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People and Culture
In Singapore, people from different ethnic background and religious groups live peacefully together. Singapore's population is predominantly Chinese comprising about 75% of the total population. The next largest ethnic groups are Malay followed by Indian. Surprisingly, over ten percent of Singapore's population is foreign. Hate crimes among different ethnic groups are unheard of in Singapore.
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Various religions can also be found in Singapore. Buddhist (Chinese), Muslim (Malay), Hindu (Indian), and Christian (many young Singaporeans are converting) cohabitate peacefully. Singapore is a model country for multi-ethnic society. |
| Hindu Temple |
Most of the staff at Masami's company are Chinese Singaporean. In addition, there are a few Americans expatriated from the US headquarters, some Chinese Malaysians, a few Mainland Chinese, an Indian Singaporean, a Filipino, and Masami's the only Japanese person.
Ever since Masami started with this company, her coworkers have taken care of her. From the first day, they invited her to lunch, made sure she adjusted OK, and taught her about Singapore. She's especially happy that many of the staff are interested in Japan. Masami recalls interning as a student in the US. Her coworkers, for the most part, left her on her own. Now, after a 4 year absence from life in Japan, it was refreshing to re-encounter "Asian kindness" here in Singapore.
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| Masami's colleagues and boss. |
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| Surprise Party for Jimmy. |
Facelift of Chinatown
The Singapore government doesn't seem to like old buildings. The older buildings in China Town, for example, continue to be replaced with newer ones. Those making a living in the older buildings are forced to relocate, and nobody seems to oppose the government decision. These behaviors epitomize Singapore for us.
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Old Chinatown |
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Under construction |
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After the facelift |
The Scenes before National Day
People celebrate independence on August 9th and a huge parade takes place at the National Stadium. The following pictures were taken outside the National Stadium one week before National Day during the full dress rehearsal. One of Masami's coworkers attended the parade as a chorus group member when she was a university student. She remembers the event vividly as a collection of national pride and an appreciation for the country.
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The building in the far left is the National Stadium. It is hard to see, but there are flight attendants from Singapore Airline practicing a march. The contrast between the military car and their elegant costumes is quite interesting. |
OOJ (Only One Japanese)
This group was founded for employees who are the only Japanese in a company and want to meet other Japanese people who are in a similar situation. Since most Japanese in Singapore are expatriated with their families by their Japanese headquarters, Masami values meeting other Japanese who are local hires on local wages. Together, they share their experiences and thoughts. Often, Masami's reassured to know that others share her way of thinking.
PrimeTime
PrimeTime is a networking group for foreign women working in Singapore. We get together once a month for dinner and networking.
http://women-connect-asia.com/primetime/
Singapore Women in IT (SWIT)
SWIT is a networking group for women working in Information Technology. We get together once a month for dinner and networking. Each month there is a guest speaker who talks about current IT issues. About 80% of the attendees are Singaporean.
