Pradhi, Week 15 - Relocation
May 2016. Third-grade me gets back from school, and sees my parents in the living room discussing something quite serious. Maybe some adult stuff, I think to myself. Little did I know, later that evening they would break some pretty life-changing news to me: we were moving to Singapore.
Okay, let me clarify — we were temporarily moving for a year or two since my dad's job required him to stay there to complete a project. But to nine-year-old me it seemed like the biggest deal ever. Would I really be leaving Fremont? The only place I'd ever lived in? I'd spent nine long years here and certainly did not plan on moving any time soon. I had already planned my entire life: stay here until I graduate and go to the best university ever (I was a child I didn't know how college admissions worked). But suddenly everything was changing so fast, what would happen in Singapore? How would I ever survive there?
Now, as I sit here years later writing this blog, I know that I wouldn't have had it any other way. Every single time someone asks me, "Wait, you lived in Singapore?" I smile hard because I know the exact question that's about to follow — "How was it?" And I'll sit and pause for a second because there's really no way to describe it.
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| Picture of the Singapore Botanical Gardens taken on my Dad's phone |
Maybe I could start with my first day of school? I had no idea where to go and found myself sitting with the wrong teacher, who then directed me to my class. I immediately sat down in embarrassment, and to my surprise, there was a girl right in front of me who turned to talk to me.
Or maybe I could talk about the campus? It was simply beautiful. From having an ocean-front classroom where I could just stare off into the sea if I was ever bored, to 12 floors that each looked like that of a university, it is safe to say I was simply in awe. It was nothing compared to my elementary school.
Or perhaps the friendships? Remember the girl from the first day of school? She and I quickly became the closest of friends and joined a friend group in which I've probably had the most memorable sleepovers of my life.
Or maybe it was the late nights I spent roaming around the island with my family because it was just that safe. You wouldn't even question being out past midnight.
But now all of that feels like a fever dream. Now all I do is look up at the framed pictures in my room and the yearbook that holds all the tiny pictures of my fourth-grade life. To be fair, it was 7 years ago. But I know that I'll go back one day, I know I will. One day, when I'm done with all of the stress of AP exams and high school. And I can't wait for that day.
Hi Pradhi! This blog was so well-written and interesting. I really love how you incorporated so much of your own voice into this, I could definitely feel your personality coming through a lot. I've never even been to Singapore which makes me all the more intrigued about what it might have been like to live there. The picture you painted of your school there sounds like a dream. I couldn't even imagine what it's like to go to school on the oceanfront. I would love to get out of this random city and experience a completely new place and environment like that. I really hope that you get to visit Singapore soon! Thank you for your blog!
ReplyDeleteHey Pradhi! It’s crazy that you moved to Singapore in third grade! I can’t imagine going through such a large shift when I was that young. Nevertheless, I bet it was an amazing experience and I bet you learned a lot from it! I love that you talk about your feelings from feeling unsure about the move to now loving it. Though it exists now as a distant memory, it is nice that you still value that moment and wish to go back eventually.
ReplyDeleteI love your way of telling this story from your point of view. You include ample variation throughout your blog. For example, you start the blog off with a date. This is an extremely unconventional starting point which made me incredibly interested to read further. I love that you use rhetorical questions to signify your uneasy feelings about the move originally. Furthermore, you use quotes to provide examples of people’s reactions to your experience. The parallel you use towards the end to recounting your memories in Singapore also makes the whole blog tie together. Overall, you presented your feelings extremely well though your clever writing!