Has it actually been six weeks since I’ve posted? I can’t believe how fast time goes by – and in case you were wondering, it’s not any slower here in Singapore. The past few weeks have found the three of us doing pretty much the same as what we would be doing in the U.S. – just trying to get through each day. I think all of us, on some level, have struggled a little with homesickness (even me!), as the honeymoon phase of our move is now officially over. Still, I am amazed pretty much every day that we have this opportunity, and am working to find a good balance between indulging in the comforts of home and embracing the exotic here in Singapore. I find myself simultaneously irritated and amused by some things in Singaporean society (like the need to be first – which manifests itself in an unusual amount of pushing to get onto buses and trains – even if there’s only one or two people also trying to get on!), and have challenged myself to connect more with the amusement end of this spectrum than the other.
As promised, we attended the 201st Anniversary of Mexican Independence celebration at the Shangri-La Hotel, and had a blast. We witnessed a very impassioned “La Grita de Independencia” by the ambassador, which made me secretly wish I was from Mexico too:) “Viva Mexico,” indeed! The evening found us traveling in style (by taxi), childless (Isabel spent the night with a friend), hanging out with the Mexican ambassador and his wife (ok, maybe it was only a brief introduction...), with bottomless wine glasses and all the Mexican food we could eat. Overall, it was a really great night.
Another highlight for us was a trip to Tioman Island in Malaysia. It took a somewhat complicated border crossing, a 4 hour bus ride and an hour and a half on a ferry to get there, but it was worth it. Thanks to it being the beginning of the low season, we had a wonderfully peaceful weekend in a simple longhouse on the beach, ate apple pancakes and French toast for breakfast, and swam in blissfully clear water. Isabel and Chad snorkeled, and saw lots of coral and tropical fish, including parrotfish and clownfish. I loved it so much, I am in the process of planning no less than three more trips to Malaysia (including a big one to Malaysian Borneo next July).
The biggest events for us here over the last six weeks have been Isabel’s birthday (celebrated quietly with us taking a delicious chocolate cake up to the roof and then a late-night swim) and Divali, which was celebrated last week. Isabel’s school had a fantastic carnival, and the kids got to wear Indian clothing (lucky for us we happened to have a Rajasthani outfit just Isabel’s size!), be tattooed in henna, and eat Indian food. Of course, we visited Little India to check out the festivities, have dinner, and do some bauble-purchasing (completely on Isabel’s end – I’m afraid she may have inherited this from me!). And as I write this, it's Halloween day here in Singapore. Although it’s not really celebrated a lot by Singaporeans, due to the number of expats, there are definitely opportunities for trick-or-treating. Tonight we’re heading up to the north side of the island to go trick-or-treating in a well-known American neighborhood. We’re hoping Isabel scores enough candy for all three of us!
As far as things go for me, unfortunately the National Parks job fell through, as they needed someone full-time. Fortunately, though, there seems to be an endless supply of rewarding volunteer work to keep me busy. I’ve been volunteering in the Living Collections department at the Singapore Botanic Garden two days a week, where I’ve been doing some plant data entry and helping to map their rainforest area. I’ve also gotten involved with aidha, a non-profit organization that provides training to migrant women in money management, computer skills, and entrepreneurship. I’m teaching computer workshops when I can, and also am working with their research team to assess the impacts of the program. The remaining days of the week find me focused on the usual challenges of grocery shopping and trying to get clothes dried (this is becoming harder with the onset of the rainy season:)
Chad has been working nearly every day (including Saturdays and Sundays) to try to get the conservatory in order for the Orchid Show, which is coming up in two weeks. I know that he has dealt with MANY challenges with the project, but is finally starting to see the results. I visited the conservatory the other day and was blown away – not only by the scale of the thing, which is enormous, but by the planting and design that I know has absorbed much of Chad’s time and energy. It looks fabulous, and I know when it’s done Chad will be able to stand back and be really proud of it. But in the meantime, all three of us are counting down the days till it’s over!
