Cotton-Pickin’ Days

Stephen in Singapore 13 July 04

Like typical Americans, when my friend, D, and I first met Marv during our sophomore year in college and found out he hailed from Singapore, she asked him if they still lived in grass huts. She was only half joking.

A couple of years later, I visited Singapore for the first time during Christmas as Marv’s girlfriend. I was blown away. Singapore was as modern as San Francisco and even more dazzling and glittery.

I was asked Saturday night which Asian city I could imagine retiring in someday. Without hesitation, I said Singapore. It is cosmopolitan with every modern convenience imaginable; English is the official language; and the cost of living is not so high that I couldn’t enjoy my life. Fortunately, Singapore is probably where I will be for most of my adult life. I’m still hoping that I’ll be able to spend my old age in California.

Singapore has had a short, yet amazingly successful history as a country and has a brilliant future ahead.

From As the Future Catches You by Juan Enriquez,

In 1950, Singapore was an isolated, tiny poor island…. It wasn’t even a country before 1965.

Its future was so bleak that its leaders went to Malaysia and asked whether it would be willing to absorb Singapore and make it part of its state.

Malaysia’s leaders decided that absorbing Singapore would make their country poorer and declined the offer.

Singapore had no choice but to educate its people, reform its government, attract knowledge and get to work.

By 1985, Singaporeans were producing $8,116 per person…
Their ex-colonial masters, the British, were at $11,237.

By 1999, Singaporeans were 2 percent wealthier than the Brits.