Upon arriving to Singapore, I instantly knew that it would be much different than the United States. On the bus ride to the hotel after leaving the airport., one of the first things I noticed about this city was it’s greenery all around. Everywhere I looked, there wes shrubbery, trees and various plants all over the place. This was especially different to me because in American cities, I’m used to just seeing buildings and concrete. It seems as though the Singaporians place a strong emphasis on integrating nature into the place in which they live, and it makes sense to do so. Singapore is a very small land area compared to the USA and I can understand why it would be inportant for them to keep a sense of nature in their daily lives when the entirety of the island is covered in buildings, roads and train stations.
Another interesting thing about Singapore that I noticed within only hours of being in the city is the great emphasis on efficiency that everyone holds. It seems like everyone here genuinely tries their best to be as efficient as possible in everyday tasks, not only for themselves, but for the sake of others as well. Some examples of this display of efficiency are standing to one side of an escalator so that others can pass on the right side, waiting by the doors until everyone is out of the subway car before entering and quickly and effectively using public transportation so that minimal time is wasted. This is an essential skill to have in a country of this size with a population that is very large.
