Today was a very auspicious day for us as Frunty joined his class called Faith to stand at attention for the Singapore National Anthem in the assembly hall of Tampines Primary school. With his new teacher, Ms. Devi, at his side and a sea of nameless children surrounding him, Frunty didn't look back. At that moment, I have never been more proud of him, not ever. As he walked away towards his class which he had never seen before, he gave us a quick smile. Daddy, Pit and I, invited to watch the opening exercises this morning, were thrilled by such a warm reception by the principal and by Frunty's positive disposition and strong character.
I also could have called the following entry "redemption time" instead as it wasn't always this easy. All the years of tricky times with taking Frunty to birthday parties which he didn't want to go and then ended up having a ball...those frustrations were erased as we watched him today join his Primary 1 class. Frunty will finish up this year and be ready for Primary 2 in January at the schools brand new facility in Tampines. (pronounced Tampinese)
It has been a roller-coaster ride since we got here with me phoning International and public schools and not being able to even get in the door because of swine flu and/or waiting lists that were too long. Getting into TPS was a tiny miracle as a space just happened to have opened up when I visited. I was so shocked but needed a night to discuss the location etc. with Daddy. When I returned the next day to tell the General Admissions Officers that Frunty would attend, all of a sudden he didn't seem to want to accept us anymore. He asked a lot of questions about why we would want to attend and voiced negative statements regarding the possibility that Frunty would disrupt the class and the Singapore system.
Looking back, I am so pleased at how I stood my ground. Not desperate to get into any school and quite enjoying homeschooling/being on holiday, I replied that I wanted a school where my son would be happy. With his first ever resume in hand, I pointed out Frunty's amazing abilities and what a contribution to his school Frunty would prove. Being a teacher myself, the Officer seemed confident that Frunty would get the support from home to transition nicely into the Singapore system without disrupting it (I could, by the way, completely see his points) and by the Friday, after the four of us met with the Officer, we left the school with Frunty's new uniform and books in hand!!
Daddy had to go off to work so I took the kids shoe shopping on that Friday so that Frunty would have the required white shoes which he loves so much it is hard to get them off! We went over to our friends' home and Frunty was thrilled to borrow a bike and ride around in these shoes! The next morning, Saturday, Frunty was up, dressed in his full uniform and sitting at the table ready for breakfast and homeschooling. (I really should call it practise and review of Math and English)
Not once has Frunty shown any negative spirit towards going to school. I kept waiting for that to happen today but it never did.
In fact, the opposite happened. We were invited to stay from 7:40-1pm to see Frunty during recess. I thought this was super so went home with Daddy and Pit to get some documents and then came back in time for recess. I hid behind a poll as Frunty approached and saw him walking with a boy. When he caught sight of me, all smiles! I met many of his new classmates in the half hour to come and watched Frunty eat with them, share some of his foods, run around and play tag. Boys would come over to me and ask me where Frunty was...he seemed to already be well known. One boy put his arm around him. Girls were sitting with me, boys would come over and chat a bit...I got to ask lots of questions and although their accents are hard to understand, I picked up information here and there. Mostly I picked up that Frunty was very warmly welcomed to the class, thanks to a nice introduction by Ms. Devi. He was even carrying a $1 coin given to him by a boy who was worried Frunty didn't have a "collation". (yes, some French words are still sticking)
I took a picture of Frunty with his new friend who stuck out, Isqandar, and we made two copies. One of them is in a frame that Frunty decorated and will give to Isqandar tomorrow at school. The other is on Frunty's pillow as he sleeps soundly away. Despite getting up this morning at 6 am to get to school by 7:30am, Frunty was in fine form all day and even cracked a very funny joke at bed time while we were doing animal riddles. Frunty's turn "I am really hairy....etc. Who am I?" Answer: Claudio. (I can't go into details but we laughed our heads off!)
