Forum: Singapore is now home and where I want to achieve more things

I am nine years old. People ask me where I’m from, and I never really know what to say. It’s complicated. I was born in Canada. Then my family moved to Shenzhen. Then back to Canada. Then New York. Then China again. About two years ago, we moved to Singapore.

But here’s what I’ve figured out: Complicated is actually OK. Maybe it’s even good.

Singapore is the first place I’ve lived where I feel like I actually belong. I go to a local school, which means I learn the same things Singaporean children learn, and do the same exams. At first, it was hard. But my teachers were patient, and my classmates became real friends.

On May 2, I won a gold medal at the 2026 Oxygen Music Festival. It was the second year in a row I won. I was still as nervous the second time round because I had to live up to more expectations, but I did it.

I started playing piano when I was six. I practise almost two hours every day now. Not because anyone forces me, but because I truly love music.

Singapore is home now. It’s where I’m growing up, where I trained for this competition, and where I’m working hard to achieve even more.

Merisden Pereira, nine
Primary 4