If you hear someone utter this phrase, it will be followed by either "I have a colleague/relative/friend living there right now" or "remember not to chew gum." I continue to be amazed at the responses I get, because 1) so many people have a personal connection to this little southeast Asian city-state, and 2) its most noteworthy attribute, at least within the U.S., is its ban on chewing gum.
I think entire essays have been written on the ban, its symbolism as a form of strict state control, and the resulting impacts on citizens' creativity, quality of life, etc. Coming from a country where the word "Freedom" is a perfectly acceptable campaign platform, it will take a little adjusting to a society that is much more tightly regulated. But adjust we will, as have the 1.3 million expats who call Singapore home. If we're really in need of chewing gum, we can apparently cross over into Malaysia to get a fix!
There will be plenty of things we'll have to adjust to, but that's part of the fun of moving abroad. Having spent a year living in a small town in northeast China, I'm not concerned with the general adjustment to being in a foreign land, or getting accustomed to an Asian culture. Singapore, as many have said, is "Asia Lite." We'll be able to seek out most of the comforts of home if we really need to... at a cost. Peanut butter--that standard U.S. commodity that is more valuable (and more rare) abroad than gold--will be one of those things we have to either pay a premium to obtain, or start an import/export business. I just don't think Dasher will accept any substitutes when it comes to his Kong.
Downsizing might be one of the biggest adjustments for us. I can't imagine the three of us squeezing into a one-bedroom apartment in DC, but I'm looking forward to doing just that in Singapore, at least initially. We've been duly warned about the small apartments, high cost of living, and other things we should know about life in Singapore. And we're not exactly leaving behind a sprawling cattle ranch in Wyoming. We live in a 12 foot wide rowhouse in one of the more expensive cities in the U.S.
I think the toughest thing for me will be not having an oven. I'd read that American ovens are way bigger than international standards because they're designed to accommodate turkeys and other big roasts that we like to do on special occasions. I know they exist in Singapore (again, for a price) but I have yet to see an apartment advertising an "American-style oven" or any proper oven for that matter. It has to do with the type of cooking most Singaporeans do (stove-top), the price of electricity and/0r gas, and the fact that those behemoths really heat a place up-- a not insignificant consideration when it barely dips below 80 degrees outside. Our temporary grad student apartment will have a toaster oven, and I'm bracing myself to have nothing beyond that for the next four years. I baked a pretty good pumpkin pie in a toaster oven before, so they're not useless.
As with everything else, we'll be doing our best to adapt to the local lifestyle. I mean, we won't raise Dewi to speak Singlish, but we also won't shy away from food hawkers and wet markets. If we weren't ready for a little bit of adventure, we wouldn't be making this move in the first place.
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