One Year in Singapore!

Today marks our one year anniversary in Singapore!  It is hard to believe that a year ago we began this crazy adventure as expats.  Time has flown by and we know our next year will go by even faster.  We are already halfway through this assignment.  In honor of being here one year, we decided to put together the top ten things we love about Singapore and the top ten things we miss about the US.

Why we love Singapore:

1. Safety - it is one of the safest places on Earth
2. Proximity to great travel destinations, and we have taken full advantage!
3. Walking to the grocery store - makes forgetting to buy milk or butter less of a pain
4. Knowing what to wear everyday because the weather never changes
5. Cleanliness of public places
6. Religious harmony - Everyone can practice whatever they want without ridicule.  Muslims, Hindus, Christians, Buddhists, Taoists all get along. 
7. Ease of use for public transportation
8. Government effectiveness due to little bureaucracy - they see a problem and try to fix it, immediately
9. Ethnic cuisine. We love to eat Indian, Thai, and Vietnamese
10. Less housework and no lawn work - Living in an apartment has its advantages.

What we miss about the USA:

1. Family and friends (of course!)
2. Amazon Prime and online shopping
3. Restaurants - Chick-fil-A, Jason's Deli, Torchy's Tacos, Churrasco's, Chuy's, Buffalo Wild Wings just to name a few
4. Food - white meat chicken being the default chicken option, salad, vegetables, Mexican, buffalo wings
5. Good grocery stores.  What I would give to have a Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, or HEB
6. Convenience of life - we hate having to go to a shopping mall for everything.  No convenient parking, traffic is terrible, stores are more crowded than Christmas time in the US, almost no drive-thrus.
7. Having more than one season
8. Kind southern manners.  The people here are nice but the majority are not polite or considerate.  Holding a door open for someone goes a long way in my book.
9. Having a patio for a grill and a yard to let the dog out
10. Watching college football at a normal time and getting to participate in all the hype, talk at work, and watching the games with friends.

Despite what we may miss, we would not trade this experience for the world.  It has been truly life changing and we can't wait to see what the next year has in store for us!