So we did manage to move to Singapore. All the frenzied preparation since the last post saw us leave our rental, move in with the parents (we didn't quite time the travel right), and then off on our adventure. I was pretty sad to leave Florida and my extended family. But the good news was that my parents would travel to Asia to help us settle down. They made a trip to China, like they always wanted, then came to Singapore to pave the way for us. Meanwhile, we took our little halfway-round-the world trip - more on that later.
We got to Singapore early November and managed to find a nice condo near the subway (MRT) in a fairly central location. We want to try our best to live with public transport, as car ownership is very expensive here. The kids are so used to cars though, that they initially kept wanting to go places in a car. We do tend to take taxis when we go out as a family - that is what they ask for nowadays.
Our employment authorization took awhile - Hubby's came through earlier on, but mine was delayed due to a little technical issue. That took awhile to sort out, but now we are all legal. The business side is seeing some challenges, but we are hanging in there. Things just seem to take longer than we expected.
The kids are installed in childcare. It took us a while to decide on a place, and them some time to get used to it, but it's all sorted. And they have had their first bout of hand, foot and mouth disease. Boy is in taekwondo again - took him a while there too. First grading coming up!
In a way, I marvel at the life change we have taken. At times, I feel too old for this, and long to set roots somewhere. Boy had a harder time than I expected. But kids are already speaking more mandarin.
One of the advantages of living in Singapore - convenience and accessibility of services. I pop across the street for food and groceries. Don't miss the driving at all. You could buy practically anything here - almost all the common American mall brands are here, if you're up to paying the premium prices.
Disadvantages - the humidity and crowds. It is so hot all the time - at least it cools off a little bit in the winter in Florida. Public transport gets really crowded. We took kids to a popular spot one evening and Girl got stepped on. People sure aren't shy about jostling for space. My kids constantly gets cut off in queues to get on the bus. Those courtesy campaigns didn't seem to take. But then Singapore has doubled its population in the twenty plus years I've been away.
How long will this be home? I wish I knew...
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| At the marina - Marina Bay Sands in the background |
