Let's take the train!

I love public transportation. I'm serious. In Oregon, we had two cars - mine and his. Here we have one car and we are so blessed to even have that; most families do not have access to a car at all. It is just too expensive. So I use public transportation to get around and it suits me fine. Today, lucky me, I used the three major ones: train, bus and taxi.

Train is by far my favorite method of travel here. It's well marked, well announced, well mapped out, cost effective and you can pretty much get anywhere. I have no problems walking a little ways to get to a train station. (Although the bus might be better during the rainy season.) The kids and I have been consistently using the MRT for months. Cade even misses it now that he's gone back to school during the week. Elise loves people watching and there's always someone trying to get her to smile. I'll be the first to suggest taking the train and I love going to new stations. I can easily say that it is one of the best things about living here.

This morning my daughter and I ventured out to try to learn the bus system. I hadn't used the bus yet because of one reason: you have to fold up your stroller. Have you tried holding a squirming 15 month baby and a diaper bag, making sure a five year old doesn't run in the road and folding up a stroller while a bus driver waits? No thanks. Alas, after watching her big brother get on and off the school (aka tour) bus for the last week and a half, Elise was excitedly pointing to every bus that went by. So I carried her as we rushed across the street to catch the next number 158. The bus system admittedly isn't hard to use and it's very cheap. Although the stops aren't announced so you do need to know, and watch for, where you are going. We ended up back tracking a bit when I decided 'oh shoot, I think we wanted to get off back there and hey, lots of people are getting off here, we should too.' And we walked a bit farther because we got on the number 12 instead of the 31. Elise didn't care, she loved looking out the window and proceeded to point at every bus there after. Once we learn how to navigate the system, it'll be great.

But I'm not a fan of taxis. I'm really not! That's the go-to for many people here but honestly, I think they are expensive and stressful. For example, I was in a taxi on the expressway (yes, Singapore has expressways) when the alternator went out and all power to the vehicle began to shut off: the air conditioning, the power windows, the meter, the radio, etc. We were lucky to pull into my destination. It was scary and you know both the driver and I were praying! On top of that, it was the first time I'd gone by myself and left Ross at home with the kids. Ok, so that example wasn't an expensive one - the meter wasn't working so he couldn't charge me. But it was stressful!
Then there were the taxi drivers who got 'lost' trying to find our destination because we obviously didn't know where we were going. That's when it starts to get expensive. Lesson learned: map out the route before you get in the cab. Or, as I do now, warn the 'uncle' that your baby starts screaming if you are in the cab too long. That'll get you the quicker/cheaper route.
Or the creepy drivers who ask too many questions about your children or just look at you funny.
Or the uncles who lecture you on how you really shouldn't take someone's cab even if it was an accident and you already feel guilty enough as it is.
Or the worst, the drivers who, no matter how long they've lived here or how well they speak English, cannot understand where you are trying to tell them to go. Dude! My condo has been built for 10 years. It's not new. It's not hard to find. (Truth be told, this is the one of the reasons I love the train so much. I don't have to talk to a soul if I don't want to and everything is announced in very proper English, along with several other languages depending on the line.) 
This video is hilarious to me now and very accurate.
But this afternoon, I needed to get somewhere more direct and a bit quicker. So I hailed the next available cab and was able to pick my son up from school and return home for $10. I'll admit, that may have been worth it.

I still vote to take the train.

Q & A with 'experienced' answers

We've been here for almost three months! That is incredible and so hard to believe. And we have learned a great deal in that short(?) amount of time. So here's an update to the Q&A (original post here) I posted before we moved to Singapore . . .

Q) Where is Singapore?

A) Smack in the middle of Southeast Asia - you can actually see Malaysia at the north side and the lights of Indonesia from our windows at night.

Q) What type of political system do they have?

A) There's a President, who seems cool after seeing his photo every where and watching him on the National Day broadcasts. There are ministries for EVERYTHING: Ministry of Manpower, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Communication, you name it.

Q) What language do most people speak?

A) We've heard it all. The signs are mostly in English and thankfully the train announcements and signs are in English. But we hear Mandarin, Malay, Tamil, along with French, German, I even heard Finnish. There are so many different people here from all parts of the world.

Q) Are their special limits to women like dress code?

A) I haven't really noticed sexism here as much as I've noticed racism and religious beliefs. Woman dress according to their religion and tradition.

Q) Are there nice beach areas with snorkeling and diving?

A) East Coast Park has a nice open water area that Ross swam in for a triathlon recently and a nice beach area for Sandcastles. Sentosa is also known for beach front activities. There probably is snorkeling and diving but we still haven't found that.

Q) Beach bungalow or city high-rise?

