neighborhoods and race and ethnicity

[gringa]

My family and I will be moving to Singapore for a few months. We are trying to figure out where to live and one of the issues for us is trying to find a culturally and racially diverse neighborhood-if one exists. We are a US interracial family-African American/Caucasian with two children. Here in the US we are limited to areas of the country (and neighborhoods within those regions) where we feel comfortable. (Not to say that the US has not changed and progressed in these ways but it is still a largely racially segregated country.) So having said all that, we are wondering what this means in Singapore. Are there neighborhoods that are middle class and have a mix of expat and native people or am I kidding myself. We are also thinking about serviced apartments but really do not just want to live among white north americans, or even all of any other population, native or expat. Thanks in advance for the help.

[conservative Republican]

Another typical, hypocritical Westside (Los Angeles) liberal....

[maxthecat]

Conservative Republican,

I am a conservative Republican living smack dab in the center of the liberal bastion of L.A.'s westside.  I, too, find the hypocrisy and intolerance of differing viewpoints of the "limosine liberals" who surround me intolerable, but .... what does that have to do with what this gentleman/lady is asking?

Are you truly a conservative Republican, or just someone trying to make conservative Republicans look bad?

Remember "freedom of association."  And remember that Republicans are the party of Lincoln.

Gringa,

Sorry to hijack your thread.  I just couldn't let that go unanswered.  Hope you find what you're looking for in Singapore.  Sorry I can't give you any advice, but I've never been there.  Hope to someday, though.

[gringa]

to conservative republican:
that is a pretty scary response. first of all, your ignorance (not even make mention of your smugness)  betrays you-I live about 3500 miles away from Los Angeles. Second of all, I assume you are white because only a white person of privilege would call what I am adressing as an issue of liberalism. In case you don't know much about US history, there are still states in the south which consider mixed race marriages illegal. I have many times been stopped and asked "whose children are those" regarding my children,or questions about whether or not I might be their nanny because they are a different color than me.So it isn't about being liberal-I have children to protect. You must have been absent in school when they had that class on race relations in the US. All I really want to know from you is if you are currently living in singapore I would like to know what neighborhood it is so I can steer clear of it.  Sorry you had to turn my honest query into an unpleasant encounter.  

[gringa]

maxthecat:
I forgot to thank you for your reply. I appreciated it (especialy coming from a conserevative republican!) more than you can imagine!

[rubber ducky]

HI Gringa, just to reply to your question, the 288407 zip code area of Singpaore is a fairly nice place to live with many new apartments for rent. i used to live there and when my GF [she's from Orange county, CA and butt white] visited in Dec, she loved it because it was safe and quiet. Then again, we [asian male with white girl] live in S. Central, Los Angeles. I think one of the hardest things for us to adapt to was the fact that race is not as big a factor as it is in the US. I'm not saying there's no racism in Singapore. there is, like everywhere in the world, but what i mean to say was that it was hard to let down our guard after being brought up to be so race sensitive in the US. singapore really isn't as hard to live in as say, a major city in USA. you can pretty much be worry free about crime, geting chased out of the land by klan members. I mean, read the posts on this board, the biggest concerns here are where to get this and that, who's going to which pub and when, stuff like that. [I know, i will never have the guts to live in Idaho] I hope this helps. feel free to email me is you have more questions  

[Johnny Boy]

I don't think finding a 'good' neighborhood is as important in Singapore as it is in the States. Singapore is only an island, it takes an hour to get from one end to the other and its a city, so like most cities, unless you are super friendly, you are not likely to see your neighbors much. Because it is so small (3x the size of DC) where you live doesn't play as important a role as say living in small town wyoming where it takes you at least a couple of hours to get to the next town, you know what i mean.

[larissab]

Gringa, I understand what you are talking about and I think you will be pleasantly surprised by Singapore.  There are many diverse families where we live and no one bats an eye.  :-)

[welcome]

mixed marriages and cultures are not such a big deal here.

[yes, but]

Singapore will be fine for your family - but there will be different challenges!  There are not many African Americans there - even though there are many skin colors.  Also, people (even kids at school during teacher led classes) acknowledge different races, characteristics, etc...  A good thing!  However, returning home a few years ago to have my five year old (caucasian) become fascinated with our African American waiters skin in the first hotel was interesting!!!  "Mommy!  Isn't his skin beautiful!  No one in Singapore had skin so nice!  Where does he come from?"  Fortunately, the waiter handled the situation well, even through all the stares, comments of patrons and other waitstaff!  Unfortunately, we had to teach our son that such talk in the US was not appropriate.  So go, and enjoy - but be prepared to handle some different moments!

