What do you think?
Rate this book
Diary of An Expat in Singapore
A hilarious look at life in Singapore-packed with anecdotes, snapshots, lists including:
-Sure signs you are in a Singapore taxi
-Stereotypes about Singapore that are actually true
-Politically incorrect expat profiling by nationality
-Things first-time visitors to Singapore say
-Ten signs you've overstayed
Why you should buy this book:
-There is no mention of Marina Bay Sands
-There is almost no practical information
-Expat life as you've never seen it
-Written by the funniest expat in Singapore
-Sure signs you are in a Singapore taxi
-Stereotypes about Singapore that are actually true
-Politically incorrect expat profiling by nationality
-Things first-time visitors to Singapore say
-Ten signs you've overstayed
Why you should buy this book:
-There is no mention of Marina Bay Sands
-There is almost no practical information
-Expat life as you've never seen it
-Written by the funniest expat in Singapore
- GenresTravelNonfiction
209 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2013
84 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
January 3, 2014
I am always interested in another person's expat experiences.
Like Garguiulo, I am an expat wife and mother. Like Gargiulo I have two children. Like Garguiulo, my husband's work is what brought us to Singapore. Like Garguiulo, I expected to stay a year...and am now approaching my 4th anniversary as opposed to her 7th.
However, I just can't relate to this.
A--Instead of cracking jokes about maids (naming them slo-mo, their handphones) I want to discuss the power imbalance and all the ways the relationship is set up to fail. Instead of thinking about how the construction noise is bothering me, I want to talk about how construction companies seize the foreign worker's passports and abuse them.
B--Instead of talking about Singaporeans like they're a fascinating alien species, I actually have made friends with them and am willing to sit and let them explain things to me. It took effort, especially as a stay at home mom to a child too young for school, but it was worthwhile. It also means I have a better understanding of why a family would move to a condo within 1 km of a school and how tuition culture works and why instead of cracking jokes about it or dismissing the fact that my kid has no local friends because they're always studying.
C--Instead of saying "hey my husband works ALL THE TIME but it's cool because I get the remote," I'd rather have an honest discussion about how isolating it can be to be the trailing spouse and the effect that can have on a relationship.
D-I just can't find the humor in racial stereotypes. Especially in a book where in the next breath she's praising SG for racial harmony (and not in an ironic, aware of all the roiling racism and tension just under the surface way). It's amusing, apparently, to her to say how Indians don't talk longingly about India and want PR and they sit around talking about how to store saris and buy gold (hint-calling it politically incorrect doesn't then allow you to write a chapter of microaggressions.) Just don't mention about how Indians are actively discriminated against in the rental market. (Something we know about first hand, as my husband is Indian American). The default shorthand of expat as White, Wealthy, and Western is also lazy and blind. She mentions the Japanese and the Korean neighbors, but then defaults right back to "curly hair--western hair" and "expat=white".
In short, I just don't have much use for humor devoid of any serious content.
I laughed at some of the expat kid points--mine too also have their minds blown that you can get to places with fewer than 3 planes or in a single digit number of hours. But there's also value in balancing that joke with the ambivalence expat parents often feel about having their kids grow up so divorced from their home culture. The chapter where she implies they've been in SG too long because their kids are too Asian, or where she mentions that they speak more Mandarin than Italian start to approach the topic, but then she deflects with humor rather than talk about it.
Without that balance, it's just not something I'd recommend, or reread.
Like Garguiulo, I am an expat wife and mother. Like Gargiulo I have two children. Like Garguiulo, my husband's work is what brought us to Singapore. Like Garguiulo, I expected to stay a year...and am now approaching my 4th anniversary as opposed to her 7th.
However, I just can't relate to this.
A--Instead of cracking jokes about maids (naming them slo-mo, their handphones) I want to discuss the power imbalance and all the ways the relationship is set up to fail. Instead of thinking about how the construction noise is bothering me, I want to talk about how construction companies seize the foreign worker's passports and abuse them.
