Charlotte Boyle and her family (mother Rachel, father Finbar, sister Xanthe and brother Ben) left New Zealand for Singapore on the 2nd of January this year. After a few weeks in temporary accommodation while they waited for the containers to arrive with all their furniture and household items, they moved into an apartment complex and now live in Cairnhill Circle, close to Orchard Road.

Charlotte says there are “a lot of kids at our apartment, and everyone is friendly. I have already made some new friends at our condo to play with in the weekend.” Channel magazine asked her a few more questions about living in a new country.

Channel Magazine: Why did you move? 

Charlotte Boyle: We moved because of my Dad's new job, which is based in Singapore.

CM: What was it like when you first arrived?

CB: When I first arrived, I was surprised by the heat because in Auckland it's MUCH colder than Singapore!  There was also a lot more greenery than I expected. I thought there would be lots of skyscrapers and not many plants.

CM: What school are you at over there?

 CB: The school I'm going to is the Australian International School. I find it a bit confusing because in Auckland I would be in year five but at the Australian school I'm in year four.

CM: How easy was it to settle in? Did you know anyone who already lived there?

CB: We arrived three weeks before school started so we had time to get used to Singapore, learn our way around and get to know more people. One of Mum's friends from university was already living in Singapore with his family and they gave us lots of information.

CM: Who is the most awesome person you’ve met there? 

 CB: My best friend Abby that I made on the first day of school. We both love to read, draw and dance. She's Chinese so she helps me with mine [Chinese lessons]. I love her because she always has a smile on her face!

CM: What is the best (new) food you’ve tried?

CB: Out of the foods we have tried I really like spring rolls, lots of the soup, noodles and fried rice.

CM: What is your favourite app to use in your new country?

 CB: Google maps because it helps us to get around if we don't have the car, or Whatsapp because I have a Whatsapp group with my friends to keep in touch.

CM: In what ways is your new home similar to the Shore?  In what ways is it very different?

 CB: Not much is actually the same as home; the weather is constantly hot and muggy; I now live in an apartment whereas in Auckland I lived in a two-storey house. I'm also not used to driving to school because in Belmont we ALWAYS walked; now it's a ten-minute drive.

CM: If I could have one thing from the Shore here with me, it would be...

CB: Probably my cousins, or our cat Oscar who we left with friends until we come back, but who got hit by a car in May.

CM: At the weekends and holidays we like to…

CB: In the weekends we always try to explore around Singapore and we find a cool new place every weekend. We've been to the zoo, Jurong Bird Park, the National Museum, Sentosa Island, and Legoland in Malaysia. In the holidays we try to explore the region and we have just got back from Danang in Vietnam. I find it cool because we get more public holidays than we would in Auckland. We celebrate Singapore national day, Chinese new year, Deepavali and Vesak day.