On Wednesday is Childrens' Day so the children are invited to wear costumes of fairy tale characters all day and participate in games etc. It sounds like a lot of fun. All of our costumes are on a boat so Frunty and I will stop at a place on the way home to find something. When I looked back, I always pictured Frunty wearing a white shirt and navy blue short as a uniform here. It's funny because during these last three weeks I have seen many different colour variations for school uniforms and yet, the school that accepted Frunty has a white and navy blue uniform. Luckily, I had faith.
Monday, 28 September 2009
Wednesday, 23 September 2009
Possible School: Tampines Primary
As many of you know, Daddy has been doing the bulk of homeschooling while I have been exploring both possible homes and schools in Singapore. I love being out in the sunshine and heat, the dark skies that give birth to a heavy shower followed by intense humidity. The jungles, the flowers, the friendly faces. Stopping for a quick dish of veggies and skewers of marinated beef, chicken or mutton, a freshly squeezed juice or a big coconut cut open and straw popped in. I have travelled by foot, bus, taxi, MRT (metro) and perhaps tomorrow, on bike.
I have narrowed down the areas I think would be nice to live and they are near Bedok and Tanah Merah and have even found some "cluster homes" that look fine, with shared pool and other facilities.
I have also phoned and then visited several schools in order to put Frunty's name on the list. We are leaning towards trying the public school system and if reports are true and it is too strenuous, we can move to an International school. Every time I visit a school, I hand the secretary or vice principal Frunty's CV with photos of him doing various sports like karate, soccer, and cooking, working at his desk etc. and then fill out an application for admissions form. I have met some very friendly people at the front gates of the school, inside the general offices, and even in the halls. I met a Relief teacher who gave me his number in case I have other questions. Each time I am sent away with the same answers that I should try other schools in the meantime and that we are at the bottom of a very long waiting list but perhaps we'll get a call at the end of November. One school yesterday said that parents were volunteering for a year before their child was admitted. At that same school, a bunch of parents camped for two nights to get a few available spaces.
You can perhaps imagine my surprise when one school actually went through their data base and announced, "we have a spot for your child to start immediately. He can finish P1 and then start P2 in January." I was a bit speechless but tried to sound calm and not nuts with gratitude. I even said I needed to talk to my husband about it. Because ultimately, we are not desperate.
Even greater news is that the school I visited is their temporary location while their permanent location is being completely renovated. Frunty would transfer to the new school in January. Check out their website: www.tampinespri.net
I had hoped that Frunty could join a school now and use the time before Christmas as a review period. He would also get used to the system a bit, the routine of early morning classes and make some new friends before beginning P2. We would also have this "grace" period to get to know what is expected so that we can fine tune before January. So now Daddy and I will research and make sure that this is a good "fluke"! One good thing is that Daddy's colleagues have stated that Tampines (pron. Tampinese) Primary is a very good school.
So I am pretty excited as I write this because I do think we are really lucky to have this opportunity. On the way home, I noticed a woman wearing a MOE shirt on the MRT. (translation, a Ministry of Education shirt on the metro) and I asked her a few questions. She said that if we are not happy with the school, we could transfer providing their is a space available in another school. In other words, it is not a prison and there are always other options.
Both kids have fallen asleep beside me on the couch while I type all of this up so I had better carry them off to bed. It was a really fun day with Frunty going to Daddy's office to study there and work on his P1 math book. He went out for lunch with Daddy and two of his colleagues and had pumpkin soup which was creamy without cream! (potato) Pit and I visited several different schools and got to know some neighbourhoods, stopping at two food centers, the Bedok one for freshly sqeezed juices and one by the Tampines school for chicken and rice. When we met up with Daddy at Citibank for our appointment, Frunty wanted to take me for pumpkin soup so afterwards, with Daddy back at work, we headed out for a nice snack before stopping at the Newton Food Centre to visit our new, East Indian friends who own a stall with yummy food which we took home after hugs and kisses for the kids...and for me too!
Too much fun!
I have narrowed down the areas I think would be nice to live and they are near Bedok and Tanah Merah and have even found some "cluster homes" that look fine, with shared pool and other facilities.
