7 Signs you have been living out of Singapore for too long

7 Signs that you have been living out of Singapore for too long

MF editorial team

03 Jun 2016

updated the Friday, June 3, 2016

1/7
You pick up the local slang
You know you’ve been living abroad for too long when you pick up the local slang in due time and become a natural at it. If you have learnt expressions, phrases or mastered the general slang that only locals of your host country use, it may show how long you have been away from Singapore.
2/7
You think in too many languages
It's only natural to pick up new words in various languages when you are living abroad. You are bound to meet and interact with people from different countries. Also, it makes sense to learn a new language especially in a country where English is not the first language.
Or we might even slip in an expression or word from that language while conversing in English. But if it starts messing up with your speech syntax, because you are thinking in a new language, it indicates how long you have been out of station.
3/7
Singapore currency looks exotic to you
Surely it takes time to get familiar with a brand new currency when we emigrate or move overseas. We even mentally convert the foreign currency to Singapore dollars whenever we are out or paying for an item.
But when we start doing the reverse upon our visit back home, we have probably lived abroad for way too long.
4/7
You are having too many Skype sessions
If you are having way too many Skype sessions with people back home, it may be an indication that it's high time to pay a visit to family and friends in Singapore.
5/7
Spare bed
You have been abroad for so long that others know where you are permanently based. There will be a tendency for them to pay a visit or request staying at your place to save on hotel expenses.
Hence you always keep a spare bed for people.
6/7
Too many postcards
You have now lived abroad and visited so many new countries that you are now getting postcards from everywhere and from so many people. Eventually you will realise that there isn’t sufficient space to fit all of the postcards, photos and maps that you want to put up on your wall.
7/7
You don’t where “home” is anymore
You have been dwelling in another country for so long that you reach a stage where you’re really not sure where “home” is anymore. Technically, Singapore is where you come from but you’re not sure you fit into the shape of the puzzle piece that you left behind.

If you’ve been out of touch with Singapore culture for a long time, these might apply to you.

Many of us have relocated abroad for academic or work pursuits. It is only natural to adopt some of the cultural and linguistic practices of your host country in order to blend in with our new surroundings.

But after a while, you will notice that Singapore will become a bit foreign, or worse, alien. Things that seemed normal and ordinary will gradually turn a bit strange and different. This phenomenon is commonly known as the “reverse culture shock”.

The longer we stay in a certain place, the more we adapt to the surroundings and see everything else in a different light. But we will only realise how foreign home has become when we take a trip or permanently move back to Singapore.

Photos: Getty Images

Roshni Kapur

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