Initially, when arriving in Singapore I considered that in terms of business, the country conducted itself more in line with the West considering the major financial district it contained and how regulations and rules from the West would likely dominate creating an unseen transformative influence. I was mistaken as after visiting multiple companies I found myself under the impression that Singapore instead had created its own bubble in which it took the majority of its influence from Eastern Society yet stayed influential and powerful similar to those in the West. From my visit to the Mandarin Oriental, I learned of their customer service values, unheard of and unattainable in the U.S., due to the presence of unions. The Mandarin Oriental found themselves at the forefront of ideals and success in not just the East but the West as well. Along with their clever innovative combination of worldly ideals I also learned about Singapore?s commitment to a sustainable future through our second company visit to their City Gallery. In the Gallery, we learned of their efforts of Restoration to create more land for Singapore as well as their water recuperation activities to make sure their citizens have access to basic needs at all times. I had only ever heard of one place, Dubai, that had made efforts to create their own land but that was for purely financial and entertainment purposes whereas Singapore was doing it for their future and to make sure that with the danger of rising sea levels that they didn?t cease to exist. Having talked with our tour guide and from our book written by Lee Kuan Yew we learned that Singapore had been built with unfettered sustainability and growth in mind since the beginning. Most countries rise up through times of pure luck and end up using most of their resources in the process leading to a very limited end result not allowing them to grow much further, but in Singapore?s case, they have planned since the beginning due to their lack of natural resources which has allowed them to stay ahead of the curve when growing and keeping the bar high when it comes to innovation and planning. The best thing about Singapore was the individuals who comprised the many sections that the country had to offer. Traveling to different hawker centers and places such as Little India I found that the individuals in the country were no different than us. All they wanted was to live their lives to the fullest and enjoy themselves without having to worry. Most of the individuals I ran into near where we stayed were a part of an older generation that had already worked their fair share and had come to the point in their lives where they just wanted to relax. On the other side of the coin, when venturing to Marina Bay, I encountered groups of the younger generation who wanted to experience the exciting things that life had to offer and partake in as many things as they could, including ideals familiar to the West which the Bay did house. Overall, I enjoyed my time in Singapore and was glad to see my initial impressions weren?t accurate as it allowed me to enjoy the country even more. I hope to learn more about the culture through outside text and look forward to the progress the country will make in the future.
