One Year Later

Brian and I had a light-hearted conversation at dinner this week about ways we have adapted to life in Singapore over the past year. For certain, we've come a long way since arriving last New Year's Eve.

For example:

• We now know what chicken floss is and really like it on top of pineapple rice (ok, maybe we were eating Thai food during this discussion).
• We are comfortable with adjusting the rear view mirror with our left hands.
• Elizabeth knows there's a place called Cambodia because her class has sent school supplies and toiletries to children there.
• Chinese food names are literal. If it says, "Bird's Nest," they're not kidding. Same with "Shark Fin Soup," etc.
• We can somehow eat a meal of Chili Crab with the one little napkin the restaurant provides.
• Don't tell a taxi driver you need to leave from the International Terminal at Changi Airport. There are no domestic flights here.
• We can choose to be adventurous, unlike when we got here and the simplest tasks were huge undertakings.
• Elizabeth can sing "Old McDonald" in Mandarin.
• We no longer expect to see a weather forecast on the news. No need for it here.
• We've visited Indonesia, China (me), Maldives, Thailand and Australia but we haven't made the 30-minute drive into neighboring Malaysia. Maybe this year.
• We no longer turn the windshield wipers on when intending to use our turn signals. Unless it's raining...then all bets are off.
• Emily can pose on command for the Asians who wish to take her picture :)
• We realize the postal service's guaranteed "Next Day" delivery anywhere in the entire country really isn't impressive when considering the size of the delivery area.
• We can drive from Point A to Point B without knowing a single street name along the way and be okay with that. Remember: the names change every block so why bother learning them?
• We have learned to trust the locals in situations like, "Just hand the school bus driver the $900 cash for bus fees and he'll turn it in to the bus office." 
• Megan knows the names of more Asian countries than most American adults.

It's fun to remind ourselves of all the unique aspects of living in Singapore and to realize that after a year, we are doing well here and still have so much to explore.