3 Months & 7B

So here we are. Today is 3 months to the day that we packed up everything in South Africa and arrived in Singapore. The year has been an emotional coaster ride with many ups and downs, doubts and a lot of insecurity. It's not an easy thing to move to a new country and the learning curve has been a steep one and no doubt will continue for a while. There  has been lots of nice and new stuff as part of the journey so far. The  house sale back in South Africa was also finalised last week and now this is our home, or at least for the next 3 years. So let me reflect on some of the lessons and experiences.

The first one is the total feeling of being lost and actually getting continually lost while trying to learn the new roads, shops and general direction. This is thankfully not the case anymore and driving around has become a pleasure, even something I look forward too.

Second, there is the diversity and range of available products. This is actually very nice but first you have to work your way thru all the choices and establish a framework on what products you actually like and then remember the next time you buy something. I still battle to remember exactly which bread to buy as there is just so many choices and not all to my liking. P.S. I hate milk bread.

Then there is the "exploring" part and trying to find out where you can actually get you hands on some stuff. This is mostly the case with "Western" products like Spray & Cook and Oven Cleaner as examples. Where to get a plumber, garden stuff, flowers, the favourite stuff you like to eat etc.

Fourth is the language issue with the "Labour" force. Singaporeans do not fill these jobs and you are bound to deal with a Chinese, Phillipino or Malaysian person who barely speak English. A good example is the process of getting a housemaid. Most people here have full time live inn maids, so for us to  get a part time maid was a real challenge. Took the safe route and dealt with a Employment Agency and still it has taken more than a month.  The first lady was Chinese, hardly understood any English and on top of it could not do ironing. Thankfully she has now been replaced by two lovely girls, Lyn and Joanna, from the Philippines. Both speak proper English and they come together on a Monday for 4 hours with Lyn doing the ironing and Joanna cleaning the house. No more ironing for Zelma which did make her very happy.

My research for the two articles I did for Expat Arrivals forced me to do a lot of travelling around and I can say that I no longer feel intimidated to go to food centers or mingling with the locals. I am even on first name terms with the butcher and he does special stuff for me like spice the meat or cutting fresh meat instead of giving me the display items. I still get stared at and the fact that I am quite tall also does make me stand out amongst the short shits here, but it no longer bothers me to be the minority whitey. I just stare back which I think it must feel a bit intimidating.

The biggest adjustment has been changing my attitude regarding "Not Feeling Safe". Living in a house with no alarm, 10 foot walls and massive electric fences was a mindset change. I do not wake up for every little sound at night anymore. Also walking around being jumpy and deep down dreading getting mugged or something does take some doing. I no longer look around when I hear someone walking up behind me. I don't stand with my back to the wall in the train and to be honest this is a very good feeling that I have not had the pleasure of in my life in South Africa. I like it allot and it is nice to be able to go around wherever you like feeling safe.

This is my home now and overall it has been a very good change. Even my health has improved and I am now 9 kilos less than 4 months ago. The only negative is the fact that finding a job does not look very promising and the whole "Trailing Spouse" stigma does effect me. I have decided to broaden my scope and starting today I am going to take a out of the box approach and who knows.

Lastly there is the weather adjustment and days like the past Sunday when it was exceptionally hot still gets me a bit, but overall we have "Acclimatised" and find the weather very nice. And do not let anybody tell you there are no Thunderstorms in Singapore. They are huge with loads of rain and lightning.

I have been to hell and back and finally the house, dogs and life in general feels normal again and I look forward to the rest of the year. The year has gone like a blink of the eye and Christmas is only 7 weeks away. Lots of exciting stuff to look forward too.

The 7B is for the welcoming of the 7 Billionth baby at midnight yesterday. A baby girl born in Manila, becoming a symbol for  the worlds population reaching 7 billion. There were 382,000 babies born yesterday and the UN estimate that the world population will reach eight billion by 2025. That is a scary thought and the world food supply is already under strain  and other questions like clean water, shelter, education and a decent life for every child should get some serious consideration.