How we got here

MIND THE GAP

This was an adventure. A soft one, with a Jacuzzi and a dishwasher. At least, it was my version of adventure.

I didn’t take a gap year after school, never backpacked, no camping trips for me. I didn’t want to stop before college, just forged on with my eyes tight shut and my fingers in my ears, keen to be a ‘grown-up’ (whatever that is), happy to leave the travels til later.

Then I married and we had a child and I started writing from home and the idea of a spell abroad hovered in the background but expat life still wasn’t for me, just long-haul two-week trips and then home again. But I had married a traveller and over the years he gently suggested – once, twice, three times – that we consider some time in the tropics. Go on, he said, it’ll be great. No I said. Go on, he said, you can take your writing anywhere. No, I said. On the third go I started Googling ‘schools in Singapore’.

This, then, was our double gap year, our gap biennial. A table for three, a double with a single in the corner. One big tent and a small one alongside. It was sponsored by a large investment bank and I make no bones for that. I ended up with a city boy living in Singapore with monkeys in the trees and Mandarin on the homework schedule.

When I first started this blog, this section was written in the present-tense, and the next paragraph said:
“This is how it is. I know I will be homesick and I’ll often wish I lived nearer to my familiars, but then one day I will be home again and the dream will have gone as fast as it arrived.”

Two years turned into five, and then we were back in the UK. That was summer 2017, and we still cherish our time on the Little Red Dot, a place that housed us so generously. If you ever get the chance to do what we did, to have that dream and live it – grab it with both hands and fly. Or take the train, which is far more globe-friendly these days.

18 thoughts on “How we got here

  1. Moux, what an adventure!
    I wish I could do it…. I wish you all the luck in the world. I came off Facebook as I was wasting so much time I realised.. But, I also lost touch with some special people!
    Lots of love,
    Rosey xxx

  2. This is such good stuff. I can hear the rain, and the monkeys. And almost taste the pork dumplings. Can’t wait to get out there with you.

  3. Darling, I’m in awe of your writing! It is a wonderful thing. All these years! It’s lovely to have an insight into your life out there and so beautifully put. Can’t wait til next installment. xxx

  4. So lovely to get such positive feedback, many thanks lovely girl – have not a clue what I’m doing, really, as usual! 🙂 xxx

  5. Just discovered this… If you hadn’t mentioned it in a FB post I’d have been none the wiser.
    I read from start to finish… Or rather from finish to start in a freaky time travelly sort of way which strangely enough seemed almost to be the right order of discovering your discoveries.
    I love it… I’m looking forward to more

  6. Dear lovely cousin, what a great comment. Please save up and come out here immediately and see it for yourself. Miss you all, love to the tribe. xxx

  7. Moo. Looking forward to hearing more…. Happy forthcoming
    Christmas, I hear Pa and T. coming out, is that right? Love to all. x x x x x x

  8. RosieB!
    T coming out for Christmas, hopefully again at Easter with Pa. The more the merrier. Hope you are well and enjoy the festive season xxx

  9. Hi,

    Don’t know if you’ll remember but we have been in touch before. You gave me hope that writing could pay! Della kindly passed my details on to you. She mentioned your blog the other day and I couldn’t resist having a peek!

    Wow what an adventure….Your post about Mother’s Day brought tears to my eyes…

    I’ve also started a blog and I’m feeling my way round WordPress slowly but surely. Have you thought about getting a plug in for readers to subscribe? Anyway, wishing you and yours well and keep blogging – it’s a wonderful escape from unseasonably cold, grey London!

  10. Rachel! Good to hear you! Thanks so much for the comment and the kind words. Will take a peek at your blog and drop you a line. Might very well be seeking some WordPress advice as well, I am a total eejit at using it. Shall we have a cup of tea one day back in London, perhaps with Della?

  11. Hi there,

    We are looking at targeting expat moms with kids in Singapore and came across your blog. We hope you will consider taking up the offer we are proposing. So please sit back and take a read at our offering .

    We are a two teacher group teaching at expat international schools in Singapore offering additional Maths course/classes to expat kids aged 11-18 years. (IGCSE & HSC/ IB) We go by the name of The Expat Maths Club.

    The syllabus we teach are mainly IGCSE & HSC/ IB and we hold our day classes (8:30 am – 4:30 am) in groups of 5 per class, only because we believe this promotes and gives enough quality interaction between a student and the teacher for a one on one engagement.

    The advantage of being in a group of 5 students is that it cultivates grouped learning and earned social engagement skills between students as they learn and approach these Maths sums through fun Maths activities they do together as a team.

    We hold all our classes within Central Mall with spacious classrooms with glass windows that look out to the Singapore River. Hence the central location would be a plus point to expat moms for dropping up and picking up their kids after these sessions.

    You can find out more about us on our website at : http://www.expatmathsclub.com
    If you do know of any expat mom in Singapore that would be interested to sign their kids up for these sessions, do get them to sign up on our website at http://expatmathsclub.com/portfolio/maxime-placeat/ , and quote that you had referred them to us, and they would get $50 off the upcoming September and October classes.

    Out of goodwill, for your help in referring us via word-of-mouth, we will also extend $50 in cash to you for every sign up you manage to get for us. How we will pay you is to either write a cheque and send off to you or we could do an immediate ibanking transfer to your bank account.

    Please consider and help us spread the word.
    http://www.expatmathsclub.com

    Cheers,
    Jonathan O’Shea and Robert Walcott
    The Expat Maths Club

  12. Sounds good. Our son is 8 years old so a bit below the radar for this. Will certainly pass on if the need arises.
    All the best!

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