Post by Deleted on Jan 14, 2016 20:25:59 GMT 7
By the time I was 10 years old, I had lived in five countries across three continents: Ireland to London to Tokyo to Singapore to New Jersey. By the age of 23, I had picked up my American citizenship and an American fiancé who was willing to move to Singapore with me. But I had no illusions that I was returning to a lifestyle I knew.
There are few territories on earth that have changed as quickly or as drastically as Singapore has over the past two decades. I can count on one hand the landmarks from my childhood that still stand. My experience as an expat in Singapore now differs sharply from my parents’ experience in the mid-1990s, when the island nation was just shedding its rank as a hardship post.
During the two years my parents lived there, two notable incidents placed Singapore in the consciousness of both Americans and Europeans: Briton Nick Leeson caused the spectacular collapse of Barings Bank from his position in Singapore, and 18-year-old Michael Fay became the first American citizen to be sentenced to caning under Singapore law for vandalizing cars and public property. Despite negative media, Singapore’s economic wealth continued to grow at a rapid pace as the onset of the Japanese recession sent many international firms searching for other footholds in Asia. Nevertheless, many expats in the finance sector, including my father in his role at J.P. Morgan JPM -2.83%, were obliged to take frequent trips to Tokyo and Hong Kong, which retained their reputations as financial powerhouses in the region. These days, Singapore can hold its own as a center of business.
Continues -
blogs.wsj.com/expat/2016/01/13/an-expats-easy-return-to-singapore-its-a-tale-of-two-cities/
There are few territories on earth that have changed as quickly or as drastically as Singapore has over the past two decades. I can count on one hand the landmarks from my childhood that still stand. My experience as an expat in Singapore now differs sharply from my parents’ experience in the mid-1990s, when the island nation was just shedding its rank as a hardship post.
During the two years my parents lived there, two notable incidents placed Singapore in the consciousness of both Americans and Europeans: Briton Nick Leeson caused the spectacular collapse of Barings Bank from his position in Singapore, and 18-year-old Michael Fay became the first American citizen to be sentenced to caning under Singapore law for vandalizing cars and public property. Despite negative media, Singapore’s economic wealth continued to grow at a rapid pace as the onset of the Japanese recession sent many international firms searching for other footholds in Asia. Nevertheless, many expats in the finance sector, including my father in his role at J.P. Morgan JPM -2.83%, were obliged to take frequent trips to Tokyo and Hong Kong, which retained their reputations as financial powerhouses in the region. These days, Singapore can hold its own as a center of business.
Continues -
blogs.wsj.com/expat/2016/01/13/an-expats-easy-return-to-singapore-its-a-tale-of-two-cities/