I have also phoned and then visited several schools in order to put Frunty's name on the list. We are leaning towards trying the public school system and if reports are true and it is too strenuous, we can move to an International school. Every time I visit a school, I hand the secretary or vice principal Frunty's CV with photos of him doing various sports like karate, soccer, and cooking, working at his desk etc. and then fill out an application for admissions form. I have met some very friendly people at the front gates of the school, inside the general offices, and even in the halls. I met a Relief teacher who gave me his number in case I have other questions. Each time I am sent away with the same answers that I should try other schools in the meantime and that we are at the bottom of a very long waiting list but perhaps we'll get a call at the end of November. One school yesterday said that parents were volunteering for a year before their child was admitted. At that same school, a bunch of parents camped for two nights to get a few available spaces.
You can perhaps imagine my surprise when one school actually went through their data base and announced, "we have a spot for your child to start immediately. He can finish P1 and then start P2 in January." I was a bit speechless but tried to sound calm and not nuts with gratitude. I even said I needed to talk to my husband about it. Because ultimately, we are not desperate.
Even greater news is that the school I visited is their temporary location while their permanent location is being completely renovated. Frunty would transfer to the new school in January. Check out their website: www.tampinespri.net
I had hoped that Frunty could join a school now and use the time before Christmas as a review period. He would also get used to the system a bit, the routine of early morning classes and make some new friends before beginning P2. We would also have this "grace" period to get to know what is expected so that we can fine tune before January. So now Daddy and I will research and make sure that this is a good "fluke"! One good thing is that Daddy's colleagues have stated that Tampines (pron. Tampinese) Primary is a very good school.
So I am pretty excited as I write this because I do think we are really lucky to have this opportunity. On the way home, I noticed a woman wearing a MOE shirt on the MRT. (translation, a Ministry of Education shirt on the metro) and I asked her a few questions. She said that if we are not happy with the school, we could transfer providing their is a space available in another school. In other words, it is not a prison and there are always other options.
Both kids have fallen asleep beside me on the couch while I type all of this up so I had better carry them off to bed. It was a really fun day with Frunty going to Daddy's office to study there and work on his P1 math book. He went out for lunch with Daddy and two of his colleagues and had pumpkin soup which was creamy without cream! (potato) Pit and I visited several different schools and got to know some neighbourhoods, stopping at two food centers, the Bedok one for freshly sqeezed juices and one by the Tampines school for chicken and rice. When we met up with Daddy at Citibank for our appointment, Frunty wanted to take me for pumpkin soup so afterwards, with Daddy back at work, we headed out for a nice snack before stopping at the Newton Food Centre to visit our new, East Indian friends who own a stall with yummy food which we took home after hugs and kisses for the kids...and for me too!
Too much fun!
Monday, 21 September 2009
Little India
Just a stone's throw from our serviced apartment (which is in a fantastic location tourist-wise by Orchard Rd) is a pocket of Singapore known as Little India. The kids and I took the MRT there after "school" and ventured into a world full of sights and sounds that were very interesting and authentically Indian. Up a tiny flight of stairs, we entered a beauty parlour where a technician was performing "threading". We watched her twisting a thin thread around a woman's eyebrows and pulling the hairs off all the while listening to loud, Indian music from the street below.
Then it was my turn and the kids watched as I received some henna designs on my arm and back. Absolutely gorgeous. The woman could not do Chinese characters so the kids said "no thanks". However, I did buy a tube of ink down the way and will do henna on them tomorrow. We managed to get some allergy-free desserts and a bag of dark orange mangoes and grabbed the #48 bus back home where Daddy was waiting eagerly for dinner and the desserts that he had sent me a text message about! The skies went very dark grey and we just missed getting soaked by a tropical downpour. Being 13 flights up means we can see a lot of the big, open sky and the grey clouds encroaching. Lots of lightning too.
This week there is a celebration of lights at Little India so I hope that Daddy and I can come back one of the evenings to see...providing I find a babysitter! Time for me to practise Chinese characters so I am ready for tomorrow. Never a dull moment with the Bello Boys, that is for sure! Lucky for us! Namaste.
