nikki_13

Hello everyone, this is my first tentative post on here with all my worries & stresses about moving to Singapore...so here goes..

My husband is in the process of negotiating a job opportunity in Singapore (I dont actually know where yet) which I'm sure will be an amazing experience for him career wise but as a stay at home Mum to my daughter who is almost 2, I am full of concerns about this potential move.

My lifestyle is very English - if that even makes sense - I drive everywhere, have 2 dogs and a cat, very outdoorsy because I'm always walking the dogs, I love shopping, doing activities with my daughter (playdates etc), swimming, I am a keen runner (with the dogs mostly), we live in a detached house with big gardens, access to beautiful countryside within minutes which I adore and generally love my life here.

I'm not too sure how I will fit into this culture in Singapore? It scares me the thought of moving but this opportunity for my family could be an amazing one and my top priority is my daughter and bettering her life for the future so I am willing to make sacrifices for that.

Has anyone been in the same situation as me and made a successful transition to Singapore life? This might sound nuts but my pets are very important to me & I need to know if dog & cat owning are normal? Is it the 'done' thing? (Praying no one says they're more known for being on the local menus)

If you think you might be able to help me (OK reassure, placate, whatever) I'd be very, very appreciative!

Thank you for reading.
Nikki

bakedbean

Hi Nikki, stop worrying m'luv You'll have a ball there.

Singapore is a great place to live. It's a tad expensive but if your OH is earning, no worries there eh?

Yes, folks have cats and dogs. No, you won't find them on any menus I doubt. There are some restrictions with pets if you move into a condo unit. Dog-wise and running, despite Singapore's relative small size, there are loads of lovely parks. Maybe move near one of them. Take a look here http://www.nparks.gov.sg/cms/

I guess if you have never been to south east Asia, might be a bit of a culture shock but, having said that, Singapore is one of the more westernized places.

It's also the most expensive place in the world to own a vehicle. There is however great infrastructure with public transport. If you're moving from the UK, gosh.... you won't have seen anything like it. All very efficient.

By the way, I don't actually live there anymore. Now retired in Penang (Malaysia). But we have a few Singapore experts on here who should be able to help you out.... Bocat, ExReg, might be some others - I lose track.

bakedbean

Just a little taster for you

We used to live quite close to East Coast Park, as did some friends of ours who had a big dog. They used to take the dog for walks in this park.

Froggybarnacle2000

Hi Nikki_13,
Agree with baked bean...worry no more, Singapore is a great place for expats to live and definitely westernised. I've taken to calling Singapore "Asia 101." We've been here for over 12 years (full disclosure- we are moving to Johor Bahru before the year is up!). Everything works, everything is clean, it's a safe place to raise children, the amenities are awesome, the lifestyle is fantastic. The only concern i've had is when the next big band will come to Singapore to stage a concert, but i'm being spoilt for argument here... We've made great friends both Singaporean and expat. Your pets will be most welcome. You won't miss a beat with your outdoorsy lifestyle, the only thing you'll have to worry about is the heat... and how pricey everything has become! We've got friends who moved to Sgp from London last year, their only gripe was that they found it more expensive than London. Life can be rosy for expat families here, but expat life is quite different from how Singaporeans live. In recent years there's been a fair amount of backlash against foreigners due to white collar/blue collar jobs going to expats and the rising cost of living. But I suppose if you make a sincere effort to understand and appreciate the country and its people, living here will be a great experience for you and your family. Good luck!

bakedbean

Hi froggy, You've been there a long time. Good to have you on here with your life experience. So....how come the move to JB? Are you going to commute from there? Or retirement??

nikki_13

Thank you both so much for your replies, I really appreciate it! Thank you for being so positive too and dispelling some of my fear!

I am so pleased to hear pets are welcome! I shall try and relax a bit now!

I will definitely embrace the new culture & encourage my daughter to do the same.

Thank you again for your best wishes

Nikki

Harlow Lad

Nikki you'll be fine here with the family. We've been here since April. No regret a single bit. Like everyone said here be prepare to be shock by how expensive thing are here.

