1989 is the year I came to Singapore for the first time. Back at that time I didn’t know that Singapore would become so important to me.
Because of my father’s job, I moved to Singapore with my parents and my younger sister. We did not know what to expect; there was no internet as we know it yet. My sister and I were very excited and imagined on the flight how people in Singapore live. When we arrived, everything looked more normal than we had expected. We lived in the Watten Estate Condominium and went to the German School Singapore, at that time still at Bukit Tinggi Road. The European Section did not exist yet. I entered the fifth grade and immediately made friends with Nadja Schmider. Her wonderful curls impressed me a lot back then. When I think back to my childhood, I particularly like to remember that it was always warm which meant that we could play outside a lot during our breaks. I also fondly remember my good friends from my class and our class trips.
Daily school life was a little different than it is today. In addition to the changes in the way lessons were taught, there was also no school uniform, for example, except for PE classes. But of course there is also a lot that has remained the same. The monkeys paid their visits, which caused the same amount of excitement then as visits by wild animals do now.
After about 1.5 years in Singapore, we went back to Hanover. I was very sad because Singapore had become my second home.
Many years passed. I finished school, learned my profession as a remedial teacher and met my now husband. After several years in Germany and 2 years in Washington DC (where our first daughter Lou was born), life brought us back to Singapore. I was most looking forward to seeing everything that was important to me back then again, e.g. the house we used to live in and my favourite places from back then. I was also looking forward to the diverse and delicious local food. Also, to introduce my husband and daughters to life here
After my return, a lot had changed in fast-paced Singapore. Many buildings no longer existed in 2009 and there were many more skyscrapers. Sentosa has also changed completely. From what I remember, back then there was only a beach and a few paddle boats and now it is a tourist paradise!
As of now, we have been living here again for 15 years. Our second daughter Mia was born here and feels completely at home. Both of our children attend the German Section at GESS, grades 8 and 10. I have been working at the school in the Eingangsstufe for 12.5 years now and really enjoy working with the children; I am happy every day to see their beaming faces.
And, what can I say, I met Nadja Schmider (now Nadja Poignee) again in Singapore after our long time spent in Germany and the USA. She now lives in Malaysia with her husband and her 3 children on Leisure Farm. She is once again a very good friend of mine. I am happy to have you in my life, Nadja!