B--Instead of talking about Singaporeans like they're a fascinating alien species, I actually have made friends with them and am willing to sit and let them explain things to me. It took effort, especially as a stay at home mom to a child too young for school, but it was worthwhile. It also means I have a better understanding of why a family would move to a condo within 1 km of a school and how tuition culture works and why instead of cracking jokes about it or dismissing the fact that my kid has no local friends because they're always studying.
C--Instead of saying "hey my husband works ALL THE TIME but it's cool because I get the remote," I'd rather have an honest discussion about how isolating it can be to be the trailing spouse and the effect that can have on a relationship.
D-I just can't find the humor in racial stereotypes. Especially in a book where in the next breath she's praising SG for racial harmony (and not in an ironic, aware of all the roiling racism and tension just under the surface way). It's amusing, apparently, to her to say how Indians don't talk longingly about India and want PR and they sit around talking about how to store saris and buy gold (hint-calling it politically incorrect doesn't then allow you to write a chapter of microaggressions.) Just don't mention about how Indians are actively discriminated against in the rental market. (Something we know about first hand, as my husband is Indian American). The default shorthand of expat as White, Wealthy, and Western is also lazy and blind. She mentions the Japanese and the Korean neighbors, but then defaults right back to "curly hair--western hair" and "expat=white".
In short, I just don't have much use for humor devoid of any serious content.
I laughed at some of the expat kid points--mine too also have their minds blown that you can get to places with fewer than 3 planes or in a single digit number of hours. But there's also value in balancing that joke with the ambivalence expat parents often feel about having their kids grow up so divorced from their home culture. The chapter where she implies they've been in SG too long because their kids are too Asian, or where she mentions that they speak more Mandarin than Italian start to approach the topic, but then she deflects with humor rather than talk about it.
Without that balance, it's just not something I'd recommend, or reread.
November 11, 2014
Brilliant book, the only shocking thing was why other people didn't rate it as highly. This edge of your seat book is something my friends and family all enjoy and can refer to in most conversations. So next time your about to write a cruel review think about how bad you stomach hurt because after reading parts you were practically dying laughing.
November 25, 2013
Hugely entertaining, this was a super read. At times bordering on the politically incorrect but always injecting the right dose of humor to compensate, this book gives you a feel of one expat (+family)’s daily life home away from home. I’ve been to Singapore several times even for extended visits, yet this gave me a unique (and totally hilarious) window into everyday life there that otherwise would be almost impossible to get short of moving out for a few years. But the entertainment value doesn’t rely on previous local knowledge as the book is funny in its own right and my wife also found herself laughing out loud. The book often had the feel of an extended Seinfeld episode where the humor, at times subtle at times overt, was always relied upon by the author to transform the mundane of Singaporean life (hairdressers, water fountains and children’s cafeteria’s in schools, playdates, etc) into comical vignettes. All round good fun and I would highly recommend
March 9, 2024
Jennifer Gargiulo's book is more of a compilation of blogs and lists actually. Funny diatribes about being an expat in a country like Singapore where the cost of living is much and the place is far from your home (in all ways) can only take the book so long. Before it starts getting repetitive.
I found the parts about the taxis and the swimming pools, despite repetition, a funny affair. Every city has these tales. The mandarin lessons on the other hand kept getting better, especially after the author had started writing about her kids. Out of home can be a longing at times, but the author doesn't seem to blend in any of her homesickness in her appraisal of her adopted country.
Would you get a few laughs? Sure.
Would you also get a good itinerary of what to do and what not to do in Singapore while you are there? Absolutely. Do you have to read it ? No.
It's a diversion than a book. And no, it is not a diary either.
I found the parts about the taxis and the swimming pools, despite repetition, a funny affair. Every city has these tales. The mandarin lessons on the other hand kept getting better, especially after the author had started writing about her kids. Out of home can be a longing at times, but the author doesn't seem to blend in any of her homesickness in her appraisal of her adopted country.
Would you get a few laughs? Sure.
Would you also get a good itinerary of what to do and what not to do in Singapore while you are there? Absolutely. Do you have to read it ? No.
It's a diversion than a book. And no, it is not a diary either.
March 5, 2024
What makes Diary of An Expat in Singapore so relatable is its focus on the everyday life of an ordinary person. While it might not offer practical or factual knowledge about the country, it does provide a delightful glimpse into Singaporean life, particularly from the perspective of a mother raising two kids.
