A friend who became best selling author

To read a work of fiction in familiar surroundings is not one usually gets a chance to do in life.


Here I have an opportunity to read a chapter of my life and how I grew up through an author who happens to be my best friend those years…A rarity in all ways …The book is a masterpiece of the surroundings I grew up .. I am thinking of giving this book to my girls when life’s decisions are thrust upon them …and say this is how it was and we still made it and you will it after all “Life is What you make it”



A very compelling title and a story that keeps you in touch with realities of conservative families in the late 80’s. The book also illustrates of how innocent our ambitions are how important they are at certain stages of life. It shows how one gets drawn into relationships that end in consequences beyond one’s control. The book captures circumstance in a real life yet things or actions least expected makes an impact .Finally everyone makes life the way they want it. It is only a matter of when!



The book is well written and keeps you engaged till end. It is set in a world where we had no modern gadgets and yet we nurtured long distance relationships and wrote letters.The world is so different yet ultimately “ Life is what you make it”

A life Story by a TCK - an 11 year old!

This was a classroom assignment given to my 11 year old daughter.
I consider her a live example of "TCK" Third Culture Kid.
I have abbreviated some names to Initials for obvious reasons.
Some of it does have her imagination but mostly it is her view / memory of her life in the last decade in 4 diffferent countries and six schools!

----hope you enjoy this!----I was very proud of her writing and impressed by her clarity in thinking!-


My Life Story




I was born in 1999, at 12:19pm on the night of December 11th in Saffron Hospital located on the suburbs of Cochin, India. During the operation I felt helpless; there was nothing I or anybody else could do to block the screams of terror from my ear. In the end I was placed on a red stool (in my eyes a red carpet) with many watching over me. I was now brought into the world, inquisitive about what I would come to be, when I realized it was real to be me.



Four days later I was to have a ceremony where a priest dipped me in water. This procession was the first of seven sacraments that I needed to complete in order to become a holy Christian. This act is called baptism, which is a gathering of many close relatives and friends when the baby (I) is vigilantly laid in the water symbolizing a new start because our many sins can be cleansed so that I can carry out a sacred life.



After three months our family of three travelled to Bangalore, a known city of extremes because of its poverty and wealth. I stayed in a three bedroom apartment in a cradle. I rarely took naps during the day but stayed alert in my den and was very persnickety with my food. A few days after I turned two I woke up to find a tooth wobbling. I first thought it was a scrap of something I ate recently but when I found it in the same state a day later I told my mom and she inspected the milk tooth and smiled reassuringly and took me to the sink and gently wobbled the tooth and carefully plucked the tooth without causing any pain. I then saw what was below my eyes; a tooth followed by blood pouring as I rinsed my mouth continuingly. As a reward for my patience I received a small orange sweet tablet which I sucked. As for my tooth, it was kept in a drawer until I was old enough to inherit it.



Our family of three was officially changed in to four members on August 27th 2002 ever since we moved back to Cochin to deliver the new born baby. My first sight of R was in the hospital where she sat snoring! I had a feeling we would be very diverse personality wise. When she awoke another 5 hours later she gave me an affectionate gaze as my parents picked her up and made their way back over to the seven seated car.



When I was four we all took a vacation to a luxurious 7 star hotel in Goa, recognized for its beaches. It was a thrill for me and my sister to be offered this treat and I still have many memories of frolicking near the shore, joining in with the seagulls. That was one of many things I will always keep close to my heart to remind me of my childhood in the 21st century.



I moved a third time in 2005 to Singapore which was prim and proper and well – maintained. The only disadvantage is that gum of any flavour is banned from schools, houses, parks and pavement premises but it doesn’t affect me in any way because I keep away from gum at all times because it could harm you if you accidentally swallow it. Here I attended a school called Global Indian School. I made many new friends and gained many new skills such as reading and learning our times tables. One unique compulsory thing I never came across anywhere else was Bharathnatiam which is an Indian cultural dance with many delicate hand movements. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I felt that the others were appalling at the dance for they never chose to remember the steps and this is why I was put in the middle in the front row so that everyone could have a view of me and if necessary copy the expert, me. We had an end of term show with an after party serving samousas, rice, fish, gravy and caramel pudding to wrap the evening up.



