Sitting by the pool at 7:24 pm while Kit and Ella swim. We just had a meal of fairly crappy western food at the pool lounge. For the most part we have been eating local; and while aspects of Singapore are of the scale expensive (SG$ 30 for a bottle of sunscreen- have you seen how white Kit and Ella are?!), you can still get a delicious, filling meal from a hawker center (even a nice one in a shopping center for well under SG$ 10.
We've had a very busy week. Lots to organise with school orientation visits and getting our work permit/ dependents pass etc, not to mention just getting all 4 (fractious) kids out of a very small apartment. It's hard not having the things you are used to to occupy those "down time" moments: books, art supplies, CDs, DVDs toys etc. We are still getting used to the time difference, and not even having a kitchen stocked with food for hungry children can make life difficult at times.
We have been getting out a fair bit. Kit and Ella are totally enamoured in the MRT (mass rail transport; subway/trains). So much so that they want to start off catching it next week to get to and from school (instead of the private bus). I may have to go with them a few times just to make sure that they know where they are going as it gets a little maze-like walking through the transfer tunnels. I think the first few weeks of school will be exhausting for them anyway. Remi is quite happy to take the bus to his school, at least for now. Of course it may all change when we find somewhere more permanent to live, depending how close we end up to bus stops and MRT stations. I have to say that I am looking forward to school starting next week as it has been a bit of an ordeal dragging 4 hormonal, sweaty, tired and often hungry siblings around....you can imagine the bickering.
Singapore is very different 12 years on. Dare I say it, but globalisation has meant that it has lost some of its charm. Things are very glitzy and glamourous, and just more kind of built up. And everything seems to be available here now; for a price. But I have to say that Matt and I have been pleasantly surprised that it just doesn't seem as hot as we remembered it. And there are breezes. In fact, I only like to swim when the pool has full sun on it (for a very short time in the middle of the day), otherwise I get too cold. We often have a quick sauna after the pool to warm up,and the other day Ella and I had hot baths after coming down in the evening. We are not sure if the weather here has actually changed or whether, coming off of one of the hottest summer on records in the North East of the US, we are just more used to it...I suspect it may be a bit of both. Don't get me wrong, I was sweating bullets this afternoon after running across the turf field when I fell behind on Ella's school tour (I had to stop and use the loo), and when the humidity kicks in it is brutal. But right now, I could happily throw a light cardi over my shoulders, and I never remember feeling that way except with air conditioning when we lived here before.
This has become a very long post (a letter from the field so to speak), and I won't go on much longer, except to report that Oscar and Remi (and Matt) all went off to a rugby training today with the Singapore cricket club and are watching a match tonight. I think David Campese (only the rugger buggers or Aussies will get that one) was going to be there, and possibly training the group that Remi was with. It's good, as the boys need to start to meet some people, and for Oscar in particular, I think the rugby will help. We have an open house for a dance school tomorrow for Kit and Ella (although I'm not sure how they would get there until we have a car), as well as catching up with old NYC friends.
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We've had a very busy week. Lots to organise with school orientation visits and getting our work permit/ dependents pass etc, not to mention just getting all 4 (fractious) kids out of a very small apartment. It's hard not having the things you are used to to occupy those "down time" moments: books, art supplies, CDs, DVDs toys etc. We are still getting used to the time difference, and not even having a kitchen stocked with food for hungry children can make life difficult at times.
We have been getting out a fair bit. Kit and Ella are totally enamoured in the MRT (mass rail transport; subway/trains). So much so that they want to start off catching it next week to get to and from school (instead of the private bus). I may have to go with them a few times just to make sure that they know where they are going as it gets a little maze-like walking through the transfer tunnels. I think the first few weeks of school will be exhausting for them anyway. Remi is quite happy to take the bus to his school, at least for now. Of course it may all change when we find somewhere more permanent to live, depending how close we end up to bus stops and MRT stations. I have to say that I am looking forward to school starting next week as it has been a bit of an ordeal dragging 4 hormonal, sweaty, tired and often hungry siblings around....you can imagine the bickering.
Singapore is very different 12 years on. Dare I say it, but globalisation has meant that it has lost some of its charm. Things are very glitzy and glamourous, and just more kind of built up. And everything seems to be available here now; for a price. But I have to say that Matt and I have been pleasantly surprised that it just doesn't seem as hot as we remembered it. And there are breezes. In fact, I only like to swim when the pool has full sun on it (for a very short time in the middle of the day), otherwise I get too cold. We often have a quick sauna after the pool to warm up,and the other day Ella and I had hot baths after coming down in the evening. We are not sure if the weather here has actually changed or whether, coming off of one of the hottest summer on records in the North East of the US, we are just more used to it...I suspect it may be a bit of both. Don't get me wrong, I was sweating bullets this afternoon after running across the turf field when I fell behind on Ella's school tour (I had to stop and use the loo), and when the humidity kicks in it is brutal. But right now, I could happily throw a light cardi over my shoulders, and I never remember feeling that way except with air conditioning when we lived here before.
This has become a very long post (a letter from the field so to speak), and I won't go on much longer, except to report that Oscar and Remi (and Matt) all went off to a rugby training today with the Singapore cricket club and are watching a match tonight. I think David Campese (only the rugger buggers or Aussies will get that one) was going to be there, and possibly training the group that Remi was with. It's good, as the boys need to start to meet some people, and for Oscar in particular, I think the rugby will help. We have an open house for a dance school tomorrow for Kit and Ella (although I'm not sure how they would get there until we have a car), as well as catching up with old NYC friends.
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Good one, but I do imagine it is a bit of a shame that Asian cities have chosen to move on...does make me very apprehensive about returning to VN. I do suspect rugger is going to be very important for Oscar in particular this year...are any of the kids planning to learn Chinese? That could be a really good one for Oscar.
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Dad
Only Ella is going to learn mandarin. Remi is going to continue with French (a benifit of going to the canadian school), kit is going to continue with Spanish, Ella couldn't continue with spanish, so she decided to learn mandarin instead and is really looking forward to it. Oscaf never enjoyed learning languages, ans I know he just wouldn't be into it. Shame.
ReplyDeleteI'm really glad that Kit and Ella are so close in ages, are going to the same school and can do all this subway hopping together as it sometimes gets confusing down there. mum xx
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