58Everything's on your fingertips.
01:00You know, I'd always had an interest in working overseas.
01:05I went to Australia after university to get some experienced tennis coaching there.
01:11And then I decided to take the plunge to Singapore.
01:16I'd been here on holiday prior,
01:18so I got a sense that it's a very livable place.
01:21Took the plunge and here I am.
01:25On the trip when I came to Singapore,
01:27I liked the fact that everything was small
01:31and very connected with road and rail, even the bus actually.
01:37The more I found out about the place,
01:39the more positive my opinions became of it.
01:43I had some preconceived idea that there would be a language barrier,
01:47but of course there is none because this is an English-speaking country.
01:52I thought this could be a place I could settle in
01:56or at least try to live in without many hiccups, let's say.
02:01Coming from England with Singaporeans,
02:03I would say I found them quite reserved.
02:07I would go to, I don't know, get in a taxi.
02:10So I'd say, hello mate, how's it going?
02:13And there'd be a pause and go into orchard.
02:18I'm like, I mean, I am, yeah,
02:20but it doesn't really answer my questions.
02:22Or in a supermarket or something, I would say,
02:25hello dear, you know, the cashier.
02:27And they would reply, need bag?
02:30Like, yeah, okay.
02:32So I just realised they prioritise a lot more on efficiency here
02:36and not the small talk.
02:38When I go back to England now, I can't stand it.
02:41They talk too much, too long.
02:43I'm like, come on guys, get on with the game.
02:45So maybe I'm becoming more Singaporean in that sense now.
02:49I realised this is just, it's a cultural difference.
02:53And Singaporeans, they're actually,
02:56when you get to know them, they are open-minded.
02:59They're very friendly, you know,
03:00whether I'm in the city or the heartlands.
03:05Yeah, it's quite heartwarming actually.
03:08Jaba boy.
03:10Jaba boy.
03:11Ah, here.
03:13Jaya.
03:14Where are you from?
03:14From England.
03:15England, England very expensive.
03:18It is, beautiful.
03:19Thank you.
03:20Thank you.
03:21My wife would bring me to these places and say, just try.
03:25And I would try and I actually liked it a lot.
03:27So the more I like these recommendations,
03:30let's say the more open-minded I became.
03:32Yeah, I'm happy to listen to her recommendations
03:34and equally she is with mine as well.
03:37So yeah, it's one of our favourite pastimes.
03:41So when I met my wife for the first time,
03:45I didn't know if she liked me.
03:48Didn't even know if she liked me
03:50after even three or four dates.
03:52And she would even ask me,
03:54are we dating or just meeting as friends?
03:57So I thought that was very cute.
03:59And it just showed the cultural differences.
04:03Being more reserved, coming from Singapore.
04:07There was some unexpected hiccups, let's say,
04:11that arose from the cultural differences.
04:15Planning the wedding,
04:16the cake for me is a formality at a wedding.
04:19You've got to have a cake.
04:20And I mean a real cake.
04:21My wife is like, we need a cake.
04:23We can't just have a cardboard one.
04:24I'm like, no, no, we're having a cake.
04:27And we did.
04:27We had our cake and ate it.
04:29We did have the tea ceremony.
04:30Yeah, we did.
04:31So I was like, what is a tea ceremony?
04:34And that kind of like threw me off.
04:35We did one at the home of our grandparents,
04:40Amar and Akong.
04:40And it's nice, you know, and what it symbolises as well.
04:44Our wedding was not a typical UK wedding
04:47and it wasn't a typical local wedding.
04:50It was a mixture of the two,
04:51which is what we are as a couple.
04:53So that was quite fitting.
04:55There's a lot of things I like about Singapore.
04:58I really like the infrastructure here,
05:01the road and rail network.
05:02And I like that they're improving it all the time.
05:06I like the facilities as well,
05:08whether it's for tennis or swimming or football,
05:11the facilities are very good here.
05:13It's cliche, but the safety,
05:15just the fact that I can have a reasonably expensive bike,
05:18I can lock it up and it won't get stolen.
05:20If it did get stolen,
05:21the police would do their best to find that bike
05:26and resolve the crime.
05:29I've got quite a few books by the late great Lee Kuan Yew.
05:32I really enjoy reading those.
05:34I can relate to it.
05:35And even though the things that are spoken of
05:37is before my lifetime or certainly before I lived here,
05:41it creates a deeper appreciation inside me
05:45for what Singapore is,
05:47what it's come from in the past 50 over years
05:51and what it's achieved in such a short time.
05:54I would certainly recommend them
05:56just to give a greater insight and appreciation
06:00into this great city, island, state.
06:06Up, up, up.
06:08Ah, yes, sir.
06:11Woo!
06:13We're training hard.
06:16I've been coaching tennis for a decade now.
06:19So my job entails coaching tennis
06:21in a private or group setting.
06:24It's six days a week.
06:26Yeah, I love it.
06:27Coaching tennis in Singapore is hot.
06:30It's a lot more physically demanding.
06:33Two hours here is the equivalent of doing
06:35maybe three and a half to four hours in the UK.
06:39If I'm coaching even a five-year-old girl here,
06:42I'm gonna be breaking sweat
06:44like I've been playing a five-set match in a Grand Slam.
06:46I've had some really great experiences
06:48coaching in Singapore.
06:49I really enjoy the diversity of the people I coach,
06:53whether it's the locals,
06:56the child trying to get into
06:58the direct school acceptance route.
07:00I coach people from all over the world here.
07:03Very exciting and also rewarding.
07:06I've actually made some great connections here.
07:08Some others have been outside of tennis.
07:10I actually met some of these in the most unexpected ways,
07:13whether you're just passing for a short time.
07:16Some have been neighbours and over time,
07:19I'm lucky to say I've made some great friends here,
07:22which makes the experience of living here
07:24all the more enjoyable.
07:27It's quite heartwarming, actually,
07:28that everyone is very intrigued.
07:31Where I'm from, what am I doing here,
07:33how long I've lived here,
07:34that they quite like it if I speak
07:37some Mandarin or some dialect as well.
07:40They respond well to that.
07:42It's very nice, you know,
07:43whether I'm in a lift with someone
07:46or just out and about buying things,
07:49people are very welcoming.
07:52I remember some lady once,
07:55she said, have you got any children?
07:57I said, no.
07:58She said, come back and show me when you do then.
08:01I like to say, I'm sure they're very cute.
08:04So that was very sweet, you know.
08:06It's just on the surface,
08:07they might appear a little bit reserved,
08:10let's say, at the start.
08:12Maybe you could compare it to the durian,
08:15you know, hard on the outside
08:17and soft and tasty,
08:20depending on who you ask, on the inside.
08:22You know, so, or sweet, sweet is better.
08:25Yeah.
08:27Dear younger self,
08:28starting in a new country may be scary
08:31and sometimes a little lonely.
08:33There are some moments of self-doubt,
08:35whether this move would be the right choice,
08:38you may need to navigate the homesickness
08:41from time to time as well.
08:43But don't worry, it will be all worth it.
08:46You'll find your tribe,
08:48you'll find genuine people who care for you
08:50and vice versa.
08:52You'll find the love of your life,
08:54build a home and a family
08:56and find your place in Singapore.
08:59There is so much to look forward to
09:01and I'm excited for you to live through it.
09:03Yours sincerely, your older and wiser self, Sam.