That’s about it for now. Happy Halloween everybody!!!
Monday, October 31, 2011
Monday, September 12, 2011
Lantern Festival, Mexican Independence, and More!
Hi Everyone!
Well, another 3 weeks have gone by, and we've been busy as ever. This month, the Lantern Festival has consumed much of our time. I've always loved a good festival, and Singapore is full of them (poor Chad and Isabel have to suffer through the late-night train rides into Chinatown, the Arab district, etc.).
The Lantern Festival is a Chinese tradition that's been around for a long time, and it's symbolized by sharing mooncakes (little cakes that are traditionally made from bean or lotus paste), rabbits (we were initially confused by the recent airing of Peter Cottontail on TV, but now it all makes sense...well, kinda:)), solving riddles, and of course, lanterns. Our neighbor brought us a box of different types of mooncakes, which we had lots of fun trying. We also visited Chinatown for the lantern "light-up" and opening ceremony, went on a lantern walk (led by dragon dancers), and attended a party at Isabel's school. So much fun! Other than the Lantern Festival, the Muslim community here just celebrated the end of Ramadan. Chad's Indonesian friend invited us to a post-Hari Raya party on Sunday, which should be lots of fun, and give us an opportunity to learn a little about the Muslim holiday. Deepavali (Diwali) is also right around the corner, and we look forward to visiting Little India for the holiday.
Other than attending festivals, we've all been doing fantastic. Isabel lost a tooth (yes, the tooth fairy visits children in Singapore, too), learned to roller blade, went to her first birthday party in Singapore, and started after-school clubs - Glee Club and Chinese Cultural Dance. She's also got a sleepover planned for Friday.
Chad's been plugging away at work. The World Orchid Festival is coming up rapidly, and he's working a lot with the contractors to get everything done. He got to give a tour to the Mexican Ambassador to Singapore and a group from a new botanical garden being built in Cuernavaca. Even MORE exciting, though, is that it landed us an invitation to a reception in honor of the anniversary of Mexican Independence at a super fancy hotel downtown. I actually shrieked when I saw the invite!
Other than making plans to hob-nob with the Mexican Ambassador, I've also been busy. I visited the Singapore Botanic Garden (SO fabulous) and checked out Little India. I also met with one of the National Parks managers about working part-time on their plant database. If it works out, I'll get to write plant descriptions and travel around Singapore taking photographs of plants. And I'll be able to do most of it from home, so it wont interfere with dropping off and picking Isabel up from school, which is awesome because I'm really enjoying spending more time with her. AND, best of all, I'll get paid, which means more money for traveling! I'm also still trying to get into doing some volunteer work, and have two volunteer orientations scheduled over the next couple of weeks. I start taking weekly Mandarin lessons tomorrow, and am otherwise trying to enjoy the simplicity of grocery shopping and doing laundry (did I mention that our washing machine plays a song when it's done?).
Eating is getting to be less of a problem, as we explore our options more and more. Since asian ingredients are so cheap and readily available, I'm cooking more asian food at home, and enjoying it too (our pantry basics have grown to include two varieties of soy sauce, sesame oil, fish sauce, and white pepper).
As I'm getting around more, I'm becoming more exposed to the various cultures and economic disparities here, and am pondering/intrigued by the mixture of these groups and the stratification of Singaporean society. Chad spends much of his days working with Indian and Bangladeshi workers that are paid next to nothing, while I watch many of Isabel's schoolmates get dropped off by Phillipina and Indonesian nannies (many of which probably have kids of their own that they left in their home countries). Contrast this with the millions of dollars floating around here (the Singaporean economy right now is UNBELIEVABLE), and daily life here is really fascinating. Two of the volunteer organizations that I hope to work with focus on migration economics, which I hope will give me an opportunity to become educated about the various migrant groups and be able to scratch the surface of the relationships between cultures. Needless to say, many of my thoughts these days are focused on globalization (especially considering our Friday plans to celebrate Mexican Independence Day in Singapore).
