Почему мы любим Сингапур или "Singapore: Choice or Destiny?"

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Азиатский раздел проекта "RUSSIA BEYOND the HEADLINES" опубликавало интервью с несколькими россиянами, проживающими в Сингапуре.

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Singapore: Choice or Destiny?
August 24, 2012
Felyssa Chu-Ramirez
Known as the “Lion City,” Singapore is a haven for many Russians living here.
http://rbth.asia//articles/2012/08/24/singapore_choice_or_destiny_16471.html

This city-state of about 5.26 million has become a favorite destination for foreigners, which comprises more foreign-born population than any country in the world. In fact, data shows that in 2009, nearly half of Singapore’s residents were of foreign origin. High urbanization coupled with a booming economy seems to attract foreigners into one of the smallest nations in Asia.
 
Known as the “Lion City,” Singapore is a haven for many Russians living here!
 
Galina Ivanova, a 33-year-old senior marketing associate with Real Estate Company Huttons Asia Group has been living and working in Singapore since 2002.
 
“I first came here when my husband was offered a job at Singtel. A couple of years down the road, we had opportunities to either live in Hong Kong or Malaysia. But after short consideration, I decided Singapore is safer and more comfortable place. We have been living in Singapore for 10 years. Because of children's education, because of lower taxes, because of racial tolerance, equal opportunities for all. Rising cost of living is a concern. Coming from Russia, we miss change of seasons and outdoor activities like camping etc.”
 
Singapore’s safer environment as compared to Russia has lured many Russians to find their “destiny” in the Lion City. This is true for Yana Portnyagina, a business development manager for eMenders who has been living there for eight years. She told RBTH-Asia that “it was love at first sight” when she strolled down Changi Airport in May 2004.
 
“Since then this affair never ends,” she said. “As compared with Moscow, capital of Russia where I stayed before, Singapore is much more comfortable and safe place for living. And, surprisingly, much more stable although I am still a foreigner here and don’t have PR. This stability always gives me security that I am staying in the right place and at the right time. I enjoy one season instead of four in Russia, numerous outdoor sports and activities, and my social life with many friends from all over the world.”
 
Yana Portnyagina believes that foreigners are important to Singapore in terms of how the local citizens expect the same to care for them. This reality, she said, should promptly encourage the government to keep a healthy balance of managing the influx of foreign nationals into the country. “After all,” she said, “prosperity of this tiny island depends of all of us – locals, foreigners and wisdom of those who drive Singapore to new horizons.”
 
Natalia Babich, Founder and Director of Medline Pte. Ltd. (Medical tourism industry) and the mother of a 7-year-old daughter, and Natalia Osokina, who is married to a Singaporean, find Singapore as the perfect place to care for a child.
 
Natalia Babich said, “I can't think of a better place to raise my daughter. At the age of six she is immersed in the best of international culture and is fluent in English, Mandarin and of course Russian. There is great discipline, a safe and secure environment and at the same time lots of fun, and of course lots of food. For me it is a wonderful hub for business, although sometimes it is hard to remind my clients that they are actually here to work. Sometimes I wish it wasn't so cold here. It's funny, but winters in Vladivostok never seem as cold as going to the movies here.”
 
For Natalia Osokina, on the other hand, living in a foreign country posed some problems with learning or keeping the mother tongue. When her first baby was born in 2005, she wanted to teach her the native Russian tongue by way of starting to meet with fellow Russians. This turned well for Natalia as the years passed: the group has developed into a Russian language school that now has 60 students aged from 1.5 to 10.
 
Singapore’s safe social climate seems to fall behind the need for this country to control its rising cost of living. More than anyone, foreigners feel the economic crunch of Singapore’s growing cost of living allowance. Russian attorney at law Zlata Sheve, LL.M & PhD, who has been living there since 2006, and has been working with Thuemmel, Schuetze & Partners, a German based law firm in Singapore, has this to say: 
 
“Personally, I am attracted to Singapore by its plethora of cultures all living harmoniously together, which is a rare thing in this world.  I also love the fact that even though Singapore is a major metropolis, I feel as if I am living in a small town as I frequently run into people I know on the street and the people whom I do not know are—more often than not—open and inviting. Singapore does need to be careful with its increasing cost of living and its increasing difficulty to grant foreign workers employment. I already see this having an impact on firms’ strategic geographical choices.  I believe Singapore can also try too hard to make life easy and convenient; I sometimes find the newly constructed areas too sterile and actually prefer the older, genuine Singapore heritage.  Give me a Chicken Rice hawker over a Clark Quay restaurant any day.”
 
For Anna Leybina, PhD, Psychology Programme Coordinator of Raffles College of Higher Education who has been living in Singapore for three years, Alexei Tarassov, owner of Securenet Group Pte LTD, and Alexander Blinov, President of the Russian Club in Singapore who works as Sales and Marketing Manager Asia-Pacific for Belarusian Potash Company, Singapore is best for business.
 
Anna Leybina enjoys what she calls an “incredible cultural diversity” that was rare in Russia. “I’m amazed that everybody can find a place to apply one’s efforts, e.g. business or volunteering in almost any area they prefer.”
 
Alexei Tarassov, who has been living in Singapore for 15 years, said there is no perfect place on earth for anyone. “This is another reason why I’m here – ease in so called paper works: register and open company it’s a breeze, get a cert, statement, or any other document from any authority or organization in hundred times easier than in Russia. The only thing I miss here is some Russian food in local supermarkets and а permanent place for our compatriots in Singapore to gather anytime. ‘Posidelki’ (meetings) organized by Russian Club in Singapore is good but doesn’t cover all tastes and preferences. A club house for the Russian Club would be much better as it could gather different activities and different kind of expat people here.”
 
Alexander Blinov says, “For my company, Singapore is a regional hub for Asia-Pacific. Over last seven years, our business has grown tremendously, thanks to the highly professional international and local team, convenient logistic for travelling around the region, and excellent business environment.”
 
Despite the rising cost of living, Singapore will remain the country of choice for many Russians. Numbers speak louder than words: Russian diaspora has grown up from less than a thousand people in 2005 to about five thousand strong community in 2012! Upcoming Russia-Singapore Business Forum, 24-27 September, will see hundred participants from Russia and CIS, which will join this high profile event in hope to explore business opportunities with Singaporean and Asian companies.

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