Photo: Freepik (for illustration purposes only)
‘Ignored and snapped at’ — Foreigner shares disappointment over his first Singapore visit after asking for directions
SINGAPORE: A foreign traveller took to social media to share that he was very disappointed with his first trip to Singapore.
Posting on the r/askSingapore subreddit on Friday (April 11), the traveller mentioned that he had been really excited about the trip because he had heard many glowing reviews about “how modern, clean, and efficient the country is.” And to be fair, those aspects didn’t disappoint — he acknowledged that Singapore certainly lived up to its reputation on those fronts.
However, what dampened the experience for him was the general lack of warmth and friendliness he felt from the locals.
He explained that from the moment he arrived, he was met with a sense of “coldness.” He said that the airport staff were “impatient and dismissive” towards him, and whenever he attempted to ask locals for directions or assistance, he was either “ignored or snapped at.”
“It felt like I was bothering them just by speaking to them. At times, the responses I got felt more like barking than actual communication,” he continued.
“I know that most Singaporeans are ethnically Chinese, and maybe there are some cultural differences in how people communicate with strangers – maybe a more direct or reserved style that I wasn’t used to. Still, it was tough not to take it personally, especially as a tourist who was just trying to get around and enjoy the city.”
Towards the end of his post, the traveller clarified that he wasn’t trying to generalise or bash the entire local population. “I’m not here to bash anyone – maybe I just had a streak of bad luck,” he wrote. “But I’m genuinely curious: Is this kind of cold or blunt behaviour common in Singapore? Or did I just catch the wrong people at the wrong time?”
“Singaporeans are reserved and a tad suspicious of outsiders…”
In the comments, several Singaporean Redditors apologised to the traveller for the rude or cold encounters he experienced.
One commented, “Sorry to hear about your experience. Compared to residents of neighbouring countries, people in Singapore could appear more reserved and cold or in a rush to their next destination. However, as a local, I would say most people in Singapore are helpful if others ask them for help politely.”
Another echoed this sentiment, saying, “Singaporeans are reserved and a tad suspicious of outsiders, but they probably meant no harm. As for the way we give instructions, it can come across as direct and unfriendly, but really, it’s the rough Hokkien/army culture that most of us were brought up in.”
However, there were others who disagreed with this explanation. They asserted that this type of interaction is simply the culture in Singapore—one that is shaped by the pragmatic, no-nonsense attitude of a fast-paced society.
“This is the benchmark in a first-world country where everyone is productive and minds their own business rather than going around bothering people,” one Redditor said. “Do you not have a phone and a Google map on it? There is no excuse these days for being a lazy, entitled bum.”
Another remarked, “This ain’t the land of smiles; on the contrary, it’s high-stress. I’m not sure what you’re expecting from a city.”
In other news, a Malaysian student who’s set to graduate from one of Singapore’s local universities in about a month and a half has taken to Reddit to ask for some tips on job searching.
In a post on the r/askSingapore Reddit forum, he shared that despite sending out “hundreds of job applications since August 2024″, he’s only been invited to four interviews — all of which ended in rejection.
“As I am Malaysian (not PR), I have taken a tuition bond, and I need to work three years in Singapore to fulfil the bond,” he continued. “As I’m getting closer to graduating but still yet to find a job, I’m starting to get really anxious. Any advice, please? I’m desperate.”
Featured image by freepik (for illustration purposes only)
