We are back living in another apartment which is a lifestyle that we became accustomed to and enjoyed in Wellington; close to the waterfront and Courtney Place. On our first day in Singapore we signed a lease for a brand new 9th floor apartment on the fringe of the CBD proper. We are within walking distance of two MRT stations (Outram and Tangor Pagar) and close to a bus stop which can whisk us off to work. The transport is everything you would imagine, efficient, cheap and always busy.
Work is going well and we are both back at the coal face teaching content which is similar to New Zealand. We both need try hard to make things relevant to the students and stop prattling on about New Zealand. Approx 75% of students are from Asian descent with lots of cool Korean and Japanese students, not too dissimilar to what we expected.
The remainder of Singapore is a hold for a little bit, we have ventured out a few times into the city, Orchard Road, to the new waterfront and into our local mall. So much to explore, but we are glad we have a few years to suss out the island. I have enjoyed running most days late in the afternoon and it is still the best way to explore a new place. Rach has been in the complex gym after work most days enjoying the air conditioning.
It has been funny thinking of what people pointed out before we arrived and I think we should attempt to clear up a two misconceptions from our naive kiwi viewpoint.
Amazing Food - food is ok and very interesting but the price of staples is as high as the sky scrappers. We turned away from buying mince beef at $38 Singapore Dollars a kg. The Hawker Stall experience is interesting but hard. Rach is a bit turned off by the smell and I struggle to find something simple enough for my meat and three vege upbringing.
The Heat - Yip is definitely gets a little hot outside but the only people working without the air con are the armies of Indian construction workers. You can go 10 meters with out seeing an air conditioner attached to the wall. The weather is very mild at the moment according to the locals from school. We will wait to see what June and August brings. I have been running in the afternoons in 27 - 32 degrees with out too much trouble.
Life someone new is a pretty good tonic for both of us at the moment, would be nice to import some friends to share a BBQ and some cheap beer but otherwise life is great.