Then it was my turn and the kids watched as I received some henna designs on my arm and back. Absolutely gorgeous. The woman could not do Chinese characters so the kids said "no thanks". However, I did buy a tube of ink down the way and will do henna on them tomorrow. We managed to get some allergy-free desserts and a bag of dark orange mangoes and grabbed the #48 bus back home where Daddy was waiting eagerly for dinner and the desserts that he had sent me a text message about! The skies went very dark grey and we just missed getting soaked by a tropical downpour. Being 13 flights up means we can see a lot of the big, open sky and the grey clouds encroaching. Lots of lightning too.
This week there is a celebration of lights at Little India so I hope that Daddy and I can come back one of the evenings to see...providing I find a babysitter! Time for me to practise Chinese characters so I am ready for tomorrow. Never a dull moment with the Bello Boys, that is for sure! Lucky for us! Namaste.
Juicing and Massage
The title may seem funny so let me explain. Last night we went for a bbq at our American friends. They are a lot of fun and one highlight was juicing different variations of fruit and veg. Daddy went to Carrefour with Pit and bought a plethora of this food group so we could see how our friend's juicer works. (yes, I am in the market!) Frunty and I went to see a really nice home that is available near Tenah Merah and then we all met up at our friends' home.
During dinner, we got to talking about how Daddy is the only one who hasn't gone for a massage yet. Massage parlours/reflexology centers are all over the place the way that chocolate shops were in Brussels. At that point, our friend Scott said that the two of them should just go on over to the mall and get a treatment when I piped in that we should do a double date and Scott said, "let's do it!" Luckily, spontaneity is easy when you have a live-in helper that can babysit last-minute. Rosanna is just lovely and besides juicing and doing two million other jobs, she took care of our three boys while we went and enjoyed one of Singaporean's favourite past-times.
It was awesome and we laughed all the way home. It's funny because in Brussels we would enjoy a gorgeous, ice-cold bubbly with friends to unwind after a long week but here, we enjoy massage therapy and freshly squeezed juice! Not saying that I don't miss the champagne which is now, by the way, completely, ludicrously expensive. But different can be beautiful!
The kids didn't really notice we were gone for that hour either as they watched Mickey Mouse classics together. Pit and Frunty curled up in a big, leather chair together while Ethan stretched out on the couch. I feel grateful that we already have friends with whom we can relax and have some good laughs. Life is fun and some say it is the "honeymoon stage" that occurs when you first move to a new place. Hope it lasts!
During dinner, we got to talking about how Daddy is the only one who hasn't gone for a massage yet. Massage parlours/reflexology centers are all over the place the way that chocolate shops were in Brussels. At that point, our friend Scott said that the two of them should just go on over to the mall and get a treatment when I piped in that we should do a double date and Scott said, "let's do it!" Luckily, spontaneity is easy when you have a live-in helper that can babysit last-minute. Rosanna is just lovely and besides juicing and doing two million other jobs, she took care of our three boys while we went and enjoyed one of Singaporean's favourite past-times.
It was awesome and we laughed all the way home. It's funny because in Brussels we would enjoy a gorgeous, ice-cold bubbly with friends to unwind after a long week but here, we enjoy massage therapy and freshly squeezed juice! Not saying that I don't miss the champagne which is now, by the way, completely, ludicrously expensive. But different can be beautiful!
The kids didn't really notice we were gone for that hour either as they watched Mickey Mouse classics together. Pit and Frunty curled up in a big, leather chair together while Ethan stretched out on the couch. I feel grateful that we already have friends with whom we can relax and have some good laughs. Life is fun and some say it is the "honeymoon stage" that occurs when you first move to a new place. Hope it lasts!
Saturday, 19 September 2009
Singapore Zoo
Today we met Daddy's colleague and his family at the Singapore Zoo which was really spectacular. We all enjoyed it very much and are happy we purchased a year pass so we can visit the adorable monkeys with their tiny babies clutched to their necks and the crocodiles and pink flamingos. Normally I am not that crazy about zoos but this one is impressive. The orangutans are "loose"! And you can bring in your own food and still sit on seats at the restaurants to enjoy it.
