How to perform essential tasks in Singapore

Singapore is a remarkably westernized city and the basic tasks such as making international calls, shopping at the supermarket or going to the doctor or enrolling in a school are all performed in much the same way that they would be in Europe, the United States or Australia and New Zealand.

To make an international call from Singapore, dial 001 followed by the number. If using telecommunication company SingTel, the international dialing code is 008 while for StarHub dial 002. The inbound country code for Singapore is 65.

International hypermarket chain Carrefour now has two Singapore outlets. Shoppers can enter the air conditioned comfort of Carrefour shopping supermarkets at Suntec City and Plaza Singapura.

Singapore’s health care professionals operate out of state of the art medical facilities and surgeries and all doctors need to be recognized and licensed by the Singapore Ministry of Health. It should be possible to communicate in English at most health care places in Singapore and if not, referrals to English speaking professionals can be arranged in a jiffy.