A) We picked a mix of both! We live in a condo that's fairly low for high-rises, in a quieter neighborhood tucked a little out of the way from East Coast park. I love it! Easy access to shopping and the train, lovely amenities and the best part, making friends from just a few floors over.

Q) How bad is the pollution?

A) The pollution is not an issue. Even during the 'haze', it was nothing compared to the wildfires of Oregon. And there's often a rain storm or breeze that keeps the air moving.

Q) How does the cost of living compare to here?

A) The short answer is that everything costs at least double what we are used to at the store. Real Estate, schooling and cars are ridiculously expensive. Part of the adjustment has also been moving from a small sleepy town with not much to do to a big big city with lots going on. Having a life and shopping costs money.

Q) How much acid rain do they get per year?

A) I sure hope it's not acid rain because I often get caught without an umbrella and I love feeling the warm rain on my skin.

Q) I'd love to know more about holidays celebrated there.

A) National Day was fun! I love all the decorations that people put up to celebrate the country's birthday. And now that we are in Chinese Mid-Autumn celebration, Chinatown is decked out in fabulous colorful flower lanterns. I love that there always seems to be something for someone to celebrate and the pride that everyone takes in their holidays.

Q) I'd love to know what the schools and education is like!

A) Oh schools! How different that has been for us than what we anticipated. Foreigners are not allowed to attend local schools without approval from the Ministry of Education and that's a process. Locals are not allowed to attend international schools. We ended up putting Cade in the Canadian International School closer to us. He started this week so we'll see how it goes. He loves the quick bus ride and I'm excited about the variety of things he gets to experience.

Q) If I was a local, born and raised, what might I do for hobbies/entertainment?

A) It's all about food here. Have you eaten? Would you like to eat? Let's eat. They also like to celebrate holidays.

Q) Is there a vast difference between in the city and other areas?

A) There are definitely distinct parts of town and it's great that you can have all these different experiences within a short amount of travel time. Want to be a beach bum, go to East Coast Park and rent a bike. Want high-end shopping but more local, go to Orchard. Want high-end shopping but total tourist, go to Marina Bay Sands. Want the resort life, go to Sentosa. All these areas feel so separate but realistically, they all run into one. My favorite area to explore right now is Bugis on the edge of Chinatown, Clark Quay and the Arts District. It's where the National Central Library is located.

Q) Is Ross going to get caned?

A) Saying prayers that this doesn't happen. So far, knock on wood, he's been ok.

Q) What kind of animals can you find there in the wild?

A) We see tons of dogs, cats, birds, butterflies and lizards roaming around. The zoo and safari are awesome! But we liked the aquarium even better. We still need to go to the bird park.

Q) Why is gum outlawed?

A) The buying and selling of gum is illegal here and I have only heard you can buy it from the pharmacy. There are mixed reports on if it's illegal to chew gum. I've had two or three pieces since moving here but I'm very careful to chew with my mouth closed and dispose of it properly. I don't want to get 'Stomped'.

Q Is there a type of alcohol/drink they are recognized for and a must try for visitors?

A) All the tourists and expats say you have to have at least one Singapore Sling. But it's an expensive drink. I liked it though. The local 'Tiger Beer' has become a regular, especially the Radler with lemon in it. But alcohol is extremely expensive here so sometimes it's not even worth it to bother. Everyone drinks kopi (instead of coffee), milo or sjora, and lots of tea.

I know it's been quiet on the blogging scene from me. Can't believe how quick time flies by! Comment with your questions and I'll try to get them answered. Sending love from this part of the world.

Toilet Paper

When we were preparing to leave the United States, one of my biggest concerns was if I was going to be able to find the toilet paper we've been using for the past nine years. I knew this wasn't a big deal because really, I'd be able to find something for us to wipe our bums. But the true question was if I'd be able to find the things to which my family had grown accustomed.
Focusing on this 'little' worry helped keep my mind off the big issues: would I be able to figure out where to buy groceries? would we make friends? would we find a home? would we be financially stable? would the kids adjust to being here? would customs take all of our belongings? would we be lost in a sea of people we didn't understand or who didn't understand us? There were so many worries running through our minds.
God has addressed many of our concerns. There's a decent grocery store within walking distance and a good website I can order pantry items to be delivered. We found a place to live that we actually love. Customs wasn't an issue at all. We are making friends at church and at our condo. We all seem to be settling in OK. Don't get me wrong, we still have plenty of things we worry about but today, almost two months after moving here, I bought a pack of 'our' toilet paper.

Say What?

