After 2 years and 23 days – not that I was counting – my family and I moved back to Singapore from San Francisco. In that time I don’t think I met anyone who didn’t love San Francisco when they visited or had spent some time working there
Author: Oonagh Grace
I was born and educated in Dublin, Ireland and following graduation from Trinity with a degree in History, left to see the world. Having spent as much time abroad as I spent in Ireland, I now qualify as a seasoned expat, having lived and worked in four different countries in two continents and visited many more. I have collected buddha artifacts, movie posters, one husband and two beautiful little daughters. My elder girl, born in Singapore, sums up the expat conundrum, saying “I’m half Irish, half English (husband), half Chinese and half Singaporean.” I now live South of Market in San Francisco near the Giants ballpark and write about my experiences living abroad.
We’re not happy… unless you’re not happy
I find the best way to approach air travel with or without kids these days especially on any American airlines – United Airlines in particular – is to quietly and eventually get on the plane and say absolutely nothing to anyone unless explicitly spoken to.
Singapore Once More, Lah!
I am planning a trip back to Singapore – my adopted city state and it started me contemplating what I miss about the Lion City. For sure, there are things I am not so keen on revisiting along with plenty that I am.
To tan or not to tan.
Dublin weather in December may not immediately make you think of tanning, but a stroll along Grafton Street might make you think twice. You’ll see some very tanned people, even in the middle of a cold wet spell. I noticed this on a recent visit and it made me think about the Irish interest in being bronzed….
What being Irish means to me
I was back in Dublin with my family (British husband and two children) in March of this year. My husband tried to hide his Britishness as best as he could. Sensibly so, given it was during the Easter Rising celebrations.
Trump Time? Or is that Pinocchio?
I can’t help myself. It’s too bizarre and impossible to ignore as a new arrival to the US. I am firsthand witness to a series of unfortunate events, and I know it’s something that will be talked about for years to come.
Online Shopping – Clicks and Mortar
“Oh s**t! I didn’t buy a present for [child’s name redacted to protect the innocent]’s birthday party this afternoon.” 10.21am in our SoMa apartment, sometime in the recent past.
Is there a doctor in the house?
When I left Singapore I mourned the loss of my doctor. I mean, she is alive and well but I don’t get to see her anymore, so maybe it’s the relationship I am mourning. It had taken me a while to find her and I felt a replacement was going to be hard to secure.
You mean I need to look after my kids all the time?
I had both my daughters in Singapore, a country that has been called “Disneyland with the death penalty,” among other things. It’s the “Disneyland” bit I want to focus on. Originally meant as a pejorative reference to a country that can seem like a bubble, to me the term implies a place that is self contained, unique and most importantly, safe and fun for kids.
Drink: how to get it, how to drink it and how much to drink
Alcohol consumption is taken very seriously in the US. More seriously it seems than drug taking (if the pungent aroma of weed on many streets in San Francisco is to be taken as evidence) and this is a very strange concept for an Irish person to grasp. I knew before coming here that there was…
How Old Am I?
Time for a quick quiz. Based on the following how old do you think I am:
You say Potato, I say Po-tah-to
It’s the little differences that make living here strange. Sometimes it’s only the words we use to describe common occurrences that creates the difference.
Foreign Faraway 