A much needed night off for Rob

I haven't written much about Rob and his job in Malaysia I realized, so this post is a bit of a tribute to him. He has just taken the kids down to the pool and I have an hour or so to express my gratitude. Rob has been working so hard since we have been here. He is up before the sun and home in time to spend about an hour with the kids before they go to bed. Then he's back on the computer again after dinner. Sometimes he doesn't see the kids at all. The work hours in SE Asia are long and he has very little time for leisure. Rob is not alone. Many Xerox people are in the same boat. Even people we've met on an expat assignment for a different company have the same work hours and or even worse. We know people who don't see their children for days or even months. But knowing this sometimes doesn't help.

I am really grateful for him and his work ethic. The challenges never seem to let up but he still finds the energy to get up in the morning and do his job and continue to work hard. The girls and I do our best to make sure he has a warm meal and happy greeting when he comes home. The girls are always really excited to see him, even if minutes before he walks through the door they are whining about something.....they hear the chime of the elevator and their demeanor almost changes instantly.

So, on Saturday night he had the opportunity to go watch a Rugby game with a new friend of ours from New Zealand and a few of his work mates. There was a big game between Australia and New Zealand so this was a big event that packed the bar. Rob was in good company and had no shortage of entertainment. For those of you that don't know much about Rugby or the personality that comes with it, think BIG, CRASS, HILARIOUS and RAW.....with emphasis on RAW. If you don't have a sense of humor for bantering jokes and a little trash talk, you don't belong. Anyway, Rob had a great time. He came home laughing and telling me stories about the evening. I was thrilled! This was the right amount of medicine he needed and it's great to connect with people from other countries through sports. We love you honey!

At the track

On Monday night I went to run at a local track to get some exercise. I just started running with a club I was introduced to through a friend. Well, they meet once a week and when I first met some members of the club, I found myself in a familiar place I haven't been for awhile. There is a certain personality that seems to go along with runners in general that is genuine, serious, not so serious, down to earth, laid back, commanding, positive, humorous, humble....... hmmmm, that's the best I know how to describe it. Anyway, I was really impressed with the energy and activity going on at the track. There were so many people out exercising. I mean hundreds! This place was not just a rubber track with some stands. There was a basketball court on one corner, a soccer pad on the other corner, some tennis courts behind the stands....etc. Not only were the courts being used by what seemed like full teams for each sport, there was a group of 7-8 people doing Tai Chi on a deep section the stairs by the entrance, a women's rugby team having practice and a scrimmage mid-field, little kids running, other kids skate boarding and a small group of 3 people doing some pilates. It was great energy! And everyone glistening with sweat. Even at 8pm at night it feels like 90 degrees out here.

This was only my second week with the running club, so it was no surprise that I may have not been notified if practice was canceled or changed to a different night. As it turns out, I was on my own this time and let's just say I don't even come close to pushing myself as hard as I would with other people around, especially since I'm just starting to train again. So why have I decided to start running in a place that never cools down? Don't ask me. I'm not sure I know!?

First Day of School

Today was the first day of classes at Parrish and Sabrina's new school. They are both attending the Stamford American International School in Singapore. This is a brand new school that just opened it's doors today so we are excited to be part of this exciting event. Currently the school has only primary grades. Next year middle school grades with be added and then the year after will be high school grades. We chose this school for it's language program and international teaching philosophy. Plus, having Sabrina able to attend the same school as Parrish was a big bonus. The class sizes are amazing. Parrish has 10 kids in her 1st grade class. Each grade level has only 1 class and I think grade 3 and 4 are combined. Sabrina is in the nursery program for half days and there are 11 toddlers, which is the biggest class size so far.

