Post by rileysamm on Aug 3, 2008 9:30:34 GMT -6
I haven't really posted up anything proper yet so I decided why not start here.
Well, as you can tell, I'm from Singapore -- it's a small country just below Malaysia (which we are not a part of btw, a lot of people mix that up). Most of the country's population is made up of 4 different races -- Chinese, Malay, Indian & Eurasian. Recently, however, there have been a rise in the number of expats living here. Anyways, because of the different races & cultures, the government strives to uphold racial harmony here in Singapore. We even have Racial Harmony Day, 21st of July, to remember the horrible racial riots we had here in the 60s. Our small country has developed quickly from a small port to a large metropolitan city, so to speak.
An ever present issue we have here mainly concerns the population. After WW2, singaporeans went through the whole "post-war baby boom" which resulted in a huge amount of babies. Thus, the government decided to start nation-wide campaigns to stop families from having too many children. One of the main reasons was that we were still in the midst of rebuilding the city and there wasn't enough space for that many people. Now, however, the tables have turned -- the government is currently asking couples to have 2 or more children. This is a major cause for concern cause in the years to come, we will have very little people helping to support a large amount of the baby-boomers.
Education
Primary education in Singapore is compulsory. After Primary school (7 - 12 years old), we move on to Secondary school (13 - 16/17 years old). We sit for our 'N' and/or 'O' Level Examinations (we follow the british education system so we take GCSE 'O' levels) in Secondary school. After which, we can choose whether to go into Junior Colleges (students sit for 'A' levels), Polytechnics (diplomas), or ITEs (vocational training schools). From what I've heard, Singapore has a very strict and demanding education system. I have had friends who went overseas to finish up their studies and was not used to the "slack" life there.
Other than that, Singapore's famous for its food (or so everyone says). I don't know what's all the hype about but foreigners seem to lavish in the different kinds of food you can find here.
Ahh, hope this wasn't too long.
If there's anything else you'd like to know, do ask!
Well, as you can tell, I'm from Singapore -- it's a small country just below Malaysia (which we are not a part of btw, a lot of people mix that up). Most of the country's population is made up of 4 different races -- Chinese, Malay, Indian & Eurasian. Recently, however, there have been a rise in the number of expats living here. Anyways, because of the different races & cultures, the government strives to uphold racial harmony here in Singapore. We even have Racial Harmony Day, 21st of July, to remember the horrible racial riots we had here in the 60s. Our small country has developed quickly from a small port to a large metropolitan city, so to speak.
An ever present issue we have here mainly concerns the population. After WW2, singaporeans went through the whole "post-war baby boom" which resulted in a huge amount of babies. Thus, the government decided to start nation-wide campaigns to stop families from having too many children. One of the main reasons was that we were still in the midst of rebuilding the city and there wasn't enough space for that many people. Now, however, the tables have turned -- the government is currently asking couples to have 2 or more children. This is a major cause for concern cause in the years to come, we will have very little people helping to support a large amount of the baby-boomers.
Education
Primary education in Singapore is compulsory. After Primary school (7 - 12 years old), we move on to Secondary school (13 - 16/17 years old). We sit for our 'N' and/or 'O' Level Examinations (we follow the british education system so we take GCSE 'O' levels) in Secondary school. After which, we can choose whether to go into Junior Colleges (students sit for 'A' levels), Polytechnics (diplomas), or ITEs (vocational training schools). From what I've heard, Singapore has a very strict and demanding education system. I have had friends who went overseas to finish up their studies and was not used to the "slack" life there.
Other than that, Singapore's famous for its food (or so everyone says). I don't know what's all the hype about but foreigners seem to lavish in the different kinds of food you can find here.
Ahh, hope this wasn't too long.
If there's anything else you'd like to know, do ask!