What is this statue/monument in New York?

What's the difference between living in Singapore and New York?

• Currently I'm a student living in Singapore with a Singapore passport. I'm thinking of studying in New York when I reach university age. I've heard lots of great things about New York, as well as bad. But the reasons why I can't wait to get there is because I'm eager to experience American (college) life, have international college friends, explore new places, don't really have to get 'stuck in the rut' like other Singaporeans, be overwhelmed by the availability/variety of good and services, heard that cost of living in New York is lower than Singapore (a survey ranked New York 23rd in terms of highest cost of living, while Singapore gets 13th), availability of jobs after graduation (though maybe not at this time), get to benefit from the PlaNYC 2030 citywide program of improving everything, from transport to environment ( www.nyc.gov/planyc ), know that New York has a huge Asian community for me to get comfortable with, and finally, heard that Singaporeans who lived/worked/studied there enjoyed their stay tremendously, so I hope I will too. I might even want to stay forever. But first I need to know why some people have a bad impression of New York life (is it because of dull work, problems any city would have, crime levels, or what?). What will I miss out if I choose to live in New York instead of Singapore? I also heard New York is voted the 'safest large city in USA', but what precautions should I still make? I come from a very safe country (not trying to brag but it's true according to statistics), so I might very easily let my guard down. But I'm still positive about going to New York, so I can't wait for my one-way ticket. One more thing, if I find it expensive to live in New York eventually, what should I do to keep costs down (e.g. where can I find the cheapest apartments, the reasonably priced shops/supermarkets, etc.)?

• Answer:

  Hi Ardin - You may have seen Singaporean Colin Goh's hilarious fortnightly column about life in Flushing, New York in The Sunday Times. He writes in his very local style about the cultural differences and not infrequently asks readers to write to him with their own experiences. He's a lawyer turned filmmaker. I think your query is perfect for Colin. His email address is on his website at: http://www.colinandyenyen.com/