31 October 2006: Some Mean Singaporeans

I had a conversation with a Penghu resident at the Makung airport just before my departure for Taipei in the weekend. I had promised myself to revisit Penghu, so she was inevitably bombarded by endless questions on how to derive ultimate satisfaction from future self-planned trips. The kind lady answered all of which patiently, and gave me brochures and pamphlets that are enough to constitute 0.5kg of sheer paper weight. I thanked her profusely, and we proceeded to talk about her experience in Singapore.

The lady visited Singapore a few years ago, and did not really enjoy herself there. She mentioned that Singapore is too small for her to explore much, but added that she truly appreciates and loves our food culture. There is so much to choose from a myraid of cuisines, enough indeed to indulge any world-class gourmets. The ultimate reason behind her disappointed tour in Singapore is that she was snubbed at by Singaporeans who had refused to engage and help her with directions. She approached a couple of us for assistance on the streets, and was usually either ignored or given cold replies such as "I don't understand Mandarin."

I was appalled. Back in July when I was in Mongkok, Hong Kong, I found myself lost at their meandering roads and so asked a passer-by for directions. The kind man had guided me a fair bit before we parted ways. Later, he returned after having crossed half a road, patted on my shoulder, and asked if I was really ok on my own. I was truly grateful then. See the contrast?

Prior to her trip to Singapore, the Penghu lady had a high impression of Singapore. She still does, but that is not in terms of courtesy and hospitality. Cleanliness, governance and order are not indicators of friendly and well-mannered citizens.