{"id":96277,"date":"2026-10-29T09:17:02","date_gmt":"2026-10-29T01:17:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=96277"},"modified":"2026-10-29T09:17:02","modified_gmt":"2026-10-29T01:17:02","slug":"indian-tourist-shares-positive-cultural-shocks-she-experienced-in-spore-faces-criticism-online","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=96277","title":{"rendered":"Indian tourist shares positive &#8216;cultural shocks&#8217; she experienced in S&#8217;pore, faces criticism online"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<h2>Indian tourist praises safety and convenience she experienced during Singapore trip<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On Saturday (Oct 24), Yukta Sharma shared a series of cultural shocks from a recent trip to Singapore on <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/yuktasbc\/status\/2113934918510363025?s=20\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">X<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hailing from Bengaluru, she visited Singapore for a week to attend the Token 2049 conference and explore the city at her leisure.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>In a statement to <em>MS News<\/em>, the 25-year-old said that after studying Singapore\u2019s history and Lee Kuan Yew\u2019s role in the nation\u2019s development, she was fascinated by how much the country developed in such a short time.<\/p>\n<p>She first visited Singapore at 14 for a school debate competition but<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0did not have the opportunity to explore the city independently.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>On this trip, Ms Sharma looked forward <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">to exploring the city freely at night \u201cto get a full feel of what safety truly feels like\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Ms Sharma would often walk or cycle home alone after partying late at night.<\/p>\n<p>She appreciated that she did not feel the need to turn around to see if anyone was following her.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I remember walking all the way from MBS to Chinatown at 3am while listening to California Dreaming in my AirPods, and it felt so surreal.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div style=\"width: 393px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pbs.twimg.com\/media\/HVY0mXdaoAA0GqT?format=jpg&amp;name=small\" alt=\"Image\" width=\"383\" height=\"680\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: @yuktasbc on X<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h3>From clean toilets to swanky dinners<\/h3>\n<p>Ms Sharma also said every single public restroom she used was \u201csuper clean\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>She also observed that pedestrians would not jaywalk, even when there were no vehicles at the red light.<\/p>\n<p>In another <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/yuktasbc\/status\/2114983192516235693?a=S-qVj_xxPoQUUUenAes&amp;s=20\">post<\/a>, Ms Sharma shared that she<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> enjoyed the \u201cmost expensive dinner\u201d of her life at the top of Marina Bay Sands (MBS), where she soaked in the views.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\n\t\t<iframe id=\"answers-client-6ae29906eec54\" class=\"answers-client\" src=\"\" height=\"500\" loading=\"lazy\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<div style=\"width: 350px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pbs.twimg.com\/media\/HVnqmd-akAI6C23?format=jpg&amp;name=large\" alt=\"Image\" width=\"340\" height=\"605\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: @yuktasbc on X<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/pbs.twimg.com\/media\/HVnqmd-b0AAcNpd?format=jpg&amp;name=large\" alt=\"Image\" width=\"341\" height=\"606\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Ms Sharma said that everyone she encountered was friendly and helpful: \u201c<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">No one gave me a single uncomfortable stare, even in very local markets.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p>She told <em>MS News<\/em> she had \u201clovely\u201d interactions with the locals while walking around Singapore.<\/p>\n<p>For example, older Chinese aunties and uncles would call her pretty, with such compliments making her day.<\/p>\n<p>Ms Sharma also mentioned in the post that people sometimes flirted with her, but \u201cno one makes it creepy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She later explained to <em>MS News<\/em> that such interactions occurred at nightclubs, where people would ask her or her friends out and offer to buy them drinks.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Overall, the vibe and energy in Singapore during that week felt beautiful.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Ms Sharma said she was inspired to post about her positive experiences because she was missing her time in Singapore and felt like sharing about her experience there.<\/p>\n<p>She added: \u201cThe safety and freedom that I felt in that one week is something I have almost never felt here [in India].\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>Netizens divided in response<\/h3>\n<p>Many netizens agreed that Singapore was a clean and pleasant city, sharing similar experiences of feeling safe on the streets late at night.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-777778 aligncenter lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Screenshot-2026-10-28-092656.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"585\" height=\"98\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Screenshot-2026-10-28-092656.jpg 585w, https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Screenshot-2026-10-28-092656-150x25.jpg 150w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 585px) 100vw, 585px\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 585px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 585\/98;\"\/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-777802 aligncenter lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/staycation.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"583\" height=\"137\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/staycation.jpg 579w, https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/staycation-150x35.jpg 150w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 583px) 100vw, 583px\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 583px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 583\/137;\"\/><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_777821\" style=\"width: 595px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-777821\" class=\"wp-image-777821 lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/utopia.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"585\" height=\"131\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/utopia.jpg 572w, https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/utopia-150x34.jpg 150w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 585px) 100vw, 585px\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 585px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 585\/131;\"\/><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-777821\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: X<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>On the other hand, some netizens were in disbelief that things like clean bathrooms constituted a \u201cculture shock\u201d in Ms Sharma\u2019s view.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_777810\" style=\"width: 570px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-777810\" class=\"wp-image-777810 lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/bathrooms.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"560\" height=\"467\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/bathrooms.jpg 588w, https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/bathrooms-150x125.jpg 150w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 560px) 100vw, 560px\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 560px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 560\/467;\"\/><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-777810\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: X<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some began leaving hate comments, pointing towards her appearance and ethnic background.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-777798 aligncenter lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/india.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"581\" height=\"213\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/india.jpg 581w, https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/india-150x55.jpg 150w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 581px) 100vw, 581px\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 581px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 581\/213;\"\/><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_777815\" style=\"width: 594px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-777815\" class=\"wp-image-777815 lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/look.