Foreign talent thanks Singapore before move to UAE: ‘Thank you for making a boy from India feel like he genuinely belonged’

SINGAPORE: After six years of building a life in Singapore, one foreign talent is packing his bags for the United Arab Emirates (UAE). But before boarding that flight, he wanted to say one thing to the country that helped shape some of the most important years of his life: ‘Thank you for making a boy from India feel like he genuinely belonged.’

In a post on the singaporespeaks forum, the Indian national recalled arriving in Singapore for the first time. 

“I landed at Changi as a 22-year-old only child who had never truly been on his own,” he said. “I’d travelled before, but always with the safety net of family, of familiarity, of India. This was different. This was sink or swim.”

And swim he did, although not without swallowing a fair bit of water along the way.

Back then, life was less about sightseeing and more about survival. For the first year and a half, his schedule was packed from morning to night. He would head to his internship during the day, attend classes in the evening, then spend his nights tackling assignments. 

“It was 1.5 years of 7 am-to-10 pm days,” he wrote. “I was grinding to earn the right to stay.”

A difficult decision during the pandemic

When the pandemic arrived and the job market collapsed, he found himself weighing a difficult choice. He could return to India or remain in Singapore and hope for the best.

“Going back to India felt like admitting defeat, and staying felt like staring into uncertainty every single day,” he said, recounting how conflicted he felt during that time.

With no guarantees that things would work out, he chose to stay. It was a gamble that could easily have gone the other way, but he decided to hang on and see it through.

Fortunately, the risk paid off. He landed his first full-time job and began building a life for himself in Singapore.

A sense of belonging

Now, six years later, he is leaving for a new opportunity in the UAE. 

While excited about what lies ahead, he admitted that leaving Singapore feels bittersweet.

“I’m leaving for a new chapter in the UAE — and I don’t quite know how to close this one,” he wrote. “This country gave me things I didn’t know I needed.”

Among them was a sense of safety. He spoke about being able to walk alone late at night without fear, something he said he never “took for granted.”

Singapore also introduced him to people, cultures, and perspectives that expanded his view of the world after spending much of his life in familiar surroundings.

Most importantly, it gave him something many people spend years searching for: a sense of belonging.

“It gave me the quiet dignity of belonging to a community—of queuing patiently, complaining about the humidity, and meaning it when I called somewhere home,” he wrote.

“I’ll be honest—I came here carrying a weight I didn’t fully acknowledge. There’s a stigma that follows Indians around, online and sometimes in person: loud, obnoxious, and difficult. I don’t know if I always succeeded, but I tried every single day to be someone Singapore could be proud of hosting. I hope I managed it more often than not. I found my footing here. I found my confidence here. I found my wife here.”

The little things he’ll miss

Looking back on his years in Singapore, he said it is not just the major milestones he will remember, but the small routines that became part of daily life.

“I’ll miss the kaya toast with soft-boiled eggs and kopi. I’ll miss the shorts-and-t-shirt uniform that makes every day feel like a weekend. I’ll miss the people—every race, every accent, every auntie who judges your food order and is always right.”

Ending his post, he wrote: “Thank you for keeping me safe. Thank you for the growth. Thank you for making a boy from India feel, for the better part of a decade, like he genuinely belonged. Walao, I’ll miss SG lor. Confirm will come back one.”

“Good luck, Bro! Come back someday.”

The farewell post quickly went viral on Reddit, racking up more than 1.1k upvotes.

In the comments, many users said they were glad he had enjoyed his time in Singapore and wished him well as he set off for his next chapter.

“All the best as you begin a new chapter!! Make new memories and live your best life!!” one comment read.

“Good luck and do well in whatever life throws at you. I hope you’ve got the Singapore can-do spirit,” another said.

“Good luck, Bro! Come back someday. Whether it’s for a visit or a permanent stay. The kopi’s always ready for you and your family (along with the judging uncle/aunty),” a third wrote.

“Glad that Singapore has been kind to you. Generally, Singaporeans are a welcoming lot. I hope we stay this way,” a fourth added./TISG

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