A dash of yellow fluttered into the air, and a sprinkle of orange followed. Wisps of green rapidly joined the
The PSG treated the international scholars to a delicious Lo-Hei lunch on 6 Feb 2009 at the school hall. The Lo-Hei is a Chinese New Year celebratory salad, which consists of radish, carrots, crackers and many other savoury and sweet ingredients.
“Lo Hei is an interesting Chinese food that I’ve never tried before. It was also interesting to try fruits like mangosteen and longan. Some of the ASEAN scholars also taught me how to use chopsticks to eat. This was a unique experience, and it helped to bond people of many different nationalities together,” said TMS Indian scholar, Sritam Patnaik.Besides the Lo-Hei, there were also many other varieties of food for the scholars. “The parents have put in much effort to prepare this lunch for us. The beautiful food presentation and wonderful taste of the food show the PSG’s care for us,” commented TMS Chinese scholar, Zheng Yichao.
The international scholars wrote a ‘thank you’ card using Chinese calligraphy. The calligraphy read, “We thank the parents for their generous care and love for us. We wish them a Happy New Year and success in all their endeavours.” The expression of gratitude touched the parents.“Yes, it was a good lunch for the scholars as well as for the parents who were there and I think everybody enjoyed it. The students were most appreciative of the PSG’s gesture and thanked us wholeheartedly,” remarked PSG member, Mdm Alia Gan Peng Peng.
Some scholars also gave individual ‘thank you cards’ to some PSG members. This was because they had invited the international scholars for Chinese New Year celebrations at their homes. To help the international scholars relieve their homesickness, some PSG members kindly extended invitations to the scholars to join them for a Chinese New Year meal, or for home visits during Chinese New Year.
In particular, PSG member Mrs Vicky Thio-Thia invited all the international scholars on the second day of Chinese New Year (27 February 2009) to her home for a sumptuous lunch. To share their joy, some international scholars displayed their talents with the guitar or piano, adding cheerful music to the occasion.
“It was very kind of her to invite our big group to her home. She made nice food for us, and I’ve also made new friends. It was a wonderful event as she made us feel warmly welcomed as part of the TMS family,” said TMS Indonesian scholar, Gary Evano Daniel happily.
“Mrs Thia’s family prepared plenty of food and snacks for us, including a Lo Hei. We felt much welcomed. It was also a unique experience, as we could visit a Singaporean home and spend time with a local family during Chinese New Year,” added TMS Chinese scholar Chen Ge, with much heartfelt appreciation.
Mrs Ong Hong Peng, Principal of TMS, thanked the PSG members for all their effort. “I am most appreciative of the PSG’s support in giving the scholars a memorable Chinese New Year celebration (hosting them for home visits, as well as giving them a sumptuous lunch in school). I told the international scholars that it's amazing how the Temasek parents are able to extend the kind of love they have for their children towards them as well. This cohort is eager to learn and very teachable. For that, we are grateful to the support and care that the school community has been providing to them,” she continued, “the love they felt will be remembered for a long time and I am sure that Singapore will be a place where they will consider as their second home.”
Indeed, with the help of the PSG, we have welcomed the international scholars to the Temasek family with the colours of spring.
Contributed by Mr Leonard Lu Choun Hian (Teacher of Temasek Secondary School)
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