It was very fitting that I noticed a beautiful picture book entitled Singapore Children's Favourite Stories on Ashley's book shelf. Our bedtime story on our last evening here was called How The Island of Singapore Came About. It begins with an adventurous mermaid named Sea Plum whose curiousity leads her to defy the dictatorship rule of a cruel king named Hai Loong Wang by swimming outside the borders of the Mer Kingdom. She even convinces her timid sister Sea Pearl to join her. They discover a beautiful hair comb, studded with glittering gems. The sails of ships and strange two-legged creatures beckoned them closer. But as they frolicked in this splendid new world, the evil king emerges from the depths and with his golden staff issues the punishment. From this moment on you will be turned into mud-skippers. For ten thousand years you and your people will only be able to crawl on your bellies, and slither helplessly in and out of the water's edge.
He cursed not only the mermaid but also all the other mer people of the kingdom. The underwater volcanic cone of Shilepo rose from the ocean floor exposing its top half to be an island in the tropics. We know this island as Singapore today. The moral of the tale reads...
"However, all was not lost. The mud-skippers eventually learnt to live in their new home and soon Shilepo became a thriving island. Fisher-people moved there. Traders. Merchants. People came from all over to settle on this beautiful island, but no-one suspected the true story of how it had come about. So, next time you see a mud-skipper, be kind to it. Remind yourself that you might be looking at Sea Pearl or Sea Plum, the adventurous mermaids, who along with their families and friends are still waiting to return to their own beautiful kingdom beneath the waves."
As we write the beginnings of our story overseas, I feel that we too are morphing into a new species. Spending time as a family and experiencing travel as a team is very rewarding. Even in this first week, we are getting more familiar with the rhythms of our day. Together, we make decisions and discoveries. We even noticed that the blanket of heat which drained us on day one is no longer so heavy. Like Sea Plum, we wake up to each day with anticipation of adventure. It feels good to shed the old skin. I look forward to seeing what our new disguises reveal. I have a feeling that Bella's will have a definite tint of pink with sparkling gems. Well, at least, she'll be easy to spot.
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