Long time, no words

Hello everyone!

Life in Singapore is busy and course work and travelling demand the most of me ;). I'm attempting to explain why I didn't write up till now. But now it's time to give an update on my adventures.

A lot has happened since the last time I wrote.

First, my brother and his girlfriend arrived in the beginning of September to spend 3 days here before returning to the Netherlands after ten months. It was so great to see them again. The time we spent to

gether was mostly dedicated to catching up, watching pictures and learning some Indonesian words in preparations for my trip to Sulawesi (people hardly speak English there). We also went to the Singapore Zoo which was really nice; especially the shows are well thought of and fun to watch.

Only partly unexpecteWe were so lucky to be able to stay with friends who live here in Singapore, that was really nice! To my sadness, PD and Janneke had to leave very soon and now it was only me in South East Asia, being away from home.

However, the decision was soon made that my mum would come over to Singapore to accompany me to Sulawesi! So great to share it with her, especially because it is part of her roots. But before recess, a lot happened in the meantime. I went to have dinner with my Singaporean friend Esther and her family was so warm and welcoming! It was a great evening with bubble tea (tea with jelly), actual fish head in the curry (you should have seen my face when I discovered it; I didn't expect it even after a conversation about fish head being the best part of the fish for Chinese people), moon cake and a real (and slightly improvised) Chinese tea session.

I don't remember exactly when this was, but one of the best experiences so far in Singapore is the Helipad party. Not thinking about the implication of the name of the party, we went to the Swissôtel early to be the first to see the great view. As we were walking up with the stairs from the 72nd (!) floor, we were exposed to one of the best views of Singapore on top of the hotel, on the helipad. Only two buildings are higher than this one, so you understand that you can see so much from the city, with a nice view of Marina Bay Sands (see picture) and the skyline. As we were there really early, we could go up as one of the first and thus having a lot of space to take pictures. Later that was almost impossible since it was so crowded on the roof, so Iris and I decided to go downstairs for a drink. Taking a chance, we ordered two beers, paying with 50 dollars and thinking "we'll see what we get back". That was my most expensive beer ever at a considerable price of S$18. Every sip was another dollar going down.

Another funny event took place: I was present at Iris' mum's birthday celebration. When I arrived at her place to eat pancakes, she was on Skype watching soccer at her parent's place. Later, it became apparent that it was a birthday and both Iris' parents celebrated their birthday and unpacked their presents in front of the webcam. We also sang a birthday song and were being watched while we were eating delicious pancakes with dragonfruit and melon.

The events on campus organized mainly for exchange people all seem to be themed German: first the Beer Fest where you could try all types of different beers and now, Oktoberfest with Bratwurst und Bier. Lecker, lecker!

Some curious facts about Singapore: people are not allowed to buy a government-owned apartment (which is practically every single one in Singapore) when they are below 35 and single. You have to be married in order to buy an apartment, which means that many 30-year-old people are forced to live with their parents. Interesting. It is hard to imagine for me as a Dutch girl, but in a way it makes sense: if every single person owns his own apartment, there won't be enough room for everyone to live. However, it does show to what extent the government is involved in the daily life of citizens. Also, the main focus here is economic growth and productivity and thus, everyone works hard and long. Due to this focus, there is not a lot of sympathy for both old people and pregnancy and child rearing, as it takes time away from work. Personally, this work culture doesn't appeal to me very much and it makes me appreciat

e the system in the Netherlands more, despite of its own flaws.

On Wednesday, 22nd of September it was time for my mum to arrive! I would pick her up from the airport and we would take a taxi to Hetty and Eggy (my Dutch friends who live here) who were so hospitable to receive us in their home :). The next day, we went on our respective flight to meet each other in Makassar the next day. From there, we drove for 10 hours to our final destination. So great to be there again! It feels like a second home to me and I have an actual (although not blood-related) Indonesian sister. We have enjoyed the best food ever (I already miss it, being back in Singapore): home cooked and delicious. The whole week eating is central: having 'makan siang' (lunch) here, 'makan malam' (dinner) there and eat kue (all kinds of cakes, cookies etc) everyday; we have been spoiled.

Funny. Was it when I went out to walk a bit on my own. You have to know that not a lot of white people go to this area of Indonesia. So, me jalanjalan (walking around) with my camera. I come across a primary school and upon seeing me, the children start calling 'mister, mister!' and gathering together. I took a picture and walked back home, but a few minutes later there was a lot of noise outside: the kids followed me, calling 'mister, mister' without a clear purpose besides looking at me. I went up to them, took a few pictures and they were all jumping to be in front. First, I set something straight: 'saya tidak mister, saya miss' and finally putting the girls and boys apart, taking one picture of each groups and then announcing that I was going to drink tea now. And they left. Effective!

My trip was extended for a day because my plane was broken, but then, last Sunday, it was time to say goodbye after spending 2 days with Siska's (my 'sister') family. It was lovely and it is very sad to leave since you don't know when you will come again. Still, I am so happy I decided to go there and now Singaporean - busy - life is starting again.

Back to work and with some pace, since Yannick just booked his ticket and he is already coming in 3 weeks!

I will end my story with a few more pictures which give a nice impression of my activities.

Cheers and until next month!