The four boys, ages 7, 5, 4, 3 had a real ball and said they were eachother's best friends which is music to my ears. Leaving Brussels was a really painful experience not just for me but we are all resilient and are going to seize each day as it comes. Tomorrow I think we'll rent bikes and visit some areas and I would like to go to an open-house before we head over to another colleague's for a bbq. We hit it off so much last weekend that we made another date during the week to see eachother on the weekend.
When we got back from the zoo, we had dinner at the Ion Food Court and then Daddy took the boys home while I had a foot massage. I really think it is heaven to just walk-in, sit down and without an appointment have an excellent treatment. I found another place that I would like to try maybe tomorrow or the following day in between house viewing and school visits. I think I owe it to myself! I can hear someone calling me a spoiled brat in my head but really, I think I am just enjoying Singaporean life and I deserve it!
The four boys, ages 7, 5, 4, 3 had a real ball and said they were eachother's best friends which is music to my ears. Leaving Brussels was a really painful experience not just for me but we are all resilient and are going to seize each day as it comes. Tomorrow I think we'll rent bikes and visit some areas and I would like to go to an open-house before we head over to another colleague's for a bbq. We hit it off so much last weekend that we made another date during the week to see eachother on the weekend.
When we got back from the zoo, we had dinner at the Ion Food Court and then Daddy took the boys home while I had a foot massage. I really think it is heaven to just walk-in, sit down and without an appointment have an excellent treatment. I found another place that I would like to try maybe tomorrow or the following day in between house viewing and school visits. I think I owe it to myself! I can hear someone calling me a spoiled brat in my head but really, I think I am just enjoying Singaporean life and I deserve it!
Friday, 18 September 2009
Afterschool
Afterschool, Daddy took Frunty to pick up our employment/dependant passes. We thought we weren't supposed to smile in the photos so we all look kind of sad but that is nowhere near the truth! I took Pit to the Museum of Asian Civilization to check it out. Pit was a bit scared as it was kind of dark inside with sombre music so we spent more time in the museum shop looking for things we would like to buy for our new home when we eventually get it!
We were walking around afterwards when we got a phone call from Daddy and we decided to meet for kuru-kuru sushi. Yum! And a great way to celebrate getting our passes. I still can't really believe we are here because I was listening to the news this evening and when they said, "Singapore" I couldn't connect it with the fact that I am indeed in Singapore. It is a funny feeling to all of a sudden realize that you are in the place you've always heard of as being somewhere else from where you were. I don't think I can explain the previous sentence!! Never matter, as the kids would say.
After they hit the hay, Daddy had to start work and I went off to the center of the city as it is especially beautiful at night. I have trouble believing it will always be summer here. Pit argued with me about this actually today. It was pretty funny. He said, "no mommy, it'll get windy and cold and rainy!" and he insisted that it wouldn't stay warm. It was kind of cool today but I was still in shorts and a sleeveless shirt. If this is as cold as it will get, it's pretty amazing. All those damp, cold, miserable days in Brussels are a thing of the past. I never really minded them but it is nice to have a change. I was frozen at the Toys R Us yesterday and I did complain about that! A little overboard with the air-con!
We were walking around afterwards when we got a phone call from Daddy and we decided to meet for kuru-kuru sushi. Yum! And a great way to celebrate getting our passes. I still can't really believe we are here because I was listening to the news this evening and when they said, "Singapore" I couldn't connect it with the fact that I am indeed in Singapore. It is a funny feeling to all of a sudden realize that you are in the place you've always heard of as being somewhere else from where you were. I don't think I can explain the previous sentence!! Never matter, as the kids would say.
