By SGN | 21 Aug 2025
Jennifer’s childhood experiences read like pages straight out of a fairytale anthology.
Having grown up on a farm in a community of 400 people, her formative years can only be described as bucolic. Her father was a grain farmer, and her mother, a Chinese immigrant to Saskatchewan, was the only Asian person in the small township of Lafleche, and one of the few Asian people in the area.
Lending a helping hand with farm activities, climbing all over tractors, and going on a “scavenger hunt” in search of newborn kittens, were regular activities for Jennifer and her siblings.
Growing up amidst such a small population meant that neighbours knew each other. “Whenever I went trick-or-treating during Halloween, every household whose doors we knocked on, knew who we were, and would ask about my dad’s harvest,” she recalls.
As the only girl in her class of four, Jennifer naturally gravitated towards the sports her male peers played. Touch football during recess was all the rage, and because classroom sizes were so small, every child had to participate in school sports in order to form a team.
This is how she ended up playing a whole slew of sports: volleyball, basketball, badminton, golf, and baseball. She was also recruited to play curling, swimming, and track and field – a sport she kept up with well into adulthood.
Beyond sports, her talents lay in the ivories. Encouraged by her mother, she and her siblings played piano for fourteen years, pouring hours of their lives into practice. Unsurprisingly, these extracurricular activities earned her and her siblings a reputation for being “golden children”.
“We’d participate in school sports, play piano, and volunteer at community events, where we’d be asked to perform,” she mentions.
As a mixed-race child, Jennifer often felt a little different from her peers. This came with its own share of challenges, the least of which were microaggressions in the form of stereotypes disguised as compliments. For the most part, she remained unbothered. “My classmates would tell me I was good at math and badminton because I was Asian, which I’d laugh off,” she says now.
Her mother, one of the only Chinese women within a 200-kilometre radius, was rather austere in laying down the law at home.
“There were some things my siblings and I couldn’t do, like going out for as many parties as my peers, for instance, even though I really wanted to fit in,” she recalls.
Jennifer’s family retained their strong cultural ties to China, which they’d visit frequently. On the way back, they’d typically stop by Vancouver, whose picturesque ocean scenery and mountain landscapes fascinated her to no end. She vowed to move there at some point in the future.
These overseas excursions would inevitably sow the seeds of perhaps setting up life in another location, far away from her hometown.
Venturing out into the wider world
“I always knew I wanted to leave small-town life,” she says.
Most inhabitants of Saskatchewan would not leave its borders for the majority of their lives. Jennifer, on the other hand, had other plans.
On the heels of her sixteenth birthday, she got her driving license and started venturing out into the nearest town of Assiniboia, nearly forty kilometres away, in search of better opportunities.
At eighteen, she moved to Vancouver to study international economics in a specialised programme at the University of British Columbia (UBC); the cultural landscape of her life shifting considerably in a new environment.
Referring to herself as a “token Canadian” in jest, Jennifer highlights how diverse her university friend group was, many of whom she remains in touch with, to this day.
“My best friend is from Norway, another good friend is from Italy, but he’s lived in three different continents. Another friend is from Indonesia,” she recalls. “I went to university as a blank slate, and ended up befriending these international students, who had lived all these exciting lives, and viewed going abroad as such a normal experience.”
Being in their company helped Jennifer realise she too wanted these experiences for herself.
“That’s where my thirst for going abroad came from. I was inserted into situations with people who came to my home country as part of their abroad experience, and were naturally very open to new experiences,” she reflects.
“There was a sense that since we were there for a limited time, we should make the most of it.”
Immersion into the Chinese language
Jennifer’s frequent trips to China would eventually materialise into something far more substantial. Her mother, who had the foresight to think that learning Mandarin would pay off handsomely in the long run, sent her teenage daughter to China to gain exposure, and study the language.
The then-thirteen Jennifer stayed for six weeks with a host family in Beijing. By the time she turned seventeen, she’d spend every summer in China, immersing herself in the language, culture, and heritage of the place.
While in university, she started taking elective classes in Chinese, eventually becoming involved with the Chinese language programme at UBC. She attended three summer internships in Shenzhen, Shanghai, and Hong Kong respectively, then a six-week Chinese language summer programme at Peking University, an institution widely considered to be the “Harvard” of China.
“Peking University has such an iconic campus. When I’d get to classes, there would be lines of tourists attempting to get in every day,” she recalls, with a smile. “And then I’d just scan my student card and stroll in.”
However, Jennifer’s biggest brush with the Chinese language came in the form of the Chinese Bridge (Hanyu Qiao), a competition designed to promote Chinese language and culture among non-native speakers worldwide. She would be representing Canada at an international level, competing alongside 150 other Chinese speaking students from around the world.
