The Dyson (which Claudia thought I was crazy to bring) is back in action. All it took was a 500 watt transformer. I never had a doubt it.
Wednesday, February 20, 2013. Part 4 and the final chapter of moving to Singapore. A quick synopsis. - Part 1 - Pack up Cincinnati Dec 27-31. - Part 2 - Move into apartment with rental furniture Jan 4. - Part 3 - receive a few belongings in air shipment in mid-January. - Part 4 - sea shipment with the rest of our stuff (ex what was put into storage). This is the photo of the shipping container which they had to park around the block. I was asked to be present as the seal on the shipping container was broken. This was unexpected, very ceremonial (a signal that our security had not been broken), and so emotional once again. The last time I saw this container, it was parked in front of our home in Terrace Park. It's huge - although we only filled half of it, thankfully. I keep imagining the journey this thing has taken to go half way around the world on a boat in god knows what conditions. The move by the numbers: - Dec 27-31, 2012 - Stuff packed by expert packers Specialty Storage in Cincinnati. - Dec 31, 2012 - Container loaded and rest of stuff put into storage. - Jan 1, 2013 - Kohlmans Depart USA - Jan 4, 2013 - Take occupancy of apartment on Balmoral Road, Singapore. - Jan 19, 2013 - Shipping Container departs Cinci (not sure what it was doing from the 1st to the 19th. Having a party perhaps? - Feb 13, 2013 - Shipping container arrives in Singapore and hangs out in customs (another party with the rest of the shipping containers in the port?) - Feb 20, 2013 - Delivered to Balmoral Road. - 6,860 lbs - total weight of shipment. This is the morning of the delivery. Gary is having his morning coffee before he headed off to work and the kids off to school. I stayed home to manage the move. We had rental furniture (bare basics pictured here - but nice bare basics) which was picked up at 9am. By 9:45am (yes that's a mere 45 minutes) the rental furniture was out and the place was empty. Moving is clearly an industry in and unto itself in Singapore. I'm sure it's that way in any city where expat/transitional living is so common. Freakin' professionals, I tell you......and there is a method to every bit of it that is a sight to see. Then bit by bit, the boxes and the furniture were brought into the apartment. They took a smaller truck which they loaded around the block at the shipping container and drove up to our building since it was too big to park. Apartment management companies are quite fussy about property and building damage during moves. You can see the corrugate taped around the doorway and in the kitchen to protect stuff. It was everywhere!!! ...and then these guys get to work. Their company isn't called Asian Tigers for nothing :-) With the number of moves they must do every week, it makes you wonder what the heck happens to all of the paper, boxes, and bubble wrap used. Our stuff arrived in pristine condition. The only mishap is that three boxes arrived here that were supposed to go into storage. Given there is ZERO storage here, and less space, we are working with the company to figure out what to do with it. Ugh! But other than that, this entire move has been a process to behold. This is the living room all set up. Yet another emotional moment because the last time we saw this couch, we had a house full of people for Christmas and there was a lot of lounging and snuggling. And that dining room table? Somehow we managed to squeeze everyone around it for Christmas dinner. Here is another view of the living and dining area. So funny to see our stuff here. Each day that the kids got home from school, they would see another phase of the unpacking and scream with joy at the stuff they had not seen for a while. Gary and I are also marveling at how we have gotten by on so little these past 7 weeks. How much stuff does a family of four need anyway? We have had to pare down so much for this move. And as we unpacked, we purged even more. It's made me want to spend our money on experiences as opposed to things. And that, dear friends, is that. We bloody well live here now. Time to settle in and see the sights in between crazy working hours. Thanks to our amazing helper (who now feels like a part of the family), our together is truly quality time. It's also worth noting that we are fully ready to accept visitors. There is a guest bedroom ready and waiting for any and all to come and experience Singapore.
The sea shipment arrives on Wednesday. We could not be more excited. It was a conscious choice and a subsequent joy to move almost directly into our apartment. It meant that we have had rental furniture (aka bare basics) but it also meant that the people were all in the right place. The other option was to move into a fully-furnished and serviced apartment until our stuff arrived. Not interested. I could not fathom yet another temporary situation. We are so excited to see our furniture and all of our stuff. But it's not sufficient to be excited. One also has to have stuff to worry about, right?
