COMING HOME TO SINGAPORE IN NEW YORK CITY

The prata man flipping pieces of dough, snaking queues at hawker stalls, and Singaporeans catching up with one another against the backdrop of an MRT gantry and the Marina Bay.

This was a scene of all things Singaporean, but it took place more than 15,000 kilometres from home.

On 14 Apr, some 4000 Singaporeans based in the United States thronged Prospect Park in Brooklyn, New York City, to attend Singapore Day.

Organised by the Overseas Singaporean Unit (OSU), the event aims to engage Singaporeans in the United States, by updating them on developments in Singapore, and bringing "home" to them through the taste of familiar hawker fare and performances by local celebrities.

First held in Central Park, New York in 2007, the event was staged in Melbourne, London and Shanghai before it returned to the Big Apple this year with the theme "My Home, My Future".

Guest of honour at the event, Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean, warmly welcomed Singaporeans, and said: "The purpose of Singapore Day is to reach out to your head, heart, and being Singaporeans, your stomach as well... so that you will remember all the good things back home."

Besides famous hawker food, which is a mainstay of Singapore Day, there were also replicas of iconic structures in Singapore such as bus stops and HDB lift lobbies.

This year's event also had Singaporeans jiving to popular tunes of local nightspot Zouk's weekly dance event, Mambo Jambo, while celebrities such as comedians Michelle Chong and Chua En Lai of 'The Noose' fame had the audience in stitches during their humorous performances.

To connect with overseas Singaporeans on national service matters, a booth put up by the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) had highlights that included the Electronic Individual Physical Proficiency Test Scoring System (ELISS), the computer simulation training program Virtual Battlespace 2 (VBS2), and a Mobile Field Kitchen.

As this year coincides with 45 years of National Service (NS), there were also displays that documented the development of National Service since it was introduced, as well as stories about NS.

Third Sergeant (NS) Paul Piong, who is working in a software company in Kansas, appreciated the updates on the new standard obstacle course (SOC).

He said: "When I completed my (full-time) NS, I was still doing the old SOC. It was interesting to learn about the changes in the SOC, and at least I can be prepared when I get called up for my first In-Camp (Training)."

LTA (NS) Shane Kwok, who is pursuing his post-graduate studies in Harvard University, agreed, saying that the MINDEF booth was "very informative as it updated overseas Singaporeans who've been away, on some of the current capabilities of our armed forces, so it was very useful".

The Officer Commanding of 807th Battalion, Singapore Infantry Regiment, added: "Overall, the booth had a lot of variety; there were many things to try out and it was very interactive."

Additional reporting by Angelina Chung