Feature: UK vs Singapore – 9 Differences & 1 Similarity

I’ve been in Singapore for almost a week, and on the whole I’m having a wonderful time here. While a country is a country is a country, however, I must admit that I still experienced a fair bit of culture shock when I arrived. As one may expect, Singapore and England (Leeds specifically, where I spent my last three years) are two very different stories. They may speak a common language, but they are nonetheless still worlds apart. Here are some differences – and one big similarity – that I’ve noticed so far…

Forever summer in Singapore. Photo by Gwen Pew, Aug 2012.

1. The Weather

The joke is that Leeds, being in the north of England, practically never experiences summer. (That is not strictly true. They do have summer. It just rarely lasts for more than a week each year.) In Singapore, however, there are only ever two seasons: it’s either hot-and-sunny, or hot-and-rainy. I have never particularly liked the cold, but I do think that I’ll end up missing the feel of wooly jumpers and the sight of snow in a few years’ time.

While on that note, people here don’t talk about the weather either, probably because there’s never very much to talk about. I tried commenting about the rain to a cabbie the other day, and he gave me a blank stare in the rearview mirror and mumbled a very vague ‘huh?’

I guess I won’t be going there again…

2. Rent Prices

This is a much more serious problem. People complain that rents are ridiculous in London, but as it turns out it’s actually worse here. According to ECA International, Singapore is the third most expensive city to rent property in Asia (and ninth in the world). As I’ve mentioned in my recent post on the nightmare of flat-hunting, we very quickly realised that we would not be able to afford even a one-bedroom apartment here. The result is that we are now looking to rent a room. Back to university living we go then, it seems.

Chicken rice + veg + soup = S$5 (£2.50) Photo by Gwen Pew, Sept 2012.

3. Food Prices

On the other hand, delicious cheap food is very readily available here. Hawker centres – i.e. local food courts – are popular places to eat. For the equivalent of £2.50 I can easily get myself a plate of chicken rice with a dish of vegetables and a bowl of soup on the side. Which is, even with student discount, unheard of in the UK. I’m also spoilt for choice in terms of options, for they do everything from dumplings to katsu rice to wonton noodles. The only problem is that my perspective of how much food should cost has now been completely skewed, and I will never be able to eat anywhere else in the world without crying ever again.

4. Beverage Choice

Ever since arriving in Singapore, I have been missing the wonderful sensation of holding a nice hot mug of tea in my hands. I miss my morning cuppa, my afternoon cuppa, and my evening cuppa. The weather here does not permit hot drinks, and I have adopted the habit of drinking various fruit juices instead. While they taste great and my mother is very proud of me for the increased intake of vitamins, juices simply don’t live up to the joys of PG Tips.

I did, however, buy about 200 teabags from Sainsbury’s before I left England just for emergencies. I anticipate that after an especially horrible day (or when I miss the UK too much), I shall crank up the air con, get under the blankets, brew some tea and pretend that it’s snowing outside just to escape it all. A little make-believe never hurts anyone.

The snow-covered Pennington Street, Leeds. Pretty and great for tea tray sliding – but impossible to walk up. Photo by Gwen Pew, Feb 2012.

5. Topography

A trek back home from Leeds city centre for me used to be a 30-minute uphill journey. Pennington Street – one of the steepest roads I have ever had the displeasure to walk up – still haunts my dreams sometimes. It also did not help that I lived in the attic, which means a further few flights of stairs even after I’ve reached the house. Singapore, on the contrary, is as flat as an ironed out surfboard. Apartments here are also blessed with the wonderful technology known as lifts, which are much appreciated by my lazy legs.

6. Escalators

On the topic of transport technology, here’s something that I’m still trying to get used to. Unlike most other cities I’ve been in around the world, Singaporeans stand on the left and walk on the right on escalators. It’s a very minor point, but one worth taking notice of – especially during rush hour – as locals really don’t like it when people get it wrong.

7. Nightlife/Crime Rate

This one is a bit of a give and take. While Singapore is one of the safest cities in the world (compared with Leeds, which has one of the highest crime rates in England outside London), its nightlife scene has to be compromised. The two main party areas here are Clarke Quay and Boat Quay, but both of these places are very expensive, very crowded, and not particularly impressive. The only big club that I’ve heard anyone mention so far is Zouk, but even that is supposed to be more of a teenagers’ hotspot than anything else. That said, there are a decent number of bars dotted around Singapore, and at least I don’t ever have to get woken up by the sound of people smashing up bottles outside my place at 3am anymore.

Party times in Leeds. Photo by Gwen Pew, Sept 2009.

8. Cleanliness

One of Singapore’s nicknames is Fine City. Yes it’s a very pretty place, but mostly because littering here will cost first-time offenders S$300 (£150). Second-time offenders, or first-time offenders who drop anything bigger than a Coke can, will be fined S$500 (£250) and could face a court sentence of Corrective Work Order (CWO). This means that the person in question would have to clean up public areas whilst donning a fluorescent jacket with the words ‘Corrective Work Order’ printed on it. There have even been occasions where photos of their faces graced the front page of The Straits Times. Talk about public humiliation.

To take things one step further, street art is also illegal here as it is considered a form of vandalism. The crime is punishable by spanking – or caning, as it is officially known here – and so as a result this city boasts some of the shiniest streets and walls in the world. Having been used to walls sprayed over with swear words in various fonts and penises of various shapes, I find Singapore’s cleanliness refreshing – but also very disarming.

The Singapore Art Museum. Photo by Gwen Pew, Aug 2012.

9. Museums Entry Fee

I only truly came to appreciate England’s ‘no museum entrance fee’ policy when I left the country. I suppose I took it for granted that art and culture should be free and accessible to all, but alas, it is not the case here in Singapore (or most other places around the world for that matter). Of course we should still fight against the UK government’s outrageous arts cuts, but at least it hasn’t forced national establishments to start charging (yet). There are many galleries and museums I am hoping to visit here, but I always end up walking away because of the entry fee – especially now that I can no longer enjoy concession rates and am yet to receive my first paycheck.

I’m aware that the Singapore government has been trying to endorse and even subsidise the local arts scene, however, so here’s to the hopes that one day they will make their galleries and museum free for all to go in and admire, too.

…and 1 similarity: Language

The biggest thing that Singapore and England have in common is their language: I find the Yorkie/Scouse/Mancunian/Brummie/Geordie accents as difficult to understand as ‘Singlish’ (Singaporean English). Both countries have integrated a lot of local slang into the language, and have subsequently made it practically impossible for outsiders to understand.

Many people think that Singlish means simply adding ‘la’ to the end of every sentence. In reality, that is only a very small part of it, for it is actually a complex combination of Malay, Tamil, Cantonese, Hokkien, as well as various other Asian and European dialects.

It took me nearly three years to make any headway with the Yorkshire accent – the bet is now open as to how long it will take me to become remotely well-versed in Singlish (if I ever will)!