Member Spotlight
getting to know our members beyond the usual chitchat Written by Helena A. Cochrane Editor’s Note: We’re thrilled to have Helena as our new Member Spotlight columnist. Here, she gives a brief introduction and then answers questions posed by our outgoing Spotlight columnist, Christin Gustafson. Christin did an amazing job launching this column and we wish her the best in her new job.
Helena A. Cochrane
One of Helena's sketches
We began my first ever expat assignment here in August 2018. We sold our home and cars in the Philadelphia area, and I left a teaching job in Wilmington DE. Our three adult children remain in the US, near one another in the NY/ NJ area. We celebrated Christmas 2019 together in Bali. COVID has made me appreciate just how special that visit was. When you looked for Singapore on the map did you find it right away? It shocked me that on a full world map, Singapore really could only be represented by a red dot. I had been to Bali in 2012, and thought that was miniscule, but this packs more into a much smaller space.
What have you enjoyed more about Singapore than you thought you would? Conversely, what have you struggled with that you didn’t expect to be challenging? I am totally hooked on lighting festivals. There was one the month we arrived, and I joyfully waited in long lines to see flickering colored lights, wall projections, light sculptures, even glowing crowns on children’s heads. Singapore is like a perpetual July day in Philadelphia, with the humidity. I walked about eight miles a day the first month, because I did not know anyone, and my husband had a heavy travel schedule. It’s likely I was dehydrated for my first 28 days, before I caught on to drinking enough water as I moved around. It is sad for me that the beach really fronts an industrial site, and is not suitable for swimming. Still, I am so delighted with the National Parks system, and have walked hundreds of miles along beautiful tree-lined paths. www.awasingapore.org
What hobby or activity have you been able to pursue in Singapore that you didn’t previously? When I was teaching full time in the US, I grabbed every spare moment to paint watercolors. I take advantage of my non-working status, and paint full
Helena and her husband Steve
time now, like a job. I’m immersed in the artists’ community here in a way I never dreamed possible. Singapore artists are incredibly welcoming and nurturing. I joined the AWA Writers’ Group, and feel stimulated, appreciated, and challenged by these supportive, hard-working writers. Do you volunteer in Singapore and how has that enhanced your expat experience? I work with KidsREAD at North View Primary School in Yishun. Without a teaching job, I missed being with students more than I had anticipated. Reading with first graders here has led to hilariously frank conversations with six- year-olds. What is your luxury in Singapore? I swim, for as long as I can at a stretch. The public swimming pools in Singapore are big, clean, openair, and leafy. Swimming outdoors all year long is the ultimate luxury. Do you have any saying or mantras that you tell yourself when you are homesick or experiencing cultural frustrations? “This opportunity will not be replicated. Make the most of it.” Since moving from Philadelphia in 2018, Helena has been active with the AWA Walking with Women, the Writers' Group and the International Choir as well as Urban Sketches of Singapore. Each group has opened doors for her to explore and learn about the Red Dot.
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