Charming, witty, and thoroughly entertaining, I’m delighted to have stumbled upon this book and would wholeheartedly recommend it to aficionados of travel writing, as well as anyone intrigued by Singaporean and Asian literature, expat adventures, and the memoirs of everyday individuals.
Read the detailed review on India's No. 1 Book Platform - https://www.bookgeeks.in/diary-of-an-...
Charming, witty, and thoroughly entertaining, I’m delighted to have stumbled upon this book and would wholeheartedly recommend it to aficionados of travel writing, as well as anyone intrigued by Singaporean and Asian literature, expat adventures, and the memoirs of everyday individuals.
Read the detailed review on India's No. 1 Book Platform - https://www.bookgeeks.in/diary-of-an-...
September 13, 2013
What a load of tosh.
You would think on first glance that it was at least a "diary of an expat in Singapore" (isn't that what the title claimed to be?)
Nope. Instead it appears to be more of those 'how do you know you are ...' throw-away pieces found in certain lifestyle magazines cobbled together to form a book.
This is pretty much a bait-and-switch excuse of a book and should be avoided at all cost.
How did the publishers allow her to get away with it? At the very least, they should have changed the title so it doesn't mislead any potential readers.
It's far too late to have a disclaimer IN the first few pages of the book if one is buying the book blind if it was wrapped up or in a e-book format and one had no chance to read that disclaimer.
All in all, another one of those all-too-common vanity writing projects disguised as writing.
A total disappointment which offers nothing about the 'expat' and just offers up another one of those cookie-cutter slice of life of the privileged life of an expat in Singapore and all the fallacies/rose-coloured tinted glasses view/trappings that goes with it.
You would think on first glance that it was at least a "diary of an expat in Singapore" (isn't that what the title claimed to be?)
Nope. Instead it appears to be more of those 'how do you know you are ...' throw-away pieces found in certain lifestyle magazines cobbled together to form a book.
This is pretty much a bait-and-switch excuse of a book and should be avoided at all cost.
How did the publishers allow her to get away with it? At the very least, they should have changed the title so it doesn't mislead any potential readers.
It's far too late to have a disclaimer IN the first few pages of the book if one is buying the book blind if it was wrapped up or in a e-book format and one had no chance to read that disclaimer.
All in all, another one of those all-too-common vanity writing projects disguised as writing.
A total disappointment which offers nothing about the 'expat' and just offers up another one of those cookie-cutter slice of life of the privileged life of an expat in Singapore and all the fallacies/rose-coloured tinted glasses view/trappings that goes with it.
November 10, 2014
1 part travel, 1 part parenting -- 2 parts humor! Jennifer Gargiulo shares her adventures as an expat in this delightful book. Many mothers will relate to relocating their families for work even it it's not around the world. (Though it is fun to read about relocating around the world.) I'm raising my family far from home and she nailed the experience. I especially loved her tone which was neither whiney nor braggy. Just a regular (and very international) (and very funny!) mother, coping well out of her element. It made me want to visit Singapore, Dublin, Dubai, Bali an Verona, where she is from. It also made me realize how in the end we are all doing the best we can with our situations. Super fun read!
July 19, 2015
This is a collection of thoughts of an expat in Singapore. It doesn't talk about anything important. It has interesting and funny anecdotes of the author's and her family's life. A glimpse on how she's faring in a country that is not her own. Not unlike all my professors are currently experiencing much to their chagrin. They all claimed that this country is their last before settling back home and we all know how untrue that'd be when they got a better offer.
September 8, 2013
Very funny and insightful! A must read for all who wonder what life in Singapore is really like as an expat in Singapore.
October 13, 2013
Funny book.
October 18, 2013
An incredibly funny depiction of the expat life in Singapore. I couldn't put it down. My cheeks are sore from all the laughing. Warning: don't read it in a library!
October 22, 2013
Not as hilarious as promised on the back cover but lots of anecdotes which make you smile when you are an expat living in Singapore
May 30, 2014
Not really funny if you don't have kids. And kind of vaguely racist...
