Singapore, Singapore – Part III

Skype Kept Me Sane


Truly I don’t think I even had time for my head to stop spinning before my daughter was receiving her passport (which was ready with quite an amazing 5 day turn around including the weekend!), winning over her father’s tearful support, signing contracts, packing her bags, re-packing her bags, again re-packing her bags, and saying goodbye to me at the airport. I was terrified and excited at the same time. It was hard to say goodbye without bursting into tears but I wanted to stay strong and leave her with encouragement. Isn’t that what a mother is supposed to do? Suck up all the selfishness and let their children spread their wings? Well, with Tara, her wings just keep expanding and saying goodbye is one thing that does not get easier with practice, I can tell you that. But I stood there very proud. She was off to start a journey she’ll never forget and I wanted her to enjoy every step along the way. Thank the heavens (or Niklas and Janus if you prefer) for SKYPE! Without Skype, in all seriousness, I don’t think I would have gotten through the last 6 months without the word “psycho” sewn atop my breast pocket. My friends would have had to charge me for consultation fees and my family surely would have taken cover in Texas to escape the mood swings. But my daughter arrived safely in Singapore and was able to connect with me via Skype right away. I was able to see her, talk to her and view her new surroundings over the internet. We talked nearly every day for the first 3 months which was much more often than we had when she lived just 40 minutes away in Los Angeles. She introduced me to the other performers whom were also her roommates and her new Singapore family (Imagine Real World Singapore style!!) She kept me updated while her new family went through their ups and downs as all families do. She took me backstage as she prepared for the shows and on occasion she even took me on the stage or in the DJ booth for a VIP seat to the show. She kept me very involved which was a comfort and all possible only with the help of Skype. Sometimes I really felt like I was actually there, just in another room.

In her 3rd month or so, contract negotiations for an extension were complete extending the contract from 4 months to 6 months. Now that we had a firm end date, we began discussing the real possibility of me traveling there towards the end of her stay. We decided I would arrive a few days before her last show. This way in addition to seeing her perform and enjoying some vacation time with her, I could also help her bring all that luggage back home. The plan was for me to travel very light so that I could bring back two suitcases of her belongings on the return trip. We already knew getting everything home was going to be a very big challenge, especially since she had started collecting fashion magazines during her stay. FASHION MAGAZINES?! They have to be the heaviest magazines in circulation!! So knowing my daughter, that’s one suitcase for magazines; one suitcase for shoes; one suitcase for accessories…I’m not sure how this is going to work. Per the airlines, Two suitcases each is the limit!