10 Things to Love about Singapore

I came up with this list awhile ago. I think it was the holiday season and I was getting a little home sick. Instead of dwelling on being so far from family and friends and what I missed about the states, I made a list, in my head at first, of all the things to love about living here in Singapore. I quickly jotted it down in my journal so I wouldn't forget and now I thought I would post it on my blog. Maybe I can recruit someone to join us out here--or at least maybe visit. These are not in any significant order.

1. Safety: Back in Minnesota when Joseph traveled I was always on edge. We had an alarm system in our home complete with motion detectors and I never turned it on. I was actually afraid it would go off for real or even by accident (say if a mouse in the the basement ran across the floor and the detectors caught it). I'm sure I would have a panic attack and that was more troubling than the alternative whatever it may be (which was always nothing, thankfully.) It is not that we lived in a dangerous area, I just have an overactive imagination and ears that pick up every squeak and thump throughout an entire house. I checked all the doors and windows twice and even had Joseph install another bolt on the front door. I always slept with a phone by my bed AND a charged cell phone in case whoever was going to break in cut the phone lines. 911 was on speed dial (I've heard people forget the number when they panic). I think you get the idea of just how psychotic I was without me revealing anymore. Now let me contrast the situation here. Joseph is traveling and I go to bed. As I am drifting peacefully off to sleep I remember that I haven't checked the front door to make sure it is locked. I don't feel like getting up to check so I go to sleep without another thought about it. My cell phone is downstairs in my purse and my phones here often don't work or aren't charged anyway.

Yes, Singapore is so safe it is almost unreal. The government has a no tolerance policy towards crime which is really quite effective in creating such a safe environment. Just don't get falsely accused.

2. Tropical: Everything here is lush and green, vibrant and alive. Orchids wrap around trees along the streets and grow in front yards. The government also landscapes everything here--all the highways and city streets are manicured and trimmed with flowers and tropical plants. There are also the reserves where they have preserved the natural jungle to explore (albeit on nice paths and hiking trails.)

3. People: The Oriental people here are polite and courteous. They have strong family values and, for the most part, are very respectful, quiet people whom I have come to admire.

4. Transport: Getting around Singapore is easy and cheap. There are blue taxis everywhere willing to take you anywhere you want to go. And it only costs between $4 to $10 US dollars, which is cheap when you compare that to how much a car costs. To keep traffic under control (and I must add that for being such a big city, the traffic is not too bad) the government puts such a high tax on cars that most people opt not to have a car--it's just too expensive where there are so many other less expensive options to getting around. We only have one car for our family and not having a second car has never been an issue. Alternative transportation whether it be in the form of a bus, taxi, metro, (or in Joseph's case a motorcycle) is readily available. If all else fails (like the car battery one morning) you just call a taxi.

5. Ease: I must admit that life here is pretty cushy. You can hire out just about everything, and every service you can think of which makes your life easier is offered. And it is all so affordable it doesn't make sense not to. Most people have live in help "foreign domestic workers" to do their cleaning and cooking; also gardening, catering, or laundry, to name a few, are easy and cheap to come by. When you grocery shop, you load up your cart and pay for it, and the store will deliver it to your door in a couple of hours--free. You don't even pump your own gas. Just pull-up, roll down your window and say, "Regular, please. To the top." Whenever you eat fast food, you just leave your tray on the table when you are done and walk out. There are two phrases here that you often hear: "no need" and "can." (The "can" is kind of interesting. I just figured that one out from studying Chinese. There is no universal "yes" in Chinese like "oui" in French or "si" in Spanish. In Chinese you answer affirmatively by repeating the verb used in the question. For example, if you ask someone in Chinese, "Can I have a drink of milk?" The answer literally would be "can.")

6. Location: Singapore is in an ideal location for an amazing array of exotic destinations. Vacations that before I only dreamed about are now easily available. In 4 hours or less, you can be in Australia, India, China, Cambodia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Malaysia, Indonesia to name some. And not only are they close, but it is relatively cheap to get there, not to mention really cheap when you get there. The opportunities to see these places and expose my children to other countries and ways of life so different from ours make the effort and cost worthwhile. I must admit that before we moved here, my knowledge of the geography in this region was pretty weak. We have hardly scratched the surface of what there is to see and do, but we have all learned a lot and are grateful for every opportunity we have had to travel.

7. Weather: In Minnesota, I lived by weather.com. I woke up, got breakfast, checked the weather, then got dressed. Everything really did depend on weather, especially in Minnesota. Should I do the laundry or go to the park? Can I exercise outside today or do I need to schedule time to go to the gym? I had to check the weather before I could plan my day. The weather really did vary that much and determined even more. I've checked the weather twice since we've been here and both times the weekly forecast was the following: Monday, partly cloudy, 88/75 (High/Low) 60% chance of rain. Tuesday, partly cloudy, 88/75. 60% chance of rain. Wednesday, partly cloudy, 87/74, 60% chance of rain. Thursday, partly cloudy, 88/75, 60% chance of rain. . . . and so you see "no need" to even check the forecast. You get up and plan your day based on what you feel like doing vs. what you need to do and not what you should or can't do because it is or isn't a nice day.

8. Food: There are so many food options here is it almost ridiculous when you consider the size of this country/city. The Hawker Centers are famous throughout the world and are an experience just to go and walk around or watch people or inhale the unusual odors. (Hawker Centers are food centers, usually outdoors, where there are stalls set up with pictures of the food you buy and it is cooked right there on the spot in front of you. One Hawker Center might have 20 or 40 different stalls to choose from. And, as you can imagine, it is the real deal when it comes to Asian cuisine.) It is fun to discover that one place that sells just the right dumplings (pot stickers are kind of a rude imitation of them) or satay. A meal at a Hawker Center costs anywhere from $2 to $5. I don't think many of the locals even cook that much because it is so cheap to eat out. I also have had fun cooking more Asian food with all the spices and things readily available at the grocery stores.

9. Culture: Singapore is only about 26 miles wide and 14 miles long. And there is such an amazing fusion of cultures in that small space: Chinese, Indian, Malay, Indonesian, are some of the more dominant cultures here, but Singapore is virtually a crossroads for people all over the world. It is not unusual to chat with women from Sweden, Norway or Spain at the parks in the expat areas. Our ward has had or has people from Russia, Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany, Denmark, Korea, Taiwan, Australia and Brazil (are the ones that come to mind right now.)

10: Distance: It is refreshing to be so far removed from the overbearing pop culture and media in the US. We get interesting views on US and global issues from strangers and associates here. And instead of turning on the TV to watch Hannah Montana or something of that sort, Abigail comes home from school and works on a rag rug her school class is making for 3rd world countries in the region and then takes a bath with one bucket of cold water she has to fill outside and haul upstairs so she can get an idea of what it is like for many people around the world who have no running water. (she is learning about 3rd world countries in social studies as part of a bigger program where the 3rd graders are earning money to buy animals to donate to these countries.)