A Parent's Dream, A Child is to Live...

A parent's dream, a child is to live.
I am not arguing for or against this idea. I am merely trying to write about what I see.

A mother and a son were here in Singapore in early October. The mother used about a month to find her son a study centre to study English and at the same time, get him to get used to here. The one-month "orientation" includes basic culinary skills and house-hold chores maintenance. The intention is to put him in main-stream secondary school once her boy's standard of English is of acceptable competence. The mother has left since early November, leaving this boy to live with his mother's friend, which is an elderly man staying alone by himself at first.

This boy is only about 15 years old and this is the first time he has left his parents for so long and for so far. How is he feeling? Lonely? Apparently he is coping well. I asked him, "Why come all the way here to study?" He replied as-a-matter-of-factly, "My parents want me to brush up my English here. In my own country, there's no environment to practice.¹" Erm... the fact remains that I never see him practicing the language here.

Her mother will only be coming back to Singapore again in mid December and I understand that this boy's younger brother may join him in studying in Singapore too. The good thing will be this boy will be less lonely as he has a younger brother to accompany him. The seemingly not-too-pleasant thing may be two young kids will be left in a foreign country, far away from their parents. I think the mother is also making plan to come and work here too, in the near future to come.

I wonder...
Is the standard of English in Singapore so attractive?
Do we really have a better environment for the learning of English?
Perhaps, yes.
But are these "yes-es" strong enough for parents overseas to make decision as such?

To the child, he finds not much difference whether to study in his own country or studying here, he told me. But of course, he misses his brothers and parents and relatives. Since, it is his parents' decision that he should brush up his standard of English here, he thinks this must be the best plan for him.

Not really known to (or understood by) the child, his parents have bigger plans. The parents want their kids to study and to go through NS here. After which, his Singapore passport can be of good use for migration or applying for PR purpose for his entire family in another foreign land. Erm..

I am not doubting or questioning the child's parents' decision. I have nothing against their bigger plans. I understand why they wish to migrate or at least try to apply for PR status elsewhere. That kind of reasons are beyond many to comprehend² and I shall not elaborate here.

My heart is more with the child (and later his younger brother too). I am pretty amazed how he has accepted his parents' decision so easily. A parent's dream, a child is to live? Haha..
Since this event has come to my notice, I can only try (on my part) to make the stay of the child here a more meaningful and a more not-so-lonely one.

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¹ Of course these are not his exact words. I have done the translation to English.
² No offence please. Take it as my limitation in expressing.