The Chans are a Singaporean family who recently migrated to Melbourne. We first "met" when they found this blog on the Internet. (Wow.)
Many emails later, we arranged to have dinner at Di Caprio, a family restaurant in Hoppers Crossing known for its reasonably priced pizza and pasta.
However long you've been away, it takes just one face-to-face with a "kaki lang" to ease comfortably into Singlish and talk as if you've known each other for ever.
At least, that's how it was for us.
Meeting the Chans was like meeting ourselves when we were newly arrived migrants 2 years ago. It was wonderful to talk of things we all knew and appreciated, like -
- how cheap it is to eat out in Singapore,
- how convenient it is to "tar pao" something from the coffee shop when you don't feel like cooking,
- how efficient and reliable the SMRT is next to Connex's frequent cancellations
- how much we miss Starhub and unlimited broadband now that we have to pay upwards of A$70 pm for 2 GB
- how affordable and rewarding it is to own property in Australia compared to the six figures in S$ you unwittingly shell out through your own CPF for a 99-year lease on a tiny apartment that isn't legally yours
The wonderful evening and the delightful company were crowned by a miracle: Beth and our friends' 8 y.o. daughter got on so well they were like best buddies by the end of the night.
I call this a miracle because anyone who knows Beth knows she's not the most sociable of souls. She retreats into her shell at will and has many moments when she won't even acknowledge people she knows.
Perhaps Beth felt safe because it was a one-on-one interaction. Non-threatening, non-overwhelming, something she felt able to cope with.
Perhaps it's because they both enjoy Rainbow Magic books and Barbie dolls.
Perhaps it was her new friend's pet rabbits.
I'm just glad Beth has made a new friend, and from the looks of it, our two families will be getting together a lot more in the near future.
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