Saturday, December 29th - We left from SFO on Singapore Airlines. All I can say is... WOW! Because of all your generosity at the gas pump, Chevron was happy to fly our entire family Business class. The fact that the seats reclined into full beds made it the easiest 20 hours of traveling we have ever experienced as a family. However, due to the generous access to various movies and TV shows, Jacob opted out of sleeping the entire leg from San Francisco to Seoul.
Monday, December 31st - We land in Singapore sometime around 3:30am (I think). After being deposited at our temporary apartment, we unpack the necessities and try to fall asleep. Andrew, deciding that the plane had offered enough rest for his needs, stayed up for what was left of the night. When we came out of our room in the morning, we had discovered that he had meticulously lined up all our shoes and had organized the toys which were strewn about.
We emerged from our apartment sometime around 10am in search of food. (The only thing we had to eat was a box of cookies which was spilt four ways). We were pleased to discover that a grocery store could be accessed from the basement of our apartment. However, we were somehow able to manage finding the longest route possible to the mall/grocery store. We were excited to find that the supermarket was generally close to what we have in the states...except for the fact that a chain connected all the carts. We spent about 5 minutes trying to figure out how to get a cart removed from the chain, while still trying to look like we knew perfectly well what we were doing. After caving in and asking another shopper what to do, I was informed I must insert money to retrieve the cart. Ah - ha! That's what that rounded indentation was for!
That afternoon we decided to head to Orchard Road to see one of the main hubs of the country. It took about 20 minutes to drive 2 miles on the free bus we were instructed to take. We spent the next 25 minutes trying to find a place to eat. We would up in a food court where the carcasses of various fish and foul (I think) we on display. I decided to go with the provider that had the best photos on their menu. The food turned out to be delicious and I was very proud of Jacob for trying everything on the table. Andrew opted to stick with a plate of sliced watermelon.
We had all eagerly anticipated experiencing New Years last night (as proofed by our splurging $40 on 4 pints of ice-cream). But all of us, excluding Scott, were out of commission by 10pm. I have some recollection of Scott waking me at some point to inform me that it was 20 minutes until midnight. That was about the extent of our celebration. (Hopefully we get to eat our ice-cream tonight).
Today, January 1st - I think today was when culture shock somewhat set in. Between last night and this morning, I have run the exact same load of wash about 4 times trying to get the two sweaters and three pairs of pants that actually fit into the machine, clean. I finally got the detergent to dissolve, but the clothes were sitting in a pool of water. I decided it easier to hand ring the clothes, rather than try (and possibly fail) a fourth washing attempt.
After loading the clothes into the dryer, we decided to venture out again. This time we decided to head to Clarke Quay. Because of the language barrier which existed between us and our driver, we wound up in front of the Fullerton Hotel. No complaints since the place was absolutely beautiful. Scott wanted to show us where he would be working, so we took a short walk to the financial area. After taking a picture in front of Chevron place, we were approached by a large group of Indians. I initially thought they wanted us to take a picture of them as a group, but was surprised to find they wanted to take pictures with the boys. (The joy of having a blonde and a red head in a foreign country). After about 30 pictures we started to end the whole thing, but they were so anxious, they got in about 6 more shots. They were also very excited to have pictures of themselves shaking hands with Scott. We had been warned before coming here that people would be fascinated with the boys...I just didn't expect it to be to that extent.
Scott thought it would be fun to go on a river boat ride down the main river in Singapore. While we were waiting for our boat, another group of Indians discovered the boys. This time we took the limit down to about 12 pictures. When we got on the boat, Jacob mentioned that he felt famous. I have a new found sympathy for stars.
After boating for a while, we could tell the boys were getting tired. We got off at an early exit, and came upon the shining symbol of American culture....the golden arches! After wandering through a maze of corridors and hallways, we finally found our way to Utopia. The boys split a 6-piece McNugget and were thoroughly happy.
When we came back to the apartment we finally decided to undertake the task of unloading our 8 large suitcases, which managed to be quite difficult seeing as there are no dressers in any of the rooms. As a result, if anyone decided to look in the drawers of the entry way table, they would find some very odd things.
Last order of business was the kitchen. As most of you know, I love to cook. However, after the time I had trying to heat up two frozen pizzas and scramble some eggs, that all may change. I had to get out the instruction manuel to use both the oven and the stove top. After trying numerous times to preheat the oven, I finally realized I had to turn on the light switch to turn on the oven. The scary part came when I tried to use the gas stove. Again, a switch was required to turn on the appliance. I then attempted to ignite a burner, but was only successful in getting gas to come out. After hearing the hissing sound of the escaping fumes without any accompanying flame, I broke out in a cold sweat. I could just imagine the fire ball that would form from that much gas being in an inclosed area. (Yes, the kitchen is its own small separate room - without a/c). I eventually figured out how to get the thing working, and was able to have Andrew's eggs cooked in about 15 seconds. I have never seen a pan heat so quickly in my life.
Sorry I have no pictures to accompany today's post. Because of a packing error we cannot locate the whereabouts of the cable which allows us to download pictures on the computer. Hopefully next time........
1 comment:
Catherine! I was so excited, and impressed by the way, to receive your blog so quickly! I can only imagine your first couple of days of "craziness" will only be the beginning of an exciting few years. We're anxious to see pictures!
MIss you already but am so thankful for technology that makes you seem not so far away!
Love from Concord and the Knauers!
Courtney
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