By the name of the school you would think only a large population of American kids attend, however there is a very diverse group of children from all over the world and some that are Singaporean. I do not know the make-up of Parrish's class yet, but we have had a chance to meet several kids and parents from different social events. Many families are mixed nationalities and some have been in the expat circuit for many, many years. For the American families that we meet, many of them are on their first assignment like us. We find quite a few Australian, British and Canadian families on their 2nd of 3rd assignment or have lived as an expat for over 8 years. Usually they have the same story that is, "we originally thought we'd only be here 2 years".

Here is a picture of the girls waiting for the bus in their new school uniforms.....


Parrish has PE on Mondays and Wednesdays so she is wearing her PE uniform while Sabrina is wearing a polo and skort.

Being a small school they do some special things like provide backpacks for all the kids. Sabrina too! Although when she wears hers on her back, not that it stays there very long, the backpack almost hits the floor.

School starts at 8:30 in the morning and ends around 3:20 in the afternoon. Sabrina only goes for a half day until 11:30am.

Parrish came home from school today very happy and excited to tell me about some things they did in class. This is a good start! Sabrina unfortunately could not attend the first day of classes today despite getting her ready to go. About a week ago we noticed a rash around her mouth and on the back of her neck that was red and had raised bumps. We suspected heat rash because it's very common in this hot and humid environment. However, after a week there was only a little improvement but Sabrina's energy and attitude was still very normal. The school nurse err'ed on the side of caution and preferred that a doctor take a look to rule out hand, foot and mouth virus. So that's what we did today. We did get some nice creams that will hopefully help clear up her skin a little faster.

Last Friday there was an open house at the school so that all the parents, students, administrative staff and teachers could come together and get acquainted. The event was really well planned out starting with a morning breakfast around 8am in the new school cafeteria. After breakfast the music teacher kicked off a short program in which the principal and some administrative staff spoke before the school tour.

Here is a picture of Parrish riding the nursery/preschool trikes and a picture of her with her new teacher, Ms. Voroney from Canada.

Singapore politics 101 - instructor: taxi cab driver

I just had to make a post because I get a good chuckle every time we get into a cab with a driver that is pretty chatty and needs to vent. The conversation almost always goes to politics. Here's what the cab drivers lament about most in my experience. If they lose their job, there's no government assistance. They are pretty envious of the unemployment benefits we get in the States. By the way, I'm always impressed with how much these cab drivers know about our government and systems.

So I asked the driver what do you do if you lose your job. He pretty much said you borrow and live off your relatives until they don't like you anymore and hopefully by then you have a job. I got a good laugh. I tried to tell him that our unemployment and welfare system has a lot of corruption and costs the taxpayers a lot of money. But he wasn't convinced. Plus, I told him we have people living on the street or under bridges and begging on our highways. You never see that in Singapore and when I asked why, he said they send all the transients to a housing unit that is very low budget. He then said, they hide them and don't tell anyone about it (with a smile). I had another good laugh, but he was probably serious.

I look forward to more interesting conversations with the locals. Can't get any better than a chatty cabby.

Sabrina's 2nd birthday - August 5th

Sabrina.... happy to be TWO!



















Sabrina enjoying one of her gifts.....

Vacation report

We just took a 4-day holiday to Bali, Indonesia to celebrate our 10th Anniversary and some birthday's this month.

Here are a few pictures to tell the story......




Parrish flying a kite on the beach......


And then stopping to collect beach treasures. This reminds me of papa Bill....


On the 2nd day we hired a driver to take us to the town of Ubud. Teguh was great with the kids, especially when they were less than pleasant, if you know what I mean.


We stopped for some arts and crafts along the way.....ikat weaving....

Very typical to see this kind of transport on the Island. Notice parents have helmets, but the kid doesn't. One picture I wish I was able to get was a man on a motorbike with a kid in front and a kid in back with both kids chewing on a cob of corn. Never once did I see an accident or road rage. Pretty good considering there aren't really any traffic signals, stop signs and everyone pretty much ignores the white lines down the middle of the street.


