what to to take back

[on my way home]

Just heard we are leaving Sing and have been thinking of what to take back as a reminder of the place.  Oh and small trinkets,gifts for family.  Okay you guys, come on, what would you take back?

[Deja vu]

About a month or so ago someone else posted the same question - there were a lot of good ideas on that thread, so try a search.

I say take a lot of photos of friends and favorite places and things.

[you could]

Do everyone a favour and take vulcan and kubes.

[BoardManager]

ha ha ........... 

[Not Funny]

Those two are the life and soul of this board. A lot of us check back here just to see what they are up to. Oh yes, and Mr Porky/Amazing/Singapore/etc.

[How about]

Durian Chips (or anything made of Durian) and some of those dried squids for presents?

[not me]

Those two are the life and soul of this board. A lot of us check back here just to see what they are up to. Oh yes, and Mr Porky/Amazing/Singapore/etc.

really?  I find that I glaze over when I'm reading half the stuff they put on here 

[Vulcanl]

OP,

What to take back with you? The memories.  Of everything.  At some point 6 months or more after you have returned home (well settled back into your normal routine), you will find yourself doing some mundane task and will suddenly stop yourself, after being overcome by a sense of just how 'cool' all of this was and how much you miss the sights, sounds, smells, tastes - even the people (gasp!) .  Stuff that annoyed you, even felt was insufferable whilst here will somehow seem to have not been that big a deal at all.  You will be wistfully struck by your newfound 'normalness' and how you no longer stand out in a crowd (for you are now surrounded by people who look, talk and act just like you).  You will have a new perspective of the World and question things about your home country that had never occurred to you before.  In short you will find that you have been permanently changed for the better.  And you may just come back, or decide to go somewhere else altogether!

THIS is the essence the 'expat' experience!

[Shock!]

Someone must have hi-jacked V's account... lo and behold, a post that rings true 

[Also home soon]

I took a copy of local newspaper home last year. I shared that with my journalism daughter. She learned a great deal. Most North Americans have never been exposed this level of media control.

[SAE]

We are also heading back to Western life and after being expats for the last 10 years it is going to be a huge change.  One thing I am definatly taking is a book on Singapore.  I have one for every country that we have lived in and get a lot of enjoyment from looking through them and remembering the places that we have visited.  It also makes a great coffee table book.  If you like the food here and have a few favourite restaurants ask for the recipes of your best dishes.  I have done this and found the chef to be more than willing to share. 
Regards gifts for the family - check out China Town/Arab St and you will be fine.  Good luck with your move. 

[Smell]

Try to capture the smell of a wet market and have a sniff whenever you feel frustrated at your shopping experience at Tesco or Walmart.

[ex-pat]

What about a painting?  We bought one which captures Singapore, a row of shophouses with washing hanging out the shuttered windows with some local traders below.  A typical non-touristy scene which we love. Ours is by chen yong jun.  We also found some gorgeous black and white photos of 'old' Singapore at a stall in Chinatown, but you can get them one of the museums I believe.  The photographer is Yip Cheong Fun. 

[how about]

laksa paste? a book on singlish?

[Canes]

How about taking back a selection of canes - yes, the ones the locals use to discipline their children...!

My friends are amused and astonished to hear how common it is in Singapore that so many Singaporeans cane their kids (this is still done in schools here and still encouraged by the powers that be). We went out for dinner one night with a Singaporean manager whom my spouse was working with and he proudly exclaimed that he didn't believe in caning children until they were at least 2 (yes, two) years old as otherwise they wouldn't understand...

I once ripped out a page a few months ago from the Straits Times where a doctor and his wife were talking about their family life and that they "didn't use the cane much" on their daughters. My friend in the US asked to keep it and it is now pinned to her fridge door....when her kids are playing up she points to the ST report lol!    (Come to think of it, there was another one in the Sunday Times a few days ago...will rip that out too).

Most HDB estates sell canes...they have colourful 'umbrella' type plastic handles at the end and they cost approx 50c-60c. I'm taking some back to the States with me to show my friends.