By SGN | 21 Oct 2024
Moving back to Sydney after four wonderful years in Singapore was both exciting and daunting for our family. While we were eager to return home, packing up felt overwhelming. Thankfully, our friends in Singapore made the transition much easier.
They helped by transporting our packed suitcases during our last six months. We would pack items we didn’t need immediately, and whenever a friend flew to Sydney, we would pay for extra baggage to send some belongings home.
With frequent flights between the two cities, most of our things were waiting for us in Sydney by the time we left Singapore, saving us the hassle and cost of shipping everything at once!
Preparing For The Reverse Culture Shock
Before moving back to Sydney, a friend gave us a great piece of advice: to mentally prepare for reverse culture shock. To help with this, we made a simple list by drawing four squares on a piece of paper, each representing a category that would help us reflect on the transition ahead.
The categories were:
- Things we’ll miss about Singapore
- Things we won’t miss about Singapore
- Things we’re looking forward to in Australia
- Things we’re not looking forward to in Australia
Here’s what I wrote down in my four quadrants:
Singapore | Sydney |
|---|---|
What I’ll miss about Singapore | What I’m looking forward to in Australia |
Convenient and affordable public transport (MRT, buses, Grab) 🚍 Warm weather year-round ☀️ Meaningful professional connections 🤝 Daniel’s Networking Drinks 🍻 Rubbish chutes in apartments 🚮 Condo swimming pool 🏊 Low personal taxes and 0% dividends tax 💰 My Sleek Singapore colleagues 👥 Changi Airport’s free strollers and easy travel options ✈️ Everything done via WhatsApp 📱 PayNow and QR code payments 💳 Fast, affordable food delivery, including Chicken Rice and hawker centres 🍽️ Running around Marina Bay and the quays 🏃♂️ Spotting wild otters 🦦 Tiong Bahru Bakery and Fort Canning Park 🥐🌳 Seeing wild roosters with Max 🐓 Clean public bathrooms with baby-changing facilities 🚻 Amazing kids’ playgrounds, especially free water play areas 💦 | Driving again (I missed this so much!) 🚗 Reconnecting with family and friends 👨👩👧👦 Going to the beach 🏖️ Hiking in the Blue Mountains ⛰️ Free public healthcare 🏥 Meeting my new Sleek Australia colleagues 👥 Helping to grow Sleek Australia 🌱 Enjoying great coffee everywhere ☕ Affordable steaks and fresh groceries 🥩🥦 |
What I won’t miss in Singapore | What I’m not looking forward to in Australia |
Constant humidity and unexpected rain 🌧️ Living in air conditioning and its maintenance costs ❄️ Hard floors that require shoes indoors 👟 Pedestrians not having the right of way on footpaths 👣 | Longer, pricier commutes 🚆 Slower, more expensive internet 🌐 Australians preferring SMS over WhatsApp 📵 Higher personal income tax 💸 The need to drive everywhere instead of using MRT or Grab 🚗 |
Maintaining Relationships Despite The Distance
During my time in Singapore, I hosted a monthly meetup called “Daniel’s Networking Drinks,” where between 40 and 100 people gathered to connect over a drink. It was a fantastic way to bring people together!
I also have my colleagues at Sleek in Singapore, which helps me maintain strong professional ties to the little red dot. Since moving back to Sydney in January 2023, I made it a priority to keep these relationships alive. When I returned to Singapore for a work trip, I organised a reunion for my Daniel’s Networking Drinks group. It was wonderful to catch up with old friends and colleagues and truly lovely to see them again.
The Realities Of Building Community
Building a community takes time, effort, and a genuine enthusiasm to bring people together. It doesn’t happen overnight.
After leaving Singapore, I took with me the invite list for “Daniel’s Networking Drinks,” which had grown to over 250 people over four years of hard work and relationship-building. When I returned to Sydney, I hoped to keep the Singapore networking events going, thinking it would be a shame to stop such a vibrant community from meeting.
However, after trying to organise three remote sessions from Australia, I noticed attendance dwindling, despite the dedication of some regulars. Ultimately, I made the tough decision to stop the Singapore events and focus on creating a new community here in Australia, where I could connect with peers in person.
Starting again
Now in Sydney, I am actively expanding my social circle by launching Daniel’s Sydney Networking Drinks, organising catch-ups every six weeks to rebuild my network, much like my experience in Singapore.
Additionally, I was re-elected as Chair of Professionals in International Trade (PIT), a networking group I founded a decade ago. With around 800 members from 50 countries, we focus on hosting events for trade and investment professionals.
My journey between Sydney and Singapore has highlighted the value of building connections. As I nurture these ties from Sydney, I am excited to bridge Australia and Singapore. I believe that prioritising relationships can create lasting connections that enrich our careers and lives.
Meet Daniel
Daniel is a passionate networker, hustler, mentor and Head of Sales & Customer Success at Sleek.com in Australia – a leading provider of company registration and accounting support across Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia and the United Kingdom. His expertise is helping businesses to start, grow and scale in international markets.
Connect with Daniel here.
