A True Singapore Expat: Rebecca Bisset by Julian A. Chua
GROWING UP
Expat. Businesswoman. Mom of two kids. Saying that Rebecca Bisset makes a good candidate to feature for Living in Singapore magazine to celebrate International Women’s Day (IWD) is an understatement.
Rebecca
founded
Expat
Living
magazine 20 years ago, just three years after arriving in Singapore and she’s kept the magazine going strong despite so many publications failing in the digital era. Here she shares her insights into her upbringing, her journey to Singapore and her fond memories of living here so far.
Tell us more about your family background and share with us on what it was like growing up. When people ask where I am from, I usually say, “Do you want the short or long answer?!” My parents were British. Dad was a teacher (later a headmaster), living in Chester at the time. They headed off to Northern Rhodesia back in the late 1950s, and their next stop was Aden, where I was born. They loved it, but soon had to leave because of the violence that was erupting (and sadly hasn’t stopped). We had a few years in the UK and then lived in three different African countries: Lesotho, Botswana, and Zimbabwe. I then spent some time in South Africa, followed by eight years in London, before moving to Singapore. So I’ve been a nomad, at least for the first half of my life. But I’ve now been here for 23 years! Those countries in Africa were just amazing to grow up in; there was so much freedom and space. We had horses, then motorbikes and Jeeps! There are amazing beaches in South Africa, and fantastic scenery in all the other places. How did your upbringing shape the person you are today? I think because I went to boarding school from the age of ten and moved around so much that I am adaptable and don’t get phased by change. How would you sum up your childhood? Varied! So many different people lived in those places we called home – one place was a university campus, another was a mining town in the middle of nowhere. The other children were all in the same position, and you tended to form a bond. We would all be back from boarding school at the same time and we’d have lots of fun. I’m still in touch with people from those days.
32 LIVING IN SINGAPORE
