Finding Haven at Kampong Chai Chee

It's a Saturday night and my stomach sounds a whisper. The Singaporean family I live with are out at their cousins house so there's no food on the table. I take the stairs down to level one since I'm feeling extra fit today, and make my way over to the hawker center - about a 2 minute walk from my block. The only halal neon sign gleams in the 8pm night, with the uncle showcasing his 30 watt smile.

"Kambing soup?" he asks.

I've been ordering kambing soup at this hawker centre ever since I moved to Kampong Chai Chee almost two years ago. I've tried other dishes with this hawker center, but this one dish has always reminded me of my mum - she's always known this is my favourite. Still, I'm surprised he remembers my order.

I answer with glee, "yes, of course!".

Often people ask me where I call home in Singapore.

Full time, I live in Bedok - it's on the east-side of Singapore, just a little bit over the middle of the green line towards the east, and houses some great food and people. To get more specific, I live at Kampong Chai Chee, a HDB housing estate surrounded by Chai Chee St and Chai Chee Drive. It's what I call my Auburn, a small suburb I was living in Sydney prior to my move, in Singapore. Now after staying here for almost two years, it has become, for all intents & purposes, home. Whilst I'm sure the meaning of home for me will change at different stages of my life, for now it's become more than the space within the four walls of the room I share with a Singaporean family. It's become a feeling of content, a sense of stability, and most importantly, my haven.

I've been trying to pin-point the moment I became content with living here, but it really was a multitude of things. A big one however was Kampong Chai Chee itself and it's little idiosyncrasies.

The clean lines and grids of about 40 HDB's shape the skyline of this small neighborhood. At first glace, they can look quite dreary and plain, but there are a couple that really stand out - featuring bright colours and funky patterns.

Quick lowdown on HDB's for those not living in Singapore: HDB stands for Housing & Development Board, which essentially means it is public housing subsidized and managed by the government. About 80% of Singaporeans live in these types of dwellings, and there are a whoole bunch of different types of HDB's (you can read more here). Chai Chee is actually fondly referred to as the first HDB estate of the east!

Another fun part of HDB's is the void deck - here is where Singaporeans come together to host special occasions, whether that's someone's wedding, a birthday party, or even a funeral.

Near my HDB are also a couple of hawker centre's and shops. The word "Chai Chee" means “Vegetable Market” in Hokkein because of the farmers that used to gather here back in the day. On any given Saturday morning, you'll find the vegetable markets in full force here, with Aunties & Uncles scurrying to show you the latest deals and bargains on zucchini and lettuce. You'll also find the oldies lining up to go in the draw for Singapore Pools, a popular lottery that happens every week. I've personally developed a love for plants recently, so I've started visiting the plant shop also, which has really brightened my day.

A regular resident is the Chai Chee cats - usually hanging around block 29 and 30. It's a nice round fat cat, potentially being fed a wee bit too much by the loving residents (including me), and it enjoys passers by.

Apportioning my feelings of affinity across these two places, Auburn and Bedok, has proven difficult at times, however I've managed to become less focused on where I stay, and instead more focused on how I have chosen to stay. Rather than focusing on my apparent ang-mo-ness (aka white person), I instead attempt to place my attention on the people within the community, my surroundings, and how to best assimilate.

Here's to the places we learn to call home, in varying capacities.