ACS Oldham Hall has a Befriender Programme to
help new international student boarders to
settle down faster with the help of a local
Singapore Befriender. In existence since 2004,
the programme also aims to let the boarders
experience the hospitality and the care of our
Christian community.
We spoke to some of the
Befrienders and their wards about their thoughts
and experiences of the programme and below are
what they shared with us.
“My husband and I are Befrienders
to Hoang Anh and Kieu Anh from
Vietnam. Getting to know them and
spending time with them is such a
great joy. We often communicate
through emails and text messages,
and are always there whenever they
need our help. They are very much
part of our family!” ... Rosslyn Kwok
“Auntie Rosslyn and Uncle Charlie,
thank you for being there for us
whenever we need help and support.
We really appreciate your kindness,
the time you spend with us showing
us around Singapore and tasting the
delicious local food, and the sharing
of interests and experiences; you are
even kind enough to go out of the
way to pick us up to and from the
airport, thus saving us a lot of time
and energy. We are very fortunate to
have you as our Befriender and we
thank ACS Oldham Hall for creating
the opportunity.” ... Dinh Khoat
Hoang Anh and Phan Kieu Anh |
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Rossyln Kwok and her wards from
Vietnam |
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“Being a Befriender at Oldham Hall brings back many
happy memories of my student days in London when
English families opened their homes to me and extended
genuine hospitality to a foreign student. I have enjoyed
meeting Alva (Yidi) and Amy (Yinuo) and their families
and my Mandarin which was lost through lack of
practice has been revived after becoming a Befriender
to Alva and Amy.” ... Grace Ong
“Spending time with Ms Grace Ong is always
enjoyable and enriching. Over tea or dinner, I would
share with her my school life while she would relate her interesting experiences during
her journeys to other countries. We had a great time together during Chinese New
Year, Easter and even on Children’s Day! Thank you Ms Grace. I really appreciate
all you have done to help me adapt to the new environment well.” ...
Zhang Yinuo |
 |
| Grace Ong
and her wards, Yidi and Yinuo |
|
“Uncle Hugh*
and Aunty Yinn are such warm,
hospitable and thoughtful
friends and we consider them as
parents to us. When we first
arrived, they helped us to
settle down by inviting us to
their house and familiarising us
with the food and culture of
Singapore. During Chinese New
Year, when all my friends either
go home or stay out with their
families, I felt so alone
staying in the hostel. I was so
touched when Uncle and Aunty
invited me to their house to
join the celebrations with their
big family. I felt so touched it
was then that I considered
Singapore as a second home."
.... Zhou Enna
(SCGS Sec 3) & Li
Yingqi (CHIJ Sec
3)
*
Mr Hugh Yii is the Chairman of
the Oldham Hall Management
Committee and a Befriender since
2007. |
 |
Boarders
enjoying a visit to the National
Museum with Uncle Hugh
(seated back row)
and Auntie Yinn (seated front row in black).
Next to Yinn Yii is a SCGS teacher.
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|
“It is always a pleasure be greeted by Dr Miriam Tao’s heartwarming “I’m so glad to see you girls!” welcome whenever we meet. Despite her hectic schedule as a cancer specialist at the National Cancer Centre Singapore, she has always found the time to invite us over for a scrumptious meal on special occasions. During the SCGS carnival, she graciously offered to assist us in preparing national dishes, which turned out to be our best-seller. All the little gestures of care Dr Tao has shown us made us feel like a part of her lovely family. The past year and a half would not have been such an enjoyable and memorable journey without Dr Tao as our companion. Thank you Dr Tao!”
... Le Vu Ha Minh,
Dinh Hai Bao Lien,
Nguyen Bich Diep (Sec 4, SCGS) |
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“Aunty Marian has been our Befriender since the three of us first came to ACS Oldham Hall. Her friendliness and openness naturally dissolved our nervousness in the first meeting. We quickly developed a closer and warmer relationship every time we met up for a meal or went on a picnic. She has always provided us with the much-needed emotional support as we are usually stressed out with exams and at times feeling homesick. Moreover, her prayers and care means a lot to us. Post-exam time has become more meaningful as we look forward to catching up with her again. Much as we are grateful for being under her care, we understand more of Jesus’ love for all of us, which has brought us together to strengthen us in our lives”. ... trong>Phuong Hoa,
Linh Lan |
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Marian Tay
and her wards
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“I’m a Befriender and ‘mummy’ to Sec 4 students (To Anh, Lam Ngoc and Cam Chau) from Vietnam. We get on very well. I recall when one of the girls needed to do braces and had to pay a hefty amount of dental fees being a foreigner, I arranged a big discount for her through my exneighbour who is a dental surgeon, and also accompanied her to the dental surgery. This is the first time I am looking after girls as I have two grown-up sons. The girls love coming over to my home. They and I are very casual – a good match!”
... Patsy Lee |
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| Patsy Lee
and her wards, To Anh, Lam Ngoc
and Cam Chau |
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