By Aniqa Norhazry (25S03D), M.B. Dharshni (25S03O) and Nurul Iman Mohammed Rohan (25S03C)
Featuring Ms Eva Hor, Ms Elaine Wong, Ms Melissa Lim, Ms Fiona Lio, Mr Patrick Wong and Mr Eddie Koh
Amidst the stress of school life, we students often find solace in our friends and the adventures we set out on together. Indeed, this joy of companionship and exploration can be found in the Rafflesian staffroom as well!
In this Special Edition, we embarked on a journey alongside two groups of globetrotting teachers. Travelling to places such as Ireland and Hawaii, these friendships have been nurtured with love and compassion. Read on to find out more!
Ms Eva Hor, Ms Elaine Wong, Ms Melissa Lim and Ms Fiona Lio
Nakatomamu Shimukappu, Hokkaido
From the very moment the teachers stepped in, the interview room immediately livened up. It would be apparent to anyone just how close this group was, filling the atmosphere with lively banter as they sat to tell us their story.
Let’s begin by introducing the members of this squad: Ms Eva Hor, who teaches Y6 Biology and is the Head of Student Well-being, Ms Elaine Wong, a Y6 Economics teacher, Ms Melissa Lim, Deputy Principal of Organisational Development, and Ms Fiona Lio, who teaches Y5 Economics and is the Assistant Department Head.
Although Ms Fiona Lio was unfortunately unable to attend the interview in person, her presence was strongly felt through the words of her friends.
“We can’t tell this story without talking about Ms Lio!”
Ms Hor
First Impressions & Introductions
The story of these four began years ago, in the staffroom of the Mount Sinai campus. Assigned as table buddies in a smaller room, which was secluded from the main staff room, this special place signified the start of a friendship that would last across the years, and even across campuses. Incidentally, our principal Mr Aaron Loh happened to be a part of that staff room too!
In the early years of their careers, it was the late hours they spent together marking papers that brought them closer together. Thinking about those days brings back fond memories of being chased out by the lady who had to lock the staff room at the end of the day.
That room was a room alive with the sounds of lively chatter, laughter, and the unexpected chirping of crickets – courtesy of Ms Hor, who was rearing them on her desk for practical lessons. Ms Wong likened it to a playground.
Similar to how we students come to school looking forward to spending time with our friends, for the four of them, school became something beyond just work. They had built a safe space for one another, where they could share laughter and tears, and form wonderful memories together.
When asked about their impressions of the others at first, it was apparent how much love and care the four shared.
Ms Lim was said to bring a calming effect to the group, comforting the others when they share their problems with her. Ms Hor is bubbly and cheerful, while Ms Wong is caring and gives the others hugs before class. Ms Lio is responsible and dedicated, always organising activities for the others and simply “made life more exciting”.
Travelling Together
As the declared “leader of the gang”, Ms Lio was described as someone who thrives on planning–she arranges all the trips for the group, and plans the itinerary for each destination. As for where their ventures have taken them, destinations include Hawaii, Tokyo, London, Vietnam, China, Thailand, Malaysia … the list goes on!
From playing cards in hotel rooms to decide who had to bring home a photograph taken at Universal Studios Osaka that none of them wanted to keep, to participating in a cooking class in Sapa, they have shared moments on their travels that have given rise to some special and also hilarious memories.
Does being colleagues affect their friendship in any way? Ms Lim jokes that there are a lot of mentions of Economics, courtesy of Ms Wong, whilst they are having tea or lunch.
But other than being support systems for one another at work, they resemble any other group of close knit friends. Being teachers also makes it easier for them to plan vacations together during school holidays.
With the busy schedules barely giving anyone any free time, especially teachers, making such travel plans requires extensive amounts of planning. Even we students find it difficult to meet up with old friends, with plans often never making it out of the group chat!
