A year in Singapore
I’ve now lived in Singapore for exactly one year. I’m not sure quite what I was expecting, but two months of lockdown amid a global pandemic certainly wasn’t part of it.
For the first seven months of our new life here, we were getting to know our new home - and there’s a lot to like about Singapore. It’s a small place, easy to navigate and with loads of choice for eating out, from cheap local hawker centres to top-end fine dining.
Even though much of the population doesn’t touch wine, there is no shortage to choose from, covering everything from English sparkling to natural wine as well as a thriving craft beer, spirits and cocktail scene. In fact, the diversity of drink available is at least as good as in London, albeit on a far smaller scale … and at a far higher price.
It has taken most of the year to grow accustomed to prices here. Almost everything is more expensive than in the UK. Everyday groceries are at least twice as expensive, and wine can be three or four times the cost I was used to (see this post for a breakdown of how tax affects wine prices in Singapore).
What seemed strange to start with has become quite normal now - not only local prices but tropical birds, omnipresent air conditioning inside and steam-room humidity outside, spectacular lightning storms, expat culture, uncanny cleanliness and obedience (among the general populace more than expats), living in a condo and a never-changing season.
Personally speaking, I haven’t missed the UK very much. I visited for two weeks in January and while I quite like wintery weather, England looked surprisingly old and tired by comparison with Singapore. It’s true that Singapore has much less of a cultural scene of London - but then again, it has far better temples, native cuisine and tropical gardens, for instance.
In professional terms, I wanted to shake up my work life, but I wasn’t quite counting on Covid. Even so, I am one of the lucky ones, continuing to write regularly for JancisRobinson.com and Drinks Retailing News as well as producing two series of A Glass With. Locally, I’ve been very fortunate that 67 Pall Mall are opening their second Club here, and I’m working with them to organise events - all online for now, of course. Opening has been delayed until mid-2021, so that has slowed things down, but there are still things to do.
(I also fulfilled my ambition of writing a second novel within the first year of living here, although I haven’t been able to get an agent interested. Ho hum.)
Predicting what will happen over the next two years (or more) that we will be based here is now very difficult, of course. Singapore seems like a very safe place to be in terms of Covid control, but with flying being effectively outlawed for now, we’re no longer able to travel - and Singapore is a pretty small country to be trapped in.
That’s a luxurious problem to have, of course, and the hope is that travel will start opening up next year, even if it’s only to certain destinations. In the meantime, there’s no shortage of bars and restaurants to explore here.
Singapore is a cool place to live, with a friendly and welcoming feel. While things such as the weather and living costs take some getting used to, it’s also a very familiar place to live with the same international brands you find everywhere, and many cultural similarities to the UK (thanks to the colonial history). Whatever happens over the next two years, I’m glad to be here.