SINGAPORE: If you need a dose of courage and inspiration, an infusion of boldness to take risks you’ve never taken before, you might want to read the experiences of an American woman who has lived in Singapore for the past seven years. In short, the recent story of writer and editor Sara Lyle’s in Insider is a recommended read.
While reading her piece titled I moved to Singapore as a pregnant newlywed and left a divorced single mom. I have no regrets published earlier this week; a few choice words come to mind describing Ms Lyle, including “brave” and “spirited.”
One can’t help but admire Ms Lyle, who’d never been to Singapore when she moved with her then-husband in early 2015. At 36 years old and six months pregnant, in the middle of winter, she uprooted herself from her life in New York, where she’d spent 16 years in the publishing world.
Not many writers and editors would probably have left The Big Apple for South East Asia (even for Asia Lite, aka the Little Red Dot). Still, Ms Lyle, who describes herself as a “content editor and creator who’s all about that #remotelife,” was up for the adventure.
The risk appears to have paid off, but maybe not fully in the way she’d imagined. In some ways, it was a dream come true.
“While I’d traveled extensively, I’d never lived abroad for more than a couple of months. But I had always dreamed of living outside the US at some stage.
So, when my ex did a virtual job interview over Thanksgiving weekend at my in-laws’ home in Pennsylvania — and was then offered a job at one of the world’s biggest advertising companies’ Singapore office — I wasn’t about to pass up the opportunity.”
As her husband’s contract was only for the next two years, that’s how long they planned on staying, at least originally.
And maybe it was a case of love at first sight for the writer, who was fascinated by Singlish and the cleanliness of Singapore’s public toilets, among other delights.
Two months later, when she was eight months into her pregnancy, she accepted a job as editor-in-chief at a long-running magazine for expats, though she wouldn’t begin until after giving birth to her son.
Again, her winning attitude was, “I was like, ‘So, you’re going to pay me to learn about living here? Sign me up!’”
In the years that followed, she and her husband split up. She and her son ended up spending the first years of the pandemic at a condo near East Coast Park.
Although she’s back in the US today, she—and her son—retain many fond memories of their time in Singapore, including going to a Buddhist temple each Vesak Day in honour of the day he was born.
And to this day, the young boy still loves roti prata with curry.
Ms Lyle is also the editor of the New York Times Best Seller “7 Years Younger” series and was a speaker at the Global Summit of Women. /TISG