I'm starting to get into the groove of life in Singapore, but apparently it's a slow process. A few things I've learned the hard way this week:
1. Singapore lies only 1 degree away from the Equator. Now, I of course knew that, but what I didn't know is that lying by the pool in a city pretty much at the center of the earth means you can get a mean sunburn in about 60 minutes. Especially when you move from New England, where the last time your skin saw sunlight was about 4 months ago. I am a walking tomato. Lesson learned.
2. Napkins are for sissies, and if you try to sit at a table at a food hawker station that has a pack of tissues on the seat, you're opening yourself up to be yelled at by someone that does not have any desire to speak English to make your life easier. Bring your own napkins, and save your seat with the pack. Got it, lesson learned.
3. Cars drive on the opposite side of the street here. Again, something I already knew. But what I didn't know is that looking left is so ingrained in my brain that crossing the street here is pretty much a daily death trap for me. Look RIGHT, then you won't die on the front of a taxicab. Since I really like living, hopefully lesson learned.
4. Elevators are lifts, trash is rubbish and when someone says "can can" when you ask a question, it doesn't mean they are asking for a container or think you should dance. "Can can"= yes, you silly American.
5. Being the minority can suck. While stuck in an off-the-beaten-path area of town this Friday, around midnight with no clue where I am or how to find a taxi (long story, but starts with me not paying attention and ends with me getting lost in the predominately Muslim section of the city), I realized suddenly that people were staring at me not because my zipper was down or that I was inadvertently showing some cleavage, but because I was CAUCASIAN. Talk about a weird feeling. Certainly gives a whole new perspective on how you see yourself in the world. Tall, pale white girl does not equal the majority here, and when it's midnight on Arab St. and you're the one that doesn't belong there, it starts sinking in. Lesson definitely learned.
I am certainly getting my education in world studies here! But what else have I been doing besides almost getting killed by a taxi and getting the sunburn-of-all-sunburns this week, you ask? I've started exploring! (Click on the pics below for new pictures!) It's Chinese New Year here and it's amazing - the whole place gets really into it. It's a big deal, a major holiday, and everyone is very focused on the occasion and going all out to celebrate. I even get a 4 day weekend to celebrate properly during the first week of February! The city is beautifully decorated, with lots of gold and red (auspicious colors for the New Year to bring luck) and everyone is out in full force. I was lucky enough to have a new friend from work invite me to check out Chinatown with him today - it's only about a 5 minute walk from my place and it was amazing! Thankfully I went with a local - it's total chaos, with thousands of people and people loudly hawking their wares everywhere. Henry, my new local buddy, took me to the best stalls, helped me find some gorgeous handmade chopsticks, made me try to Chinese minced pork bbq (delish!) and made sure no one ripped me off when negotiating. I can't wait to go back and explore some more. It's literally like being in a movie.
On the work front, starting to get make some real progress. It's fantastic - crazy busy, stressful, exciting and best of all, everything I hoped for. I'm getting the opportunity to help drive real change, work side-by-side with senior management to guide the company to a new level and develop a new service vision for the company. It's going to be long hours and the pressure is going to be intense, but I'm absolutely loving it. My first major test is building a concierge team (hello VA Valet!) for our new high-net worth focus, something that will be a leader in our industry here. It's risky and is a completely new way of thinking for our company - just how I like it. As for peeps at work, I'm starting to fit in and make some friends, thankfully. Even though it's only been 3 weeks, I'm not feeling like such a newbie. I'm shaking things up with my team, and about half of them seem to really like it, and the other half either have no idea what I'm trying to do or just don't want any part of it. It's going to be an interesting few months.
On the personal side, I'm starting to make friends outside of work and even have dinner plans this week! It's surprisingly easy to meet people here because there are so many expats - everyone is in the same situation that I am and trying to meet friends. I'm hoping my new friend has lots of other friends, because while I like myself just as much as the next person, hanging out with just myself is getting old very fast. I've discovered I'm actually rather boring to talk to when no one is there to respond. So let's get this social party started!
Off to bed to start a new week. I'm up on Skype now, so let me know if you want to chat! Talk to you soon!
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