Bocat

Hi Nikki

Sorry for not replying sooner. I totally agree with everything that's been said so far. Singapore's a fab place to live (says the person who's just moved across the border to Malaysia!! But more on that later!)

Singapore is very family friendly (and pet friendly!) As mentioned before, for such a tiny place there is a lot of green space. bakedbean mentioned East Coast Park which is very popular (and a popular area to live too). For me personally it's too busy - I much prefer Pasir Ris Park which is also on the east coast - but obviously it's down to personal preferences.

You won't find Mums and Toddlers type groups here like you're used to finding in the UK - however, there are lots of groups for Mums and kids. I don't know if you're familiar with Meetup (shameless plug from me coming up yet again!) - there are lots of groups on there aimed at children. I was a member of this one when I came over at first:

http://www.meetup.com/Singapore-active-toddlers/

and I started this group with a friend last year:

http://www.meetup.com/Singapore-Inte...-Ladies-Group/

Another good group is the New Mother Support Group (very small annual fee):

http://www.nmsg-singapore.com/

Both of the above Meetup groups have great Discussions pages and people are very friendly and helpful (just like here!)

We moved to Singapore in October 2008 with a 4 year old and 1 year old. It is expensive - so anything your hubby's company can be persuaded to pay for - go for it!

We've loved living in Singapore. For me it has all the advantages of a big city without most of the disadvantages - it's very clean, very safe etc. The downsides for me are the heat (you do get used to it - but it's really exhausting), the crazy drivers and just how busy it is. I'm not a city girl though - so we always lived way outside of the city which we loved. (Hard to get people to come for play dates etc though as most people in Singapore think travelling 5 miles is a huge distance - that's locals and expats!!)

If you have any more questions feel free to ask - or PM me if you'd like to. Happy to help.

(We're now buying a house in Nusajaya in Malaysia. The time had come to stop pouring money down the drain in rent and Malaysia offers much more for your money. I also love the open spaces here. It's not as shiny as Singapore - but it may appeal to you for the country living that you like. Just a suggestion - have a look at the Malaysia part of the forum - there's lots of discussion on there about living in this part of Johor, Malaysia).

Froggybarnacle2000

Hi bakedbean,
Apologies for the late reply. We are moving to JB since we would like to see what life is like on the other side! Hubby will commute to Sgp to visit clients, as will I to continue freelance work. Have had a fab 12+ years in Singapore, we absolutely love the country and our lifestyle but Bocat said it best- "The time had come to stop pouring money down the drain in rent," among other things! Have started brushing up on Bahasa Melayu and thank God for the GPS in the car, JB streets are a-maze-ing! Somewhere down the line I suppose by living in JB we may realise how lucky we were to have lived in Singapore, but then again maybe JB could easily bring us the best of both worlds. We'll soon see... nikki_13, enjoy Singapore!

bakedbean

Hi Froggy, hope we'll see you contributing in the Malaysia section on here. Getting quite a few folks moving to Johor.

nikki_13

Thanks Harlow Lad, I like the bit where you said you dont regret the move one bit - I hope I feel the same. I assume you have a family too, so thats comforting. Thanks for taking the time to reply!

Bocat I am going to PM you now, thank you too for taking the time to reassure me and offer me so much information

You have all been so lovely, so thank you to all of you.
Nikki

bakedbean

Nikki, when do you plan to come over? Hope you will keep us updated with your news. It'll be lovely for your daughter...in the condo pool each day Cannot do that in UK eh?

nikki_13

No we cannot do that in the UK! What a lovely thought

My husband is flying out on the 30th of this month for a week to check out this new job and do some exploring. If all goes well I expect we will be out there in the New Year..

Thank you I will definitely keep you updated

Mstulip

Hi Nikki, I'm in the same situation with you now... even worse, we can be relocate anytime now within a month notice.... My biggest issue will be education for my 7yrs old son. Although we hv lived in Malaysia for serval yrs, from what we hear way of life in Singapore is very different and certainly more expensive.

bakedbean

Singapore more expensive for sure. Way of life? Not sure what you mean.

If you're used to Malaysia and happy with it, why not live in Johor and OH can commute into Singapore?