Singapore is a young nation, only 57 years old, but it has been extremely fast-growing. In fact, Singapore just surpassed Hong Kong as Asia’s top financial center, making it a perfect city for a business student to visit. So far from what I have seen of its immaculate architecture, clean and orderly streets, and a multitude of cultures, I am excited to experience and learn more about Singapore’s business environment.
In Singapore, there are so many main ethnicities and languages, including Chinese, Malay, Indian, and English, but it seems as though ethnicities stay fairly separate. The nation is sectioned into China Town, Little India, and Arab Street, geographic areas in which the different cultures live and operate shops. We refer to America as a “melting pot,” where cultures blend and integrate to create new hybrid cultures and traditions, but Singapore is more like a chunky stew. There are pockets of different cultures that have stayed true to their age-old traditions, instead of blending with the other main cultures. People also seem to identify with the same religion as their ancestors. The Malay are Muslim, the Indians are Hindu, and the Chinese are Buddhist. I am interested in learning if any of the religions have begun to overlap or merge, but it seems as though they have remained separate and true to their origins. Pictured below is a Hindu Temple, which is close to Little India, as well as the largest mosque in Singapore, located on Arab Street.
Throughout my time in Singapore, I hope to gain further insight into how businesses operate in light of its more Eastern, communal cultures, in comparison with America?s individualistic society. I also hope to try food from each of the main ethnicities represented in Singapore. Pictured below is just one of the dishes I have tried, traditional South Indian food that is popular in Singaporean cuisine. They use lots of rice and coconut milk to cook various meats.
