The Colors of Singapore

We've now been overseas for more than a week without updating you.  Yes, we're alive!  Here's a glimpse into our lives at the moment.  


**If you're going to skim, don't miss the "Humorous Highlights" throughout and the photos at the end**

Kate's Take: 

It's official: I love the tropics!  

Singapore is very hot, humid, and tropical (see photos below).  Little geckos run along the walls and small ants claim the floors.  There are beautiful botanical gardens across the street from where we are staying.  The plants seem bigger than life; we even came across some large lizards (3 feet in length) in the gardens!  

This sums it up well.

Being that this the rainy season here, we've had rain most days.  Usually not lasting more than a couple hours, the rain is often accompanied by thunder and lightening.  

Humorous Highlight: We were given a lesson in "Lightening Safety" in one of our courses because Singapore gets more lightening than almost anywhere else in the world.  

Back in Class

Our time here with OMF has been a time of transition, fellowship, and education.  Every morning begins with candidates and staff gathering together in worship and prayer for various fields, departments, and individuals.  Sharing testimonies is highly valued as well.  

We gave our testimonies Tuesday morning in front of candidates and staff. We are the only missionaries in the current Orientation Course that are headed to Thailand, so our testimonies were met with much enthusiasm.  Many staff members, who used to be missionaries in Thailand, came up to us with encouragement, stories of their time on the field, and helpful insights.   

Humorous Highlight: In one of our medical sessions we learned that we will be required to go through a "de-worming" process every six months while on the field.  No worries though, visitors are free of this obligation!  

Singapore... is that a city or a country?  

Singapore is a very modern city (city-state to be exact) and is fairly westernized in many ways.  English seems to be the most common language, which is nice for us as we explore.  There are lots of fun things to do and see.  

Humorous Highlight: We have gotten lost numerous times now simply trying to cross the road.  Some streets do not allow pedestrians to cross at street-level, forcing them into a maze of underground tunnels which lead to any number of places (i.e. shopping malls, subways, and other streets).    

Lessons in Culture

We have had many cross-cultural experiences that are fun enough to mention.  We are joined at OC (Orientation Course) by many from the UK and Australia.  Apparently, American English and UK English are considerably different.  There's been quite a bit of laughter as we discover each others' home cultures and get a taste of the culture here...

• Tea Time: Every day at 10:40 AM we have tea time (which I love).  We've been introduced to "Milo," a powdery substance much like hot cocoa mix.  Add some cream and sugar and it's a fantastic tea time drink (or "cuppa" if you're an Aussie).  
• Roti: There is a small Roti-Prata cafe' within walking distance of OMF HQ.  Roti is an Indian dish that can be served as a meal or a dessert.  It is one of Phil's favorite desserts from his time in Thailand.  We've been frequenting this cafe'.  
• China Town: We got the chance to explore China Town with some other "OMF-ers" as we are called (see photo below).  We all had a good time ordering at the food vendor carts.  Thankfully, someone pointed out to us the sanitation ratings on the front of each cart (we were only supposed to order from "A" and "B" rated carts).  
• Dessert was very interesting... multi-flavored, shaved ice on a bed of jelly cubes and red beans.  I'm still not sure what I think.  

Humorous Highlight: Those from the UK and Australia do not know what a baby stroller is; they refer to them as a "pram" or a "buggy."   

Also: pants are "trousers"; flip flops are "thongs"; and a woman's slip is a "petticoat" (which will made someone blush if you bring it up in conversation).  

Photos

Although the weather has been quite grey and rainy, we did manage to get out to snap a few photos for you.  

In-Culturating

We had dinner in China Town (which is close to Little India) during the Indian Deepavali festival.  

Phil thought this was funny because it said "No Tooting."
Turns out, it says, "No Touting," which is equivalent to "No Soliciting."
Sorry Phil. 

Botanical Garden

The Botanical Gardens across the street from us.  

Miles and miles of gorgeous flowers and various tropical plants.

We need to invest in a tropical plant identifier :)

There are many orchids in this part of the world, I think they are a favorite of mine.

Congrats if you made it all the way to the end of this blog post!  I know, it's a long one.  Hopefully you enjoyed a brief taste of Asia.  We love you all in Christ, and really appreciate your support!  

In Him,

Kate