Posted on 01/09/2017 11:41:20 PM PST by nickcarraway
A woman has been living in Changi Airport for eight years, Lianhe Wanbao reported on Wednesday (Jan 4).
She is among more than 10 "regulars" at the airport, the Chinese evening daily reported.
The woman in her 50s, who preferred to remain anonymous, told the paper that she rented out her three-room flat in Tampines eight years ago and moved to the airport.
She was hit by the 2008 financial crisis, and had cash flow problems. She was "desperate", she said.
At first, she was just going to stay for a few nights, but it became eight years, Wanbao said.
Now, she has a trolley full of clothes, toiletries, food and other daily necessities.
She eats at the airport food court and finds living there quite convenient as there is a supermarket, showers, air-conditioning and free Wi-Fi, Wanbao said.
She has rental income of more than $1,000, and is not in financial difficulty, but hopes to have a roof over her head.
"I intend to sell the flat and apply for a smaller two-room unit, to make life easier," she said.
Changi Airport Group said that when its staff see people who seek shelter at the airport, they would urge them not to do so.
"We will work with agencies like the Ministry of Social and Family Development, as well as Family Service Centres, to find the best way to help them," it said in a statement.
There are others who make the airport their home, the woman said, including a couple who "co-habit" there.
There are more than 10 "regulars" at the Changi Airport, Lianhe Wanbao reported.Photo: Lianhe Wanbao Another regular, a man in his 60s, told Wanbao he has a rental flat in Beach Road but fell out with his roommate.
To avoid his roommate, he started sleeping at the airport recently, but goes home in the day.
He also prefers to sleep in air-con on hot nights, he said.
There have been earlier reported cases of people who camp out at Changi Airport.
Two years ago, a homeless couple who stayed at the airport for several months made headlines. They moved in after falling out with relatives.
I hear that life in China can be pretty darn rugged and unpleasant. The daughter of a friend of mine is a teacher overseas. She spent several years in Dubai teaching English, and she loved it there. But she wanted to see more of the world so she put in for a teaching position in China...Hong Kong.
She had to share a 400 SF apartment with 6 other people. They were sleeping shoulder to shoulder. The air polution is so bad, that she couldn’t breath and it made her sick.
Toilets aren’t well established either. She had to squat over a hole that was similar to a porta-potty. No seat. Toilet paper is in short supply, but if you have family send you some from home, and they send too much, you are fined. There’s a limit on how much TP you can possess at any one time.
Eventually she got pneumonia and had to leave China to get decent treatment in a hospital. She came home, and was in the hospital for 6 weeks. She broke her contract in China, took a $20K loss, it it was well worth it to her. I think she was there for only 3 months.
Eventually, she put in for a position in Russia, and she loves it there! I’m not sure where in Russia she is as my convo with DD ended abruptly...bad weather and the phone disconnected, but I do want to hear more. I’ve had a few friends take trips to Russia, and I’d like to compare notes between what they experienced and what “S” is experiencing. She doesn’t drink so it’s not the Vodka that she likes lol!
I’ve heard there have been quite a lot of changes there over the years...over the last 25 years anyway. I’d like to learn more.
That was such a clever movie. Not surprised at all that people, with a few compromises, can live decently at an airport (rent free). Just ask Edward Snowden.
I vaguely recall a man who lived at an airport off a transferable first class ticket for years. I think he was Chinese.
Hmmm...
It’s surprising how many places this sort of thing happens. A transsexual, trans-racial communist has been doing the same thing in our White House for eight years, at an added cost of $10T to American taxpayers. Fortunately, it looks like that drug-addled bigot will be going back to Kenya, Indonesia, Hawaii, or Chicago in ten days.
I thought the Changi Airport was in SINGAPORE, not China. Are there two?
The Changi Airport of Singapore is a great airport. If I had to be stuck or homeless somewhere that is where I would choose.
Is this the sequel?
Yes, Singapore commercial airport is Changi (Paya Lebar is the MIL airport). Singapore has pretty much been annexed by China financially, without a shot fired.
No reason for a country like Singapore to tolerate that crap. In the United States, of course, the left PARADES the ‘homeless’ to get them IN OUR FACES, as some sick form of revenge. But Singapore doesn’t put up with leftists, so there’s no need for her to forced into that life.
All the CNN you can stomach, you get to know the gate agents by their voices on the PA, you see thousands of world travelers a day and you get to eat overpriced food.
What could be better?
I was flying home with a late flight. A buddy had some sort of Army training school and was getting back later the same night so I told him I’d wait so his wife didn’t need to pick him up. His flight was delayed and finally cancelled. It was pretty weird. Outside of a few maintenance staff, I was the only person in sight in a mile long terminal at 2:30 am. (Detroit Metro)
Exactly one year after 9/11 I had booked a trip out of LAX for a vacation. Didn’t even think about it when I did it. Anyway, LAX was almost empty. Early morning and no one was there but us, a few stragglers, and some workers. Was so strange.
Also my best trip through LAX ever. lol
I’ll be making my second biggest travel mistake next Friday. I’ll be at a trade show in Las Vegas. I was told it ended at 4. Last red eye to Baltimore is 4:45. No way to make it. So I decided to fly to St. Louis at 6 and then home in the morning.
I just found out the show ends at 3 but the flight is sold out.
My worst was a flight to Milwaukee with a 3 hour layover to Green Bay, repeating it in reverse the next day. It never dawned on me that Milwaukee to Green Bay is just a 90 minute drive.
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