Have you ever heard your parents tell you: “If you don’t study and do well, you’re going to become a road sweeper later in life!“?
Singaporeans are a unique bunch of Asians – we are born and bred to survive and adapt in any environment we are placed, like a well-oiled Bear Grylls in the deepest pits of Siberia, or a clueless cadet undergoing JCC (Jungle Confidence Course) in the forests of Brunei. In short, wherever we go, we do anything and everything to ensure our comfort.
Here is my list of the top ten quirks that Singaporeans do when studying overseas!
1. Clarify that we DO speak English and we are NOT from China
Yes, we do speak English. It’s a national language. We speak Mandarin too – but some of us (i.e. me) suck very badly at that. No, Singapore is not a part of China. And no, we do not eat dog meat. Or starfishes.
2. [GUYS] Boldly claim that you previously served in the military
The duration or mandatory nature of National Service does not matter – the fact that you served in the military pales in comparison to the gap years of backpacking or work that your foreign friends have done prior to studies. Even if you were just a BMT instructor, a medic or even a combat engineer, you could tell them that you served in the special forces, gone through interrogation/POW training, been to Afghanistan or a warring country and they would easily believe you.
3. Compare the state of politics
This is especially true when the country that you are living in is liberal in nature. When was the last time you read an opinion piece in the newspaper critcizing the government?
4. Introduce the world to Whatsapp
You’ll be surprised as to how obscure Whatsapp is to ang mohs. Somehow it seems like it’s primarily an Asian thing. Foreigners use other chat apps such as Viber, ChatOn and SnapChat.
5. Find Asian food/sauces/marinades and become food hawkers
When overseas, Singaporeans love to cook. Even though we would love to embrace the local cuisine and get immersed in the culture that we are in, we would eventually miss the chicken rice taste, or perhaps a steamy bowl of laksa broth. Suddenly, we all become masters of Asian cooking, buying sauce packets and making homemade Asian food.
6. Buy a car
Oh, the freedom of not needing to pay for COE!!!!
7. Invest in a Time/Fixed Deposit Account at a Bank
Okay, maybe not everyone does this but I would highly recommend it if you have the money to invest in a fixed account. After all, the majority of banks overseas would offer interest rates MUCH HIGHER than the embarrassing numbers that local banks such as DBS, OCBC and UOB are offering. Check out the interest rates that DBS is offering here. Probably the only disadvantage is the rate of currency exchange, so it really depends on which country you are in. But still, 3% is better than 0.05%.
8. Compare how your foreign university is way better than the local universities
The Singaporean education system has long been criticized for being too rigid, requiring students to simply memorize and regurgitate information rather than really learning. Some friends who are studying in local universities tell stories of how the learning environment is really cutthroat, given the existential pressure to do better than the guy sitting next to you. So we carry our foreign universities’ names with pride, comparing them against the likes of NUS, NTU and SMU, and claiming how our universities are way better than them.
9. Meet up with fellow Singaporeans
Somehow, nothing feels better than being in the company of like-minded individuals who know what ‘lah’, ‘wahlau’ and ‘sian’ means, and having the liberty to throw off some hokkien slang without resulting in confused looks. Let’s face it: we need company, and being able to meet new fellow countrymen brings a sense of home to whichever part of the world you are in.
That being said, I know of people who tend to shy away from fellow Singaporeans, preferring to immerse themselves entirely with the locals or people of other nationalities. I tried educating an Australian friend of mine what ‘jio’ and ‘wahlau’ means, but he barely got past ‘la’.
10. Come up with a list of things Singaporeans do when studying overseas
Just because I’m too lazy to come up with a tenth item. 🙂
The inspiration wall 