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"584\" height=\"109\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/look.jpg 573w, https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/look-150x28.jpg 150w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 584px) 100vw, 584px\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 584px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 584\/109;\"\/><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-777815\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: X<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Some questioned <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">her experiences of being flirted with, as public interaction is seen as rare in Singapore.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_777812\" style=\"width: 581px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-777812\" class=\"wp-image-777812 size-full lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/flirt.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"571\" height=\"90\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/flirt.jpg 571w, https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/flirt-150x24.jpg 150w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 571px) 100vw, 571px\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 571px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 571\/90;\"\/><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-777812\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: X<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>One netizen chimed in, saying an Indian tourist\u2019s appreciation of a foreign country should not come at the expense of criticising India.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_777807\" style=\"width: 465px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-777807\" class=\"wp-image-777807 size-full lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Screenshot-2026-10-28-092957.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"455\" height=\"561\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Screenshot-2026-10-28-092957.jpg 455w, https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Screenshot-2026-10-28-092957-122x150.jpg 122w, https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Screenshot-2026-10-28-092957-324x400.jpg 324w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 455px) 100vw, 455px\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 455px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 455\/561;\"\/><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-777807\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: X<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h3>Ms Sharma unfazed by online hate, wants to return to Singapore<\/h3>\n<p>Ms <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sharma observed that those based in Singapore were \u201cquite happy that (she) had a great experience\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, she did not <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/yuktasbc\/status\/2114570391683522674?a=LHN5UAmseIc55E1v6CQ&amp;s=20\">expect<\/a> such intense vitriol simply from appreciating her time in Singapore. <\/span><\/p>\n<p>She reiterated that she did not let the online trolls bother her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know many of them are faceless accounts, and I have a thick skin and great friends who ensure that these don\u2019t get to my head,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Ms Sharma told <em>MS News<\/em> that what might seem ordinary to others were culture shocks to her.<\/p>\n<p>Back home, she had never seen a woman cycling alone at 3am or walked outside at that hour herself.<\/p>\n<p>She said: \u201cBeing able to walk and cycle alone in Singapore at that time, without constantly looking over my shoulder, felt remarkable. Everyone deserves that freedom by default.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In response to accusations of being biased, Ms Sharma told <em>MS News<\/em> she was not trying to make a simplistic comparison between Singapore and India.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I believe both countries have their own sets of challenges but it\u2019s always good to (acknowledge) each other\u2019s strengths and try to bring them up at home.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">She pointed out that India is a much larger and more diverse country. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, she believed that in terms of safety, India can \u201clearn from Singapore and make progress\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>When asked whether the online response deterred her from visiting Singapore again, Ms Sharma was certain that she would return.<\/p>\n<p>She stated firmly: \u201c<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s a place I\u2019d recommend to almost everyone, and the hate online doesn\u2019t change how much I love it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Singapore will always have a special place in my heart.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><b>Also read: <a href=\"https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/sweden-marriage\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u2018Swedes don\u2019t get married even after kids\u2019: S\u2019porean shares her biggest culture shock after living in Sweden<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"CMe0B8qlEK\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/sweden-marriage\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u2018Swedes don\u2019t get married even after kids\u2019: S\u2019porean shares her biggest culture shock after living in Sweden<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"\u201c\u2018Swedes don\u2019t get married even after kids\u2019: S\u2019porean shares her biggest culture shock after living in Sweden\u201d \u2014 MS News - Independent News For Singaporeans\" src=\"https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/sweden-marriage\/embed\/#?secret=a7Y7UcTTvX#?secret=CMe0B8qlEK\" data-secret=\"CMe0B8qlEK\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><i>Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at <a href=\"https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/indian-tourist-cultural-shock\/mailto:news@mustsharenews.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news@mustsharenews.com<\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n<p><i>Featured image adapted from Yukta Sharma via <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/yuktasbc\/status\/2113934918510363025?a=hr6fRNzfvw7X_n0tSec&amp;s=20\">X<\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n<p><!-- CONTENT END 1 --><\/p><\/div>\n<p><script id=\"facebook-js\" src=\"https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/sdk.js?ver=7.1.2#xfbml=1&#038;version=v3.2\"><\/script><script>\n!function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)\n{if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?\nn.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};\nif(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';\nn.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;\nt.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];\ns.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window, document,'script',\n'https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');\nfbq('init', '1213643350275810');\nfbq('track', 'PageView');\n<\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><br \/>\n<center><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/indian-tourist-cultural-shock\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read Full Article At Source <\/a><br \/>\n<center\/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Indian tourist praises safety and convenience she experienced during Singapore trip On Saturday (Oct 24), Yukta Sharma shared a series of cultural shocks from a&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":96278,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2611],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-96277","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-buzz-headlines","wpcat-2611-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96277","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=96277"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96277\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/96278"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=96277"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=96277"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=96277"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}