That's all for now. As always, I hope everyone is doing well, and that the weather's starting to cool off (for those of you in Phoenix who are completely over it). I'll be sure to update you all on how the reception went with the Mexican Ambassador, and on our other upcoming adventures (including a trip to Malaysia we've got scheduled for the end of the month).
Well, another 3 weeks have gone by, and we've been busy as ever. This month, the Lantern Festival has consumed much of our time. I've always loved a good festival, and Singapore is full of them (poor Chad and Isabel have to suffer through the late-night train rides into Chinatown, the Arab district, etc.).
The Lantern Festival is a Chinese tradition that's been around for a long time, and it's symbolized by sharing mooncakes (little cakes that are traditionally made from bean or lotus paste), rabbits (we were initially confused by the recent airing of Peter Cottontail on TV, but now it all makes sense...well, kinda:)), solving riddles, and of course, lanterns. Our neighbor brought us a box of different types of mooncakes, which we had lots of fun trying. We also visited Chinatown for the lantern "light-up" and opening ceremony, went on a lantern walk (led by dragon dancers), and attended a party at Isabel's school. So much fun! Other than the Lantern Festival, the Muslim community here just celebrated the end of Ramadan. Chad's Indonesian friend invited us to a post-Hari Raya party on Sunday, which should be lots of fun, and give us an opportunity to learn a little about the Muslim holiday. Deepavali (Diwali) is also right around the corner, and we look forward to visiting Little India for the holiday.
Other than attending festivals, we've all been doing fantastic. Isabel lost a tooth (yes, the tooth fairy visits children in Singapore, too), learned to roller blade, went to her first birthday party in Singapore, and started after-school clubs - Glee Club and Chinese Cultural Dance. She's also got a sleepover planned for Friday.
Chad's been plugging away at work. The World Orchid Festival is coming up rapidly, and he's working a lot with the contractors to get everything done. He got to give a tour to the Mexican Ambassador to Singapore and a group from a new botanical garden being built in Cuernavaca. Even MORE exciting, though, is that it landed us an invitation to a reception in honor of the anniversary of Mexican Independence at a super fancy hotel downtown. I actually shrieked when I saw the invite!
Other than making plans to hob-nob with the Mexican Ambassador, I've also been busy. I visited the Singapore Botanic Garden (SO fabulous) and checked out Little India. I also met with one of the National Parks managers about working part-time on their plant database. If it works out, I'll get to write plant descriptions and travel around Singapore taking photographs of plants. And I'll be able to do most of it from home, so it wont interfere with dropping off and picking Isabel up from school, which is awesome because I'm really enjoying spending more time with her. AND, best of all, I'll get paid, which means more money for traveling! I'm also still trying to get into doing some volunteer work, and have two volunteer orientations scheduled over the next couple of weeks. I start taking weekly Mandarin lessons tomorrow, and am otherwise trying to enjoy the simplicity of grocery shopping and doing laundry (did I mention that our washing machine plays a song when it's done?).
Eating is getting to be less of a problem, as we explore our options more and more. Since asian ingredients are so cheap and readily available, I'm cooking more asian food at home, and enjoying it too (our pantry basics have grown to include two varieties of soy sauce, sesame oil, fish sauce, and white pepper).
As I'm getting around more, I'm becoming more exposed to the various cultures and economic disparities here, and am pondering/intrigued by the mixture of these groups and the stratification of Singaporean society. Chad spends much of his days working with Indian and Bangladeshi workers that are paid next to nothing, while I watch many of Isabel's schoolmates get dropped off by Phillipina and Indonesian nannies (many of which probably have kids of their own that they left in their home countries). Contrast this with the millions of dollars floating around here (the Singaporean economy right now is UNBELIEVABLE), and daily life here is really fascinating. Two of the volunteer organizations that I hope to work with focus on migration economics, which I hope will give me an opportunity to become educated about the various migrant groups and be able to scratch the surface of the relationships between cultures. Needless to say, many of my thoughts these days are focused on globalization (especially considering our Friday plans to celebrate Mexican Independence Day in Singapore).
