What Do You Think When You Hear "Singapore"? Round Two

More About Living in Singapore…

 

Safe

Singapore is the nicest, cleanest city I’ve visited.  There is a reason for that.  The government is strict and punishments are a real deterrent to bad behavior.  When our Bishop visited our home he made the comment that there is nowhere in the entire country that he would be worried about his wife walking alone at night.  I haven’t been everywhere, but I concur that I feel safe everywhere I go.

 

Clean

Sometimes I think it’s odd that there seems to be a person to do every single job in this country.  For example I often see people that hand sweep parking lots.  The parking lots are super clean as a result.  Back in the states if my kids crushed up crackers in the car I would brush the crumbs on the ground at the parking lot at our house and let the birds eat them up.  I just can’t do it here.  First everywhere has underground parking structures to there wouldn’t be any birds, but second, the parking lot is just too clean to do that.  I’d feel way too guilty!

 

Guns

As we were making our plans to come here, the Boy Scouts were doing a fund raiser selling popcorn.  Ben got the paperwork and quickly picked out his prize.  He wanted to sell $600 of popcorn and get the grand prize – a marshmallow crossbow.  Before I jumped on board, I had to stay up late that night researching to see if we could  even bring the toy into the country.  The government website was pretty clear about no guns allowed, but also talked a lot about no toys that resembled real guns.  It took a while but I finally found a picture reference guide and was able to determine that he could bring in the marshmallow crossbow without getting in trouble because with all the neon colors and obviously plastic parts it wouldn’t be mistaken as a real weapon.  I have since seen lots of toy guns for sale in Toys ‘R’ Us here.  Ben did earn the crossbow by the way. That kid was dedicated!

 

Caning

Caning is a punishment for all sorts of crimes from vandalizing government property to rape.  The number of lashes depends on the severity and any caning offense is also accompanied by a prison sentence.  I’m not totally sure what the big deal is over the whole thing.  I don’t believe it to be a comfortable or happy thing, but it isn’t meant to be.  It’s a punishment.  It’s like a serious, serious grown up spanking.  Bare bum hitting with a stick while your ankles are strapped to the legs of a table type support bent over so your back side is accessible.

 

About that 18 year old American that got caned, Michael Fay, I support the idea that a citizen of another country must abide by the laws of the land where he is.  As an expatriate, I recognize myself to be a guest in this country and as a guest I must play by their rules.  He received the same punishment a Singaporean would have received.  He confessed to the vandalism when he was arrested then changed his story.  He does still maintain his innocence on spray painting cars, slicing tires, hitting cars with hatchets, putting paint remover on cars, etc., but did admit to stealing road signs.  That being said, I don’t know anything about his innocence or guilt.  I just believe that I am subject to the laws here and have no special privilege because I’m an American.

 

Government

The government is much more involved in a persons everyday life that what I am accustomed to in the States.  They have something of an equivalent to the grocery store loyalty cards here, but it is issued by the government and one card works for all stores.  You can do anything at an ATM kiosk style machine at the grocery – from top up your parking card, to pay your electric bill, to pay your taxes, to reserve a camping or BBQ spot at the park.  I applied for a season pass to the Science Center and have to provide my government number equivalent to my social security number.  For the kids to get a discount MRT (train ticket) I had to provide a passport and their Singapore country ID cards.

 

At the MRT (train) stops I find it a bit eerie in a weird theatrical sense.  I think it was the movie Joe vs. the Volcano where the opening scene is the colorless world and people going to work in trench coats in the rain.  It feels a bit like that to me sometimes. Take for instance the Woodlands MRT stop near our house.  The train stops in the very middle of a big city block.  Completely surrounding the train stop is a huge open grassy field spreading out in all directions and one seven story shopping mall, small in size actually compared to many others.  From the train stop going diagonally out to all four street corners are long, long, long covered walkways leading to high rise after high rise after high rise of HDBs.  I think it’s really just a mental image I created in my head of people in trench coats trudging to their carbon copy HDBs living a dismal life.  It isn’t really that way.  Just how I imagine it when I see that particular train stop on my way to the mall in the middle.

 

All that being said, I haven’t really seen a huge problem with them being so involved with me.  As an American I feel naturally skeptical and protective, but I have to admit, I’m letting my guard down a little as I become more comfortable with the idea.  I still think I’ll be just as feisty about the US government butting into my life though.  I think they are a total disaster and heading for a self-created explosion someday.