My Life Abroad: 11 stories from Singaporeans about the good and bad when moving overseas

Victoria Chen: "I almost backed out of moving to London at Changi Airport"

Credit: Victoria Chen

1/11

Victoria Chen moved to London to make it as a working actor and director, and to satiate her larger curiosity about the world. While she has since built a life in London, she recounts almost second-guessing her decision to move, due to the monumental sacrifices she was making in order to live out her dream.  Yet, she followed through, and hasn't regretted it. "A fish in a tank somehow is still the same fish in an aquarium, but it swims more, right?" She asks.

Brandon and Jiar Lin: “We moved to New Zealand for a slower pace of life”

2/11

Brandon Chia and Jiar Lin are critical care nurses who have shared their lives in New Zealand at @chiaseed.nz on Instagram.

They made relocation plans after their daughter was born, when they realised both of them working full-time wasn’t sustainable due to the tiring nature of work and little family time.

Applying for a job offer from New Zealand marked the beginning of their journey.

Melody Tan: “I moved to Stockholm for love”

3/11

Creative consultant and content strategist Melody (@meowiie) had been in a long-distance relationship with her Swedish boyfriend for four and a half years when she took the plunge and moved to Stockholm in 2021.

The pandemic put a strain on their relationship: Sweden had a no-lockdown COVID strategy, while she was cooped up at home for six months. It was hard for them to relate to each other during this period. Finding it difficult to see a way forward in the relationship given the circumstances, she decided to take the plunge and move halfway across the world.

Vickii Ma: “Dreaming big brought me to LA as a content creator”

4/11

Marketing manager and content creator Vickii Ma (@vickiima) has been living in the USA for almost three years, having stayed in New York and Los Angeles.

While growing up in Singapore, she always wanted a taste of abroad. She often travelled to New York City for work and holidays, and thought about living there. As a self-employed person, she believed she could do more marketing and content creation in the US.

And so, with eight reference letters among other documents, she submitted an application for a self-employment visa and took the leap.

Jingyi: “I decided to move to Shanghai and raise my kids there”

5/11

Jingyi and her family’s decision to move to Shanghai began with her husband setting up a marketing and design agency there. Career-wise, she was an architect in a Singaporean consultancy firm, which meant she could apply for an internal transfer since they also had a Shanghai office.

Though her firstborn was a few months old when they settled down in Shanghai in 2014, she saw moving as a chance to venture out of Singapore and China seemed like a great place to be. Since then, their family has grown to become a family of four.

Jill: “I left my advertising job to pursue a PhD in law in Amsterdam”

Credit: Jill

6/11

Jill, who is pursuing her PhD in Law in Amsterdam, discusses her experience there for nearly three years. Before this, Jill worked in digital advertising in Singapore and studied in France and the UK.

After graduating with a master’s degree in political science, she wanted to go into research: at a think tank, working for an NGO, or pursuing a PhD. That led her to pursuing a PhD in the law faculty in the Netherlands where she’d be considered an employee rather than a student—meaning she didn’t have to struggle financially as a student anymore.

Jane: “Being a digital nomad enables me to live the life that I want in Bali”

7/11

Jane Tor (@janetoryl), a senior manager in the consulting department of a Singapore-based marketing agency, has been a digital nomad since the start of 2020. That meant travelling full-time: she’s worked remotely from Croatia, Italy, Thailand, and Indonesia. She currently finds herself in Bali.

Rachel: “I decided to reject the ‘Singaporean Dream’ and move to Tokyo”

Credit: Rachel

8/11

Rachel moved to Japan three years ago, after responding to a job listing on Glassdoor.

Having first lived outside of Singapore when she was 19 years old (spending six months interning in Shanghai), she loved the experience and wanted to do it again. Knowing how competitive the employment market overseas is, she worked in Singapore to first gain experience.

Chris: “I turned my teenage dream of moving to Barcelona a reality”

Credit: Chris

9/11

Senior growth and customer relationship management manager Chris had a teenage dream of moving abroad to Europe—now, together with her husband, she calls Barcelona home.

She first visited Barcelona with a friend and while she enjoyed the architecture and food, she never expected to live there.

When her husband was offered a job opportunity from his previous manager though, they jumped at the chance to move abroad.

Lin Yanqin: “I’ve become someone who pays A$16.80 for a plate of Penang char kway teow”

Credit: Lin Yanqin

10/11

Lin Yanqin, a senior producer for a Singapore-based content platform, made the move to Melbourne so that her husband can be closer to his family.

He had worked in Singapore since 2016, and though he loved it, he wanted to be closer to his family. Meanwhile, she had never lived outside of Singapore, and was game for new experiences.

With the Covid-19 pandemic making companies more receptive to remote work, she was offered a contract role from her employer that allowed her to work from Melbourne.

Elle: “I felt like a complete stranger when I first returned home.”

Credit: Elle

11/11

On the flip side, there are many Singaporeans who return home after an extended time abroad. Michelle Varinata discusses the topic of reverse culture shock (when the environment you were once so intimate with now feels strange) with her friends, Elle and Joanne, to see how they’ve coped with transitioning back to Singapore.