SINGAPORE: Sometimes, visitors to the Little Red Dot show more appreciation for their homeland than locals do. While this could be a case of the grass being greener on the other side of the world, a French woman nevertheless had a refreshing take on why she can’t wait to get back to Singapore.
Software engineer Amandine, whom TISG first wrote about here, is behind the TikTok account @new_to_singapore.
In a video from earlier this week, she wrote that at that point, she was on her way back to Singapore after 20 days in Europe, which may be why the contrast felt so strong to her.
@new_to_singapore I’m on my way back to Singapore! 🇸🇬 After 20 days in Europe, I can’t wait 🥲 #expatinsingapore #lifeinfrance #lifeinsingapore #singapore #france
♬ original sound – New to Singapore by Amandine – New to Singapore by Amandine
Admitting that moving to Singapore had initially been a shock, she said she has come to appreciate the city-state’s public transport, as it can get her everywhere she wants to go.
Meanwhile, “here in France, I feel super dependent on my parents to drive me anywhere, to do anything outside the house.
“No car, no life,” she noted.
As for greetings, she prefers the Singaporean way of saying “hi” or giving someone a hug to the French tradition of kissing a person on both cheeks every time you see them.
Another thing she appreciates is that in Singapore, people take their shoes off when they enter a house, while in France, they don’t, which “feels really wrong” to her now.
However, she did point out that she appreciates that in France she gets to do things with her neighbours, like getting drinks or having a barbecue, but she doesn’t even know her neighbours’ names in Singapore.
Perhaps most surprisingly, she professed a preference for the weather in Singapore, which she said is “way better” for her sanity, as it does not go from too cold to too hot and back to too cold again on the same day.
In a comment to her post, she added that while she misses the pastries and cheese in her homeland, she appreciates that Singapore has a lot of different food options, which makes it feel “less boring”.
Her video sparked dozens of comments, especially from those who found themselves able to relate to her sentiments.
“I worked in France for over 10 years, lived in Rennes. Loved it, but yes, kiss, kiss is a difficult thing to do, and wearing shoes indoors,” one wrote.
“Yeah, you cannot do a BBQ party here with neighbours. You cook and party inside the house and keep quiet,” a commenter joked.
One, however, said, “You’ve been transformed into a Singaporean.” /TISG
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