“Singapore is a testimony that difficult things or almost impossible things can be done.” Izabella, 39, from Budapest, Hungary, first heard about Singapore from a flatmate in Japan and fell in love with its clean and welcoming environment. She initially arrived as a model but stayed for the networking opportunities and vibrant culture. From embracing Singlish to unwinding at the Botanic Gardens and East Coast Park, Izabella shares how life in Singapore has shaped her into a more disciplined person.
00:00And I like how I can relate to people with just one word or one of the singlish expressions, like alamak, and we don't need to over-explain anything.
00:09Hello, I'm Isabella, I'm 39 years old and I'm from Hungary, Budapest.
00:34So I was born in Budapest, Hungary, and I have one brother who's one and a half years younger than me.
00:40We were very close to my mom, we usually evolved with her to do her chores, cooking, shopping.
00:47At one point she bought that weekend house by that small lake in Hungary that we have.
00:52It's called the Venice Lake.
00:54We spent the summers in Gárdón, which was a very good thing out in nature, not just in the concrete jungle of Budapest.
01:02It was a peaceful life, more or less, laid back compared to Singapore.
01:07I first heard about Singapore when I went to Tokyo, Japan when I was 17 years old.
01:13For my first modeling trip I had an Australian flatmate and she told me about Singapore because she was here before.
01:21I remember I was telling her, Japan is so clean.
01:24And then she said, you should see Singapore.
01:27And she said, the people are nice.
01:29So based on her description, I already pre-fell in love with Singapore.
01:33I needed to find out for myself and thank God I managed to come here.
01:38At the beginning when I came to Singapore, I didn't plan to stay here very long.
01:43But when I started working as a model and at events, I realized that it's very easy to connect with people and network.
01:50And I met a lot of people who were very welcoming towards me and were willing to work with me.
01:56I got to meet different people from all walks of life.
01:59It's a connecting point where people can network with each other and open opportunity and an open door for me in Singapore.
02:06That's why I stayed here longer.
02:08In Hungary, I was living in kind of a safe bubble with my mother who looked after me and cooked for me.
02:13And I didn't really have to worry about a lot of things.
02:15And then when I came to Singapore, I fell in love with Singapore because it's so beautiful and inspiring and so different from Hungary.
02:22I love the luscious green, the trees, that it's always summer.
02:26It's never a gloomy winter.
02:28So I wanted to stay here to explore and see the adventures I can have here.
02:34Now I've been staying here for 15 years, which is not what I planned, but I'm not regretting anything.
02:40I'm still adapting because I'm a very slow person.
02:44It has given me a lot of challenges, but I believe I've become faster and I've become more disciplined.
02:51But yes, in Singapore, you have to learn to organize your life better, to manage your time better, express yourself clearer because of the cultural differences.
03:04I wasn't raised speaking in English, so I had to learn it in secondary school, then in university.
03:12And my two majors were philosophy and English.
03:15I was always very interested in English because I felt that it was like a gateway to the world.
03:21And I always find it very interesting to compare how the Singaporean English is different.
03:27And I think it's a very unique thing about Singapore and very interesting for me to share about it to my foreigner friends as well,
03:34because they would have no idea the things we do here with the language and the things we say.
03:41I find English very cute and fun.
03:44At the beginning, I was trying to resist, but over time, I started to use it more and more.
03:50I think in English, there are a lot of other things that are very practical and efficient.
03:54For example, can also can. I use that myself.
03:58Hungary, we would say something like,
04:01Ez lehetséges? Hogy lehet ezt megoldani?
04:05So, it's similar to the English version, how we would say,
04:08Is it possible? How can I do this? How can this be done?
04:11Instead of just one word.
04:13And it reflects also the fun and light-hearted side of the culture a lot of times.
04:18Especially those Singaporean terms that I still haven't managed to learn.
04:22The whore, the lore.
04:24I think when I hear people talk, it's very fun the way people express themselves in English.
04:31The language reflects the culture of a nation so much.
04:34And I reflected how my Hungarian language reflects my thinking and my culture
04:41and how the Singaporean English reflects the Singaporean thinking and culture.
04:45How Singaporeans think.
04:47It shows the characteristics of the nation of Singapore.
04:51They are efficient, they are hard-working, but they are also having fun at the same time
04:57and express themselves in playful ways.
04:59One of the things that I really like about Singapore is the lush, rainforest-y nature.
05:05So, I appreciate parks.
05:08And one of my favorite places is the East Coast.
05:11And I also like the Botanic Gardens because it's very easy for me to go there from the place where I live.
05:17And it's a very fast, free place, picnic or playing badminton.
05:21I don't have to worry about what to do there, but I can just relax and take it easy and have an easy day there.
05:27Even though it's a busy city, but it somehow integrates the nature in a very beautiful way that I really admire.
05:36I like this place because it's nice to come to nature and connect and recharge.
05:42It's beautiful.
05:43I like walking around here and, yeah, just unwind.
05:48Back in Hungary, I spent the summers in the weekend house closer to nature.
05:52So, in Singapore, I also like to reconnect with nature every now and then.
05:57My favorite things about Botanic Gardens is to just walk around here, enjoying the quiet, peaceful environment.
06:04I usually just walk around and forget about everything.
06:07All those things that you usually think about, I think it helps you to recharge and give you a fresh start.
06:13Sometimes I think about how Singapore is only 60 years old.
06:17I look at Singapore as a baby country, but it still blows my mind how it can be so developed and so successful.
06:25I feel inspired.
06:27This is a story for me to always remember how things are possible because Singapore is the testimony that difficult things or almost impossible things can be done.
06:39Singapore has changed me and shaped me.
06:42I would still call myself a Hungarian at heart, but I did kind of grow up here mentally and emotionally.
06:50And what it means to be a Singaporean to me is that I can relate to the people in a way that I wasn't able to relate to when I was just a tourist.
07:00I understand the things they say and the things they don't say.
07:04Sometimes you can read the cues of people or even read their minds.
07:08And I like how I can relate to people with just one word or one of the Singlish expressions like alamak.
07:15And we don't need to over explain anything.
07:17Sometimes people say I sound Singaporean in text.
07:20I enjoy how I can connect with people through the language, the food and through our shared experiences here in Singapore.
07:26And that's what makes me a Singaporean I feel when I feel I belong here.
07:31I hope to grow more in my own individual journey, get to know myself even better, grow as a person.
07:38I'm still figuring it out what I want to do next.
07:41Nevertheless, I'm in a good phase now and I think I'm just thankful for a lot of things that I have now.
07:48And I think I just need to continue what I've been doing.
07:52Thank you for having me, thank you very much.
08:02Thank you for sending me very well and thank you so much for being here.
08:06To help me understand your life.
08:09but rather to myself. Thank you for your sweetness and your very interesting experience.
08:14You are powerful and aware of it, but most importantly, thank you for being able to share your own version of yourself and that you can share your own personal relationship with me.
08:26There were a few negative experiences, which were the most important part of life, and the desire to develop, but it was much more good,
08:36or a serious experience.
08:39I have a lot of people who love me,
08:42others who have taught me,
08:44but what is important is that I have a lot of
08:46in my own way to meet with you.
08:50I am proud to you, Singapore.
08:52And I am proud to you,
08:54that I am proud to you,
08:56that you have a different relationship with you.
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