My Pinoy Life in Singapore

By Janice De Sagun Ritt

Filipino in Singapore
Photo by Shutterstock

Moving to Singapore

Overseas Filipino in SingaporeIt’s been almost a decade since I’ve moved to Singapore. During my early visits, I was amazed to see all the Filipinos, especially the ones from my province, and that give me an idea to try and become one of them. At my young age, I’ve decided to work abroad for my family, just like most Filipinos who have gone abroad.

Living in Lion City

I am living here in Harbour Front Singapore which is not far from the city. As we all know, Singapore is not that big country, but it’s such a nice place with very convenient public transportation. Singapore is just like the Philippines in some ways. The weather is just fine, although I think here is more humidity compared to home.

As for the food, for me, it’s too spicy! Singapore is very famous for their chilli crab dish. You can easily find it everywhere. There are so many hawker centers, where the locals and most people eat. For Filipinos, the most famous venue is Lucky Plaza, called “Little Manila.” There, you will find most of the Filipino restaurants and our local products.

Want to know what it’s like to live and work in Thailand? Click here!

My Pinoy Life in Singapore

Pinoy in Singapore

I am a private tutor here and I’m very proud that I can share my knowledge with the little kiddos. It’s a fun job and I’m usually not so busy. Most importantly, I still have lots of time for my husband.

At first, it wasn’t very easy to settle down. There were so many new things – culture, etc., but when my husband decided to move here for work, it became easy and exciting living abroad. As a couple we have learned how to be independent and embrace Singaporean culture. It is not really difficult for us to adjust.

Filipino Workers in SingaporeWe usually go to church every weekend and meet our friends. We are so blessed that we get to stay in a place where we can do our favorite things like swimming and visiting our favorite places like the Garden by the Bay, Sentosa Island. Sometimes, we also go for some adventures at the Universal Studio Singapore. And we also get to visit our neighbor country, Malaysia as we have easy access via bus from Singapore.

Filipinos have a massive community here, which keeps on growing as this country is not far away from home. We do a lot of things here together and I am also involved in doing charitable work. I was a member of Singles for Christ for many years. Now, I’m trying to fix our schedule so my husband and I could members of Couples for Christ. I am also gearing to be a choir member of the Novena Filipino Community. Basically, my Saturdays are for my SFC family and Sundays is to serve at the Church. I am so lucky that I am able to serve our less fortunate kababayans.

 Always a Filipino

Our warm greetings to all the Filipinos reading this article… Ni Hao! (Hello)
No matter where we are, We will always be Filipinos!

Say hello to a kabayan in Japan!

 

4 Comments

  1. I hope to visit Singapore someday. Little did I know that you can go to Malaysia from Singapore. That could lower the cost of travelling. Asian tour is becoming more accessible and affordable nowadays. I hope the weather is not as hot as it is in the Philippines.

  2. Good day. I am actually on the process of my application as preschool teacher in Singapore, will it be not hard for me to start a new job there in terms of cost of living (if luckily I’ll be hired)? Thank you.

  3. hello good morning…

    a friend of friend give us an idea to visit Singapore and apply a job .. I have work here in Cebu but not enough for my family..im a single mother and I wanted to help more … they say tour Singapore and try a ” walk in application” since there is a lot of manufacturing jobs hiring ..bali.. sugal daw…what could you advise? please help me…

    1. Hello, My!
      There’s no harm in trying, as long as you don’t leave your job in Cebu muna. But, just check about the legality of doing walk-in job applications while you’re there as a tourist. We don’t have any info on that, unfortunately. Best of luck and stay away from trouble.

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