Goa Gajah, the Elephant Cave. 11th century stone carvings discovered in the 1920's and excavated in the 50's. Believed to be somewhat of a fountain of youth in which people bathed. Now it's a 21st century fish pond.

Wearing the traditional sarongs around our waist to respect the religious nature of the site.

Lunch in an open air restaurant overlooking some beautiful rice fields. This place was off the beaten path and we would have never found this without Teguh.


Next day, waiting for the wind to die down to go para sailing......


The wind never did die down so I guess a banana boat ride will do.....sigh....



Sabrina wondering where her binki (pacifier) is.....



Nice banana leaf hat for Sabrina. These kids kept our kids entertained while we looked at some wood carvings and other fragile goods in this family owned shop. Although the family was more than happy to keep our kids occupied so we would buy something, we did have a chance to interact with them. Parrish was keen on showing the older girl on the right her new world map and pointed out where we lived in the States. Sabrina wanted to show the little boy her "When you give a pig a pancake" book. He was a little more interested in chewing on it!


Evening Kecak dance on the grounds near the spectacular Uluwatu temple. A famous temple because of the cliffside it is built upon. I didn't actually get a really good picture of the temple itself. You can read the legend which the Kecak dance is based here.

I'm sure the people we were sitting next to during the dance appreciated us very much when Parrish cried, "I gotta go potty!" mid way through the production and continued to cry. Rob got up to take her out and Sabrina started to cry for her daddy. So we all left. The moment was tense! Thank goodness Teguh directed us to the nearest toilet. We watched the rest of the dance from the sidelines.

I took this picture while a wild monkey was trying to pull out my pony tail. I thought it was one of the kids playing games! These monkey's are known to snatch cameras so I count myself lucky.

Singapore Notes

I've had it on my mind to make a post about the funny quirks we've noticed about Singapore. Here's a list that I'll add to when I think of more.........

1. It's 85 degrees here and 90% humidity, but you still see an amazing number of people wearing black clothing, suits or jeans.
   
2. When you buy a whole chicken at the grocery you get the WHOLE chicken. You must look for "Without head and feet" on the package if you don't want them.
   
3. Be sure of purchases because it's common to have only a 7-day return policy on merchandise. There is no such thing as 90 days, or even 30. And the rule still applies to exchanges. Some places don't offer refunds at all. I think most of you know this a challenge for me seeing I love to buy a bunch in the store and return what I don't want to keep. The plus side is I'll save a trip.
   
4. My cell phone started to malfunction after a week of owning it and I had to go to the repair center to have it fixed. They don't just give you a new one here, even if it's under warranty.
   
5. The smallest coin is 5 cents. The smallest bill is $2. There are NO pennies. The dollar is a coin and has an octagon shape. This shape is significant to the subway system in Singapore. You carry this will you when entering the tunnels (Dragon veins) so that bad spirits will be driven away by your energy so the city wont sink.
   
6. Local and fast food places only take cash, no credit or debit card. Restaurants/Bistros will only take credit card if it's above a certain amount, like $20.
   
7. They are cash card crazy over here. We have a card for road tolls and parking that inserts into a device mounted in our car. Money is automatically deducted when we pass through the toll or parking gate. We also have a card for the MRT (subway). There are top-up stations everywhere.
   
8. McDonald's will deliver to your home.
   
9. You can get fined $50 per larva if the government finds misquotes breeding in or around your home.
10. Overpasses are called flyovers.
11. Strollers are called Prams.
12. Grocery carts are called trolleys.
13. The command to exit your car or a train is "alight".
    
14. A "yes" answer from a Singaporean is usually "can" or "can, can" or "have".
15. Singaporean's will finish their sentences with "lah" at the end. For example, "Going to dinner, lah?"
16. They love blond children. We've had total strangers taking pictures of Sabrina. Some have even offered our girls biscuits.
    
17. If we were to stay here long term, I would have to teach my kids things like "say no to biscuits" instead of "say no to drugs." Not bad.