After a week taking in the tourist sights in Vancouver, the highlight of this trip has been conversations we had with an older Singaporean couple that kindly took us around for a day. They left very successful careers in Singapore to bring up their children here, and it was very interesting to view the culture and people of Vancouver through their eyes and accumulated experience.
The lasting impression I've formed of the people here is how friendly, polite, and helpful they are. In the elevators people say hello and strike up conversations; in Singapore they might close the door on you to avoid sharing the lift. On the roads, drivers cheerfully give way, which is extremely rare among big cities; in Singapore (and probably New York, London, San Francisco) you might get honked by cars behind if you are too kind.
There's an extra Christmas feel with the freezing temperatures and colourful lights all over Vancouver
The lasting impression I've formed of the people here is how friendly, polite, and helpful they are. In the elevators people say hello and strike up conversations; in Singapore they might close the door on you to avoid sharing the lift. On the roads, drivers cheerfully give way, which is extremely rare among big cities; in Singapore (and probably New York, London, San Francisco) you might get honked by cars behind if you are too kind.
We were told that if you ask for directions, the person won't just provide directions, they will offer to bring you there. And if you need to make a phone call, just ask any passer-by if you can borrow their mobile phone. We couldn't quite bring ourselves to borrow a mobile phone, but service staff were always happy to call a cab for us, and people definitely went the extra mile for directions.
Our friends told us how liberating it was to escape the rat race and 5C's of Singapore society. In Vancouver, status is not judged by the size of your house or car, and there is much less pressure to have any status at all. We could see first-hand how much they enjoyed living a no-frills life and driving a nondescript car. And they were so generous with their time, spending almost a day taking us around (in fact, this generous spirit was shared by all the other families we met). They had achieved wealth and "success" I could never dream of in Singapore, but they were happier here.
There is a much stronger social safety net, with assured quality healthcare for all residents, not just citizens. And when I asked how all this is funded, and if the system was going bankrupt like social security in the USA, the surprising remark was that in Vancouver the wealthy saw their wealth as a privilege and were very happy to pay their taxes, rather than evade or minimize them. They saw it as their duty to help support the less fortunate.
People in Vancouver are much less inclined to count pennies. At restaurants, it's common for them to give a complimentary dish on the house. When we asked for fresh milk for our kids, this was provided FOC. And we were told (though we did't try) that you could ask the sushi restaurant to swap toro for squid and they would do it without raising the price. It's nice to be in a place where making the customer happy is the priority, rather than maximising the profit on every transaction.
With such a welcoming culture, and rated as one of the best cities in the world to live in, it is no wonder that Vancouver has one of the highest rates of immigration in Canada. So I was curious how they prevent their culture from being diluted. Our friends shared a word of advice they were given by a local when they first arrived: "We welcome you to Vancouver. Leave your bad habits behind, and bring your good ones to make this place better." They happily left the kiasu and kiasi habits behind, and feel that Singaporeans do have good things to share too such as our tight-knit families and values.
Of course, Vancouver is not all paradise on earth. The cool weather is nice, but it has rained constantly every day since we got here. After the first 4 days, we just wanted to stay in the hotel. Wet + cold weather is no fun, and all the top family attractions are outdoors. There is a darker side to a very liberal and welcoming society too, and that is the embrace of all kinds of alternative lifestyles. One example of this is the drug culture, and everyone we met was quick to point out the skid row on East Hastings, not far from our hotel. The speed limit there is 30km/h, because may addicts shoot up and run across the road without looking. Homeless people were everywhere. These are the types of influences that would make a parent hesitate to bring their kids to a city like this. And this is one area that Singapore is still one of the best in the world.
It's tempting to run away from Singapore to find a place that seems better. What I have really been pondering since that conversation, is what would it take for Singapore become more like Vancouver? We can't do anything about our hot weather, unfortunately. In most other areas, we are very blessed, such as having a clean and safe city. But can we do anything about our society and culture, to make it more pleasant? Do we just need to treat each other better?
Our friends told us how liberating it was to escape the rat race and 5C's of Singapore society. In Vancouver, status is not judged by the size of your house or car, and there is much less pressure to have any status at all. We could see first-hand how much they enjoyed living a no-frills life and driving a nondescript car. And they were so generous with their time, spending almost a day taking us around (in fact, this generous spirit was shared by all the other families we met). They had achieved wealth and "success" I could never dream of in Singapore, but they were happier here.
There is a much stronger social safety net, with assured quality healthcare for all residents, not just citizens. And when I asked how all this is funded, and if the system was going bankrupt like social security in the USA, the surprising remark was that in Vancouver the wealthy saw their wealth as a privilege and were very happy to pay their taxes, rather than evade or minimize them. They saw it as their duty to help support the less fortunate.
People in Vancouver are much less inclined to count pennies. At restaurants, it's common for them to give a complimentary dish on the house. When we asked for fresh milk for our kids, this was provided FOC. And we were told (though we did't try) that you could ask the sushi restaurant to swap toro for squid and they would do it without raising the price. It's nice to be in a place where making the customer happy is the priority, rather than maximising the profit on every transaction.
All kinds of delicious and affordable food (For most people, Vancouver is expensive, but of course Singapore is more expensive)
With such a welcoming culture, and rated as one of the best cities in the world to live in, it is no wonder that Vancouver has one of the highest rates of immigration in Canada. So I was curious how they prevent their culture from being diluted. Our friends shared a word of advice they were given by a local when they first arrived: "We welcome you to Vancouver. Leave your bad habits behind, and bring your good ones to make this place better." They happily left the kiasu and kiasi habits behind, and feel that Singaporeans do have good things to share too such as our tight-knit families and values.
Of course, Vancouver is not all paradise on earth. The cool weather is nice, but it has rained constantly every day since we got here. After the first 4 days, we just wanted to stay in the hotel. Wet + cold weather is no fun, and all the top family attractions are outdoors. There is a darker side to a very liberal and welcoming society too, and that is the embrace of all kinds of alternative lifestyles. One example of this is the drug culture, and everyone we met was quick to point out the skid row on East Hastings, not far from our hotel. The speed limit there is 30km/h, because may addicts shoot up and run across the road without looking. Homeless people were everywhere. These are the types of influences that would make a parent hesitate to bring their kids to a city like this. And this is one area that Singapore is still one of the best in the world.
The dark side of Vancouver
It's tempting to run away from Singapore to find a place that seems better. What I have really been pondering since that conversation, is what would it take for Singapore become more like Vancouver? We can't do anything about our hot weather, unfortunately. In most other areas, we are very blessed, such as having a clean and safe city. But can we do anything about our society and culture, to make it more pleasant? Do we just need to treat each other better?
My personal view is that as a society, our busy-ness has made us as individuals too self absorbed. We are too caught up in our own lives to get involved with the people around us. Two generations ago, our ancestors lived in villages and walked anytime into each other's homes. Today we don't know our own neighbors, and have no time to care about strangers. As a nation, we are no longer fighting for survival, maybe we need to consider carefully if everything that keeps us busy is really necessary.
Can we be less busy, and spend more time looking out for others too? Can we learn the good habits of others, and discard some of our own?
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