University student Grace Lim has been living in Canberra for the past five years, and still holds on tightly to her identity as a Singaporean.

Due to restrictions on international travel, the 19-year-old international security undergraduate will celebrate National Day in the Australian capital with about 50 of her Singaporean and non-Singaporean friends on Aug 21 – when the Republic’s postponed National Day Parade will be held.

Ms Lim heads the Australian National University Singapore Students’ Association, which will organise the festivities. The organisation has also arranged sports and cultural events for their members during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“In the past, not a lot of Singaporeans came to our events. But now, even though they are in the midst of their examinations, they tell me that they have to catch the National Day Parade livestream – I think we miss Singapore more but we don’t say it,” said Ms Lim, who moved to Canberra in 2017.

The intimate evening party will see Singapore cuisine from nearby restaurants being served and feature games such as Singapore-themed Pictionary and hopscotch. Participants will also be getting temporary flag and Merlion tattoos shipped from Singapore.

Ms Lim and her friends will watch the live streaming of National Day celebrations together while having dinner.

“I actually feel more patriotic when I’m away from Singapore. I think about how Singapore is just different from other countries – Singapore is more clean, and I feel more at home when I speak to fellow Singaporeans,” said Ms Lim, who added that the Singaporean dish she misses most is bak chor mee, or minced meat noodles.

Ms Lim, who used to visit Singapore once or twice a year before the pandemic, hopes that soon, she and fellow overseas Singaporeans will be able to make a trip home.

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