So I've been worried about STUFF!!!!! What if we didn't purge and store enough stuff and too much arrives here? What if our measurements were off and a piece of furniture doesn't fit? What if there is just too much STUFF? We have ZERO STORAGE in this apartment. There are closets in each room and they are pretty decent sizes. And the kitchen is also generous but nothing like my Cinci kitchen. There is bound to be overflow. The one piece of overflow we know is coming is our Dyson vacuum cleaner. Gary and I fought over this one in the final days of packing up. He insisted. He loves his Dyson. But now that we have already been through the VitaMix fiasco (will explain), we know that they Dyson must find a closet because it won't work. Ah yes, STUFF. I told Gary that he gets to fit the Dyson in his corner of the closet we share. It's amazing how little you actually need. Think of all of the stuff that you accumulate over the years and it ends up in storage closets never to be seen again. The VitaMix? Well, it blew through a couple of transformers before I gave in and accepted reality. She now rests in a dark corner of a far cupboard. In desperation, I looked all over Singapore for a Singapore-powered VitaMix (or some other similar machine). I was BLOWN AWAY to discover that I could not find anything comparable for less than about US$1,000. CRAZY. So I researched and found a high-powered blender by Philips. It's only 800W (compared to the V but so far so good - I had a delicious and long-awaiting green veggie shake and I'm back in business. Stay tuned for photos of the final move-in later this week. We will be giddy with joy to sleep in our beds and lounge on our couch. One of the things I miss so much about Cincinnati is the sense of community that naturally evolves in certain contexts. There is the community of work. We get that here. But where is the next community? It should be our condo and although we have met a few people, it's not like we have worked to cultivate a social life at home yet. That makes it hard for the kids because their main community is school. At home, in Terrace Park, our school community is also the community in which we live. Nick and Sadie are surrounded by their friends. And they have the luxury of being able to get themselves around the community to hang out with their friends (TP is Mayberry, for those who don't know it or live there). Here, it's totally different. The children bus to school, so their friends at school live all around Singapore. That takes a lot planning and effort. Yet I've been so focused on how Nick and Sadie get their sense of community, that I've neglected mine. Well, only partially, because we already have friends here so somehow that seems like last priority.
Today, I was reminded how important it will be to cultivate grown up communities for Gary and I. I was invited to an afternoon coffee with the moms in Sadie's class. Despite all magnetic powers to keep me at work, I decided I should make the effort and go. I know how important it is to be connected to the parents even if it's not socially so I know what's going on other than what the kids tell me. Recall that Sadie is in an entirely newly-formed class. Most of the families are new to Singapore but there are a couple of just changed schools. As I looked around the table during introductions, I was struck by the diversity of these women and wanted to get to know all of them. Some are perpetual expats and have just moved from other countries. Some are having their first expat experience like us. A well-rounded group of women. A couple of them have full-time jobs like me. A couple have recently left full-time jobs to move for their husband's job. And the rest are full-time workers at home :-) I don't know what I expected, but I think Sadie's class is really lucky to have such a great group of moms. And now I think I have really seen for the first time how tight an expat community can be. On behalf of the kids, I will also make a massive effort to truly introduce ourselves to the people in our condo and see what happens I thought I should record the Chinese New Year (aka CNY - Singapore is the land of acronyms) weekend events more fully for posterity. While a lot of people get out of town for the holiday, we decided that we should stay and see some sights in our new city. FRIDAY NIGHT: we headed to Marina Bay for some CNY festivities. Gary already posted these photos. Beautiful. Great and fun start to the weekend. SATURDAY: In my endless pursuit of physical exercise, I checked out a new gym in the morning. Great bootcamp-like group sessions. May have to consider joining although it's not exactly around the corner. Then we headed to the Lego exhibit with the Froahs. Very cool. As you can see, it was not your average Lego exhibit. The artist is Nathan Sawaya and he turned his fascination with Legos into a true art form. I love his quote on playing to your