This weekend I got to escape Tampines and have the chance to explore some more of Singapore and visit with Michael and Iain, the other foreign teachers here who are my friends. Friday night I met Michael down in Geylang because we wanted to see us some hookers. We were very disappointed and suspect that were misdirected as to where the redlight district in fact is. After spending the week at our anal-retentitve, highly organized and regulated schools we were looking forward to seeing the seedy side of Singapore (say that ten times fast) but we were sadly not able to oggle. On the brightside, we did find some very tasty Satay (mutton and chicken) and we got some drinks. We headed back to the guy's flat and ended up having some beers with Iain and their neighbor Jafar who is a pilot. The giant sized beers got the best of me and I ended up just falling asleep on the couch until my Dad called me at 6am (love you Dad!).
In the morning Michael had to go to school so Iain and I went on an excursion to the mall. We keep joking about how bored we are and that I have to take him on outings so he can get out of the house and not go mad. I ended up finding some good work pants at the Esprit outlet (they have American size listings on their clothes so I was able to find pants that fit) and some new t-shirts. I also got to teach the Baristas of Singapore Starbucks how to make an Iced Double Shot. Reminded me of home and all my lovely baristas still slogging away in the green apron and making me proud.
Saturday afternoon Jafar's family was having a big party and relgious ceremony to do with house warming so we were invited over to enjoy some really good Malay food and meet his family. We talked a bit about the Muslim traditions that they have (I asked the pressing question I had: how do you do your prayers to Mecca if you are in a plane? How do you know where it is? I guess the answer is that you pray in your heart and direct it to God and he knows that you are in a plane and that you can't do your normal prayers but he's cool with that and flexible when you gotta be travelling.) It was really nice to be welcomed into someone's home and to meet their family and be involved in an important event for them. Jafar has been the nicest guy we've met here, he gave the lads a television and his Internet cord and offers to drive them anywhere they wants and takes them out all the time. It made me sort of homesick to see a big family all together like that.
Then I came home and today Michael and I explored the beach. It was en epic journey to get there invovling lots of screwed up bus situations during which I was very grateful for my iPhone and the Maps function that tells me where I am and where I should be going and what bus to take because otherwise I would have been truly lost.
The beach was in this cool park where they had camping facilities (my new goal is to spend a weekend camping on the beach under a palm tree, take that Pinery!) and a water park with this crazy water skiing thing that I am going to put videos of below. It was really nice to have a day at the beach and see the water and the trees and just relax a little bit. I've been really stressed out with not knowing what I'm doing at school and missing home and Ben like crazy, so it was good to remind myself that I am doing something amazing in a beautiful part of the world that I would never have had the chance to see if I hadn't taken the plunge and stepped onto that plane. And what would my life have been without some Durian?
Here is the view of the beach:
Then there were the water skiiers:
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