December 2, 2015
My friends mom wrote this.
September 9, 2013
Funny and .. honesty book.
February 5, 2018
3~3.5 stars.
The book is a collection of blog articles. The writing is very casual. There is no must-read in it, but the book offers a good glimpse into the life in Singapore, from the perspective of an expat. Expats in Singapore are usually posh group. They are in global management roles and traveled a lot. Singapore is just their transit base in Asia. Being a small gem in South-East Asia, Singapore boasts one of the best living environment. Singapore is itself a legend worldwide. It's a well-known story how it transforms from a fishing village to a vibrant world-class metropolitan. Books about this nation normally center on the leadership of Lee family, the incredible economic growth, and the elitism, etc. Ms. Jennifer Gargiulo provides readers a fresh view. She shows us how daily life feels like in Singapore.
She is also the mother of a son and a daughter. She spends much paragraphs on her kids. She talks about the experience raising kids in a foreign land as an expat. The kids may grow affinity to Singapore rather than where the parents comes from. The kids lives in international schools are challenging as well. The kids need to cope with their dissimilarity in the class, learning Chinese, and face tremendous academic pressure. Personally, I think the competition for perfection in Singaporean society is what makes them great. But it also makes them homogeneous. They aim for the same thing in different age. As a student, they aim to enter elite universities. As an adult, they discuss about houses and cars. As a parent, they compare their children to others'. Then it becomes a cycle. Singaporeans are very polite and orderly. So they are less flexible. Following plans or rules are the habits. It's double edged. On a hand, they are always effective. On the other hand, they seem a little stiff (less lively).
As a Taiwanese, I sometimes think Singaporeans seem 'proud'. Maybe they are just confident. I hope to learn more about this interesting country. It will be great if someday I can make more Singaporean friends and learn more from them.
The book is a collection of blog articles. The writing is very casual. There is no must-read in it, but the book offers a good glimpse into the life in Singapore, from the perspective of an expat. Expats in Singapore are usually posh group. They are in global management roles and traveled a lot. Singapore is just their transit base in Asia. Being a small gem in South-East Asia, Singapore boasts one of the best living environment. Singapore is itself a legend worldwide. It's a well-known story how it transforms from a fishing village to a vibrant world-class metropolitan. Books about this nation normally center on the leadership of Lee family, the incredible economic growth, and the elitism, etc. Ms. Jennifer Gargiulo provides readers a fresh view. She shows us how daily life feels like in Singapore.
She is also the mother of a son and a daughter. She spends much paragraphs on her kids. She talks about the experience raising kids in a foreign land as an expat. The kids may grow affinity to Singapore rather than where the parents comes from. The kids lives in international schools are challenging as well. The kids need to cope with their dissimilarity in the class, learning Chinese, and face tremendous academic pressure. Personally, I think the competition for perfection in Singaporean society is what makes them great. But it also makes them homogeneous. They aim for the same thing in different age. As a student, they aim to enter elite universities. As an adult, they discuss about houses and cars. As a parent, they compare their children to others'. Then it becomes a cycle. Singaporeans are very polite and orderly. So they are less flexible. Following plans or rules are the habits. It's double edged. On a hand, they are always effective. On the other hand, they seem a little stiff (less lively).
As a Taiwanese, I sometimes think Singaporeans seem 'proud'. Maybe they are just confident. I hope to learn more about this interesting country. It will be great if someday I can make more Singaporean friends and learn more from them.
September 13, 2021
I picked up this book because I always find it fun to hear of other peoples’ expat experiences. This book is definitely funny and a nice light read. I definitely chuckled out loud several times and got to learn a bit about the day to day of living in Singapore as a foreigner. But there are several places where it seriously lacks some depth and understanding (or even just acknowledgement) of social class/status/history etc. and just falls a bit flat or ignorant/rude/very unaware of its privilege (eg when talking about foreign workers or maids…). I listened to it as an audiobook which was nice but the narrator is british and the author italian so it felt a little off.
May 24, 2020
It's an ok read if you take it with a big lump of salt.