A little while back my friend asked me: "How are your children adjusting to a world where most others aren't speaking English? Have they noticed much, since their parents are speaking English?"
Thankfully we've moved to "Asia Light" as people like to call it and most people here speak English. So I'd say that language seems to be no issue for the kids so far. Their interaction with people is limited to those providing customer service or passing-by neighbors. And since everyone does their best to speak English, especially to little blond kids, they haven't noticed. At least Cade hasn't made any comments. (Unlike when we were in Oregon and he'd constantly ask me about the Spanish speaking people at the next table over.) Then again, Cade is very confident in his English speaking abilities and believes that everyone should be able to understand him.  
Elise sounds like she's babbling in Hindi or Mandarin most of the time as it is.When we were staying in the hotel apartment that had housekeeping services, Elise loved to see what the housekeepers were doing. She'd babble to them and give big smiles. One housekeeper said "My English not too good" and pointed at Elise. I said, "That's ok--her's isn't very good either." She is starting to talk more and she loves dancing to music-regardless of the language.
We've found the TV channels from the United States (Disney and Nick Jr.) so the cartoons are in English. One of Cade's favorite cartoons right now is Ni Hao Kai-lan. It's a Chinese cartoon similar to Dora that teaches Mandarin phrases. After Cade watches, he likes to use his new phrases to people. I sure hope he's not offending everyone with his cartoon-Chinese. He's excited about learning Mandarin at school in the fall. He's even started watching Asian TV with Daddy; but I can't tell if he likes it because it's in a different language or because he gets to watch TV with Daddy. He doesn't seem to care if the radio station is in a different language either. Thank you Ross for developing a fondness of Hindi music.
We are slightly concerned that the kids will have difficulty with spelling and grammar as they grow up. The "Queen's English" is bound to cause a few errors on a spelling test if we move back to the States. And the "Singlish" language is not well known for proper grammar. We are also trying to keep the children from adding 'lah' to the end of all their phrases. That might be a bit harder once they are in school and around more kids.
I'd love to answer more questions. Just let me know--lah!

Quick update! New HOME

Now that we have internet access again, I'm hoping to be more regular about my blog posts. But wanted to let you know, dear reader, that we are in our new-to-us condo. So far so good! Friday we got the keys and took care of the logistics with the furniture rental and the delivery of our air shipment. So nice to have stuff both new and old. Yesterday we checked out of Shangri-La Apartments and tried to explain to Cade that this would be the last move, for a little while. Then we watched the National Day practice fireworks last night from the comfort of our living room. Today we went to church (that'll probably be a post all it's own about the church we found and how we found it). Feels nice to have a glimmer of hope that we'll be able to settle into our new place and our new routine. Tomorrow I think we'll go explore the park down the street and have a picnic lunch. Really can't complain right now.

Feeling Blessed

I joined a group online of fellow expat wives that is very helpful. I've learned the best places to find things, recommendations for churches/restaurants/activities, events going on and even met potential friends through there. It's truly a lovely resource.
But today I feel like shouting: DON'T YOU SEE HOW BLESSED WE ARE?!?
One of the heavily discussed topics is helpers. In Singapore, it's common to have a live-in helper. Even our condo has a 'room' for the helper. I didn't take photos because it's more of a utility shower and laundry room. Most helpers in Singapore are from the Philippines or Indonesia and are diligent, conscientious women who are working to support their families back home. (<-- taken from this article) Helpers are nannies, housekeepers and chefs rolled into one.
I'll admit that this does sound very helpful and for some people it makes a lot of sense. Especially for families where both parents work as the costs seem comparable to full time childcare. I'm still trying to decide but personally I'm thinking I won't be employing a helper. I've got my own reasons and I joked with Ross that it has something to do with being raised in the west with pioneer spirit. But I certainly don't have a problem with anyone who hires a helper. To hire or not to hire is not the question.

It occurred to me this morning, while reading through the debate on both sides, just how truly blessed I am to even be able to consider this option. What a blessing that my husband found employment that allows us the opportunity; that we don't have to work multiple jobs to make ends meet; that I don't have to leave my children each day to live with and take care of a family other than my own. I'm feeling a bit humbled and very much grateful.

Can you guess?

• Your weight in Kilograms.
• Your height in Meters.
• The temperature outside in Celsius. 
• The temperature to set the air conditioning to in Celsius.
• The amount of deli meat you'd like in Grams.
• The distance to the store in Kilometers.
• The time nap should end on a 24 hour clock.
• How tall your child is in Meters.
• How much soda you drink in Milliliters.
• What day is 12/05/2014? Is it December 5th?

Nothing is measured the same here. I'm sure there's an app for that, but I haven't found one yet. It's a bit tiring trying to relate things to what you are used to. Too many math problems! If it's 32 degrees Celsius outside, the walk we went on yesterday was a 2 kilometer loop, the AC is set to 24 degrees Celsius, nap ends at 15:00 and I'm going to enjoy my 330 ml soda, what color is the sky?