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PARTING SHOT
276
April15
Here’s your
c h a n c e
t o g e t
published
– a n d
make some
money at the
same time. We’re
looking for 500-word written
contributions on any funny,
poignant, practical or even
controversial topic that touches
on expat life in Singapore.
Simply email your stories in a
Word document to contribute@
expatliving.sg and we’ll consider
them for inclusion in an
upcoming issue.
I
must admit I’ve always been one of
those expats who hankered for home,
even after three years. I longed for the
dry, hot air of an Australian summer,
the smell of eucalypts after rain, haze-free
skies and flocks of screeching sulphur-
crested cockatoos. Mostly, though, I
missed family and friends, and had yet to
make my network here – a “home away
from home”.
Slowly, subtly, things changed. In my
condominium, the social group is made
up of expats from India and Pakistan, a
couple of Chinese-Malaysian families
and a few local Chinese-Singaporean
families. In fact, there are only two other
Australian families that I know of, and we
don’t often cross paths due to their work
commitments.
At some point – and I’m not sure what
I did to warrant the invitation; perhaps
it was my new baby (babies are a sure
way to make friends) – I was asked to
the house of an Indian neighbour who
I did not really know, except in passing,
and presented with gifts for my daughter.
I was so touched and overwhelmed.
Since that moment, there has
been a continuous stream of pot-luck
lunches with 15 or more ladies each
bringing a sumptuous Indian or Asian
dish, many considered delicacies. I
have felt embarrassed by my simple
offerings of a baked pasta dish – “typical
Western cuisine”; however, some of the
embarrassment has been overcome by
the fact that the other expat children are
When Singapore
starts to feel like home
By Raelee Chapman
crazy about pasta as they never have
it at home and it’s seen as exotic and
delicious.
The kindness I have been shown
extended beyond invitations when my
daughter was hospitalised earlier this
year: a Chinese-Singaporean neighbour
came over with a bouquet of balloons;
the same neighbour brought around a
Chinese pork and vegetable dish to help
feed my guests one December when
my maid did not return as expected
from home leave; another Chinese-
Singaporean came over during the
same period with the insightful gift of a
small slow-cooker for preparing single
serves of baby food while I attended to
the kids and the house.
I have been privileged enough to be
invited to a Muslim new year luncheon,
a Haldi Kumkum ceremony, Halloween
trick or treating, and countless birthday
parties for the large rabble of children
of all different ages and ethnicities that
play together. I feel so lucky to be part
of such a large and inclusive community.
But the real highlight of the social
calendar each year is the Diwali
celebration, where maybe 20 or 30
families participate, dressing up in
beautiful and colourful clothes and
enjoying delicious catered food. The
real draw-card is the talent show;
last year, the children practised for
months beforehand. My eldest daughter
participated in a Bollywood-style dance
choreographed by university students
and overseen by a professional Indian
dance instructor. There were piano
performances, and one boy charmed us
all with a poem recitation and by belting
out one of the year’s Top 40 hits. The
night ended with the adults playing a few
rounds of bingo and the children playing
with sparklers in the garden.
This occasion was full of surprises for
me, not only in its randomness but also
in in how much fun it was – and very
typically un-Australian, with not a drop
of alcohol all night; yet you couldn’t have
seen amerrier group. I’meagerly looking
forward to this year’s Diwali celebration.