passions. It reminds me of another quote: "do what you love and you will never work a day in your life". SO true. Then Saturday night, Bob Chapelle (friend and fellow Grosse Pointer living in Singapore) had a lovely BBQ at his home which is just around the block, literally. It was great to meet other expats who have experienced and are experiencing the same transitions we are. A really lovely group of people; hopefully some new friendships were made. And a wonderful, beloved host who we hope to see more of. SUNDAY: That was the day of the non-adventure. I can see that the Kohlman routines are very much made of action-packed days followed by relaxation days. It's the way we roll :-) MONDAY: Went to Sentosa, a small island off the southern tip of Singapore. The entire island is very amusement-park-like. The agenda for the day included a water park and the aquarium. We decided to hit the water park first figuring that the afternoon would bring the usual rains. Water parks are sooooo not my thing. I'm just not an amusement park or water park kinda girl. And then there is the sun factor. But I really enjoyed it. A really nice blend of activity and relaxation. Plus I continue to be amazed at the fabulous food one gets at these venues. Not your usual crap, that's for sure. Unfortunately, the aquarium never happened. Despite already having tickets in hand, we were facing a TWO HOUR wait to get in. Drinks and an early dinner seemed like a much better choice. MONDAY: We had more plans on the agenda but somehow we were too pooped to motivate. A nice family day catching up and getting ready for the ridiculously busy, short work week ahead. Sadie - born in 2005 - the Year of the Rooster. Nicholas - born in 2003 - The Year of the Goat.
Gary posted some fabulous photos yesterday. It's Chinese New Year weekend which means a 4-day weekend here. I'm told that Singapore becomes a ghost town but we're halfway through the weekend and I have yet to see that. The taxi system definitely comes to a grinding halt. We spent Friday night down at Marina Bay at a new year celebration which was a feast of sights, sounds and tastes. Plus the obligatory carnival crap which apparently is a universal truth.
It was a funny week because we've been thinking how settled we feel. And yet there are are some triggers. The first trigger was a photo of our home in Cincinnati surrounded by snow. Once a month, the company who is managing our company sends photos and an inspection list. The second trigger is always FaceTime. Not a day goes by that we're not FaceTiming someone. Mainly the kids are doing this with their friends but then you can always hear or see a parent in the background and then we miss everyone all over again. And I am amazed every single day how this incredible technology removes all space and time. Oh, and money. It's FREE!!!! The third trigger is kind of a funny one. Gary received an NPR podcast at work from a friend of his in Cincinnati. Next thing you know, I'm getting texts from Gary about how he suddenly misses home. The funniest text of the lot was when he said, "I never realized what Steve Inskeep's voice does to me!". Indeed. So now Gary has resolved to listen to NPR podcasts while commuting to work as opposed to music. Good man! It's raining, and we're still hoping that a taxi might appear out of thin air to take us to Dempsey Hill for some gallery shopping. Let it rain today because tomorrow we head to Sentosa. It's Chinese New Year's Day. Remember my last post where I'm waiting for the supposed ghost town? Well, today we had no plans. But we decided we were going to head out to Dempsey Hill. The idea of poking around galleries, shops and bistros was infinitely appealing. It started to rain. Compounded with New Year's Day, this makes getting a taxi an impossible task. After two hours of texting, while hanging out at home (I even got a little work done), we decided just to get the hell out unsure of the destination at this point. Lo and behold, a taxi appears and we hop in joyfully requesting Dempsey Hill. But as we approached, it was clear that the ghost town in fact exists. Perhaps a coffee shop looked open but other than that....nada. We laughed out loud and asked him to take us back to Ion Orchard Mall. After all, there's gotta be action somewhere, right? It felt a lot like where the heck to all the Jews go on Christmas Day in the States? But even Ion Orchard was skimpy. All the high-end shops were closed. The food court was semi-open. And still, we are all laughing all the way. Out of sheer boredom, we found ourselves checking out Jason's the Gourmet Grocer and ultimately decided it was a better idea to just get food and head back home for a rainy, cozy (in Singapore terms...don't forget the relentless heat and humidity) family movie night. Two bus stops and a short walk later, home sweet home :-) After all, adventure awaits tomorrow as we head off to Sentosa Island.
