I was reading a post on a Sg group on FB, stating that migrants should mix around instead of hanging around their own kind. The comments that follow were either for or against the statement. Some comments went on to say that Sinkies carry their old Sg mentality here, frequently comparing with others who has got the biggest & best house, cars, jobs, pay, etc.
I feel that who you choose to befriend should be entirely up to you. There shouldn't be a rule that you have to hang out with the ang mohs or be condemned & ridiculed. Someone said that it takes 2 hands to clap & often, it's migrants who will open up their hearts & home to you whereas the ang mohs prefer to keep their life private. I haven't been here long, just over a year but this observation holds true.
I talk to my ang moh colleagues but the relationship doesn't spill outside of work. Of course, I'm socially awkward & I think it scares people to be near me. Coz I don't talk much & people don't understand me. We tend to fear what we can't understand. So I don't have ang moh friends (by friends I mean true, deep friendship, not a superficial 1). Does that make me a bad migrant?
I think as long as we don't shun interactions with the ang mohs, it shouldn't matter if all our friends are Asians. 1 guy went on to say he only makes friends with ang mohs & refused to have anything to do with the Chinese. Did we come here to become Aussie wannabes? Perhaps for some. But what matters most is the reason why you left your country of origin.
I left becoz of many reasons, main 1 being horrendous working hours & condition. Have I found what I'm seeking here? Yes I have. If your life condition has improved, then I'll say you're a successful migrant regardless of how many ang moh friends you have. Don't allow others to bully you into thinking otherwise. You don't depriciate in value as a human becoz you don't clique with the locals.
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