The Truth About Culture Shock

When Mark said that he'd gotten the job in Singapore I was pretty ambivalent. It was just coming to the end of our Indian Summer and I was looking forward to Autumn and Winter. We were hoping to buy a home in 2014 and I knew the areas we were going to look in, I knew costs, and if was decluttering in the run up. Of course I knew it was an amazing opportunity, but I'm not really all that adventurous by nature.
Fast forward to the first month here and I was not very happy.....but I'd read this is the honeymoon period. I was not only not liking it in Singapore, but I was worried as this was the time I was supposed to be loving it...
One measly month later and it's all change. Once I'd learned how to use the MRT I could get about, I knew more people, had spoken to them and got invited out. We'd gotten our own belongings delivered and it was more homely, Daisy and I could go on walks, I knew my way around where we lived and I was finally able to orientate myself around parts of the city.
I was naive to believe there was a prescribed sort of culture shock, I don't think it helped at all. I am much more open to understanding that if you don't get out you won't see people. If you never leave the house of course you get bored. Singapore was never bad-being cooped up in half a square mile is bad, that's what's boring! This, although super obvious, became a bit of a revelation and I am so joyful that finally it did.

So British

If someone asks my nationality I tell them I am Scottish as I have Scottish traits like wanting a blether as well as being super proud of my identity and history, however I do think most of my traits mean I am so British.  I like to think of myself as polite and well mannered (with only a few episodes of high maintenance every month or so…) and I drink copious amounts of tea and use sorry to mean almost anything.  I have a very dry sense of humour and I can’t say ‘great!’ without sounding sarcastic or tell the truth to hairdressers when I hate what they’ve done.  I reply to Doctors asking how I feel by saying “Fine thank you, and how are you?”, and yet I don’t expect a reply (or really want to bother them by being there).   

Because of all of this I’ve been trying to read up on the culture of Singapore and learn about Singaporean traits, so far I’ve only found a few things like never to think the tissue packet at a café is rubbish and move it and to give business cards with two hands.  Marks been to KL before and said that if Singapore is anything like it we will feel cold when we go indoors as the air-con blasts frosty air as soon as you step into a shopping centre or cinema (note to self: don’t throw out all warm clothes).

From Coming to America Blog

I’m a bit worried that I won’t have a clue what people say if they speak Singlish (and I will do the terribly polite British thing of smiling, nodding and not being able to ask if they can repeat it..)  But what I am excited about is being able to see so many different cultures and religions all in one place.  I really want to try and see as much as I can and if that means a party all the better!        

I also don’t want to quickly move out

I was reading that people who do better at being expats have the following traits:

Extroversion

·         Is talkative;

·         generates a lot of enthusiasm.

Agreeableness  

·         is generally trusting; and

·         is helpful and unselfish with others.

Conscientiousness  

·         perseveres until the task is finished; and

·         is a reliable worker.

Emotional stability

·         is relaxed, handles stress well; and

·         remains calm in tense situations.

Openness

·         has an active imagination; and

·         is original, comes up with new ideas.

I’m pretty sure that between the two of us Mark and I can cover this lot.  I’ve also been trying to find out about culture shock, but all of the graphs I see just look plain distressing…who wants to see something that goes South so many times?  Or is that my ‘excited’ phase?

What do you mean?

From The Telegraph newspaper