Labor Day Weekend

Singapore celebrates Labor Day May 1st so it created a long weekend for our family. I don't feel like we did anything exciting with the extra day off but it was nice either way. We spent a great deal of time in the pool this weekend. It must have been because we had no big plans and the weather cooperated with water play.

Brian and I kicked off the weekend by going out Thursday night with Jason and Karen to a nearby bar to listen to a Singaporean solo guitarist/singer named Jai. He sang songs we know and was a talented guy. As it turns out, his day job is in the software group of IBM so Brian had plenty to talk about with him. It was our first time to hear live music over here so it was a nice treat for us. I'm sure we'll return to listen to him, since it's a short walk from our place.
We swam on Friday and after naps, we took the girls to dinner at Hard Rock Cafe near Orchard Road. It was a big hit with the girls -- I think they liked the atmosphere as much as their Western food. Afterwards we strolled down Orchard and treated them to ice cream. Elizabeth told us it was her best day EVER.

Elizabeth is quickly becoming a little fish in the pool. She apparently loves wearing goggles because she's below water more than above it now. I'm eager for her to learn how to breathe on her own so she can become truly independent. Her swim lesson was rained out Tuesday and I was pleased that her instructor cancelled due to lightning. He earned a few points with me for not wanting to do the lesson anyway. Remember -- the locals generally swim right through those pesky thunderstorms. Elizabeth cried when I told her that she couldn't have a lesson that day. So, we baked cookies and painted her nails instead and that cheered her up.

Saturday afternoon I took Megan to a classmate's birthday party. It was my first visit to a real house in Singapore. They have a nice backyard with a pool so it was great to let Megan run around. Of course it reminded me that we have a lovely yard waiting for us back in Southlake that I will certainly appreciate when we return. But, I wouldn't give up our location in Singapore just to get the yard. Of course, these folks have rabbits and monkeys hanging around so that would be an entirely different adventure! One of Megan's classmates is from Peru and her mom was talking about returning home this summer. They originally planned to stop in Houston on the way but are reconsidering their itinerary because of the swine flu.

I feel detached from the swine flu concerns here. I heard about school closings back home and received emails from our Southlake school and church about schedule changes because of it. It has also received some airtime on our local news. I think Asians have heightened anxieties about flu epidemics since this region has seen its fair share -- SARS, bird flu, etc. Japan is not granting visas to travelers from Mexico at this point. Singapore is placing anyone traveling from Mexico in quarantine for 7 days. Our airport also has thermal scanners to detect fever in airline passengers and has set up special areas at local hospitals to deal with potential flu victims. Brian's client is handing out complimentary Tamiflu this week; too bad Brian's back in the US! Singapore was recognized for its effective response to SARS a few years ago so I'm optimistic that they're doing everything possible to protect their people. This is one of those circumstances when I'm grateful we live in highly-efficient Singapore.

Our family weekend was cut short when Brian left for Las Vegas just after lunchtime today. We sent him off with an extra suitcase and a lengthy Target shopping list. He will be back early Saturday morning so I'm praying for an uneventful week. It's amazing how quickly I got used to having him home every night and it's also the first time he's left me alone in a foreign country. I'm happy this situation is not the norm! Of course, Delia's presence will help tremendously. I took the girls swimming before dinner this evening and it was the first time in 4 months that I had to fix their dinner and get them ready for bed all by myself, since Delia was off. Of course, I can still manage fine going solo -- I would just rather not if I have a choice!

I'll check in later in the week and share how our house of girls is coping with our favorite man gone...