“But I still need to go ‘cause I need money. My family background is not good so whatever the challenging thing is, I am still willing to do it.” - Zahid, 28
Migrant workers admirably stepped out of their comfort zones to make Singapore their second home – holding dreams of self-improvement and better quality of life. Sajid first came to Singapore 5 years ago and like many migrant workers, he came to Singapore in hopes of finding a better future for his family. The life of a migrant worker is not easy, often facing problems with integrating into our society. Holding little to no expectations, many like Sankar, 37, said, “No expectations, I just wanted to improve myself with work.”
Image credits to MWC
Coming to a foreign country, where English is our dominant language, migrant workers often get excluded, albeit unintentionally, from society. Without English, they face multitudes of challenges in the initial stages. “Sometimes I feel very bored because nobody understands me and I don’t understand them.”, Zahid shared. Miscommunications are often common as well, especially for Murali, 49, who is a senior site coordinator, mentioned that issues tend to arise when they cannot be communicated accurately. However, Singapore’s multicultural society helped in reducing the language barrier as Ramachandran, 42, said, “since I know Tamil, I can still ask for help”.
So, what makes or breaks a migrant worker’s experience in Singapore is the amount of support one receives. Given the countless responsibilities they must carry, support serves as a significant part of integration. It is important for them to have established and new networks here. Though Arafat, 22, is new to Singapore, the sole factor that “relatives were already in Singapore” and his extroverted personality allowed him to “make friends very easily”, hence, his experience in Singapore is very pleasant.
While support can be provided for our brothers, their experience is also shaped by their willingness to learn while working in Singapore. For many foreigners, our culture of rules and regulations can come across as daunting, but Arafat reminded us to “make sure you follow the rules in order to have a fun and enjoyable time in Singapore!”. Their open-mindedness to learn and tackle any challenge is truly inspiring – who would be willing to give up on their comfort to work for their family?
Image credits to MWC
We have a lot to learn from our migrant brothers, their strong willed and optimistic attitudes shed light on how sometimes, it is only a matter of changing one’s perspective, and only then, will you be able to live life to its fullest potential.
Join us at MWC and make a difference by volunteering to support our migrant brothers! Click here to find out more.