I realized that integrating into a city sometimes depends not on big events, but on these small neighborhood excitement: if you are willing to come out and take a look and smile, Singapore will become “I belong here too” at some point.
The first time I saw the neighborhood parade in Singapore was twenty years ago, when I actually took my son with me as a “new immigrant”: curious, excited, and a little uncertain. In the evening, I followed the crowd to the intersection downstairs of the HDB flat, and there was a familiar and unfamiliar smell in the wind: the curry aroma of Indian pancakes, the barbecue aroma of Malay satay, and the aroma of French fries. I listened to the laughter of children of all races and suddenly felt as if I was gently caught by this place.
As soon as the drums sounded, the floats slowly drove from the corner, the lights flashed in the night, the team waved, and everyone waved together. There is no sense of distance of “you are an outsider”, but it is like: you stand here, you are a part. The neighbor next to me kindly reminded me that “you stand in front of me, the baby will see better”, I smiled and said thank you, and that simple English suddenly became natural in my mouth.
As the floats go away and the parade ends, the crowd disperses and streetlights illuminate the quiet HDB corridors. I realized that integrating into a city sometimes depends not on big events, but on these small neighborhood excitement: if you are willing to come out and take a look and smile, Singapore will become “I belong here too” at some point.
Author: Liu Xiang Hong
Singapore University of Social Sciences