I moved from San Francisco to Singapore. It's so much cleaner and safer, and I can't imagine returning home.

• Nick Burns made a horizontal move at his company and transferred from San Francisco to Singapore.
• The COVID-19 guidelines were strict when he first moved, but he loves his new home.
• Despite missing Mexican food and his car, he plans to stay in Singapore during his earning years.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Nick Burns, a 32-year-old tech worker in Singapore. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

I grew up in Connecticut and studied nuclear-energy engineering technology before joining the Navy in 2011. I worked on a submarine, so I moved around a lot. I was stationed in South Carolina, New York, and Hawaii and visited places like Singapore.