Singapore -- post 1

Jonathan exploring the adult exercise equipment next to one of the playgrounds in the HDB apartment complex where we are staying.

Jonathan and I arrived in Singapore on December 10, and Dave has now joined us on December 17!  We will remain here until several weeks after the birth -- when documentation is complete and everyone is strong enough to travel.  

The first week I was caring for Jonathan by myself and also immersed in settling in.  There is always a big learning curve, and a "search-and-gather" to do.

God has provided an amazing place for us to stay -- totally unlike anything we would have imagined when we were first praying about coming here!  We find His provision to be very good indeed!

We are staying in what is known as an HDB apartment -- Singapore's version of public housing projects.  It's affordable housing built by the government.  I know the 2 bedroom flat we are staying in has been owned by the family for 35 years.  When they bought it the price was $7000 Singapore.  It is now worth $300,000.  The "projects" in Singapore are actually quite nice -- equipped with plenty of greenery, excellent playgrounds for children and exercise equipment for adults, frequent garbage pick-up, regular mosquito control measures, and good maintenance.  I really can't believe the flat we're staying in is old .....it looks very new.  Also, the first floor of most of the buildings are packed with community services such as senior centers, early childhood centers, daycares, and the like.  Our building happens to be right next door to a large police station!

Wow!  There are 3 toddler-appropriate playgrounds within really close walking distance of our flat, and about 5 more within slightly further walking distance.  It's SO nice for a pregnant momma with a very wiggly 2 year old!

Our host, Gene, helps Jonathan climb up a play structure.

We are staying in a flat with "Sister Gene," a 51 year old Mandarin Chinese Singaporean lady.  She is a precious women who is "renting" the 2 bedrooms of her home to us.  She is sleeping on a cot in the living room.   It's working out fine.  I'll explain more of that story in another blog update that will be posted soon ....I've already started it.  We look forward to getting to know this devoted Christian woman more deeply.  She is quiet, doesn't speak much English, and an introvert like us. 

Gene is a private tutor who gives Mandarin lessons to primary and secondary students.  She loves children and they have been her life's work and ministry.  She likes Jonathan too, although toddlers are a bit out of her scope of practice.  Like many single people in Singapore, Gene does very little cooking.  It's at least as cheap to eat at the "hawker center" (translate: food court) across the street as it is to buy food, supply a kitchen, and cook.  So, we pretty much have the run of the kitchen, which is convenient.  There is a "wet market" (stalls of fruits, vegetables, meats, spices), a bunch of shops, and a grocery store so very close to our flat, so buying groceries is no problem.  We haven't really explored the food courts yet because of my diet restrictions ....and no real desire yet to find menu items that don't contain fish heads or other undesirables. 

We are having some culture adjustment here.  Singapore, although very diverse ethnically, is known as being a mainly English speaking country.  That's not true here in the Bedok neighborhood!  We find that very FEW people can speak English, and even fewer can understand OUR English (nor can we understand theirs). 

Bamboo pole laundry

Okay, so here's something fun about the laundry skills I am learning!  Most everyone has a washing machine, but few have dryers.  Instead, each family has a collection of bamboo poles.  Outside the kitchen windows are special slots for holding the poles out in the sunlight and breeze.  Special giant clothespins are used to clip on the clothes.  It's a process to get the clothes on the poles without dropping them on the floor 500 times and then to heave the wet-laundry loaded poles out the window into the slots without dropping them to the ground so far below!  Of course the other skill is to grab them back in quick when it starts raining!   The kitchen has hooks on the ceiling for inside drying too. 

Until next time!

Life in Our New City -- Part 1

Disclaimer: This Blog is Still Under Construction!!

It's been over a week since we arrived in our new town. We don't yet have internet at the house, so it's been a challenge for Jenn to get to a connected computer what with Jonathan's naptimes and night time and everything.

Here's a picture of the house we are living in now. The first house we were assigned really wasn't ready to live in yet. We only lived there for one night -- it had NO cockroaches but lots of dirt and needed some essential repairs. We were so grateful that the school quickly offered us another house which was very clean and study but has many cockroaches. At first Jenn asked Dave to stomp on them because they make a horrible sound when squished. After a few deays, Jenn is now brae do to the deed herself with a broom handle. She yells during the kill to cover the unpleasant sound. Fortunately we found the main cockroach entrance and plugged it, which decreased their number at least 80%. The next step is to shop for boric acid, which when mixed with onions, sugar, flour, and milk makes a "cockroach cookie" that is will scare them away for 6 months. The book says the recipe is 100% effective -- I'll let you know!

We have so many blessings here. The weather is always warm but not as sweltering as Dave had feared. It's supposed to be dry season now, but it's rained several times. The locals are worried because it's messing up the crop cycles and driving up the food prices in the market. In our house we have 4 ceiling fans and a wall fan in the kitchen. The floors are tile throughout. We have hot water n the bathroom and sometimes in the kitchen. The school provides a regular ample supply of drinking water. Electricity is good -- the power has only gone out a few times for about an hour in the mid-morning. We were so blessed to be able to buy a used washing machine from a family who is leaving town. Thank you Lord! Someday soon I will do a room-by-room tour for those of you who are interested!

Our neighborhood is mostly Javanese. There are at least 5 mosques within a 1/4 mile radius of our home. The all perform the call to prayer over loud speaker 5 times a day. It's not too bothersome -- actually sometimes I think it's beautiful depending on the talent of the singer. It would be nice if we Christians did something similar. They start around 5 am and at this time of year the last call is around 8:30 pm. The times change as the Muslim calender year progresses. I have heard that when Ramadan (the Muslim fasting month) starts, they sing almost all night long.

There is another American teacher family 2 hourses down from us. They have 3 small children with another on the way. We expect to be good friends with them. Also there are 2 Korean families on our street. They do not speak Indonesian or English, so we can't communicate much with them yet.

The school community has been so supportive and helpful and kind! The first night we were here, dinner was brought to us. The next 4 nights, different school families invited us over for dinner! This was a life-saver because Jenn definately wasn't ready to put together a meal yet and we didn't know where any of the safe eating joints are! Another mom took Jenn shopping twice in the first few days to get essentials for life. We were so pleasantly surprised to find there is a lot available here in town -- including delicious whet breat that can be delivered to our house every Tuesday for a good price! There is also a delicious high fiber red rice we've been enjoying.

We are about 4 minutes walking distance from the school, all on stroller-friendly quiet side roads or sidewalk. Jenn can easily take Jonathan to campus! This is a wonderful answer to prayer -- Thank you Lord!

After the first few days of taking care of details, Dave has been going to school every day to prepare for the new school year. Today (July 29) is the first day of new teacher orientation. Students arrive on August 9 and school starts on August 10.

We so thankful to be here. Sometimes while we're laying in bed under the ceiling fan, listening to the call to prayer, we're amazed that God has brought us here together. It's a dream come true and an affirmation of God's call on our lives as a family.

Until next time!