Moving to Singapore soon...

[e92bm]

So,

I'll be moving to Singapore soon because of work.

I've never lived in any country other than the UK so I'm quite apprehensive about moving over.

Honest opinions pls?

[Pinklepurr]

It's fun, you'll love it. Just need to get used to the humidity, after that it is a breeze.

[daffodil]

And bear in mind that it's not the UK Try looking through some of the topics in this forum, will give you some top tips!

Enjoy your adventure.

[e92bm]

Thank you very much guys

I am not too keen on humidity :O but that's something I will have to get used to.

I've had a flick through threads and it seems like there's a lot going on over there and sounds like a lot of fun.
Do you know what the Orchard road area is like over there? I think I will be getting an apartment somewhere around there.

[BoD]

You do get used to the humidify, but sweating becomes a way of life. Along with showering and changing clothes a lot more often,

Orchard is the main shopping street. Nothing wrong with the area, and it's certainly central,but you can get more for your money if you move a bit further out.

[e92bm]

Thanks BoD.

It should be a good adventure, and thanks for the advice on the locations.

Silly question, does a furnished apartment have TV, Internet etc included? What would I need to bring with myself?

I'm a noob to all this stuff.

[BoD]

Unfurnished usually means that you get white goods.

Furnished includes beds, sofa, dining table etc, but not usually a TV, and probably not furniture that you actually want to live with. If you can, bring your own, or plan to buy once you get here. Landlords who are letting furnished won't usually be keen to let you not keep their furniture, as if you don't they have to find somewhere to keep it

The flat will be wired for internet and cable TV, but you will have to pay for them yourself (unless you have one of the ever rarer full expat packages)

[e92bm]

Ahhh right - as I suspected.

I am lucky enough to get the full package so I shouldn't have to worry about the internet etc I hope.

Thanks for clarifying those bits, I guess I'll need to bring my own TV, I have an allowance to move things over there so if you know any good shipping companies I would be grateful.

I have two months until I move over and all I have been told is to have two suitcases ready!

Do people from the forum meet up often, or is it mainly online?

Thanks again for the help.

[Satellite]

orchard road area is ok. But I much prefer living on the fringes of it. Wonder if being local plays a part in it. Things are mainly more expensive ie eating out and just putting a worn out t-shirt and shorts seems a bit underdressed to be walking around in, although I still did that at times when I was lazy.

Depends on what you'd like to do. I lived mainly in geylang and it is close to orchard, chinatown, rafffles place, little india, the beach (east coast & sentosa), botanic gardens . With a car, it takes me about 15 - 30 min to drive to those places including parking. With the train or bus, it may take a bit longer 30- 60min. That is considered acceptable commuting duration (at least by me) as when I was working at one time, I used to commute 1.5 hr each way by public transport!

I love the sweat when running.. makes me feel like I've had a great work-out!

[sluggo]

Don't worry Mate you will love it. When we moved to Singapore I really did not want to go but my wife did (enough said) as it was her job that took us there. I fell in love with the place within the first two months. We were only supposed to stay 2 years but ended up staying 3.5 years. I wish we were still there. We came back to the States in '09 and i've been back to visit 4 times since then. It will be great.

[e92bm]

Thanks very much guys, I am looking forward to moving there and starting a new chapter in my life.

It's going to be a new experience for me because I've never lived alone, let alone in a new country and I will be starting a new job.

I hope I don't have to travel much to work, I hate travelling on public transport, I travel to London city everyday and I'm just fed up with it.

[Satellite]

Live close to the office then!

Transport is much better in Sg. So is healthcare. Especially healthcare. MAy be a bit costlier for a foreigner but at least you get treated in Sg. Fast!

[sluggo]

Since you are on a full expat package you will probably have a transportation allowance so you can take a taxi to work. My wife took a taxi everyday. Taxis are cheap but they are not too expensive either at least compared to the US and they are all over the place (except when raining). Some expats like having a car but we actually liked not having one. We lived in the Bencoolen on Bencoolen Street and really liked the area. Its a bit more costly than other areas further out but there were so many interesting things in the area within walking distance that it was worth it. That area has several apartment buildings that are pretty nice (typical Singapore apartments), the Bencoolen, Burlington Square, Sunshine Plaza and so on. We liked it because it was an interesting mix of Singaporean and expats and had more local character than the Orchard Rd area. Seems like the real estate agents always take expats to the East Coast along the ECP (East Coast Parkway) and Holland Village as those areas have a lot of expats but we liked being in an area that was more diverse. Other members may have other good ideas. Keep asking questions. Good luck Mate.