I wanted to learn more about what expats think of Singapore, if they really stay in ivory towers like what we think. Turns out they really do stay in ivory towers. Stereotypes of how their only form of public transport is the taxi and that expats jet set to every resort in SEAsia is true it seems but I do appreciate her honesty.
I'd recommend Neil Humphrey anytime for a foreigner's view of Singapore who knows Singapore better than most Singaporeans do and who is genuinely concerned about the bread-and-butter issues we face in Singapore.
I wanted to learn more about what expats think of Singapore, if they really stay in ivory towers like what we think. Turns out they really do stay in ivory towers. Stereotypes of how their only form of public transport is the taxi and that expats jet set to every resort in SEAsia is true it seems but I do appreciate her honesty.
I'd recommend Neil Humphrey anytime for a foreigner's view of Singapore who knows Singapore better than most Singaporeans do and who is genuinely concerned about the bread-and-butter issues we face in Singapore.
December 18, 2021
This book is well written about Singapore.
It has a lot of information about Singapore, but it also has the author's impressions, and I think it's a great book for learning about Singapore.
I actually lived in Singapore for five years, and this book really describes Singapore in detail.
It describes in detail the taste and appearance of the food, and you can feel the flavor just by reading it.
If anyone wants to go to Singapore, I would recommend this book.
It has a lot of information about Singapore, but it also has the author's impressions, and I think it's a great book for learning about Singapore.
I actually lived in Singapore for five years, and this book really describes Singapore in detail.
It describes in detail the taste and appearance of the food, and you can feel the flavor just by reading it.
If anyone wants to go to Singapore, I would recommend this book.
July 18, 2020
It's a series of blog posts about a expat's life in Singapore. It's fun to read for Singaporeans - because their view of Singapore is different. She's also a little bit of a tiger mom (sending children for Chinese lessons).
3/5 stars
3/5 stars
February 7, 2023
Good, some stories are informative some are funny. Some others however are the personal experiences of the author that are not as interesting (at least to me).
March 30, 2020
It is an honest, funny and real in storytelling. If you have ever stayed away from your country for an extended period you can easily relate to the problems and funny incidents. Enjoyable read.
October 3, 2013
I usually rate higher than this as I have my own system but the description under 2 stars fits perfectly: it was ok. Just ok. It's inoffensive lighter-than-a-breath reading and despite being neither a mother nor the sort of expat Gargiulo describes here, it was mildly funny and relatable. But I wish she had stuck to either writing about her children and family or writing those "you know you're ___________" lists. Having both here was a bit odd and I feel that the book would have had more substance if it did not mix the two.
August 6, 2014
2 stars is a bit harsh, I know. Maybe 2.5 would be better, but when I think of other books that I've given 3 stars to, I don't feel it would be fair to put this in the same ball park.
I actually enjoyed it myself, but I am an expat with kids, living in Singapore. I found it funny in many places and didn't cringe too much. However, it simply isn't the diary of an expat in Singapore. It is a collection of amusing blog posts. For people who were expecting a day by day, chronological account of life here in the Lion City, I can see how disappointing it would be. Kinda self-indulgent....
I actually enjoyed it myself, but I am an expat with kids, living in Singapore. I found it funny in many places and didn't cringe too much. However, it simply isn't the diary of an expat in Singapore. It is a collection of amusing blog posts. For people who were expecting a day by day, chronological account of life here in the Lion City, I can see how disappointing it would be. Kinda self-indulgent....
November 27, 2016
A short, yet interesting book, filled with 'signs' (signs you're this, signs you're that). Mostly deals with how hot Singapore is and the complexity of learning Chinese. Makes me wish that I could live in there (either as an expat, or PR just like the Indians suggested, or maybe as a good citizen of the Lion City).
January 29, 2015
Totally objective, of course :)
Read
December 8, 2013Lots of repeats and exaggerated. Not as funny as promised. But easy read.
March 22, 2014
At times this books was laugh out loud (even on a plane) funny and at times I was wondering if someone I had lost my place in my kindle and rereading sections.
May 12, 2014
Shockingly bad...
Read
January 28, 2017The experience had by the author were same goes to Malaysia also. A few things mentioned in a book will happen if you're going to Malaysia. nice read!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews