Dominic Goh, Singapore’s ambassador to Egypt: My Morning Routine looks each week at how a successful member of the community starts their day — and then throws in a couple of random business questions just for fun. Speaking to us this week is Singapore’s recently-arrived Ambassador Dominic Goh.

My name is Dominic Goh, and I’m Singapore’s ambassador to Egypt, based in Cairo. My wife Sharon and I arrived in Egypt relatively recently, in September 2019. Prior to this, I was ambassador to Laos, and I’ve also served in diplomatic missions in Berlin and Bonn, among other postings.

My job requires a lot of adaptability. For expatriates and diplomats, if this doesn't come naturally to you, you'll find it very difficult to enjoy this kind of life. I find it hugely interesting to live in different countries, learn languages, and learn about different cultures, and these are among the reasons why I entered this field.

I need a big, strong cup of coffee in the morning to feel that my day has really begun. I’m not particular about what type of coffee I drink; I usually enjoy whatever’s available and fresh in-country.

Of course I read Enterprise from my inbox every morning, and my other go-to local and international news websites include CNN, the BBC, the New York Times, the Financial Times, Al Ahram and Singapore’s the Straits Times.

Egypt was the first country in the Arab world to recognize Singapore in 1965, and Singapore sees Egypt as a key partner in the region, with a strategic location as well as an economic hub. The relations between our two countries are excellent.

Singapore is actually the fourth largest Asian investor in Egypt — we have more investments here than in Japan or South Korea. These are mainly in logistics and food processing, but companies operating in other sectors are also starting to discover Egypt. A couple of months ago, our trade and overseas investment arm, Enterprise Singapore, organized a delegation of nine Singaporean companies to Egypt. This week, we have a group of fintech companies visiting.

One of the things we’re working on is improving tourism between our two countries. A recent Singaporean investment in Egypt began with the company owner coming here on holiday. At first, he thought it was just a one-off trip, but as he got more familiar with the country, he started to see possibilities for doing business. A few months later, he established a joint venture with an Egyptian partner.

Egypt is interested in learning from Singapore’s development experience in the port and education sectors. When President Abdel Fattah El Sisi visited Singapore in 2015, he was impressed with our port, and I believe he encouraged his ministers to study our experience in port management and development. I also recently met with Egypt’s education minister, who said they are interested to learn from us about how we teach math and science, as we have particularly high rankings in these fields.

Singapore has over 250 students currently studying at Al Azhar University, and this has been the case since the 1960s. The Malay Muslim community in Singapore sends potential imams and religious teachers to be trained at Al Azhar because it is the top university for Islamic studies in the world. And of course, many of these students stay on for Master’s programs and other things.

Recently I’ve enjoyed reading Homo Deus by Yuval Noah Harari. It’s a really fascinating book about how AI might reshape and disrupt the global economy in the future. I’ve also been rewatching the BBC’s Sherlock — a really intense and suspenseful TV series — on Netflix.

Singapore’s arts and culture scene has become quite vibrant nowadays. Apart from the usual shopping on Orchard Road and Marina Bay Sands, I think there’s something for everybody, with classical music, ballet, opera, modern dance, and jazz clubs. We even have Broadway and West End musicals for limited runs almost every year. Food is also a big draw for visitors, and we have a nature reserve right in the center of the island, which is great for hiking and a bit of fresh air.

My advice on acclimatizing to a new environment? Try to focus on the positives, and don’t dwell on what you can’t change. It’s always difficult to leave at the end of a posting, because you form an attachment to the people you meet in each place. But it’s also a part of the job and a phase that we all have to go through. The good thing is that you end up with a great network of friends around the world.