‘Singapore is home now’: 9-year-old boy reflects on life across multiple countries

SINGAPORE: A nine-year-old boy who has spent much of his childhood moving between countries has shared that Singapore is the first place where he finally feels he belongs.

In a heartfelt forum letter published by the national broadsheet, Primary 4 student Merisden Pereira reflected on his experiences growing up across different cities and cultures, describing how years of constant relocation left him uncertain about where to call home.

“I am nine years old. People ask me where I’m from, and I never really know what to say. It’s complicated,” he wrote.

Merisden explained that he was born in Canada before moving with his family to Shenzhen, then back to Canada, followed by New York, and later China again. Around two years ago, his family relocated to Singapore.

Despite the frequent moves, the young globetrotter said he has come to embrace the complexity of his background.

“But here’s what I’ve figured out: Complicated is actually OK. Maybe it’s even good,” he wrote.

Merisden shared that Singapore has become the first country where he genuinely feels at home. He currently attends a local school, where he studies the same curriculum and sits for the same examinations as Singaporean students.

While adapting initially proved difficult, he said the support he received from teachers and classmates helped him settle in.

“At first, it was hard. But my teachers were patient, and my classmates became real friends,” he wrote.

The young student also spoke about his passion for music and his recent achievement at the 2026 Oxygen Music Festival. On May 2, he won a gold medal at the competition for the second consecutive year.

He ended his letter by describing Singapore as the place where he is building his future and pursuing his ambitions.

“Singapore is home now. It’s where I’m growing up, where I trained for this competition, and where I’m working hard to achieve even more.”

This is not the first time Merisden’s writing has attracted public attention. When he was seven years old, a letter he wrote about improvements he hoped to see at a local playground was published by a Canadian publication.

Merisden is the son of Chris Pereira, a Singapore-based entrepreneur, author and commentator known for his work in Chinese business and international markets.

Chris Pereira is the founder and chief executive officer of iMpact, a consulting group that helps Chinese companies expand internationally through what it describes as a trust-based framework known as the 5R Methodology. The company operates across North America, Europe, the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific region.

Previously, Pereira served as Senior Director of Global Public Affairs at Huawei. He has been recognised by Forbes China as one of the Top 30 pioneers in Chinese brand globalisation.