So the choir concert was a great success. We entertained a crowd and later pulled others, including my daughter, on stage for a Christmas carol sing-a-long. Terry and my teen were so proud of me. Singing really isn't my talent, as I've said before. But it was great fun. And afterwards we wandered up Orchard Road, glimmering with Christmas lights and decorations, ate delicious sausage dogs - Terry got a beer... you can drink beer on the streets here - and marveled at how non-Christmassy it felt even though it's so decorated and we were wearing santa hats. People stare because you're a 'westerner' but nobody seemed to notice the fact that we were the only ones wearing santa hats. It all made waiting for the taxi less... ummm... more bearable.
Waiting for taxis has become annoying, to say the least. According to one taxi driver, the number of taxis has not increased, while tourism due to the new casino here in Singapore has increased quite a lot. One evening we were 20 minutes late for a show - Riverdance! Awesome. - because of waiting and then traffic jams. And many people arrived with and after us! It's just something you have to accept when living here.
My daughter has finally begun to feel settled here in her new environment.... making some friends, getting a part as a Do Wop girl in the Little Shop of Horrors school production, dancng a 'flash mob' at school (and having her teachers comment on her great dancing and talk to her again about teaching at the school... yes, I'm a proud mama), singing in the Xmas concert (with only two other people - their choir has only THREE people in it!), and getting settled into the IB program. IB is not a walk in the park, that's for sure. Crazy. But she's already starting to think differently. I'm beginning to stop doubting that I made the right decision about IB. Phew!
Culture Fest was a hit too. I made molasses cookies and volunteered at the school for half the day. It was delightful to talk to other parents (and eat some international foods!). Now, I say culture fest was a hit... but the cookies I made were NOT! What is wrong with teenagers... they wanted Rocky Roads and fancy chocolate cookies with sugary toppings. What's up with that?! I brought home almost 5 dozen of my 6 dozen cookies.... Terry's colleagues were happy, though. Next time... forget trying to be too 'cultural'... bring on the chocolate! How could I not have known this? Chocolate is a staple in our household.
We also had a friend from Canada in Singapore! My good friend's husband. It was great to share dinner and walk around looking at the sights. Made me want more visitors. Come on people! I'm unemployed and have lots of spare time to show you around!! And I am actually beginning to feel like I know something about this place. We went to a play last week called Cinderel-lah. A local group performed a pantemime based on the story of Cinderella but with various Singapore sayings and points made... and I got most of it! Four months in and I am laughing at local jokes like they are my own. Not bad, lah.
So I guess lots of fun stuff is happening... not to mention just simply being immersed in a different culture. I think we witnessed some sort of funeral one night... a parade of sorts drove up the road with music blaring out loud speakers and one of the trucks flahsed with lights and carried something adorned with flowers and decorations... it may have been the casket. Another evening we saw a local wedding celebration taking place in the bottom space of the HDB... apparently they have funerals there too. We've seen several getais (Chinese performances - no idea how to spell this word) around town. And of course, now that we're out and about shopping a little more than usual, we've seen some things in stores that are... questionable... so many wild and different things. Chinese medicine shops are everywhere and they sell everything from frog feet to lizard gizzards. And in Little India you can find cow urine to bless your home. Any requests?
A recruiter I met quite a while ago contacted me to see if I was still in the job market - I said I'm looking for short-term contracts. The small contract for which I submitted a proposal hasn't come to fruition. Funnily, though, I think this break from hectic days is exactly what I needed to push forward... wherever it is I'm going. I'm still working on figuring that out... it's a work in progress, and suffice it to say, it's progressing. But I have to admit, when I wrote the proposal, it felt like a part of my brain was awakened after a long hibernation.
For now, however, I'm sitting in the sun by the pool (sweating to death and just about to jump in), surrounded by palm trees and greenery and smells from the hawkers, while my daughter studies balance sheets and profit and loss statements by my side. Things have changed for sure.
Oh, and we're going home for Christmas in four days. Looking forward to breathing in a lung full of fresh, cold air.... quite opposite from the hot, humid jungle air I sucked in the other day while wandering around the Bukit Batok Nature Reserve (which was refreshing in a different way). We're also looking forward to my mom's cooking. And believe it or not, my daughter wants Chinese food. Yep... the authentic Chinese food here is not like Canadian Chinese food... just like western food here is not like home. But other authentic dishes are so incredibly delicious and scrumptious... Japanese, Indian, Korean, Mediterranean.... yum, yum, yum.
I'll return after January 9th with a renewed spirit and hopefully more concrete plans for filling my days (not that my days are bad, but I do need to work towards a goal or two:).
Namaste, and thank-you to all who read. I've received many positive and supportive comments, which help ignite me when I think I have nothing to write. Thank-you and MERRY CHRISTMAS!
