'Living here is a blessing': British expat praises Singapore and calls it home, here's why

After living in the United Kingdom (UK) and Thailand, British expat Sally Forrest has come to the conclusion that Singapore is the place she wants to settle down in. 

But of all places, why our little red dot? 

In an interview with content creator Max Chernov that was uploaded to YouTube on July 18, Sally reveals why she thinks "living [in Singapore] is a blessing".

She's lived in Singapore for almost 20 years and prior to moving here, she worked for 18 years in senior management positions in the UK and a few more years in Thailand. 

Hard finding another place of the same standard 

Having lived in a variety of countries, Sally is a good judge of how Singapore compares to other parts of the world. 

And as of now, she thinks we're so ahead in terms of productivity that other countries should learn from us. 

"Singapore could have such a big impact, coaching so many countries on how to be efficient," she remarked. 

In fact, when she goes overseas, she finds herself comparing her travel destinations to Singapore. 

So much so that if anything goes wrong, she would say: "This wouldn't happen in Singapore." 

She also complained that other places are more "disorganised" than Singapore, which is more "regulated". 

"Everything runs perfectly in Singapore," she said. 

On top of that, she also praised Singaporeans too for being courteous, respectful, and efficient. 

"Particularly the people I work with in Singapore, they're absolutely on the button. They deliver. I've had no issues," she shared.

A bonus is that we speak good English too. 

"I haven't had many challenges here, whereas, in Thailand, it was one challenge after another," she compared. 

But Singapore is not all that perfect. 

Sally admitted that because Singapore is so regulated, we fall short in some areas. 

"I think Singapore misses a little bit of the wild side because everything is nice and organised. So, you know, you can't have it both ways, I guess," she explained. 

But she has not applied for citizenship (yet) 

Despite her love for Singapore, Sally has yet to apply for citizenship here. 

She admitted to Max that she has considered giving up her British citizenship before, but a part of her still remains loyal to the country. 

"I was actually commissioned in the British army when I was younger and so you swear an allegiance to your queen," she revealed. 

"There's always this feeling of 'I can't let my queen down'." 

She also shared that her father was a policeman who was proud to be British and she did not want to disappoint him. 

"But now the Queen's passed over and my father passed away recently. The two people that I have this massive loyalty to," she said, before adding that these recent events may make her change her mind. 

And whether she is a citizen or not, she still considers Singapore her home.

"I do see Singapore as home, I really do. My whole life is here," she shared wholeheartedly. 

In the comments, many praised Sally's "cheerful nature" and "positive attitude", with one even adding that Singapore is blessed to have her here too. 

Others also agreed with Sally about how efficient Singapore is. 

One immigrant, who, like Sally, has lived in Singapore for around 20 years, also agreed that they feel "truly blessed" being here.

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melissateo@asiaone.com