b'wasnt his initial goal. there: a friend who always joked hedthe world as well, and thats alwaysseaspostingtoanyonewhosejob Iworkedoncruiseshipsinputourresumesatthetopoftheinteresting. And now I have a 15-min- offers that opportunity.fact, thats where Alison and I met.pile.He might very well have doneute walk to work, not a commute. Sure, its an adjustment, going to That job provided me with a talkingthat! Id say weve worked harder thisa foreign environment, but if you go point and a great ice breaker in futureThe family arrived on the island year, because of the newness of thewith the flow, eventually you settle in. job interviews, because people werea mere 30 kms by 25in July 2018.situation.Butnextyear,nodoubtOf course your new destinations alwaysinterestedinwhatIddoneBut initially there would be no timewell both be more efficient. key.But if you move a plant out of there. for sightseeing; they had just ten daysAnd beyond their two-year com- its pot to another location, its impor-Once I left the cruise line, I workedbefore school began to find housingmitment, the future remains unchart- tanttoplanwhereitsplaced.The as a doorman at a Toronto hotel andandestablishroutinehouseholded for Kent, Alison, and Chase. Stayingright placement will ensure a healthy lived in Little Korea in the city.Theprocesses like banking.Fortunately,on, he says, is a possibility. transplant.Sames true for people.Korean culture fascinated me, and ItheirnewemployersmoothedtheComingherehasbeenaveryAll you need to make it successfulappliedforteacherscollegehopingtransition to the foreign culture. positive experience and Singapores athe suggestions implied but unspoken for a job there teaching English. HR lined us up with a realtor andbeautiful place. Our familys thriving.is a bit of an adventuresome spirit.Butultimately,Kentsvocationhad any paperwork we needed readyHes quick to recommend an over- By Scott Mercer, Focus on Scugogwould be teaching and his destina- to go.That made a great first impres-tion would be Singapore.His tenuresion and made our job easier.in West Vancouver, he says, helpedWequicklyfoundabeautiful prepare him for that bold move. home, which came with a housekeep-The beautiful entrance to the school thatYes, those years teaching in BCer who handled all the domestic work Kent and Alison teach at and Chasewere definitely a good stepping stone.and offered us local advice. Shes been attends. Many of our students at that school Singapore(continued from page 3 wereinternational,soIlearnedto deal with a range of cultures.The idea of overseas teaching po- And for he and Alison, the timing sitions was something the couple hadwas right.considered for years. Wed both finished our Masters It was in the back of our minds,degrees in BC by then, had gained Christmas in Indonesia. Chase with some he recalls.Some of our friends hadfullconfidenceinourabilities,andof the colourful locals.taken overseas postings, and encour- Chase was at the right age where we aged us to do the same. felt hed be adaptable to change. a godsend for Chase!We signed him But leaving for Singapore wasntWith the wheels seriously in mo- up with a soccer team, and that also thefirsttimeinhislifethatKenttion,thecoupleagreedSingaporehelped his adjustment in those early hadshownawillingnesstoworkrepresented a desirable posting. days.We learned that getting around abroad.He followed that road lessWe wanted someplace lush andwasstraightforwardbecauseevery-trod prior to his teaching career as agreen like BC, and not all the loca- things in English and their transpor-younger man: rather than graduatetions could promise that.SingaporeOnly a three hour flight found Alison,tation systems advanced.then find a job, he first wanted to seealso offered that as well as a terrificChase and Kent in the Maldives, during the the world.And teaching, he admits,lifestyle. Besides, we had connectionsschools Chinese New Year in February. Kent also found personal advan-tages to his new location.I joined a touch rugby team and have had lots of time to golf.Beyond PORT PERRY WALK IN CLINIC thecoursesavailableinSingapore, PORT PERRY PHARMACY there are weekend golf packages to NOW OPEN Indonesia.Its only a 45-minute ferry Your Local Drug Store 209 Queen Street, Port Perry ride away.209 Queen Street, Port PerryOn Site Nurse AssessmentGeneral Inquiries Thatproximityprovedtohave 905-985-2231 / fax 905-985-0165 Prescription Re\x1f llsFast ef\x1f cient service benefits for the entire family as well.No Appointment Needed / No Referral Needed Singapore is the hub of Southeast Asia.Therearealotofprettyre-10% Senior / Student DiscountsEVERYDAY We work for you for better health care. markable places you can reach in just Mon-Fri: 10-4 Sat: 10-3Closed Sundays a couple of hours. And because we Save $2 on ODB co-payment enjoy travelling, that turned out to be Free medication consultationFree delivery PORT PERRY PHARMACY great for us.Custom compounding Theirworkplacetransitionwas No fee compliance packages Your Local Drug Store equally smooth.Fast and easy prescription transfer209 Queen Street, Port PerryTherearesomeCanadianson Mon-Fri: 8-5Sat: 9-4 Closed Sundays 905-985-2231 / fax 905-985-0165 staff, and its good to be able to talk about back home occasionally.Ive met staff members from other parts of 4 FOCUS - SEPTEMBER 2019'