'Singapore is the least judgemental place': Woman opens up about journey to becoming a citizen

Yana Fry has lived in many places throughout her life, from Russia to Switzerland, the US to Singapore.

She arrived here 15 years ago and not only does she call Singapore home, but Yana is also a citizen now.

The reason why she chose to call this sunny island home is a rather interesting one.

Of all the places she's been to, it seems to her that people in Singapore are the least judgemental.

"Everywhere else, I would feel [like] a foreigner. People might not be aggressive towards you, but you always feel like an outsider," Yana said during a chat with YouTuber Max Chernov.

The 37-minute video conversation was shared on Max's channel last Wednesday (April 19).

This is home, truly

Throughout her time here, Yana realised that Singapore has three groups of people: locals, expats and people who came as expats but "have stayed here [for] a long time".

"So they [have been here for] 10, 15, 20 years already, so they are fully integrated," Yana said in reference to the last group.

She added that these three groups exist in "parallel universes". They live in different neighbourhoods and head to different food places so any form of intermingling is rare.

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For Yana, her interest in volunteering allowed her to be in spaces where these three spheres overlap.

So much so that she eventually went from being an expat to a citizen.

That's not to say that she didn't face obstacles along the way.

Her journey to becoming a citizen was a bit of a whirlwind and rather unexpected. 

There was plenty of acclimatisation required on her part, from the humid weather, different working styles and her palate struggling to deal with the spiciness of the local cuisines.

"I remember, for the first five years [in Singapore], I tried to leave every year," Yana said with a chuckle.

But as the years added up, Singapore began feeling more like home, not least due to the warmth of the local people.

Yana noted how Singaporeans were "incredibly kind" to her from the start and that "Singapore is the least judgemental place" she's lived in.

And this is coming from someone who has been exposed to many different cultures and people. 

Teardrops during the citizenship ceremony

The Singapore citizenship ceremony was a milestone moment for Yana.

On the day itself, she recalled how she was the only blonde person in the room. But that didn't make her feel like an outsider at all. 

The minister's moving speech at the ceremony about what it means to be Singaporean had her fully enraptured. 

"In Singapore, it doesn't matter where you're born, what language you speak, what religion you have, what unites people is you believe in values that Singapore represents," Yana said.

As someone who's quite the globetrotter, hearing those words clearly struck a chord with her, and she was eventually brought to tears.

Yana is conscious that being accepted despite her differences is a privilege that not many other countries can offer her.

The comments section of the video had a number of locals showering Yana with love, many proud to call her a fellow Singaporean.

One user wrote that "Singapore is lucky to have her in our nation", while another praised Yana for coming across as a "genuine and wise" individual.

That said, others were wary and took Yana's words "with a pinch of salt".

"When you put people on the set for an interview, they always put on their best front and will project themselves in [a] way that best reflects them positively," one user added.

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amierul@asiaone.com

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