The Best Ways to Adapt to Singapore

 

Moving to a new place and environment can be challenging and highly stressful, much less moving to live halfway across the globe. Culture shock is inevitable and comes in phases for everyone who goes through it. Symptoms of culture shock include homesickness, depression, feeling lost, frustrated and irritability, which can affect your quality of life at your new residence.

Read on to find out how you can combat culture shock and assimilate as fast as possible to Singapore’s culture.

 

1. Embrace the Differences

One of the most effective ways to get over culture shock is to immerse yourself fully in Singapore’s culture and try your best to grapple with the differences between your culture and the new culture. By doing this, you will be able to experience Singapore in the most authentic way possible instead of just getting to know the country like tourists do. Whether you decide to do this by dressing like a local or visit local food haunts, live like a Singaporean as much as as you can be to get the most out of your experience.

To ensure the best experience, you should record your interactions with locals and take note of the transformations that are occurring around you. Learn as much as possible about Singapore culture during your experiences to help yourself come to terms with the fact that this is your new home.

 

2. Get to Know More Locals

The last thing you should do when you move to a new country would be to keep to yourself. A support system is essential for people who are transitioning into a new environment or culture, which is why new employees are usually accompanied by a senior to guide them during their first months. Similarly, you will need to have local friends who can act as guides while you are adapting to a foreign city like Singapore.

On top of having local friends, it is also important to have friends who are going through similar experiences with you. You can befriend other expats in your company and lean on them for support whenever you feel homesick, and exchange useful information about getting around in Singapore to help each other out. However, you should avoid retreating into a clique with your fellow expat friends as it can hinder you from adapting to Singapore’s culture fully.

 

3. Learn the Local Language

One of the fastest way to assimilate into a new culture would be to learn the language of its people. By learning the local language, you will be able to communicate effectively with locals and allow locals to treat you like one of their own. Misunderstandings and miscommunication will also be kept to a minimal, lessening the frustration that comes with the process of assimilation.

If you are interested to take up a new language, Mandarin is a great choice as the majority of the population in Singapore is Chinese and speaks Mandarin. Get yourself enrolled in a survival Chinese class to learn basic daily phrases that will help you get by effectively in Singapore. Here at School of Language International, we offer conversational Mandarin lessons that will have you communicating with locals in basic Mandarin in no time at all.

Our conversational Chinese classes are conducted in small groups and are perfect for expats and professionals who would like to improve their understanding of Mandarin and Chinese culture. If you feel like you are up for the challenge, you can also give our business Mandarin class a shot after completing the conversational class.

Our upcoming class intakes for basic conversational Mandarin are as follows:

• 23 Nov 24, Sat

Have a question? Contact us now!