I have an opportunity to spend a year in Singapore... (crime rate, best)

[Leigh390]

Without going into too much detail, I have a once in a lifetime chance to spend a year in Singapore. I will be attending a school and will not have to work. All my expenses will be taken care of. I basically have nothing to worry about at all.

But I'm unsure because I don't know what to expect. While I have traveled to Asia before, I've never been to Singapore. I don't know anybody in Singapore. I have someone who will visit me frequently but they aren't going to be living there with me,

I'm also just a little nervous about what the people are like there. I've heard it's a global city and that sounds appealing to me since my background is global (Korean, French, American).

I love traveling and visiting new places. I'm one of those people that don't just want to visit Paris or Austraila, I want to see practically the world! The way I see it the more you travel and the more you see, the more you learn and the more your mind is opened up to new ideas and possibilites.

I just need some good opinions and thoughs. Anything is helpful.

And I'm a female. If that means anything LOL.

[recycled]

I have not lived in Singapore, but I visited there for about a week in the late 1990s. It sounds like you have a good deal lined up to attend school there for a year or so. You are correct, Singapore is a very internationalized city-state and you should not have much trouble adjusting. People from all over the world live there so you will not feel like a total outsider compared to most places. I found most people to be generally friendly. Be sure you can tolerate warm humid weather year round though, it is typically in the low 90s F almost every day and the evenings are very warm also. For a single young woman, Singapore would be one of the safest places I can imagine to live. Serious crime is very rare, and I did a lot of walking around in the cooler hours of the night or early mornings. I would see lots of young women walking alone or in small groups on their way home or wherever else they were headed to.
Since you are an exploring kind of person, Singapore is not far from other exotic destinations like Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam or Indonesia. Good luck.

[fjtee]

Oh, please don't miss out on this opportunity. Not knowing what to expect is part of the fun. I've lived overseas (not Europe) and it was one of the most enlightening times of my life. Singapore isn't like moving into a hut in Bangladesh.

[JMT]

Singapore is like Disneyland--if Disneyland were run by Hitler.

But in all seriousness, I'd jump at this if I were you. It'll be a wonderful opportunity to experience something completely new and different. Just don't ever, EVER break any of Singapore's gazillion silly little rules and laws.

Singapore is a lovely place, very clean, very little crime, and very colorful. People from all over the world are there, and you're not far from Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia, India, Thailand, and many other neat places.

But be warned, the weather in Singapore is hot and steamy. Year round. All day, all night. But air conditioning is everywhere, thank goodness.

Have a great trip!

[mead]

Originally Posted by JMT

Singapore is like Disneyland--if Disneyland were run by Hitler.

But in all seriousness, I'd jump at this if I were you. It'll be a wonderful opportunity to experience something completely new and different. Just don't ever, EVER break any of Singapore's gazillion silly little rules and laws.

Singapore is a lovely place, very clean, very little crime, and very colorful. People from all over the world are there, and you're not far from Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia, India, Thailand, and many other neat places.

But be warned, the weather in Singapore is hot and steamy. Year round. All day, all night. But air conditioning is everywhere, thank goodness.

Have a great trip!

Air Con is everywhere in Singapore except in a lot of University dormitories, so that is something that the OP needs to be careful about.

You can actually get away with breaking a lot of Singapore's little rules, just not the big ones. If you break an important law (drugs, robbery, murder), then there's going to be hell to pay, and you will likely be hanging in Changi.

[phoenix_talons]

Singapore - great food, clean city, excellent public transportation, exceptionally low crime rate. Laws are tough, but that shouldn't worry you (unless you have a marijuana/narcotic craving). What school are you attending?

There are food courts everywhere, known locally as "hawker centers". These are outdoor locations. Very inexpensive and very good. Various Chinese, Malay, Indian dishes. Drinks are especially worth trying, because you won't find them in the States. Sugar cane drink, chrysanthemum tea, black herbal tea, etc. sweet and healthy. Look for the "Yeos" label on the drinks. They are reputable softdrink brands.

For public transportation, there's the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT). It's island-wide and encompass just about every prominent location, including shopping areas. (This page (broken link) tells you how to take the MRT.) I don't recommend getting a car. Traffic is bad. CA bad!

Major places of interests:
- Singapore Science Center (http://www.science.edu.sg/ssc/index.jsp - broken link)
- Jurong Bird Park
- Little India (great place to walk around and see the sights; can't recommend any restaurants there though)
- Suntec City Mall (http://www.suntecreit.com/sunteccitymall/ - broken link) (this area adjoins to Marina Square and Raffles City; all shopping areas)
- Sentosa (vacation resort; but the old British forts are worth checking out, with brief history presentation)
- Chinatown (http://www.rgs.edu.sg/events/Chinatown/main/main1.html - broken link) (I recommend going there during the day, as it is very crowded at night; so crowded that people keep rubbing against each other)

If you like foreign-language films, there's plenty in Singapore. Especially films from Asia.

So where are you staying? I can give you more places to check out.

[graceC]

I'd say (with envy) go for it! As many have stated above, it's a safe, clean, and very orderly city. Getting around is extremely easy since their public transportation is really reliable. Food is out of this world and people are generally friendly. It can get a bit boring though since there's not really much to do on the weekend in the country except shopping and going to their various hawker centers to try out different food scenes. You will get a kick out of their Singlish though (Singapore English), it takes a while to get used to hearing it :-)

[expatsonthemove]

I would die for this opportunity!! Don't even think about it, just do it!

I love Singapore, ppl are really nice and you have great places to meet ppl, like on the singapore river. Singlish is really funny, but really easy to understand....just add *lah* after every word and you'll be good.

Good luck on this journey!

[Chickrae]

GO for sure. I visited there a few years ago for a convention On one of our tours our travel guide said Singapore is one of the safest places anywhere. A woman can walk down the street in the middle of the night and nothing will happen to her. This is due to the fact that they have VERY strict laws regarding crime. If you steal something they cut your hand off....an eye for an eye so to speak. We went there right after the caneing incident. You probably are too young to remember that but I am sure alot of folks do.

They have the best desserts ever too. There are these little mint cream cakes things that I couldn't get enough of and they bake them fresh every day. I must of gained 5 lbs on that trip from eating all those.

I would go back again. It is VERY hot and humid though. Plan on taking lots of showers.

[Chickrae]

Singapore is like Disneyland--if Disneyland were run by Hitler.

That statement is so true......I couldn't of said it better. It's a great place but don't break the rules...or else