Steven during his internship in Singapore

Steven in Singapore: "It's very much so a two-faced city"

Singapore is an amazing country/city that constantly wants to change and improve itself in order to become influential in the world. Singapore, is of course a kind of police state where a lot of things are illegal and high punishments are given. But actually, the rules are very normal and if you just keep following these rules, you are absolutely fine.

Singapore is a city where life always moves on and forwards. Just like New York, Singapore is also a city that never sleeps. The people that work here, especially in the Central Business district make a lot of working hours. They do however get paid very well for this as their monthly payroll is, in euro’s, a lot more than in The Netherlands.

Singapore is also very much so a city with two faces; on the one side you have the luxury life in the city center with Orchard road as a central point (that is where the shopping malls are with all the luxury that you can think of). On the other side though, you can buy a fantastic Asian meal for no more than 2 Euro’s. The big difference between rich and poor here is really quite shocking, even though you officially have no extreme poorness in Singapore.

Evening-life in Singapore is very lively, you see people everywhere on the street, whether it’s about eating, drinking or just walking around for the sake of being on the street. Also the nightlife in Singapore is very lively, Singapore has a large variety of bars and clubs, there is something for everyone. Also, a lot of well-known artists from over the globe come to Singapore. And, if you go to the right clubs, you also see a lot of models, both male and female. What you do need to keep in mind though is that the prices of alcohol is a bit higher than in The Netherlands.

Getting thrown into the deep end

My internship started in a very interesting way, I did however get thrown into the deep end almost immediately. I immediately had to make a marketing and communication proposal. This however turned out to not be very realistic, but they just wanted to see what I was capable and for me to experience their work first hand.  The first two to three weeks were relatively boring. This was mostly caused by the fact that they were reorganizing at the office. The meant that there was no real work and that the managers were mostly busy with the reorganization.

Now I get more responsibilities by the week and get to be involved in the whole process a lot more. I also get learn more and more about the world of commercials, how everything works and what the rules are.

Beautiful skyline

Life in Singapore itself isn’t really that special. It’s a metropolis where life just goes on and on. Not just life but also the development of the city. Singapore will look a lot different in 6 years or so: although the beautiful skyline will still be there, I’m convinced it will be a lot bigger. Furthermore, Singapore is a really good place to be when you want to explore the Pacific, from here you are a 3 hour flight away from the most lovely cities and beaches!

Busy City life

Singapore is a busy but organized metropolis, if you love life in the big city, you should definitely go to Singapore. If you are a fan of the busy city life, then Singapore might not be your thing. Also, when you are in Singapore, try to enjoy living here, try to explore the city including looking for all those little streets with restaurants and bars, there are a lot and they are all very good. Overall, eating is much better at foodcourts than in restaurants. If you are looking for a nice, western meal I would definitely recommend eating near Qlark Quay or Orchard. Singapore doesn’t really have big tourist attractions, but try, every now and again, to discover Singapore on foot and then you will eventually run into some very nice spots.

Also, try to travel as much as possible to the beautiful pacific and all its beautiful treasures.