My Host Country
Singapore

Essay Writing Competition 2020
Category: 8 - 11 years
- Commendation -

Commended entry: "My Host Country Singapore" by Regina Chiu from Singapore.

This article was submitted in the Kids World Travel Guide Essay Competition 2020 in the Junior Category 8-11 years.

My Host Country Singapore

As I stepped out of Changi Airport for the first time, I stared out to see the towering buildings gleaming in the bright sunshine. I saw the airport officers doing their daily routines and the bus and taxi drivers zooming off to their next destination, all in an orderly manner.

This, where I am now, is the country of Singapore. Singapore is a small, colourful city where people of different races from around the world live together. Walking around, I see groups of Malaysians, Indians and Chinese families strolling down the same walkway.

The Prime Minister, Lee Hsien Loong, has to repeat his national speech three times in English, Chinese, and Malay. Every time he finishes with one language, he drinks some water and changes to the next one. I personally think that it is hilarious!

Singapore is also special for it’s delicious food served in Hawker Centers all over the island. This is paradise for the foodies…. Must-eat delicacies include Chili Crab, Chicken Rice, Roti Prata, Fried Prawn Noodles, Kway Teow and more. I loved the Hainan chicken smothered with dark soy sauce mixed with seasoned rice. The best chicken rice meal I had was at Wee Nam Kee Chicken Rice Restaurant near my home. The chicken was so tender, and the rice was so flavourful….

Have you ever seen a building as spectacular and creative as the Marina Bay Sands Hotel? This is one of the grandest buildings in Singapore. There are also lots of more interesting buildings: Gardens by the Bay where you can climb a mountain in a dome, and Esplanade where you watch shows in a huge “durian”.

This island is small, but I don’t think it limits the creativity and thought of designing structures and buildings. This is a place with great technology, too. Here, I can take the public buses myself because I can know exactly what time the bus comes and goes by checking an app on the phone. There are also screens in many bus stops that tell you how soon each bus will arrive.

Lee Kuan Yew had said: “Be firm, be calm. We are going to have a multi-racial nation in Singapore.” With the variety of delicious food, the wonderful architecture and the spirit of creativity, this really is my desired country, and I look forward to living here for years to come.

In the Age category 8 - 11 years, Regina Chiu's essay offers a refreshing take on moving to Singapore and here she explains in several snippets why her host city is her 'desired country'.

Well done, Regina! Thank you very much for your insightful story 'My Host Country Singapore'! Congratulations!

Regina attends Saint Joseph's Institution International School in Singapore.