My wife and I came to Singapore in late July 2008, just before the financial crisis, and only expected to be here for one year. After the Lehman Brothers collapse in mid-September, I thought our stay might be even shorter.
We brought the bare minimum of household items and personal belongings and rented a furnished apartment near my office.
We are both from the temperate zone, and although we had lived in an urban tropical environment before, that was nearly 20 years ago. We found it more difficult this time to adapt to the constant heat and humidity, and the lack of four distinct seasons. Most of all, we missed going for long walks in alpine forests and to be able to see snow-capped mountains.
The highlights of my time in Singapore were: Watching and photographing parts of the development of Marina Bay as well as some of Singapore’s heritage buildings; taking part in the cultural and culinary diversity of Singapore; and working with a very interesting and engaging group of people while serving as a consultant for banks in the Asian region.
After about a year of careful thought and planning, I decided it was time to retire and leave Singapore--we finally departed on November 23, 2014.