Each of them play different roles in making the trip a successful and enjoyable one. For instance, Ms Lio, who is the leader of the group, is responsible for the bulk of the planning; from picking travel destinations to booking flights and hotels – even for trips she herself was not able to join!
They also find value in different aspects of their travels. For Ms Lio, dubbed the fittest one, she is often the one walking ahead of the others, eager to marvel at the view from the top. Ms Wong enjoys walking and trekking, while Ms Hor finds beauty in the scenery and nature. And as for Ms Lim, it is the company of her friends that makes all the strenuous hiking worthwhile.
Daisetsuzan National Park Kurodake, Hokkaido
A favourite memory of theirs goes back to a winter’s night in Hawaii.
One Winter’s Night
One of their fondest memories from their travels was during a photography tour in Hawaii, where they went on a sight-seeing tour while accompanied by a tour guide with a burning passion for photography.
In the midst of taking a photograph, the tour guide looked up into the sky and exclaimed. A moonbow had stretched across the sky.
A picture of the moonbow they sighted that night
Moonbows are known for their rarity and immense beauty, symbolising the hidden or overlooked beauty in the world and our lives. They act as an eternal reminder that while life is impermanent, our experiences are captured in memories and photographs that live on.
Standing together, the four teachers stared at the constellations scattered across the sky. The stars shone bright against the backdrop of the pitch black sky, just as how friends bring joy and comfort into our lives even in the darkest moments.
The four teachers admire the stars in Hawaii.
Whether it’s nightscapes and constellations, or rivers lined with lush greenery, no sight would have been the same without each other’s company. What a special feeling–to share hugs, laughter, tears, and memories of adventure with people you hold dear to your heart. We can only wish to find friends and forge bonds as well as these teachers have.
As we often say, maybe the real treasure is the friends we made along the way…
Mr Patrick Wong and Mr Eddie Koh
A nature park in County Adare, Republic of Ireland
JC’s a time where you’ll make the lifelong friends who will accompany you into adulthood, working life and (hopefully) retirement. But you may worry – people change, friendships drift apart, and time can prove to be your worst enemy, not your greatest gift.
For two of our GP teachers, however, time has proven to be the latter. Mr Eddie Koh and Mr Patrick Wong’s friendship marks its 15th anniversary this year. Those 15 years have seen joint overseas trips, animated “professional debates” and a shared interest in dead leaves (more on that later…).
There’s no need for us to dub the duo as ‘besties’ or ‘BFFs’ (we’re not too sure the two GP teachers will approve of our vocabulary). They have their own description for their friendship – “a warm brotherhood”, nothing less.
First Impressions & Introductions
Mr Wong and Mr Koh joined RI in the same batch in 2009. However, this was in fact not the first time their paths had crossed. During Mr Koh’s previous position teaching in Pioneer JC, he was in charge of the choir CCA. During that time, Mr Wong had worked on the Pioneer JC school anthem – which Mr Koh then taught to his students in choir!
Though the two only made this connection after meeting in RI, it seems almost planned that the two would end up going through the same segments of RI’s teaching orientation programme.
After being introduced to each other at assembly via a mutual friend Mrs Cordelia Fernandez, the “camaraderie develop[ed] organically”, Mr Wong tells us.
When asked what his first impression of Mr Wong was, Mr Koh recalls it perfectly, as if they had just met–he had much respect for Mr Wong, who was formerly doing marketing communications with The Straits Times, describing him to be “extremely articulate”. With this respect and a shared curiosity about each other, the two soon became well-acquainted, especially after realising their shared Catholic faith. Beyond that, a common love for animals, nature, and food brought them profoundly closer.
Mr Wong highlights the times when they would go for walks together in the park with his golden retriever when she was younger. Both teachers love birds as well, though Mr Wong’s insistence that he “loves them more” is met by Mr Koh’s swift rebuttal that he still “can name more”. (Is this the GP teacher version of comparing essay marks?)
When the two teachers aren’t debating about who can name more birds (though it seems the answer is rather indisputable), they’re having “professional debates and discussions”. A very fitting pastime for two GP teachers indeed!
