Outside the hotel where we are staying.
View of rooftop garden next to our hotel.So – Singapore – what to say…it’s proven to be a very interesting place so far! It’s an eclectic mix of cultures and people. Everything seems to have both a British and an Asian flavor which is an interesting combination.
We were picked up by Shirley, a Realtor, at 10:00 am to start looking around at housing and schools.
We started off our day with a school visit to the International Community School. This is a private Christian school. They are the only one that we visited so far that doesn’t have a wait list to get in. It’s a small, unassuming school and everyone was very friendly. We met the teacher that the twins’ would have and she seemed very nice.
Next we went to two different condos to see what’s available. The first one is in a small complex and had lots of character, windows, and light! It didn’t have a real good area for the kids to play, though. The second one was in more of a high rise and was more sterile and not as much light as the first one. There was a nice playground though and a bigger kitchen than the first one. We’ll have to make a choice whether we want to live in the city or out in the “suburbs”. Condos here come with a washer but no dryer. It’s not uncommon to see laundry hanging from windows and balconies around the city. Also, they don’t all come with dishwashers as the kitchens are relatively small. Both kitchens we saw had more storage space than I would have imagined but had small ovens. Like European flats they don't have closets - just built in wardrobes. We were asked to take our shoes off before entering the condos – Asian custom!
The next school we visited was the Canadian International School. Now I must admit that walking up to the school I was thinking, “No Way!” But after visiting we were impressed with the friendliness of the staff and the education. They learn World History not Canadian history and they encourage asking questions and figuring out the answer for yourself. This may be perfect for Kenton. I will point out here that all the schools are open air. The individual classrooms are air conditioned but the hallways are all open to the outside. This school has a small wait list so we may add the twins’. All of them also require uniforms and PE uniforms.
After that we visited Tanglin Trust – a British school – and we decided that it’s not what we are looking for. It’s a VERY impressive school but they were ostentatious. It wasn’t a humble school and that’s not what we want to send the kids into. We’ll see what the Singapore American School is like tomorrow.
Apparently the lines on a road way mean next to nothing! It hasn’t been uncommon for our driver to straddle two lanes at the same time! We asked Shirley this morning what the laws are regarding children and car seats and she said that they are very lax. People were complaining that they couldn’t fit 3 car seats, a maid, the grandma, and the parents all in one vehicle so they changed them to say that infants can ride on laps. I can’t imagine doing this as car seats are pretty ingrained into our way of life. It looks like Singapore in big enough and spread out enough that I am going to have to learn how to drive:( ON the wrong side of the car, the wrong side of the road, and know where I'm going all at the same time. They don't make you take a test until you've been here a year. Until than you drive on your home country license - scary!
Shirley also dropped us off at a supermarket to look around. I was pleasantly surprised to see that there is not much that I normally buy in the US that is not available here. Some things are more expensive – a box of Lucky Charms was S$10 – but it’s still available. I will probably try to stock up on diapers and wipes in the US and have them shipped with the rest of our belongings as those were more expensive here too.
The weather was beautiful today! It was cloudy when we first woke up but soon cleared off to become a sunny day. It didn’t get too hot when you compare it to a Kansas scorcher but Shirley did say that this was a cooler day than most. We took a walk around the block this morning and than this afternoon went to a mall that adjoins our hotel and ate supper (Italian). We finally found an ATM that will accept our cards. The flowers here are awesome! I’m really hoping that I get to try my hand at growing orchids and other tropical flowers while we are here:)
We are back in our room trying to stay awake until at least 8pm. Than hopefully we’ll be back on a more normal schedule. Maybe we’ll hit the pool for a little while to cool off:) At some point this week we plan on playing tourist so hopefully I will have more pictures to share than.
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