Bryan moves to Singapore

If you asked me where I thought I would be 6 months ago I would have never thought half a world away in the small country of Singapore.

It all began earlier in the year while I was still working in the US. This was fine for the time being until unforeseen budget cuts caused me exit the marketing firm. I had mixed emotions about leaving but overall I had a positive attitude, especially because I didn’t see myself staying with the company for long. Thus began the long tedious process of job hunting. I searched far and wide, covering all job websites and screening every placement agency I could find. After a month of searching, an interesting offer came up. A company was looking for a management intern to work with them for a period of 6 months. The only drawback was that it was all the way in Singapore. I now had to make a critical decision that would drastically change my lifestyle…

I ran through every possible scenario in my head. I weighed out the pros and cons, imagined what life would be like, and placed dozens of calls to my parents asking for their input. All these helped my decision in one way or another but at the end of the day, the decision was mine. I realized that in 5 years, I would (hope, one can never tell the future) be in a much better position than if I stayed. I decided to take the leap and migrate back to Asia.

The most difficult part about moving is not the change, but saying goodbye to the life I loved. My friends and way of life would have to take a back seat for my career. It was also quite difficult because I wouldn’t be with Jeanine for our 3-year anniversary. Even though the company gave me enough time, that faithful day when I would begin was fast approaching.

Singapore was completely new to me. I had only been to the country once before, but that was years ago and only for a few days. My Dad's friend, Vickie Martone, helped me settle into my new place. It was a room in a small shop house in the center of town, quite the shift from living in a house but something new for me. The morning rush was a new concept for me (I used to drive myself to work), crowded subways and sidewalks filled with people brought a new thrill.

After a few months, I eventually picked up the pace and adjusted quite well. I adapted into the culture and only use the dreaded “Sing-lish” if necessary (if I’m really hungry and the person can’t understand a word I’m saying – this constitutes as a necessity).

The job itself is quite rewarding, I am constantly learning and trying to keep up the pace. It was particularly good because the financial crisis provided me with an excellent method of learning about the industry. Although it’s still too soon to tell, I don’t mind working in the financial sector. The beauty with this experience is that I get to learn about the different businesses of the bank. After the 6-month period, the bank offered to extend my contract for another year. I was surprised because I didn’t think I would be staying longer and yet I found myself wanting more (especially because the price was right).

My family decided to go to Japan for the New Year. I was very excited because I haven’t been back in 10 years and this time we would be traveling with Jeanine and the whole family, including Athena! We made sure to pack light because we would be covering 4 cities in 8 days. It was very cold but Mom bought us all the essential clothing to not only keep us warm but fashionable as well.

Time does fly, sooner or later I’ll be writing a new blog with the experiences of 2009! See you then…