Here are some pictures over the past couple days. Enough said, bring on the eye candy.
This morning I was messing around on my blog app on my cell phone and noticed a button called "stats". Naturally I was curious so I pushed the button and up comes this graph showing the number of hits since the inception of the blog. Clearly we hit an all-time high at the beginning with a couple of peaks over the month but generally a dip in popularity. Fascinating. SO I showed Gary. His immediate response was, "ha! Too many words and not enough pictures". Interesting assessment (or thinly-veiled criticism of my propensity to write). So, being competitive at heart, I'm going to post more photos in the coming days/weeks/months and start to track the numbers.
But for now, I felt the need to share an experience for which I have no photos. Sorry. I'll bring a device with me next time. As I mentioned previously, my Sunday morning Loveland Trail runs in Cincinnati have been replaced by Saturday morning Singapore city runs including some of the Botanical Gardens. I have been running through the gardens before but somehow this morning seemed different. Heightened senses perhaps due to the emerging from the cocoon (reference to yesterday's blog). As I entered the gardens, suddenly I am aware that I really am living in paradise. The colors. The array of greens accented by beautiful flowers. A Ginger Garden. A Healing Garden. An Orchid Garden, just to name a few. Runners. Walkers. Even a terrace with a group of people doing their morning Tai Chi in unison. A beautiful dance of graceful motion. The trees are a canopy cooling the earth and it's only 9:30am but it's hot as all get-out. I'm keenly aware of the feel of a jungle yet everything is perfectly groomed in Singapore style. The smells are earthly but punctuated with a sweet, floral scent every once in a while. And then I must run home. But it's not a normal street. I'm running on Nassim Road which is home to many insanely wealthy people as well as several embassies. A beautiful hill. And then home. Perfect way to start the day. So, now that I have left you with that image, I will start to tak It's been a month since we left Cincinnati, and it feels like we are emerging from a cocoon. The really hard stuff seems to have been overcome in terms of all of the administrative things that need to be in place in order to operate. Check. The kids are in school. Check. Gary is back at work. Check. And so we begin to settle into our new routine.
This morning was the start of something new. The kids get picked up by their school bus right in front of our building (along with three other children - all younger - who also live in our building). The bus picks them up at 7:53am. This morning Gary and I waiting out front until the bus came, and then we walked together to the bus, took the bus together for two stops, and parted ways at the MRT station going in different directions. It was kind of nice to have that time together. I can't remember the last time we walked somewhere together. Or even had the time to just chat about stuff - not related to any specific task or errand at hand. Now that we have Agustin, other things have changed as well. We were both so worried about having another person living in our home. But she is a total delight. She is so happy and helpful. It's invaluable. She understands some of our basic needs in terms of taking care of the kids etc. Yet she is so much more. She really takes care of us and the house so that we can focus our time together truly being together (oh and our jobs which also consume a lot of time). I know it's only been a couple of weeks, but I'm getting used to this. She was even horrified at how much money I was spending for the convenience of grocery store shopping. So we went to the Tekka Market (one of the several, gorgeous fresh markets around here) together the other day so I could show her the fruits and vegetables that we like to eat. It's a tiny fraction of the cost of produce in the grocery stores. The experience is incredible. I'm almost jealous that she will be taking care of that on a daily basis. The colors, the smells. Amazing sensory experience. And you know how much I lust after fresh produce. Now I'm just figuring out the meat and fish sources. The only thing left to do is to re-establish my workout routine. A combination of faulty gym equipment, lame equipment at the condo, distance to get to the good gym, and just plain frustration have left me unsatisfied. Sure, I've been working out nearly every day, but it's like doing boot camp by yourself. Kinda sucks. So I'm off this weekend to explore gyms that have the equipment that I want. And a decent group boot camp wouldn't be bad either. It's good to emerge from the cocoon. There is a big, beautiful world out there and we are lucky enough to |
Archives
July 2014
CategoriesThe adventures of an American family of four as they move to Singapore for two years - (one adventurous mother and a daughter who is already showing signs of wanderlust, and one complete and utter homebody dad and a son of the same). |