Since the two first met in 2009, they’ve been friends for 15 years – a friendship merely 2 years younger than many of us. Their friendship extends beyond school walls, and in many instances, has also extended beyond Singapore.
Travelling Together
Mr Wong and Mr Koh have travelled to many places together, including Ireland, Kota Kinabalu and Langkawi. Mr Wong’s wife has expressed her amazement that the two would travel together, given that most colleagues would have enough of one another in the workplace, and usually cannot wait to see the backs of each other at the end of the day!
Their trip to Ireland, in particular, was definitely a memorable adventure. They stayed in 12 places in 17 days, along with several other teachers. But the two, in particular, had driven together, spending the daylight hours of the 17 days together stuck within the same 4 walls.
Some say that familiarity breeds contempt, but Mr Wong testifies this experience only brought them closer together.
“We told each other secrets we wouldn’t tell anyone else, and that (we) would most likely take to the grave.”
Mr Koh
When asked to name their favourite memory with each other, Mr Koh brought us to the cliffs in Ireland. That fine day, the spirit of nature was calling to him, and he suddenly felt like touching some rocks! Who else to ask, but Mr Wong to accompany him? They crawled up the cliff together and posed for some pictures. In his own words, Mr Koh was “brought back to his teenage years”.
It’s a special kind of bond that transcends the usual expectations of adulthood. Anyone can shed their worries, and embrace a sense of pure, unfiltered, even childlike joy. Mr Koh gives us a more apt description – the ability to act as freely and ‘goofily’ as he wanted made him feel “at peace”.
He jokes, “usually when men come together, you’d think they tend to act masculine and strong”. Yet, on this cliff, he could truly let everything go, laughter flowed easily, and the weight of the world seemed to disappear, if only for a moment – a youthful liberation accessed only when one is with the right company.
Giant’s Causeway, Northern Ireland
Meanwhile, when we asked Mr Wong what his favourite sight was, he spoke of the Ireland islands. During the summer, when the sun was still out at 9pm, the two teachers would drive in silence to see a ruined church and a white horse on a hill, enjoying the sunset and Catholic symbolisms they spotted along the drive.
“No words shared, but just quiet companionship… this was among the best trips in my life”
Mr Wong
County Antrim, Northern Ireland
Professional and Personal Lives
Although Mr Koh draws a line between his professional and personal life, Mr Wong has become quite an integral part of both. He recounted times when Mr Wong came to visit him at his home when he was at his lowest. Mr Wong has helped him through difficult times in his life, just like a brother would.
They tell us that their friendships would not have been possible to maintain without the lively environment of the staffroom. To students, teachers may seem rigid and serious. But in the peace of the staffroom, many personal stories are shared with both laughter and tears. The departments have a tight knit community where they all support each other.
“Happy teachers, happy classroom.”
– Mr Koh
Mr Wong shares that you can’t find this type of bond in most workplaces, and he is forever grateful for his life’s path for leading him here to RI. The GP teacher stated that he has stayed in RI not only for the teaching, but the people.
When we graduate, we may remember JC as a time where we made the lifelong friends who accompanied us into adulthood, working life and (hopefully) retirement. For Mr Koh, teaching in RI will be remembered as the time where he made “the big brother [he] never had”.
They assure us (and each other) that they will be in each other’s life long after they stop teaching.
Brothers & Sisters at Heart
It’s easy to make friends – make a good first impression, fashion a warm dynamic, and maybe even create a Whatsapp group chat. What’s difficult is finding a family not bound by blood, but bound by memories you wouldn’t be able to make with anyone else.
It’s crazy how similar our teachers’ friendships start off like ours; from orientation, common friends and even love for food! We can only hope the friendships we make as students can transcend into the deep well-forged bonds our teachers have. Hopefully, they last long enough for us to have our own adventures and make our own well-framed memories, just like our teachers!
