Watch highlights of Willy's visit
Willy’s visit
Although he has visited Singapore before, winning the contest gave Willy the chance to fulfill a long-time wish – to visit the country with his partner, Theresia Handayani, to explore the lesser-known aspects of the Lion City.
During their visit, they were especially struck by how innovative Singapore and its people were. A visit to the National Museum left them with a deep impression of the country’s history from a British colony to a modern city state, and the couple were moved by the commitment of Singapore’s leaders and people to not only survive but thrive.
They were also impressed with the opportunities for people living here to pursue their passion, at work and at play. One of the people they met during their visit was Khairudin Saharom, an architect and television and media personality. Multi-talented Khairudin shared with the couple about how he balances his two portfolios, walking them through models of his current building design projects and then treating Willy and Theresia to a tour of MediaCorp Studios at Caldecott Hill, showing them the television stage where his career as a presenter was launched, as well as the radio studios where his shows are broadcast.
The couple also had a chance to meet Mr and Mrs Larry Medina. Born in the US, Larry moved to Singapore with his family in 2001 and became a Singapore Citizen in 2007. Larry, who is senior director for accounting operations at technology firm Symantec, shared with the couple his views on how opportunities abound for skilled individuals in Singapore, while his wife gave them a deeper understanding on raising a family in the Republic.
For more of Willy’s and Theresia’s experience in Singapore, see the photographs and video of their visit.