Jennifer ended up ranking third in the Americas in the talent competition segment, thanks to her ability to deliver fluent, verbally complex speeches in Chinese. And while she was not crowned the overall winner, she had the opportunity to meet fascinating people.
“The girl who ended up winning was from Egypt; she was so fluent that it made me feel a bit sheepish about my own proficiency as a half-Chinese person,” Jennifer shares, with a chuckle.
Being immersed in such multicultural environments at such a young age inevitably gave her a leg-up when it came to tackling diverse spaces. What’s more, her Chinese fluency paid off handsomely during her internships in Hong Kong and Shanghai.
A mixed bag of first impressions
Jennifer arrived in Singapore on the back of a global mobility programme by KMPG, her current employer.
“I am blessed to have amazing mentors and managers, who really wanted me to have this experience,” she mentions. “My manager sat me down and told me I was the ideal candidate to go on a secondment. The rest is history.”
As far as her own personal motivations go, Jennifer had been eyeing Singapore for years before her actual move, because she wanted to experience Asia again.
When it was time to pack up her bags and get going, she remained unfazed. “I wasn’t scared. I just thought to myself, here we go again,” she recalls. “I wanted to be up for the challenge.”
Little did she know that her first impression of the city-state would turn on its head a few months in. “I had come from the sleepy city of Vancouver, and I wanted more. I wanted the hustle and bustle of a busy city life,” she shares.
After hearing from colleagues about how Singapore was poised to be the next Hong Kong, she expected an atmosphere on par with the frenzied busyness of the latter region.
Instead, she founded Singapore to be much quieter, which compounded the feelings of loneliness she’d experienced in her early days of being in the country. “I wanted the screaming Chinese aunties to ask me if I’d eaten. I longed for the jampacked streets of Mong Kok,” she recalls.
Eventually, the city’s comparatively tranquil nature won her over. “It’s nice to not live in chaos all the time,” she notes. If you ask her now, she’d say with a wink that after all, Singapore is not as quiet as it appears.
Another aspect of the city-state that took Jennifer completely by surprise was its diverse professional landscape.
“That was one of the first things I noticed about Singapore,” she observes. “I thought Canada was diverse, but Singapore is on another level, especially with Chinese, Indians, Malays, and so many other nationalities all working together.”
Building community in Singapore
However, Singapore wasn’t just like any other move. Unlike her university stints or exchange programmes—where social circles were built-in and meeting new people came naturally—this time, she had to build a life from the ground up, in an unfamiliar country.
“I came here not knowing a single person and not having that pre-built community to fall back on,” she admits. At first, she thought not knowing anyone in Singapore would be a good thing, as she’d have some time for herself.
However, the transition from being surrounded by a bustling community in Vancouver to going completely “cold turkey” socially in Singapore was a considerable shock to the friendly, outgoing Jennifer.
“Those first few months here were really hard,” she shares. “I wildly underestimated how difficult it would be.”
And then, a turning point.
“Someone at work invited me to a house party. I asked them out for coffee, and we just kept hanging out. That’s how I made some of my closest girlfriends here,” she recalls.
She finally found her rhythm in Singapore. Joining expat, beach volleyball, bouldering and running communities, Jennifer built a strong new community here that she couldn’t bear to leave. She decided to extend her contract here and is considering doing the same closer to the end of the year.
Overseas adventures as a builder of character
She shares her verdict of Singapore, over a year in.
“It’s a great place to be, for young professionals,” she shares. “If you spend your time with likeminded people who turn out to be ambitious, you’ll be influenced to push yourself more.
For those wondering if they should go overseas, Jennifer recommends just taking the plunge, especially if they have the thirst and curiosity to try new things.
“Spending time abroad makes you tenacious and versatile,” she asserts. “It teaches you a lot about yourself, and makes you stronger.”
She also suggests making the move sooner, rather than later. “Go abroad while you’re younger and have fewer personal obligations,” is her view. “Of course, you can migrate at any time you’d like, but the process is a little more complicated once family is involved.”
In terms of opportunities, Jennifer’s advice is simple: just ask.
As she articulates it: “You don’t necessarily have to look for formal job opportunities on a website or portal. If you’re already working for a company with global offices and want to experience life overseas, just ask your bosses, mentors, or superiors. Approach the conversation delicately if you must, but don’t be afraid to have it.”
Meet Jennifer
Originally hailing from rural Saskatchewan, Jennifer has lived, studied, and worked in some truly global destinations – Vancouver, Amsterdam, Hong Kong, and finally, Singapore, where she is currently on a secondment with KPMG.
Connect with her here.
