Though Singapore has been under Western influence for a long time it is an Asian city with a Western veneer. ofcourse Singapore is nothing like a town in rural China, people coming from there are in for as much as a shock, but you may want to realize there can be differences before you arrive. This is in no way meant as some sort of put-off, just know what you are getting yourself into.

We’ll not describe the intricacies of the differences here but will just jot down 2 items that may give you an indication.
- Maids; If you’ve been hopping around as an expat you may have had maids before but having a live-in maid is very common in Singapore, even for local middle class families where both parents work. The maid takes care of the house, children and sometimes older family members.
- Censorship; If you have already been talking to a mover and you have quite a video or DVD collection you want to bring along they will (or should) have warned you; If these videos are listed in the content of your stuff they will be reviewed by the Censorship board at a considerable per/hour rate so consider whether it’s worth it. To give you an indication of how far the censorship goes: Whether ‘Sex and the City’ should be aired on television has been a matter of public debate for most of 2003.

In short, don’t assume too much too fast, be on your best behavior and use your eyes-and-ears the first days and weeks. People know you are new and will forgive you your first bloopers, bear in mind you’ll probably have to see a lot of the people you meet the first few days.