Singapore on My Mind

 

Singapore on My Mind

 

By Lee Hyon-soo 

 

        

My job as an international banker took me to Singapore where I lived for two years. It was a long time ago, but I still have fond memories of my stint in that exotic locale.

 

The bank for which I worked in Canada had Asia/Pacific regional headquarters in Singapore, and I was transferred there for a tour of duty. I arrived in Singapore rather unprepared. Not until I stepped out of the air-conditioned airport building did I realize that I had come to a tropical country — the hot air outside was like a blast from a furnace. I immediately took off my jacket and put on a brave face in my unanticipated encounter with the unbearable heat, but I could not help feeling a bit disillusioned.

 

As a matter of fact, the heat waves that seemed to hit Singapore endlessly — Singapore is said to have only two seasons, hot and hotter — later proved to be an insurmountable barrier to my otherwise pleasant life there. Although I lived in an air-conditioned house, worked in an air-conditioned office and drove an air-conditioned car, I could not get used to the heat. It did not matter how briefly I was exposed to it. Each time I stepped out of the house, I rushed back in to take a cold shower to cool my overheated body, and on weekends I usually took two or three showers a day.

 

Aside from my losing battle with the tropical climate, my life in Singapore was quite an enjoyable one. I was well taken care of by my employer. Not only was I given a big raise in compensation for my "hardship" in a foreign country, but my employer rented a colonial-style mansion for me (the rent my employer paid on my behalf was much more than what I made in salary). I also had a maid (an East Indian) and a gardener (a Malay). How could I take all these luxuries for granted — luxuries that I had not dreamed of only a short while ago? I guess one can get spoiled very easily.

 

Lying 85 miles north of the equator, Singapore is an island city-state measuring only 26 miles by 14 miles. on the world map it is shown as a mere dot off the southern tip of the Malay peninsula (hence its nickname, Little Red Dot). As such, Singapore gave me feelings of confinement and I was compelled to get out of the country as often as I could. I usually took my family to the nearby coastal beaches of Malaysia.

 

What distinguishes Singapore from its neighboring countries is the make-up of its population of 5.5 million. Singapore is a multiracial state. Chinese are the majority accounting for about 74% of residents, followed by Malays (13%), East Indians (9%), etc. They live together peacefully with no noticeable racial tensions.

 

The late Lee Kuan Yew made Singapore what it is. Under his high-handed leadership Singapore developed rapidly as an Asian Tiger economy, based on extended trade and its workforce. Not only is Singapore a global commerce and finance hub, but it is the world’s second busiest container port.

 

“Singapore” is an anglicization of the native Malay name, “Singapura” (Lion City), and the sea lion is the symbol of Singapore. Being a free port in much the same way as Hong Kong is, it is a shopper's paradise. Singapore is widely acknowledged as an oasis in Southeast Asia and serves as a favorite destination for tourists.

 

Eating out being the favorite pastime of Singaporeans, the country boasts countless restaurants of all sorts. It is little wonder then that I gained considerable weight after two years of wining and dining in Singapore. I can sum up my Singapore days in three words: It was living!

 

The Korea Times

January 2017