From A Far Place

An attempt to convey a few of the thoughts & feelings of an expatriate teacher in sunny Singapore (and adjacent spots on occasion.)

Monday, October 20, 2008

When I was a kid, a young teenager, I used to wonder why Dad would get home from work and just zonk out in a chair. Now I know.

There's a kind of quiet heroism in just keeping going. And imagine how that translates for those who have so little to keep going for.

Brian Connor: Singapore; My vision: retirement and a life of leisure. My mission: to manage decline gracefully. My goal: to get to the end of the day in one piece. Born in Manchester, I am at present living and working, as a teacher of English, in Singapore, having done so since 1988. My wife, Noshayati – whom I call Noi, and others call Yati – is Malaysian, and we travel frequently to her homeland, where most of her family live (in Melaka.) We own a house in Kuala Lumpur. My sister and family still live back in Manchester and we try to visit occasionally. I used to work for the Ministry of Education in Singapore, but since 2007 have been employed directly by an independent school here. It pays the bills. I converted to Islam in 1997 and find myself even more interestingly placed in the world as a result. I like occupying intersections. They afford useful perspectives. I’d like to think I have a sense of curiosity which keeps me young. But the jury is still out on this. A good day is one on which just about everything seems interesting. Some days are not so good, but I'm not so naive as to believe I have any right to expect otherwise.

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