That's all for now. As always, I hope everyone is doing well, and that the weather's starting to cool off (for those of you in Phoenix who are completely over it). I'll be sure to update you all on how the reception went with the Mexican Ambassador, and on our other upcoming adventures (including a trip to Malaysia we've got scheduled for the end of the month).
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Welcome to my blog!
Isabel and I have been in Singapore now for just about a month, and I've finally got some time to write. We've been busy setting up the house, getting Isabel into school, navigating around town, etc. After all the work of getting the house packed up and getting ready to move to the other side of the planet, it's been wonderful for the three of us to be back together again.
We've rented an apartment with some furniture, but getting everything else we need has taken no less than 4 trips to Ikea! This is not someplace that I like to go even occasionally (because of the crowds and I get confused trying to find my way out!), let alone 4 times! Anyway, we've gotten just about everything, with the exception of a sofa, which Chad's boss has generously offered to buy as a housewarming gift.
Isabel is a week and a half into her new school, and already has a best friend and a birthday party invitation. She really likes her school (although she misses her old friends), and is thrilled to finally have homework. Her school is wonderfully diverse, with other students in her classroom from the Phillipines, India, Japan, UK, New Zealand, and Singapore, although there are only 5 girls (out of 19)!
Getting around is really easy, and public transportation super fast and efficient (Phoenix could learn a thing or two...). The buses connect really well with the trains, and run every 5-15 minutes. Trains are even more frequent.
I've found most people here to be very busy, but friendly. Last week, when I was standing on the corner in the rain and waiting for the crosswalk light to change, a girl came over to share her umbrella with me, and walked wth me across the street. Chad says she was just being respectful to her "elder" (ha!), but I think it shows how sweet people here can be.
As you would imagine, our daily lives have changed a bit. Chad works long hours most days, but I think once the conservatories are built, that should slow down a bit. Isabel gets up in the mornings, puts on her school uniform, and the two of us ride the bus together to school. I drop her off, then either come home and think about what I should do (yes, unemployed life is blissful, but I think I will go insane after too long:)), go check something out (I went to the Asian Civilizations Museum yesterday) or go to Ikea (pronounce ick-ea here). It's a small island, but there's lots to do, and there's a lot to explore.
There are lots of new things for us to get used to, including: drying clothes outside (like many Singaporean families, we don't have a dryer), cooking on a "hob" (thanks to the British influence), hauling grocery bags home in my hands (rather than in the trunk of a car), swimming on our roof, biking to the beach, large-leaved plants, clouds and rain! (Also, I can't believe I finally live somewhere where there are monkeys!) The hardest things to get used to are the food, the high prices, and the English/Singlish. Chad has no problem eating octopus tentacles, cow ears and pork brain, but my palate is a bit more delicate! The majority of the food here seems to be Chinese-influenced, and there are lots of animal parts in it. There are some vegetarian restaurants, but they mostly sell Chinese-style food with tofu disguised as meat. My hunt for good local vegetarian food thus continues... Nearly everything is really expensive (public transport, cow ears and pork brains are not, however:)). Without realizing it, I actually paid $16 for a block of cheddar cheese, and $9 for two heads of brocoli! A container of Ben & Jerry's is $23, but amazingly it's stocked at 7-11, so somebody's buying it. Understanding locals is also a bit difficult. Although the "administrative" language of the country is English, most people speak "Singlish" - a blend of English with bits of Malay, Tamil and Chinese words, and other words that I think have just been made up! I wonder how much more I'll be able to understand in three years...
That's all for now. I hope you're all doing well, and I'll keep you all posted on our adventures here in Singapore, and as we get to travel in Southeast Asia.
Ada
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