http://tnp.sg/news/story/0,4136,210003,00.html?
S'pore's 44th Birthday
They can say the Pledge in German
August 10, 2009
SHE has a German name and speaks with a subtle German accent.
But Mrs Amy Kiesgen, a 51-year-old homemaker who lives in Munich, considers herself a true-blue Singaporean with 'Chinese and some Malay blood'.
She is among the thousands of overseas Singaporeans who remain connected to this country despite living in another continent.
To mark National Day, Mrs Kiesgen, along with three other Singaporeans living in Munich, shot a video of themselves taking the Singapore Pledge in English, and then in German.
The video, which was shot by MrsKiesgen's husband, Mr Paul Leo Kiesgen, has been uploaded onto the video-sharing site YouTube.
Said Mrs Kiesgen: 'The Singapore Embassy sent out an e-mail asking if any of us wanted to contribute to National Day this year and so the four of us got together to do this.'
Fluent
Mrs Kiesgen, who speaks fluent German, added: 'I am Singaporean at heart and I will never give up my Singapore citizenship. But I've been living in Germany for the past 15 years and so I am also a part of this country.'
It was her friend MsElizabeth Chee's idea to recite the Pledge in German.
Said Ms Chee, who is in her early 30s: 'I thought of the saying, 'When in Rome, do as the Romans do.'
'I also thought it would be one way for Germans who don't speak English to learn a bit more about Singaporean values. Germans don't know much about Singapore. This will make them understand what the country stands for.'
Ms Chee, who works for Microsoft, said she met Mrs Kiesgen and the two other Singaporeans - Ms Noorrehan Md Salleh and Ms Lynn Tan - a few months back. Now they meet every month for lunch to keep their Singapore connection alive.
Ms Chee has been living and working overseas for the past 12 years. She landed in Munich last December.
She said: 'I've seen very liberal lifestyles in the US and Germany but I still hold the Confucian values I grew up with close to my heart.
'I get uncomfortable when I see young girls wearing skirts that are too short.'
Mrs Kiesgen met her husband when they were colleagues in Singapore in the early '90s and moved to Germany in 1994, where they got married.
They have two sons.
Her mother and three siblings still live in Singapore and Mrs Kiesgen returns to visit every two years.
She created the Facebook group 'Singaporeans in Germany', where she posts the latest news from Singapore for Singaporeans in Germany.
The group has 150 members.
For National Day, the four women will have a potluck lunch.
Said Mrs Kiesgen: 'I'll be making satay in a $12 satay oven I bought from Joo Chiat.'
She added that the four of them will be watching the parade as it will be broadcast live on the Internet.
She added: 'Of course, we will be taking the Pledge at 8.22pm Singapore time as well.
'That is 2.22pm Germany time.'
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tweet us your NDP photos!
If you're Tweeting from this year's National Day Parade, we want your photos!
Just add #tnp when you tweet your NDP photos, and we may just use them for Monday's edition of the paper.
You can also follow The New Paper on Twitter - @thenewpaper' or www.twitter.com/thenewpaper
S'pore's 44th Birthday
They can say the Pledge in German
August 10, 2009
SHE has a German name and speaks with a subtle German accent.
But Mrs Amy Kiesgen, a 51-year-old homemaker who lives in Munich, considers herself a true-blue Singaporean with 'Chinese and some Malay blood'.
She is among the thousands of overseas Singaporeans who remain connected to this country despite living in another continent.
To mark National Day, Mrs Kiesgen, along with three other Singaporeans living in Munich, shot a video of themselves taking the Singapore Pledge in English, and then in German.
The video, which was shot by MrsKiesgen's husband, Mr Paul Leo Kiesgen, has been uploaded onto the video-sharing site YouTube.
Said Mrs Kiesgen: 'The Singapore Embassy sent out an e-mail asking if any of us wanted to contribute to National Day this year and so the four of us got together to do this.'
Fluent
Mrs Kiesgen, who speaks fluent German, added: 'I am Singaporean at heart and I will never give up my Singapore citizenship. But I've been living in Germany for the past 15 years and so I am also a part of this country.'
It was her friend MsElizabeth Chee's idea to recite the Pledge in German.
Said Ms Chee, who is in her early 30s: 'I thought of the saying, 'When in Rome, do as the Romans do.'
'I also thought it would be one way for Germans who don't speak English to learn a bit more about Singaporean values. Germans don't know much about Singapore. This will make them understand what the country stands for.'
Ms Chee, who works for Microsoft, said she met Mrs Kiesgen and the two other Singaporeans - Ms Noorrehan Md Salleh and Ms Lynn Tan - a few months back. Now they meet every month for lunch to keep their Singapore connection alive.
Ms Chee has been living and working overseas for the past 12 years. She landed in Munich last December.
She said: 'I've seen very liberal lifestyles in the US and Germany but I still hold the Confucian values I grew up with close to my heart.
'I get uncomfortable when I see young girls wearing skirts that are too short.'
Mrs Kiesgen met her husband when they were colleagues in Singapore in the early '90s and moved to Germany in 1994, where they got married.
They have two sons.
Her mother and three siblings still live in Singapore and Mrs Kiesgen returns to visit every two years.
She created the Facebook group 'Singaporeans in Germany', where she posts the latest news from Singapore for Singaporeans in Germany.
The group has 150 members.
For National Day, the four women will have a potluck lunch.
Said Mrs Kiesgen: 'I'll be making satay in a $12 satay oven I bought from Joo Chiat.'
She added that the four of them will be watching the parade as it will be broadcast live on the Internet.
She added: 'Of course, we will be taking the Pledge at 8.22pm Singapore time as well.
'That is 2.22pm Germany time.'
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tweet us your NDP photos!
If you're Tweeting from this year's National Day Parade, we want your photos!
Just add #tnp when you tweet your NDP photos, and we may just use them for Monday's edition of the paper.
You can also follow The New Paper on Twitter - @thenewpaper' or www.twitter.com/thenewpaper
