Tanjong Rambutan: A Prawn's Story

Humans invade our personal space

It was like any other day. The sun was shining ever so brightly, sending it’s energizing rays into the water and warming it up to a lovely temperature. George and Henry had swum over for a snack on polychaete worms George’s cousin had brought home from his travels. I would say we were probably as content as Ms. Nadaraj would be if her head were completely buried in big bowl of bread and butter pudding. You might be wondering how we know Ms. Nadaraj... She’s vegetarian so we love her.

Look, there's Joe and Albert and Gloria and...

But, all good things must come to an end. We sensed things were about to change when out of the blue, the water turned murky, thanks to a number of shoes attached to human legs, trudging through the water towards us. Great! Must be another bunch of curious kids coming over to snag us in their nets in some crazy attempt to identify us! The number of times this has happened, I’ve lost count. And so, we were ‘captured’ and carried off to be transferred into little white bowls, where huge eyes behind massive circular windows stared at us. Rectangular, clicking boxes were also sometimes pointed at us.

A human child seeking out tin in my river

As troublesome as all this activity is to us peaceful prawns, I have to admit we are always treated with the utmost respect. The best part is being released back into our shallow, homely habitat unhurt. We’ve maybe had a handful of casualties but on the whole, the humans seem to like us. Here’s hoping we were of some help to them. 

All About Me

My name is Ms. Nadaraj and I hope you will enjoy the blogging process as much as I do. I think it is a great way to express yourself, build on your writing skills, and explore personal as well as academic experiences through our blogs. There is so much to do! I hope you enjoy learning English through English for Academic Purposes (EAP). I will try my best to create as many interesting and challenging activities that will help you learn the language, and support you in your overall academic and social growth. I am looking forward to spending time with you and know I'm going to have a fabulous time!

So, who exactly is Ms. Nadaraj? Well, I come from a family of four. My father and my two sisters.  My birth mother passed away when I was 4 and her eldest sister moved in to take care of us. She taught us how to respect people and their cultures, how to be patient with others, and more importantly, how to always be kind to people and the environment. She was really my mother. Sadly, she passed away this April and I miss her terribly. My father taught us how to be independent. He made sure we could drive by 16; taught us how to live frugally and save for a rainy day; and nurtured in us a good sense of humor and strength that has always helped us get through difficult times. My older sister is a doctor, fun-loving and the life of every party. My second sister used to be an accountant but now is a special needs teacher. She's quiet but not as quiet as me.

When I am not teaching, I enjoy traveling, listening to music, taking pictures, and meeting my friends. To date, I have traveled to Sri Lanka (see pictures), Thailand, Singapore, India, England, Dublin, America, Australia, Korea, Vietnam and Indonesia. I really enjoy rock and alternative music and my favorite bands are MUSE, Kasabian, Foo Fighters, Asian Dub Foundation, Red Hot Chili Peppers, U2... the list goes on! I used to play in an all-girl band, the 5 States of Mind. Sadly, everyone's gone off to teach at other schools so we disbanded. My friends are probably the most important people in my life, after my family. I think I am a very lucky person as I have friends who are loyal, honest and very supportive. They have helped me through many difficult times.


I am really looking forward to this school year as I get to team teach with Mrs. N and Mr. G. What's even more exciting is, this year, I get to meet and get to know all the students in 6A and 6B. How exciting is that!