From Japan to Singapore | Here To Stay - video Dailymotion

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'I want my girl to grow up with respect for this country', Hiroko reflects on the positives that Singapore offers her as a parent to a young kid, the love she holds for the community, and the values she hope her daughter will come to learn as she grows up in Singapore.   Watch more: https://www.asiaone.com/video

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00:00So I always prepare the white envelope I brought to the wedding for the Chinese New Year

00:06because after a few years someone told me it's for the funeral I said oh my goodness nobody told me that

00:15I didn't know what to do

00:29Hi I'm Hiroko, 45 years old, I'm from Japan. I've been in here Singapore already nine years

00:38I went to US for one year but the rest of all my life staying in Japan

00:42So the place I grew up in is Goma. Actually Goma is a quite big prefecture

00:51In the first place we have a lot of rice field and all my neighbors making the rice

00:58On the mountain side in winter time we go up there and we can enjoy ski and also onsen, hot springs

01:05It's really a beautiful countryside. I miss Japan, four seasons and also my family and friends

01:14In the spring we go outside to see the cherry blossom, summer times we go to the river side

01:20mountain side and the ocean side to enjoy the barbecue. Autumn we go to the mountain that we

01:26see the colorful beautiful orange yellow mountains and we pick up the chestnuts and winter we always

01:34go to the ski and ice skating and you know we have a lot of seasonal events so we always memory

01:41with the background and seasons. For example if I see friend after a while we will say like

01:50in the last time at that time I remember you were wearing the down jacket and the outside was a

01:56little bit snowing right look at this it's summer time we are wearing t-shirts it's been like six

02:01months this kind of memory style. I started my career as a jewelry buyer I changed my career to

02:09the fashion industry then I met my husband and we got married and he got a transfer from

02:18Japanese Japan office to Singapore office nine years ago that's why I moved with him

02:24The first big shock was the weather, the heat it was really tough for me after two weeks

02:35I arrived here I got emergency because I got dehydrated doctor told me you have

02:41to drink water so I learned I have to drink more. What I like here is people

02:51people are really sweet to me whole nine years I didn't meet much mean people I love people here

03:03yeah when I was driving on the street I was thinking something I hit the car driving

03:11driving next to me and it was 100% my fault the mirror was broken and the uncle came out

03:18and he was so upset and screaming at me and so I said uncle I'm so sorry and uncle changed his

03:30attitude and he said you know what uncle is not so bad guy yeah so maybe we will exchange the

03:37phone number today but if I can fix by myself I won't call you so don't worry and he never called

03:45me again yeah this is my daughter and six years old and from last September she goes to the

03:57primary school I think the Singaporean Singapore people are really sweet to the kids for example

04:04when she was really baby I was having lunch alone like this and waiters came and say hey mommy I

04:12will take care of you so you take enjoy your lunch he took my baby to the kitchen and he

04:18show how to cook and actually it's a never ever thousand percent never happened in Japan

04:29I want to raise my girl in Singapore until she will be a teenager at minimum at least because

04:38it's safe and we can provide the high level education she goes to the international school

04:47but also well after she come back home she can hang out with her local friends in here on the

04:54street you know some Chinese girl Indian girl Marigold they're talking to each other so friendly

05:00nicely I think it's this is the melting pot this is a diversity I thought so I pretty much

05:08appreciate it about for the Singapore society to let us live and also the I appreciate all my

05:16neighbors friends and raising kids together we always cooperate but we love them I hope we will

05:24stay as much as possible here do you like Singapore yes I like Singapore

05:35when I'm in Singapore I feel I'm I'm Japanese I never thought this kind of things in Japan

05:44because I'm of course I'm Japanese when I'm in Japan but when I when I was in Japan I always

05:50feel I am Hiroko but in here before I'm Hiroko I feel more like I'm Japanese I want to be a

05:58better citizen in here as a Japanese in here I try to be very nice if I when I drive I always

06:06let bus go in in front of me I always stop and let bus go I want my girl to grown up

06:17with respect to this country with respect to the many varieties of culture in here

06:28and anyway she grow up in safe and that's that's fine for me actually

06:35she's healthy and happy I'm happy I'm not a tiger mummy at all I don't care about education much

06:42because if she wants to study she will study in the end so I'm really relaxed mummy she can

06:49speak English Japanese perfect that's all you know and she's healthy and happy perfect

06:58if I can send a message to nine years ago me I say don't worry you will have a fantastic

07:09nine years and you can get a lot of friends and so don't worry just have fun drink water

07:19actually she was born in Singapore when we arrived in Singapore 2015 she wasn't exist

07:28so I want to say thank you for coming

07:33thank you for being our family

08:04I hope you become a person who can be loved by others

08:08that's enough for me I don't want anything more than that

08:15I love you more than I love my mum

From Japan to Singapore | Here To Stay

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