After they hit the hay, Daddy had to start work and I went off to the center of the city as it is especially beautiful at night. I have trouble believing it will always be summer here. Pit argued with me about this actually today. It was pretty funny. He said, "no mommy, it'll get windy and cold and rainy!" and he insisted that it wouldn't stay warm. It was kind of cool today but I was still in shorts and a sleeveless shirt. If this is as cold as it will get, it's pretty amazing. All those damp, cold, miserable days in Brussels are a thing of the past. I never really minded them but it is nice to have a change. I was frozen at the Toys R Us yesterday and I did complain about that! A little overboard with the air-con!
Wednesday, 16 September 2009
Mandarin Lessons
We have started homeschooling with the kids and Daddy made an excellent schedule up which includes math, reading, writing, PE (in the exercise room followed by pool/sauna!) and on Wednesdays, "petit jour" just like old times during which we'll go on a field trip in the afternoon! Once or twice a week the kids will have French. Yesterday, Mathilde (a friend of our new teacher from Switzerland who couldn't start yet) came to our home to give three hours of French instruction which involved games, books etc. and just playing Lego en francais. I made sure I had lots of resources to make a teacher's job easy here by purchasing materials just before leaving Brussels. We will continue French in this way and the kids seemed thrilled!
School chez nous begins at 8:45am and finishes at 2 pm with snack breaks and lunch of course. Daddy is doing most of the formal teaching while I make phone calls to schools, go with agents to see homes etc. I appreciate the break from teaching because the two months of practising reading/writing in English over the summer really wiped me out. I think Frunty likes the variety of having different teachers as well.
Part of our homeschooling programme involves Mandarin lessons also and I found a teacher from China by googling. Shea Shen Le seems really great just having finished her masters in Mass Communications in Oklahoma and her undergrad in Shanghai. She came over tonight to get to know us and discuss our needs and our first group lessons will begin on October 4th. When she left, she taught us how to say "good bye" and Frunty said it perfectly. I am hoping that his several years of casual exposure with our Taiwanese friends plus some slightly more formal, weekly lessons with Yoshinobu's mom also from Taiwan, will help him ease back into learning.
We checked out an area called Holland Village as a possible area to live. I did not have a good feel there. I wouldn't mind going in the evening for dinner but the homes I saw were expensive and not very attractive. Last week we saw the northern part and although very green with wide open spaces, it would take longer for Daddy to get to work. On Sunday an agent will take me to some other areas of Singapore that we don't know yet to check out some other places. In my mind, there are one or two places on the East Coast that I like but before I take Daddy and kids there to make a final decision, I would like to make sure it is the right area of Singapore in which to live.
We are enjoying our time here so far. The weather is really gorgeous and I am enjoying the lovely, warm breezes and am very grateful for this experience.
School chez nous begins at 8:45am and finishes at 2 pm with snack breaks and lunch of course. Daddy is doing most of the formal teaching while I make phone calls to schools, go with agents to see homes etc. I appreciate the break from teaching because the two months of practising reading/writing in English over the summer really wiped me out. I think Frunty likes the variety of having different teachers as well.
Part of our homeschooling programme involves Mandarin lessons also and I found a teacher from China by googling. Shea Shen Le seems really great just having finished her masters in Mass Communications in Oklahoma and her undergrad in Shanghai. She came over tonight to get to know us and discuss our needs and our first group lessons will begin on October 4th. When she left, she taught us how to say "good bye" and Frunty said it perfectly. I am hoping that his several years of casual exposure with our Taiwanese friends plus some slightly more formal, weekly lessons with Yoshinobu's mom also from Taiwan, will help him ease back into learning.
We checked out an area called Holland Village as a possible area to live. I did not have a good feel there. I wouldn't mind going in the evening for dinner but the homes I saw were expensive and not very attractive. Last week we saw the northern part and although very green with wide open spaces, it would take longer for Daddy to get to work. On Sunday an agent will take me to some other areas of Singapore that we don't know yet to check out some other places. In my mind, there are one or two places on the East Coast that I like but before I take Daddy and kids there to make a final decision, I would like to make sure it is the right area of Singapore in which to live.
We are enjoying our time here so far. The weather is really gorgeous and I am enjoying the lovely, warm breezes and am very grateful for this experience.
