The Pride of a Singaporean

Just recently, I am pleasantly surprised to hear many compliments about Singapore from some of my foreign friends.
One from Bangladesh commended Singapore's healthcare system for its high quality. She pointed out that the affordable fees, together with Singapore's accessibility to the region hence convenience, and high service quality make Singapore a compelling and more importantly, reliable medical hub for some of our developing Asian countries. In particular, the intermediate to long-term care provided for the chronically sick is well-known for its dedication and commitment to the patient's recovery.
Another friend from Phillippines kindly noted that Singapore's technological products, ranging from cameras to mp3 players, are much cheaper than in his home country and even Japan. "Even though small, I still like it", he said. He bought 3 cameras from Sim Lim Square! Incidentally, he loved the Hainanese Chicken Rice too. Talking about all this local food gets me a little homesick. ;)

Nonetheless, it happens all too often, and perhaps it is also very natural, that when one is in the comfort of his or her own motherland, everything seems average and sometimes, we even focus on the weaknesses and faults of the existing system. But if we can look through the eyes of a foreigner, whose country is still in the process of infrastructural and institutional development, these high standards in our country are definitely worthy of pride. There remains much to be thankful for.

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