"Look MaMi! See what I have built!" Recently, Pei Pei received her SG50 LEGO set from school, and she couldn't wait to start building it.
"Can you tell me more about what you have built?" I asked.
"That is Changi Airport!" She pointed at the structure on the left.
20+ years ago, my parents brought my siblings and I from Hong Kong to Singapore. When we arrived Singapore, one of the first things that caught my eyes was Changi Control Tower. On our way to our new home, another thing that caught my eyes was the clean and green environment.
When we reached our 3-room flat, I was so amazed by the spacious house - it was bigger than our house in Hong Kong! I was thrilled to find that there were 2 toilets in the house! It was such a luxury to me, as we had to take turn to use the one-and-only-one toilet back in Hong Kong!
After settling down for 2 months, my siblings and I started to attend school in Singapore. At first, I was struggling with English, it was a nightmare to me that all subjects except Mother Tongue Languages were taught in English! Though I could understand Chinese lesson, I couldn't speak Mandarin well. But as I reflect now, I would say that I am glad to have the opportunity to receive bilingual education here.
Some time ago, we brought the children to Hong Kong for a family vacation. I wondered what would happen to me if my parents did not bring me to Singapore. Perhaps I would not have met my husband and then have my two lovely children!
This year is a special year to Singapore, as she is celebrating her 50th year of independence. Over the Jubilee Weekend, we had a great family bonding time!
Do you find these games nostalgic? We had a great time playing these games over the weekend.
We watched the RSAF Black Knights' aerial display twice. Yes, twice! On last Friday, we went to Marina Barrage, after we decided to give ArtScience Museum a miss due to the super long queue. Despite the rain, there were a lot of people in the area to support. On National Day, we went to Marina South Pier to support the RSAF Black Knights again. It was a spectacular performance! Kudos to the team which has put in so much effort to make it a memorable experience for us!
Other than watching the RSAF Black Knights' aerial display on National Day, we visited Singapore's first UNESCO World Heritage Site - Singapore Botanic Gardens (read our experience here). It is such a pride to have one of UNESCO World Heritage Sites right in the place that we call home!
On National Day, we were thankful to enjoy free train and bus rides! Where else can you enjoy free public transport for the whole day?
The highlight during the Jubilee Weekend for the children was to watch National Day Parade on television together with grandparents and Ah Yi! While watching the fantastic performance, we enjoyed some hawker food and my home-cooked prawn paste chicken legs as dinner! Before my parents and sister left our place, I thanked my Dad for bringing us to Singapore!
As we are celebrating SG50, I hope to take this opportunity to remind my children to appreciate what they have, and do not take things for granted. It was a tough journey for the pioneers to bring us what we have today. I hope that my children would grow up to be gracious Singaporeans who can contribute actively to the society.
This year is a special year to Singapore, as she is celebrating her 50th year of independence. Over the Jubilee Weekend, we had a great family bonding time!
Do you find these games nostalgic? We had a great time playing these games over the weekend.
Other than watching the RSAF Black Knights' aerial display on National Day, we visited Singapore's first UNESCO World Heritage Site - Singapore Botanic Gardens (read our experience here). It is such a pride to have one of UNESCO World Heritage Sites right in the place that we call home!
On National Day, we were thankful to enjoy free train and bus rides! Where else can you enjoy free public transport for the whole day?
The highlight during the Jubilee Weekend for the children was to watch National Day Parade on television together with grandparents and Ah Yi! While watching the fantastic performance, we enjoyed some hawker food and my home-cooked prawn paste chicken legs as dinner! Before my parents and sister left our place, I thanked my Dad for bringing us to Singapore!
As we are celebrating SG50, I hope to take this opportunity to remind my children to appreciate what they have, and do not take things for granted. It was a tough journey for the pioneers to bring us what we have today. I hope that my children would grow up to be gracious Singaporeans who can contribute actively to the society.
What does Singapore mean to you?
This blog post is part of a blog train "What Singapore Means to Me" initiated by Finally Mama.
The next mom on the blog train is Qian Wen, a mother of 3 who blogs at Raising Our Successful Children. Read on what Singapore means to her and how she raises her children to become Singaporeans.
Thank you for visiting PeiPei.HaoHao. If you enjoy reading this post, do stay connected with us on Facebook!
Wow, did your children understand your sentiments about Singapore?
ReplyDeleteDebs, my children are still too young to understand now, but I hope they would learn to appreciate what they have.
DeleteDidn't realise you were from HK! Do you still have relatives there? We caught the Black Knights three days in a row too, simply awesome!
ReplyDeleteAngie, yes we still have some relatives there. Wow you supported them all three days!
Deletefrom struggling with english to being able to write so well, you have really done well, Waiwai. And I'm sure your Dad is very proud of you.
ReplyDeleteThank you Cynthia for your encouraging words!
DeleteThank you for sharing about arriving from HK and the houses are so much bigger with 2 toilets too! I only wish that more Singaporeans realise how blessed we are here instead of complaining about what we have.
ReplyDeleteIndeed ,we as parents have to impart the attitude of thankfulness and less complaining so that our children will not take what we have for granted! Shared some of my thoughts on this on National Day. https://sayshappymums.wordpress.com/2015/08/10/our-golden-jubilee-1965/
Thanks again for the thoughtful sharing!
Cheers
Audrey @ SAys! Happy Mums
Thank you for sharing your thoughts Audrey! I hope the children not to take things for granted.
DeletePick up sticks! That's what I played when I was younger. Amazing weekend you and your family had. We didn't managed to catch the Black Knights and I'm regretting not going.
ReplyDeleteMy daughter loves pick up sticks, and she picked up the skill very fast!
DeleteThat's a really busy weekend! I also agree it's tough to maintain this bi (or multi) lingual approach with kids but in hindsight they will benefit so much from this
ReplyDeleteAgree with bilingualism is very beneficial to us, we are able to communicate with people from many other places!
DeleteUprooting your family to go to another place is something very courageous to do. Your parents really wanted the best for you.
ReplyDeleteI've only watched on TV how small some public housing flats are, but I did not realise that 3-room flats are bigger. Yes, having 2 toilets is a luxury. When I was growing up, we only had one toilet and one bathroom that were outdoors!
Sarah, I am really thankful to my parents for bringing us to Singapore. It was very courageous for them to make the decision.
DeleteI felt the same way, Waiwai. I was amazed by the size of the flats, but struggled with Mandarin (and still struggling!). So happy that it's worked out for you in the end :-)
ReplyDeleteHi five Agy! We share the same sentiment!
DeleteI was planning to take the family out to watch the Black Knights.... but it was not meant to be.. Despite missing the show, we heard the rumbles in the ward and I am glad I was at the ward at the critical period.
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear it, Phoebe. Take care!
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