So, the move to Singapore

Local, long-term ex-pats, say that October is a better time to move here as it gives you longer to adjust to the weather. Well, I guess we got lucky! We got to move at the end of October.

It's hot and so if this is winter then I'm starting to understand Singaporean's rolling their eye-balls at me saying 'I like the weather!' 

This is our 6th week. One thing I will say we did right is to not stay in a hotel for longer than is ABSOLUTELY necessary. That goes for serviced apartments as well. It sounds luxury, staying in a hotel, but when you have no work/school and you're in one room for weeks. It's tiring!

OK, some people are fortunate enough that their husband/wife/partner can get shipped out before-hand and find your family somewhere to live. We didn't have that and left together - in some ways, that is much more practical, as I don't have a job here and so could do the home-hunting stuff and the child care. We were fortunate to be put in contact with an agent who can be so much more helpful than just apartment viewings - they're local and work with the companies your other half is working for. Hugely helpful but be honest with them - if you can't live there, then say so. You need to be near a transport link - well, we do.

Myths about living in Singapore:

1. 'It only takes half an hour to get from one side of the island to the other'
is nonsense. Whilst Singapore is reckoned to be about the size of greater London and the MRT (the equivalent of the underground) is SO much better than the tube, it is nonsense to think you can get around that quickly.
2. 'it's a 15 min walk'
Yeah, but that will probably be in 30 degree heat, with the possibility of rain. Bizarrely, I now walk much more than I did in England. However, you need to factor in the heat.
3. 'It's cheap'
no it isn't - you need 3 months up-front for everything - rent, apartment utilities, 'TV/phone and school. groceries are comparable in cost.
If you get any belongings shipped then there is a) the fact it will take 8 weeks and b) you will (may?) have to pay the apartment block $1000 SG for use of the lift - check with your shipping company!
4. 'I'll get a car'
go you! - no new cars can be imported if they are more than 3 years old. Your import cost is 150% of the cost of the new car. The rush hour traffic is island wide, there are tolls and parking costs to factor in - no, I'll not bother working out the cost because we'll not be bothering with a car here
5. 'buy, buy. buy'
yeah, it's all about buying stuff

But...

The weather can be lovely - you can leave your apartment in shorts
It is a muli-cultural nation, which I'm enjoying because I've found England (UK) right-now so openly aggressive
We're actively learning languages - Singlish, Mandarin, Tamil and another dialect of Chinese and you don't get that in the UK
the food can be AMAZING - OK, it's no new news that I'm a foodie and a fan of Asian dishes and i'm trying to learn alot - only to be dashed by their overt use of boxed kits! :-(

But!

1. sort out your Singpass - even if you have a dependent pass. do it. could take you 2 hours.
Oh, before you do this, you need to register and get your EP (FIN) and you need it for all sorts of stuff - it's an identity card
2. as a dependent you need to produce your passport for most stuff and have the person you are dependent upon present to get some stuff done (yeah! new for me!)
3. you'll probably need a local bank account - could take you 2 hours once you turn-up at the bank. You need your passport, your EP and the person you are dependent on.
4. you'd think SG is a really advanced nation - WiFi/4G everywhere=yes but you still get asked for a cheque and no bank will now issue you with a bank account that has a cheque book. welcome to the world of the mysterious GIRO
5. Mold - clothes and food go moldy here much more quickly than in the UK. I'm making a whole new post about local food though! You'll need hanging silica gel sachets for your wardrobes and I've also put some of the 'block' moisture traps in wardrobes and other cupboards