*The presence of tropical wildlife, even though we're living in a concrete mega-city and Singaporeans do everything they can to keep the environment at bay:). Giant monitor lizards can be found nearly anywhere there's water, monkeys are all over the reserves, and parrots roost in the trees outside of Isabel's school (she can see them out the window of her classroom).
*The climate. The rain, heat, and humidity mean having to share our outdoor dining room with giant snails, but I absolutely love it. By the way, side-stepping these guys as we walk the path leading to the back of our house is lots of fun (especially in the dark)!
*Observing subtle changes in Isabel that indicate that her frame of reference is broadening. I notice this when she asks me what the conversion of her Malaysian Ringgit into Singapore Dollars will be, when she jokes around with a fake Aussie accent, when I hear her describe what India is like to her Indian-Singaporean friends, or when she distinguishes between the American and British spelling of a word. A few weeks ago, after Air Asia announced a huge sale on regional travel, Isabel told me and Chad “only 8 more dollars and I’ll have enough for a one-way ticket to Borneo!" Not only is she unafraid of her surroundings and other cultures, but she's got a healthy sense of adventure. I am so proud!
*The cultural diversity. I love finding myself in a group of British and Indian nationals one day, and Cambodian, French and Germans the next. It's kind of an odd thing...living in Singapore has definitely illustrated how much culture impacts human behavior (we've witnessed differences in problem-solving, acceptance (of everything ranging from a person's lot in life to everyday challenges), and willingness to take responsibility, just to name a few), but also how many things cross cultural divides (not just the desire to get an education and a good job, but humor, interests, and taste - as I write this, I can hear Isabel and her Singaporean friend in her room singing Katy Perry's Firework:)), enabling us to have amazing shared experiences. While I have always been drawn to traveling just for the sake of exploring cultural differences, settling down and living in another country has made me realize that there's a lot to be said for similarities, too!
So, since my last post, we have of course been keeping busy. We visited Sungei Buloh Wetland Preserve, a very impressive wetland area in the north of the island with crocodiles, otters, and giant monitor lizards (one crept through the visitor’s center while we were there!). Isabel and I also got to see proboscis monkeys at the zoo (sooo cool!) while on a field trip with her class (lots of fun, although completely exhausting!). Isabel got dressed up in her cheongsam to sing in a performance for Chinese New Year at school, and the three of us counted down to midnight in Mandarin on Chinese New Year Eve with thousands of our closest friends. Isabel has also kept busy making forts and having sleep-overs with the neighbor girls, and learning the guitar.
The most interesting event over the past couple of months was Thaipusam. This is an occasion celebrated by some of the Tamil Indian community in Singapore and Malaysia. Devotees of Lord Murugan walk 4.5km from Little India to a Hindu temple in central Singapore to make offerings of milk and prayers. Some of the devotees pierce their skin, lips, and tongue and attach these amazing headdresses (called kavadis) to the piercings. As they walk in the progression, they stop every once in a while to break into dancing (the kavadis are very large - I can't imagine how painful this would be). The event is unique to Singapore and Malaysia - it's actually banned in India, which says a lot! It was absolutely amazing, and really my favorite cultural experience so far in Singapore. Things have been going well for Chad in the conservatories. He’s been researching how to import avocado trees donated by Jason Mraz (yes, this is very random, but apparently he owns an avocado tree nursery - he will also be performing the first concert at the garden). Chad also got to have lunch with the Mexican ambassador (who is unfortunately leaving this summer, so we'll have to start all over with forging our diplomatic relations!). He also will be travelling to Spain and the Canary Islands the end of March for a plant buying trip. If any of you would like a preview of the conservatories, you can check out the Amazing Race Israel – the contestants tightroped across Marina Bay and finished an episode inside the conservatory!
In addition to putting in a lot of effort to get the job at the botanical garden, I've been volunteering as usual, and have been lucky enough to get some freelance work. I enjoyed spending some time researching the feasibility of growing and exporting lemon grass for a Jamaican farmer living in Cuba (yes, also very random, but very interesting). And as always, I have also been busy travel planning. We head back to Tioman the first week of April, where we'll be staying on a very undeveloped part of the island. We're hoping to see lots of sea turtles there, as they nest on this part of the island. We've got 4 days in a basic chalet on the beach, with not much planned but hiking, swimming, kayaking and snorkeling. Yes, I know, we are so lucky! We're going to Cambodia in July, and also just bought tickets to Yogyakarta, Java for October (that Air Asia sale was incredible!). We’re also hoping to fit in a trip to Bali sometime this year. We're saving vacation time to come home for Christmas, otherwise we would hit Vietnam and/or Borneo this year too. So, unfortunately, we won't be able to travel all summer long; our door is always open - if any of you would like to visit Singapore this summer, we've got a blow-up mattress with your name on it!
Until next time...
