Thoughts on Singapore

A 3 PM international flight coupled with three tired bodies who slept in meant we didn't have time to do much in Singapore today other than eat breakfast, buy a few essentials we can't find in Jakarta - like M&M's and vitamins. We did pause to allow my daughter the opportunity to play at the playground in the mall, as well as a playground at the airport during lunch. At the airport, she had fun playing with a local who introduced himself as "Jeremy, One Smart Boy". Other than that, it's just been taxi rides, standing in lines, and waiting to board our plane.

I'll summarize our trip to Singapore with the following:

1) We were still a minority, but we didn't feel like one. We think it is because the only difference we really share is appearance. In Jakarta, we different in appearance and economics. The more time I spend overseas, the more I realize it is truly the economic differences that divide us, not racial, religious, or physical differences.

2) The Singaporeans speak English, but I had trouble understanding them. One of our cab drivers said they speak "Singlish", which I think is a combination of English, Malay and Chinese. This wasn't too big an issue until this morning. I ordered a strawberry smoothie. The woman behind the counter said something about "ice cream", and then pointed to a board behind her. I replied with "mango", thinking they would use "mango" ice cream or yogurt in my smoothie. I ended up with a mango juice.

3) On a clear day, you can see Malaysia from Sentosa Island.

4) You see a lot of people in surgical masks. We first noticed this on the flight from Jakarta to Singapore. We also saw this on the subway, at the zoo, and again in the airport.

5) Singapore is very small. It is a city, state and nation all in one (much like Australia is a country and a continent). I think metro-Phoenix is larger than Singapore by quite a lot.

6) Two weeks in Singapore is enough to know your way around and make the most efficient use of mass transit. The subways are clean and efficient, though you'll need to be prepared to walk from your destination to find one. In Paris, you can catch a metro at nearly every corner. In Singapore, they are not quite as available. Buses seem more accessible. One of the best things about the mass transit is the transit cards are transferable. Subway our bus, one pass.

7) Singapore is expensive. I haven't kept track of our spending - I've been afraid to. With cab rides averaging $10 USD, and dinner about 15% more than US prices, I'm sure we spent more than I wanted to. We didn't look into the cost of services like massage, tailoring, etc.

8) We often felt like we were in a US city. The malls, the restaurants, even the brands in the grocery store were a welcome reminder of home.

9) We ate at every US restaurant we could find. Subway was our staple for lunch. Dinners were at California Pizza Kitchen and Black Angus. It's amazing how comforting familiar food can be.

10) The people in Jakarta are friendlier. My theory is that the more money you make, the less dependent you feel on the future kindness of strangers, so you are less compelled to be amiable. Singaporeons are not rude, by any means - pushy, maybe, but not rude. Indonesians just seem to be much more interested in being friendly, helpful, and welcoming to others.

11) Our daughter is demonstrating that she wants to lead (or at least be bossy). At dinner, were discussing what we were planning to have for dessert. When the waitress came back, our daughter promptly advised her what everyone would be having. In cabs, she would always tell the driver where we were going and, when we were done for the night, would tell them "you can go home now".

I'm glad we had the opportunity to visit Singapore prior to coming here for delivery. I am very comfortable with the medical care we will receive here, and that there will be plenty to keep us entertained while we await the big day. I'm also very comfortable that my wife and daughter will be safe without me for the 8-12 weeks they will be living there while I am commuting back and forth from Jakarta.

We are now safely back at our home in Jakarta. The big news on the front page of the Jakarta Post is that an assumed sniper has killed a 29-year-old Australian near our mine site. He was an employee and seated in the back seat of the vehicle. I'm interested to see what our internal communications has to say about this tomorrow morning.