Stories from Singapore with Bilal Meera
The full interview is up on my podcast TeekoTalks as two parts. Catch it on Apple Podcasts or Google podcasts and other podcasting platforms!
Bilal Meera, who is currently residing in Yishun, in the northern region of Singapore, is an old friend and neighbour of mine. Having moved there 6 years ago, following his Ordinary levels to pursue higher education, he is currently employed at an executive level in the aerospace industry. In his busy schedule however, he gladly put aside almost two hours of his time to attend the interview I had last Tuesday, over Zoom.
I’ve always been a curious individual, and this time I was curious of how life was in Singapore, especially in comparison to Sri Lanka, from an unadultered, street view perspective. Bilal was happy to educate.
Some background
Starting off by talking about his first few days and months moving in, he admits that those memories are as fresh as ever and he doubts it’ll ever fade. The exhilarating feeling of freedom and independence (because like us all, he too is from your typical protective brown family) was balanced out by the fear and uncertainty of moving to a new place with absolutely no experience. However he remembers that he was lucky to move in as part of a group, which included a school friend, which made the transit ion easier to some extent.
Singapore has a majority of Chinese, followed by Malays and then Indians, with English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil being the official languages, he says. Therefore, the culture, including food and fashion are influenced by all of them. Interestingly though, the English spoken out yonder is a very unique dialect, dubbed ‘ singlish ‘, which is basically ‘singaporean English’. So although they were told they wouldn’t need to learn any new languages, he recalls how it took some time before they could understand or interact in ‘Singlish’.
Cuisine
With regards to cuisine, it wasn’t too hard to get used to since Indian cuisine, which is quite similar to Sri Lankan, was readily available. Chinese cuisine was the most foreign, given the different spices used, the meat used, and the various methods of cooking, “with some being cooked, some half-cooked and some raw” he says. Malay cuisine was halfway in between them both, but all in all, the food is good and there is no lack for food courts.
Safety
With regards to safety, he tells me that the time is right past one in the morning, but he could still walk out on any street wearing all the jewelry he wanted with no fear of being robbed. He lists the many incidents where his friends have misplaced laptops and wallets in various places, and come back hours later to find the items undisturbed. The security is top notch. But it comes with a catch and explanation. The explanation being, there are cameras everywhere, literally. So trying any sort of crime is almost close to futile. He further admits that it does pose an ethical question of constant surveillance. The catch however isn’t that, it is the mentality of the people.
Lifestyle
In detail and depth, Bilal explains to me how the lifestyle in Singapore is so fast paced and busy that people hardly have the time to even think of themselves, let alone other people’s belongings lying around. The mentality has created a distancing among unknown people. But this is not to say that the people themselves are unfriendly, in fact the people are amazing as a whole, but on an individual level, they have taken minding their own business to a whole different level, I understood.
A direct consequence of the fast-paced lifestyle, Bilal elaborates, is that people hardly retire. If we were to go there now, we would find all the food stalls being manned by individuals who are well past their 60s and 70s. They are used to work.
On the other hand, there is also the fact that they can’t retire in peace. The cost of living and daily expenses is so high out there that it would be nigh impossible to survive merely on savings, “ while there are plenty of other places in the world where it would be sufficient to live in peace” he explains.
Settling down
Answering my question on whether he would consider settling down in Singapore and starting a family, and if he would recommend others to do so, Bilal breaks it down for me.
The education and technological facilities provided there might be one of the best in Asia, and the wages might be among the highest, but, given the extremely expensive cost of living and fast paced lifestyle, there are plenty of other places in the world which would provide a similar experience with lesser setbacks, he reiterates. Admitting that although, Sri Lanka is a great place, he laments the current situation and unsure future of the country, as do we all.
Recounting numerous incidents he and his friends have faced in the last six years, he further elaborates the hardships faced by anybody living away from their homes, alone in a new land: the sacrifices, the emotions, the experiences and so much more. Two stories that really struck with me was the passing away of a friend and the struggle to fulfill his final rites as best they can in place of family and another incident of being unable to attend a brother’s wedding.
“It’s a great place to start off your career and get to a proper position” he says on a parting note, “ but definitely not ideal to make and live a life”.
You can find Bilal on his IG @Bilalmeera. Feel free to check it out.
