Singapore has an amazing story. Long a trading center, it was part of Malaya, a British colony, beginning in 1819. It gained its independence in 1965 and began a process to feed, house and sustain an enormous population in a very small amount of space. Today over 6,000,000 people live on a 284 square mile island. That is a bit smaller than the total combined area of Clarke County and Oconee County, Georgia. Further complicating matters, the country has four official languages; English, Malay, Mandarin and Tamil. 74% of the population is of Chinese origins, 14% have Malay roots and 9% identify as Indian, leaving 3% who are “other.”
We were curious to learn how these disparate groups manage to live side by side peaceably in such a tiny space and thought that Servas, the homestay organization to which we belong, might be of help. While still in Thailand, we contacted a Servas day host in Singapore with the first name of Joy Seng who helped us to plan our three day visit. He recommended that we begin by taking in some sights on our own so, upon arrival, we settled into a hotel near the neighborhood known as “Little India."
We loved Little India and wandered the narrow streets most mornings, enjoying the food and interesting shops. Judy found a nice salwar kameez (tunic dress) that made a great souvenir from this city state known for its multiculturalism.
As everyone knows, Singapore is a real architectural showplace with one spectacular building after another. We had to see the Merlion which is a symbol of the Singapore and represents the ancient Sanskrit name for the city, Simhapura, meaning “Lion City.”
Just across Marina Bay from the Merlion is the impressive 57 story hotel called Marina Bay Sands. At Joy Seng’s suggestion, we had lunch at the top. The Italian restaurant we selected, Lavo, was exquisite. We knew we were in for a special treat when the hostess asked us, “By what names may we address you?".
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| Lavo is at the extreme left end of the roof |
After lunch we wandered around Gardens By The Bay. This urban park provided more architects with an opportunity to display their creativity.
For our final day in Singapore, Joy Seng set aside the entire afternoon and evening to show us the real Singapore. It has been a challenge to house so many people but the government has done a great job. The vast majority of the inhabitants “buy” apartments in government owned buildings. Technically, they lease them for 99 years. They appreciate over time and can be resold. Since everyone in these buildings “owns” their apartment, they have a vested interest in maintaining their equity so the communities live in harmony and everything is in good repair. There is even an ethnic quota system so each building has a proportional balance of the three main ethnic groups.
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| Joy Seng's apartment building is on the right |
Joy Seng invited us to tea in his apartment and we took a tour of the complex which includes common areas and shops.
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| A community meeting room |
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| A covered outdoor gathering space |
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| Lots of playgrounds |
There is even a rental building for low income folks and we walked around one of those which seemed quite nice. This was nothing like the public housing we have seen in the US. The concept may not work in most countries but it seems to work here.
Joy Seng then gave us a tour of the last remaining kampong (Malay style village) in Singapore. We were fascinated to walk the paths in this tiny village surrounded by tall apartment blocks.
For our final stop, Joy Seng took us to a Malaysian restaurant. We stuffed ourselves and swapped more stories.
One of the wonderful things about Servas is that it allows one to peek behind the curtain of the touristy places we visit. There we find kind, hard working, honest people wherever we wander. Thank you, Joy Seng!
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