不做英国人 回来当海军蛙人

三言两语

Uprooted idyllic life in UK to serve National Service in Singapore . not all S'poreans who grow up overseas are as resistant. We speak to three who returned to serve - See more at: http://www.tnp.sg/news/singapore-news/uprooted-idyllic-life-uk-serve-national-service-singapore#sthash.9XUj976A.dpuf

A slip of paper he had received in 2010 - when he was 16 - turned Aneirin Flynn's whole life upside down.

The Singapore-born man recalls how he was uprooted from his life in England - a place he had called home since he was three years old. The letter was a call to report for a pre-enlistment medical screening here for national service.


Mr Flynn, now 22, is among the Singaporeans who returned here from overseas to serve. The issue has recently been in the spotlight after news site stuff.co.nz published an article about 19-year-old Singapore-born Brandon Smith. The teenager, who has lived in New Zealand most of his life, was reportedly ordered to turn up for his pre-enlistment medical screening and faces a jail term and a fine if he does not.


In Mr Flynn's case, he decided he would go through NS and adjust to life here. Speaking with an English accent, he says: "I was always aware that Singapore is a part of my life, and that I had to go through NS some day."


His family uprooted their lives in England, just so that they could relocate back here. His lecturer-father and artist-mother had to give up their established careers, a cosy two-storey house, a car and close friends.


Mr David Flynn, 53, a lecturer at Nanyang Technological University, says: "Our son is also a son of Singapore, so it was a given that he would have to serve. "Our family had always been adaptable so we saw the move as a new adventure."



The younger Mr Flynn confesses that the move was scary: "It was very sudden. I had so many people who cared about me there, and it was difficult to leave the place that made me who I am." But once he had made up his mind, Mr Flynn came back two years ahead of the 2013 due date.


He was 17 when he returned and did his A levels at Victoria Junior College. By the time he started his NS stint at the Naval Diving Unit (NDU), he had eased into life here. He says with a chortle: "I could speak Singlish and even picked up some Hokkien swear words."


Yet no amount of local immersion prepared him for NS. He stood out because he looked and spoke differently from others. That meant being noticed from day one, recounts Mr Flynn. "From my accent and the way I look, it was obvious I stood out a bit. Everything I did was more or less amplified," he says.


And because he stood out, Mr Flynn was chosen to be the first in-charge (IC) for his platoon - an experience he still remembers. He says: "I had no idea what the commands were in Malay and I remember staying up, frantically memorising them."


PLATOON COMMANDER Mr Flynn went on to excel and was one of five men chosen to attend Officer Cadet School. He eventually became a platoon commander in the NDU.


Going from being an outsider to giving out commands was a drastic change for Mr Flynn. "It was a steep learning curve, but I learnt a lot about mutual respect and had great fun," he says.


A year has passed since Mr Flynn finished his NS. He is now a graphic designer. He admits that he misses life back in England occasionally - especially berry-picking in the countryside, but he is also a self-professed prata-eating, complain king Singaporean.


"I am a Singaporean, and this is my home," he says with conviction. - See more at: http://www.tnp.sg/news/singapore ... thash.9XUj976A.dpuf

三言两语

三言两语

ohia2016

sohai,有說他放棄英國公民嗎？

kcchiew

我亲戚保留他孩子的pr，孩子从新山回来新加坡服兵役后，就在这里安家了。（不懂现在有没有当公民。）

三言两语

ohia2016 发表于 4-3-2016 05:35 PM
sohai,有說他放棄英國公民嗎？

畸躏贱民中文不好，英文不行，但因为是畸躏贱民，情有可原。

ohia2016

三言两语 发表于 4-3-2016 05:41 PM
畸躏贱民中文不好，英文不行，但因为是畸躏贱民，情有可原。

國際上沒人說坡仔精通這兩種語文的。

三言两语

ohia2016 发表于 4-3-2016 05:50 PM
國際上沒人說坡仔精通這兩種語文的。

反正能熟练的运用就可以了，畸躏贱民以为美国人就精通英文，中国人就精通华文哦？

ohia2016

三言两语 发表于 4-3-2016 06:26 PM
反正能熟练的运用就可以了，畸躏贱民以为美国人就精通英文，中国人就精通华文哦？

那當然樂，就好像坡仔肯定精通singlish

ohia2016

kcchiew 发表于 4-3-2016 05:39 PM
我亲戚保留他孩子的pr，孩子从新山回来新加坡服兵役后，就在这里安家了。（不懂现在有没有当公民。）

當了兵再保留馬民，那要在馬國坐牢了。

蛇仔明

"UPROOTED IDYLLIC" 这两个字有够做作。

蛇仔明

ohia2016 发表于 4-3-2016 05:50 PM
國際上沒人說坡仔精通這兩種語文的。

其实身为波仔，必须精通的语言是马来语。毕竟这才是他们的国语。

ohia2016

蛇仔明 发表于 5-3-2016 08:42 AM
其实身为波仔，必须精通的语言是马来语。毕竟这才是他们的国语。

那要改名為馬來紅了。

ohia2016

蛇仔明 发表于 5-3-2016 08:36 AM
"UPROOTED IDYLLIC" 这两个字有够做作。

British English: idyllic If you describe something as idyllic, you mean that it is extremely pleasant, simple, and peaceful without any difficulties or dangers. ADJECTIVE...an idyllic setting for a summer romance.

可以隨時上坡妹？

starry_knight84

最近有负面的逃兵新闻，需要正面的来暖和

三言两语

ohia2016 发表于 5-3-2016 07:51 AM
那當然樂，就好像坡仔肯定精通singlish

畸躏贱民精通畸躏贱民语。

fruitkiwi

应该英国也活得很幸苦吧。