[gringa]

Thank you all for your advise. Hard to imagine a place where race is not a big deal (after living in the US)but that must be my western self imposing itself on the east, where I have never been. Since alot of you seem to concur, I will welcome that concept (as will my family) with open arms!

[SR]

I agree with "yes, but" in that we have seen few African-Amreicans here.  I kind of notice these things because where I am from nearly all the faces are caucasian ones and I have been fascinated by the different races, creeds and colours that we have encountered here in Singapore.  We love that our son attends a real multi-national school - there were 42 different nationalities at last year's celebratory UN Day parade.  Most of the pupils are from India, Korea and Japan.  The remaining nationalities were a real mixture, including American, but no African-Americans, although some Africans.  Maybe it is different at the American school.  Of the friends we have made here, some are mixed-race couples with children, and I have also spotted quite a few other mixed-race couples with kids down at the pool.  I have never specifically discussed with any of them whether they have encountered racism or difficulties here, but my feeling is that it is not a major issue.  Having said that, I remember one of my friends got very cross when the security guard at our condo questioned her husband.  She said they would not have done that had he been caucasian.  Whatever, I do think you will find Singapore very cosmopolitan and I wish you luck with you move and finding schools etc.

[T2K]

Gringa,

You will encounter many mixed-race marriages and people here.  Malay-Chinese, Chinese-Indian, Indian-Eurasian, Caucasian-Thai, Caucasian-Chinese, etc.  True, there are few blacks here and those that I've encountered are usually from African or European nations, but you get the idea.

As far as neighborhoods, 85%+ of Singaporeans live in government housing, called HDB flats.  HDB stands for Housing and Development Board.  This country loves acronyms more than the FDR administration did in the 30's, so get ready for CPF, ERP, COE, AYE, CBD, SPG, and many more if you move here.

The populations of the various HDB estates must match the racial make-up of the country.
In other words, each group of HDB buildings must have majority Chinese, minority Malays, and a smaller minority of Indians - just like the Singapore population.  As such, for the vast majority of Singaporeans, there is no such thing as Chinese neighborhoods or Malay neighborhoods or whatever since there is little choice in the matter.  

For the private housing market, there are some distinctions.  In particular, there are some very distinct "expat" areas which are very Caucasian.  Little India's name is self explanatory.  Chinatown here seems redundant since the majority of people in this country are Chinese, though, and that doesn't change much wherever you go.

If you want to make race a paramount issue in your life, obviously, you will find things here that bother you just like in the US or anywhere in the world.  There is certainly racism in Singapore just like anywhere else.  

I'm from one of those deep south states where we all get along with each other much better than in the big northeast and west coast cities.  My advice is to live in an area here you like based on factors such as cost, suitability of the property to you and your family, proximity to you or your spouse's place of employment, schools and recreation, etc.  In Singapore (and, I would contend, in most parts of the US also) racial issues won't be a factor.  

Best of luck.

[expat1]

Gringa,  Interesting question and I understand your concern, but I don't think your concern applies here.  Singapore, unlike the US, is not divided by good neighborhood and bad neighborhood, mixed neighborhoods, etc.  Rather, almost all, if not all, of the neighborhoods are mixed.  I suggest you choose your place to live based on other criteria first, such as where you work, where your kids will go to school, etc.

[SoCal]

Hi Gringa!  Hope Singapore will be a good surprise for you.  There are lots of people from many other countries here.  I, too, have not noticed many African/American faces here, either...but I want you to know that when I do see such a person...I say to myself..."ah, an American..." I grew up in the South and last lived in Southern California and would like to think that in our children's future, there will be less of an emphasis on skin color.  
Like others have said, there will be no need to search for a particular neighborhood of acceptance, just one of convenience and comfort.  Anyone who is not Singaporean, is a guest on this island and will fit into what is referred to as the expat community. And, from what I have encountered, the expats are living pretty much all over this island.  Are you planning to only be here for a few months?  If so, I would imagine you will be living in a serviced apartment or a hotel...which may make it harder to meet people.  But, hopefully, when you are out and about, you will encounter many friendly faces.  Good luck on your new adventure.