During the summer I took an expensive two-day cruise overseas Singapore. This excursion was lavishing, they had a deluxe buffet and a show to be present at on the deck every night. I remember there were a few talk shows with celebrities and their peeps. Unfortunately I was only 4 and three quarters to store this memory with exact details but I’m very grateful I had the chance to take a cruise.



When I got back to my flat in Singapore; I took my very first steps into water at the age of 6 only. There was a local swimming instructor who gave me private lessons regularly at 12:00 noon. The pool was in the open air but I didn’t need to worry about the warmth of the pool because the surrounding already proved I wouldn’t be chilly while going for a swim. For some reason I was reluctant to learn front roll but was willing to put effort into the three other strokes.



After a short stay (2 years) in Singapore once more to Taiwan which was the People’s republic of China, but was an independent country that spoke Chinese! What were we to do in a foreign region? Luckily an employee of the bank SC, where my father worked negotiated for us in her fluent tone. We were on a scavenger hunt for a new apartment when my father contacted us with good news. He was very impressed by one apartment but he couldn’t tell us the name because it was engraved in Chinese characters. It had a gym, badminton and tennis courts, a play area, a swimming pool, a cycling track and a shop selling many goods and merchandise like jade, a very expensive stone.



Now all that was left was our education in. The offices recommended two schools: Taipei American School and Taipei European School. My parents decided that we should be in separate schools so I went to TAS and my sister went to the latter. They were each highly rated in the society, Taipei, the capital of Taiwan. I started in Grade 2(Year 3) midterm till Grade 4(Year 5.) I settled in very adequately with a new friend called E. She was my buddy for the first day and soon my best friend along with S and J. In TAS Chinese was learnt by everyone and I found that a challenge but my parents were pleased and hoped I would immediately learn the language. For extra curricular activities I take part in jazz dancing, chanterelles singing and individual voice training. I find Taiwan one of the most beneficial countries I’ve visited because of its wide range of skills that I could acquire such as eating with chopsticks and attaining a persistent American accent.



I move yet again to United Kingdom in 2009 and for a change shifted into a new house instead of an apartment or condo. Here I lived in a house in Croydon situated in greater London. Thank goodness they articulate in English or else… I first was given admission to a school called Oval Primary School but soon transferred to Park Hill Junior School but had to repeat Year 4 and Year 5 because in UK the cut off date was different; August 31st but it was worth it because I made many friends along the way.



Now I am currently in Year 6 looking forward to many things such as the end of term play. I wish myself good luck in the future.

Visiting Rome

Its been just over 10 months since I travelled out of the country and it really seemed for ever....I had almost forgotten what to take while travelling as a family...We pinned down on Rome ( one must see cities!) as we were going during term time and couldn't afford to take the girls out longer.

So we decided we leave on an early Sunday morning flight so that we can do some sightseeing even on Sunday.All through I will mention things "What did I learn?"I thinks that's what will help any one visiting Rome next time.

the taxi drive from the airport to the apartment took us an hour and we were ready to begin exploring Rome by 1 PM.

We started with The Colosseum, followed by a tour guide who took us to Arch of Constantine,Arch of Titus and Palatine Hill.It will take you a good 3 hrs if you really like to immerse yourself what happened 2000 years ago....Amazing perspective on Roman History!

We walked back to the apartment only 10 minutes away after having dinner.and ice creams...being

We began the next day with visiting St Peters Basilica.....it truly shows the role of Christianity.....The opulence of the building's interior bears true testimony to the enormous wealth of the Catholic Church!

The Vatican Museum was a true eye opener ....The Sistine Chapel ....The museum seemed endless....

Post which we ended up shopping around Piazza di Spagna......the streets were lined up with all renowned brands and windows display on shops were outstanding...

Day 3 we decided to venture out on an open bus tour ....so that we don't miss any significant landmark of Rome. We visited the Pantheon ,Piazza Navona.....and finally after lunch decided to go shopping!We were lucky to get a 48 hrs pass as a special offer with kids free!


Our first mishap so shall I say unfortunate incident occurred....our camera fell down though we could continue to click pictures and the zoom functionality had stopped functioning!We were grateful it retained all pictures taken and it still worked.! But that was not the most disturbing experience I personally had.....I was nearly pickpocketed!  ( will write that on a separate post don't want you to be put off!)

