Singapore celebrates its 57th National Day this month and there is no better way to commemorate this special event than by sharing stories of fellow citizens and residents who love Singapore as much as SG Lifestyle’s editorial team. This year, our National Day editorial series feature three citizens and residents of the Lion City, who chose to relocate and make Singapore home.
Kicking off the trio of interviews, SG Lifestyle’s Features Writer, Angela May Tan, sat down to la kopi (chat over coffee in Singlish) with 48 year old Career Coach, Brian Sun, who spent more than half of his life overseas, to understand why he decided to move his family back to Singapore for good.
SGLS: What’s your story?
Brian: I studied in the United Kingdom and upon graduation, worked overseas for most of my career, starting with London in 1997, relocating to Hong Kong in 1998 and then Shanghai, China in 2001. I returned to Singapore for a vacation with my wife and son in January 2020, at the onset of Covid. We’d been here ever since.
SGLS: What were some of the things you missed most about Singapore when you were living abroad?
Brian: The food! I especially missed Prata, Mee Pok and Hokkien Mee. Singapore is a food haven and eating is our national pastime. Most of all, I miss bantering with my childhood friends, whether in non-descript hawker centres or kopitiams.
SGLS: What were some of the challenges you faced when you first moved abroad?
Brian: Having lived abroad for more than half my life, I learnt that the first six months of settling into a new country is critical. The logistics of relocation that entails finding a new home can be stressful, especially if one is relocating with family and pets. Juggling work with relocation logistics is never a smooth process and requires a good level of patience.
SGLS: When and why did you return?
Brian: After investing 20 years of career development in Shanghai, the onset of the 2020 pandemic was a positive push factor to return to Singapore. By then, I had a child who was completing primary school and I have always considered the relevance of having a significant part of his education to be in Singapore. There are pros and cons being educated overseas but it is equally important to have a sense of one’s own heritage and national identity. We are Singaporeans after all and we know this is our home.
SGLS: How did you feel when you first returned?
Brian: It’s an interesting question. In January 2020, I returned with my family to Singapore from Shanghai when Covid was spreading like wildfire within China. My wife and I had intended to return to Singapore to spend time with family and we have not return to Shanghai since. In the first year, I adopted “tourist identity”; it was a delightful time to stroll or cycle around the island and spend time re-discovering nature parks and neighbourhood communities again. It made me realise that I truly love living in Singapore.
SGLS: What are your hopes and dreams for Singapore?
Brian: Our country, particularly our economy and people have done every well over the last 50 years. For better or worse, we must practice resilience as we are a small city-state. I hope for us, as people of Singapore, to maintain our hallmark integrity in many dimensions, to ensure equitable opportunities for our diverse multi-cultural population. There will always be material improvement gaps, but I hope for Singaporeans to grow in community spirit and practice kindness to our fellow country men and women.
SGLS: Do you have a special message for Singapore this National Day?
Brian: May our Little Red Dot continue to shine bright! I love you Singapore!
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Interview by: Angela May Tan, Features Editor and Writer.