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Fitting In
by Juan Rierra
Photographed by Dominic Khoo, www.whatisthesight.com
I arrived in Singapore from Panama when I was 14
and I faced some integration dif�culties.
Knowing I am a Westerner, people form these preconceived notions
about me. The promiscuous image of a Westerner is not always
�attering and because of this, it was dif�cult for me to make friends.
The locals just didn’t believe I was sincere, no matter how hard I tried.
Although it wasn’t easy to overcome this, and I never fully
did, I learnt to appreciate those who could see past these
prejudices. These have become true friends and great
colleagues. The stereotypes were an obstacle and as I
learned to overcome it, I gained better interpersonal skills.
These skills have come useful in many aspects of my life.
The second problem that I faced was adapting to an
entirely different environment. When I �rst moved to
Singapore, everything was different from Panama. I missed
my friends, I missed the environment back home, and I
became pessimistic about �tting in here! As time passed, I
learnt to adapt. I used to climb trees in Panama for fun, but
living in Singapore I changed that to watching movies.
I �nally understand that although I might not like sudden
change, that doesn’t mean that change is bad. A different
experience in life will give a different view of things and
that knowledge can be used to help others by sharing with
them your life experiences. I was able to share with people
how I lived in Panama. Through that they realised that the
unhappiness they were facing from not having the latest
gizmo was insigni�cant compared to people who are
�ghting starvation on a daily basis. I was able to help them
realise that life in Singapore is good, with their family and
friends around.
If I had kept dwelling in the past, I would never have been
able to embrace my new life here. I learnt to put away my
past, adapt to my new surroundings and make my life
mean something to me.
Sometimes I wonder if marginalised groups within a
community, ex-offenders for example, actually experience
the same thing; feeling like a “foreigner” trying to blend in
to the “local” culture…