We then took a bus to Porta di Roma shopping center .It is the largest shopping center in Italy and one of the most modern in Europe, with a total GLA of 97,000 m².We accidentally discovered it while trying to go to the fashion district which we didnt go as it was very far! Porta di Roma offers a good variety of fashion and daily needs which makes the shopping center attractive for leisure shopping and functional shopping. Needless to say we didn't visit all shops but loved the shopping there...We returned late as it a good one hour ride by bus from the main Terminal.....close to where we stayed.....

The next morning we were back on our Open Bus to have a final look at city of Rome.We stopped at Capitoline Museums and Piazza di Spagna.....We didn't have much time as we were warned of some political demonstration may delay traffic.....
We took the Airport express back to the airport to experience the Italian railway service.There was a lot of nice shops in the airport although we hardly had time to look around!

All of us were happy to be back in our own beds at home after the "Roman Holiday"!



Photos ...click on the link!





What did I learn?

1.We figured out for a 3 to 5 days trip from Gatwick its always better for us to drive and park at the airport!It is cheaper than booking the cheapest taxi to and fro .Also when you are in your own car you kind of feel your journey starts only when you reach the airport.

2. Although I have used several budget flights this is the first time I had experience of first come first serve seating although printing your baording pass and checking in does speed up the process at the airport as you can directly use the baggage drop only lane.So as soon as you drop the bags, it is better to queue up at the gate if you have any specific preference for the seat!

3. The cheapest and fastest way to get around was to buy a 3 day BIG Ticket ....travel is free fo children on with a 11 Euro ticket you can go around as much as you want!It will amaze you they have only two lines A or B with only one Terminal!

4. Rome was a great place to shop for curios and clothes!
and

5. Finally .....how close I was to be pickpocketed!........so be  VIGILANT all times!

Eleven Plus Exams

Well most of my summer has gone tutoring my daughter for these dreadful exams.

I found this video useful to explain the concept to one of my students.

Hope you find it useful!

Families in Transition

1. A moved from Taipei to Singapore
2. A moved from Mumbai to New York
3. A moved from Dubai to Singapore
4. A moved from Oman to Kochi
5. A moved from Taipei to Kualalumpur
6. A moved from Taipei to London
7. C moved from Taipei to Beijing
8. C moved from Nagoya to Chengdu
9. D moved from London to Kochi
10. D moved from Taipei to London
11. D moved from Dubai to Hongkong
12. G moved from Taipei to Portland
13. M moved from Taipei to North Carolina
14. M moved from London to Mumbai
15. N moved from Taipei to Bangkok
16. N moved from Mumbai to Singapore
17. P moved from Taipei to Dhaka
18. S moved from Mumbai to Wellington
19. S moved from Seoul to Beijing
20. S moved from Singapore to Sydney
21. S moved from Riyadh to Singapore
22. S moved from Jakarta to Hongkong
23. S moved from Taipei to Washington

I just listed most of the families that moved this summer who was personally known to us. Its amazing how Families transition each move. If you think they sound exciting , every move is equally painful in terms of logistics and all these are families who move their homes to new countries some of them which they may have never been to or heard of. Some movements are even across continents and a typical transition will take between 3 to 6 months from getting household effects shipped to the children finding their new friends in the next environment.

While most of the moves as is obvious are world class cities there are some like a move to Chengdu can be very daunting. It’s a city where you are likely to have not heard of or wondering what kind of schools and homes you would find and another 5 dozens questions that would follow with a typical move.

In this world of networking I feel very privileged sometimes how you can help out…so when my friend was moving to chengdu and it was announced on FB my first reaction was “Oh my God “ that’s a difficult move with two preteen girls to a city where English Language would be a rarity.I quickly responed that I knew two families who had moved there previously in 2007 and 2008 without any idea whether they still live there. Much to my surprise I immediately got am email saying she would be grateful if I can put her in touch with them.

So I did what I am at best dug out emails dating back over 5 years and hoped they still worked. I wrote to one of them and almost got an immediate response and also confirmed they lived there …..wow! It’s a great feeling if you help some one when you live so far away.