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Category Archives: Assimilation
Americanized, sort of
I was listening to Elanor talk in the following video a few days ago and it struck me how thoroughly she has assimilated into the US. By comparison, this is what she sounds like now Elanor has lost every last … Continue reading
Posted in Assimilation, Back to the US, Culture Shock
Tagged Assimilation, Back to the US, culture shock, expat bostonians
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Showers
After all my years of complaining about how much I missed hot showers in the US, after all the boiling showers I took on vacation….. I find myself showering in the more tepid temperatures familiar to anyone in Singapore. Oh, … Continue reading
Posted in Assimilation, Back to the US
Tagged After the move, expat bostonians, reentry, reverse culture shock
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The end of an era
We are leaving Singapore. In less than a month. This wasn’t planned. A company head-hunted Ravi, one thing lead to another, and it ended in a job offer that he accepted. We’d hoped the girls and I would follow later–giving … Continue reading
Posted in Assimilation, Culture Shock
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Superstitions–the number 13
Something struck me when I was riding the elevator in my new building—there is a 13th floor. In the US, there is a superstition about the number 13. I actually had to google “why,” as I just knew it as … Continue reading
Posted in Assimilation, Culture Shock, Housing, Singapore
Tagged expat bostonians, housings, superstitions
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“How do you and your kids enjoy life in Singapore?”
I’ve recently been emailing with a potential expat. I had a number of Singaporean expats respond to my emails, answer questions, and generally be a great resource for our move. Some of them are now irl friends (or were and … Continue reading
Posted in Assimilation, Attractions, Before the Move, Culture Shock, Expat to Expat Advice, Helpers, Shopping, Singapore, Theater/Shows/Events, Third Culture Kids, Uniquely Singapore, With Kids
Tagged amazon global, culture shock, expat bostonians, expat life, expat moving to singapore, expat to expat advice, moving to singapore, what is like to live in singapore
7 Comments
US vs Singapore Public Schools—Grading
One of the things I struggle with as a foreign parent is understanding the grading system in Singapore. On one hand, I find the grading system incredibly forgiving. Everything over a 85 is an A? 70-85 is a B? 50-70 … Continue reading
Posted in Assimilation, Culture Shock, Education, Expat to Expat Advice, Singapore
Tagged expat bostonians, singapore schools, tck, third culture kids
14 Comments
Her mother tongue isn’t Tamil
***A quick note of explanation before I get into the post. English is the language of instruction in Singapore. However, all students must take a second language–called a Mother Tongue (henceforce I’ll refer to it as MT) language.*** I recently … Continue reading
Posted in Assimilation, Culture Shock, customs, Education, headdesk moments, Identity, Primary 1 registration, Singapore, Third Culture Kids, Uniquely Singapore, With Kids
Tagged biracial children, expat bostonians, gujarati, language learning, mandarin, mother tongue, race based assumptions, Tamil
4 Comments
Elanor’s identity
Two years ago, Elanor often identified purely as Singaporean or Indian, so we began to explain that she is American. Not in a “here is our flag, learn the pledge, sing patriotic songs, learn the composition of congress” way, but … Continue reading
P1 Registration—It’s over. Someone get me a drink.
It’s over. She got in. Alcohol. Now. Please. At the advice of my friends K and P, I waited until the final day to register Elanor. This means I’ve spent the last few days monitoring numbers and feeling nervous, but … Continue reading
Posted in Assimilation, Culture Shock, Education, Primary 1 registration, Singapore
Tagged enrolling a child in school in Singapore, p1 registration, primary 1 registration, Singapore Primary Schools, singapore public schools
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Registration Night Jitters
Singapore, what the fuck have you done to us? An update on the immunization drama on Tuesday—we have an email from the NIR saying that they have our data and that they are processing it, but it won’t be available … Continue reading
Expat Bostonians 