Untethered

Tell us about your multinational family.
I’m a Swiss citizen originally from Cameroon in central Africa, while my husband is from northern Europe. Because of the nature of his job, our family has been moving around for many years.

We’ve lived in Hong Kong and Taipei, and eventually settled down in Singapore in 2006. We’re now Permanent Residents along with our two daughters, who are studying in Europe, and our son who was granted a Singaporean citizenship after serving the National Service.

Was it difficult sending your kids abroad to study?
That’s the same question my mother-in-law asked me (laughs). When my children were younger, I was what you’d call a ‘maman poulet’, which means mama chicken in French, as I always wanted to be close to them. But you know, the umbilical cord is cut in several ways—once after birth, and once more when we learn to let our children become independent.

When my older daughter first left to study abroad, I tagged along to help her settle down, only to find out that she already had a network of friends there. That was when I realised that my role then was to witness and appreciate her growing up, and to just love her the way she was. It was when I grew up as a mother.

How do you keep in touch with your loved ones these days?
It’s all thanks to social media and technology that we can remain connected. We have regular video calls with my daughters and other family members, and I share a prayer for my family on WhatsApp everyday.

You’ve been working at the fashion boutique, AS’FALL, for about a year now. Tell us what it’s like to working in Haji Lane.
Wow, Haji Lane is like a close-knit village; I just love the warmth and soul of this place, and of the people too! When I first joined the company, my employer Astou didn’t even need to introduce me to anyone as I was quickly able to become acquainted with our neighbours. All of us along this road are truly one big family.

There was a power trip in the store one time and before I could call Astou to tell her what was going on, our neighbour from across the road had already come over to offer his assistance after noticing me pacing back and forth.

We hear that you’re an excellent cook! How did you pick up this skill?
My mum taught all her children to cook; I still remember waking up at 4AM to cook for family gatherings and parties.

Since then, I’ve loved to cook and create new recipes that are inspired by my African origins. Whenever I go to the market, I let the ingredients speak to me and I’ll ask them, “What can we do together?”. I also started my own home-based catering business on the side because my friends often request for my dishes and even insisted that I start charging for them.