My Singapore Story

My brothers and I first came to Singapore in the year 1996 to visit my parents who had found work here. While my parents were away, we stayed with our grandparents, in a little corner of the Philippines called Calamba, Laguna, which is near Manila, I think. I remember being really excited back then because it was my first time getting on a plane, and my first time travelling out of the country. When we touched down, I was struck by how clean everything was, and also how different the people were - Chinese people, Malay people, Indian people, and the works.

During my first visit, we stayed at a flat my parents were renting at Bukit Batok. We went to Sentosa, the Jurong Birdpark and of course, the Zoo. It was just a vacation, and I had little idea that I would be moving over here permanently. 

My brother and I, on our first visit to Singapore. I'm on the left.

After that faithful vacation, my brother and I (my youngest brother wasn't born then), went back to the Philippines. We spent another year studying over there, and then my parents broke the news that we would be joining them in Singapore. The 7-year-old me was devastated - I would be leaving behind my friends, my schoolmates, and most importantly, my grandparents, who had been taking care of me all the while. In the airport, I cried a whole lot. I was 7 though; when you're at that age, you just do what your parents tell you to do.

So we shifted over to Singapore. We stayed at Potong Pasir for awhile - me, my two brothers and my parents. It was good to have the family together (even for a little while), but I really really missed the Philippines. It was only a few months later that we started school, my younger brother and I. We went to Stamford Primary School, which is located at Bugis, and I joined when in Primary 2, and my brother, Primary 1. At this time, we moved to Beach Road, which was closer to the school.

From what I know, we were the first Filipinos to join the school. I think my parents tried a few schools before they finally found one which were willing to take us in. Thinking back, we were really blessed. It was already halfway through the school year when we joined, and with the school system here and the Philippines being so different, we had plenty of catching up to do.

I think I made friends quite easily. Maybe it's easier when you're a kid, but I got along with my classmates surprisingly well. Occasionally, people would poke fun at my accent. I pronounced the 'r's differently you see - fouR, chuRch, and all that. It got to me, a little bit, and I made a conscious effort to adapt the way I speak. The rest of Primary School passed by with little problems - I made friends, I fit in, and I did well in terms of grades (with the exception of my mother tongue). 

And the rest is...history. I grew up just like any other Singaporean kid from that point on. After Stamford Primary, I went to Queenstown Secondary, where I met even more wonderful people. My nationality was hardy ever an issue. Sure, people would call me 'pinoy', but that was that. I did typically Singaporean things, like chatting on MSN, and playing soccer, and playing arcade after class. I even had like...a stead of sorts, but that's another story.

One thing that was atypical, I guess, would be that I had more independence than most Singaporean kids. My parents let me go wherever, as long as I reached home by a certain time. This meant that even in my teens, I was venturing out on my own to visit bookstores, and look for comics, and things like that. As a result, to this date, I have an excellent grasp of the Singapore public transport system.

My parents finally applied for the Permanent Resident Status, and I took it in my stride. I'd have to do NS, but so do my classmates, and if they can do it, then so can I. Queenstown Secondary was preceded by two amazing years at ACJC, and then it was followed by two years in National Service, where I served as a Chemical Defense medic. In that space of time, I moved around a couple of times, from Beach Road, to Geylang, and finally, to Tanah Merah, where my father bought a flat.

National Service has this thing against PRs and....you know how it is. I understand where they're coming from I guess, but I'm still kind of bummed. Anyway, NS was followed by studies at SMU, which is where I'm at, at this point in life. It's given me an excellent education thus far, and it promises even better things in the future.

Oh. Sometime after National Service, I finally received my Singapore Citizenship. Having served NS, it was a given that I would get it, as long as I registered for it. Becoming a Singapore Citizen meant that I would have to relinquish my Filipino Citizenship. I thought about it for a little while, and looking back at my life, I'm more Singaporean than anything else. I registered for it, and around April this year, I officially became a Singaporean.

Today is the first National Day I spent as a full-fledged Singaporean. I should have made plans to watch the show or do something memorable, on hindsight, but I didn't have the time to come up with anything. So here I am, being all retrospective and nostalgic and shit. 

Today, I ask myself...what does Singapore mean to me? Singapore's this amazing place where I spent my formative years. It's where I learned, where I grew up, where I loved, where I made glorious memories, where I lost weight, where I found life-long friends, and where I found the person that I am today. It's the place which have the person that I am today, possible. No matter where I go in the future, Singapore would have played a huge part, and for that I am thankful - thankful for the opportunities and thankful for the people. 

My mother tells me about how she had to force my dad to send us here. Apparently, my dad was quite content with us being in the Philippines. My mum nagged at him until he changed his mind. Thanks mum. 

Maybe it's too presumptuous to say that my life would have been worse had I stayed there, but at the end of the day, I like who I am now, and Singapore is part of who I am, and for having blessed us with this wonderful life, let's celebrate this fucking amazing nation, and let's make it even better that what it is today. Majulah Singapura.

Spoiler: It's supposed to be the Merlion.