Great and not so great...

I've been working on this post for a while in my head. I thought it would be fun to record some of our initial likes and dislikes of Singapore. So, so far, here's what we love and what we're trying to get used to.

Trying to Get Used To:

The Smells

It's not a stinky country - it's actually very clean. However, with the different cultures come many smells that we're not used to. For example, pictured here is a native fruit that is popular with the locals. It's called Durian and it smells really bad. It smells so bad, in fact, that it's banned from public transportation - no smoking, no weapons, and no durian. Apparently it tastes different that it smells, however, someone bought us some durian cream puffs and they were so bad that for a few weeks we joked with the kids if they said yucky words than they'd have to eat the durian. They also use many spices in the cooking that we're not so fond of smelling. Our neighbors are a different ethnicity and their cooking often puts off strong odors. I get really mad at the kids when they don't shut the back door - it's hard for me to take some of the smells. Maybe in time, I'll be cooking like that too!

No Good Cheese!

Cheese here is rare, very expensive, and not as good. We are such cheese eaters (like our quesadillas every Sunday) so it's been hard to get used to major cutbacks in this area. I also love to cook lots of mexican and italian food - both using lots of varieties of cheese impossible to now find (although, I've been given some shopping tips lately so their is hope). I did make enchiladas the other day and I think it cost me about $20. We're missing good mexican food!

The Weather

We've gotten pretty used to the humidity here - it's actually not too bad. You sweat alot, especially when you run, but it's actually quite cleansing. There are some days that are better than others. There is alot of cloud cover and that helps keep the heat down. The hard thing to get used to is the sudden rain showers. We are living in a Rainforest! We have been caught many of times in an unexpected, sudden downpour of rain. We've learned that an umbrella is something you definitely never leave home without. The funny thing is, sometimes it will only last 10 minutes.

Random Household Things

Some other things that we're trying to get used to are: lots of stairs (Bryant keeps asking if we can PLEASE get and elevator), no garbage disposals, dishwasher outside the kitchen and small European washer and dryers that take like 3 hours to run a load (no more one laundry day a week).

Things We Love:

Our House and Neighborhood

We feel so blessed to have found the house we did and to be located where we are. We live in a beautiful neighborhood called the Woodlands. I love the architecture of the homes and the way the neighborhood is laid out. There are tons of children all around us so the kids have lots of friends to play with. We live super close to the school and there's a grocery store right up the street (which is convenient since we don't have a car). We also love the home we're living in - it's a great layout for our family.

The School
We love the kids school. So far it's been such a wonderful experience. It's a very large school but they do a good job at not making it feel that way. We look forward to experiencing all the educational, recreational, and cultural opportunities the school provides.

The Beauty of the Rainforest

What we pay for in rain and humidity, we enjoy in the lush landscape around us. Singapore is really a beautiful place.

So Much to Do and See

We haven't made a dent yet in all there is to do and see around this small island.

One of our favorite places, so far, is the zoo. We had heard about how amazing it was but I don't think we really understood until we went for ourselves (actually, only Bryant, Alexa and I have been - and we've gone a few times). The animals are in their natural habitats - not cages - and they are so close to you. It's hard to explain but it's a really great place.

Dallin had a bike ride for scouts out on the East Coast so I took the younger kids there too and just hung out. We are such a beach family so it's fun to have that close too. The beaches in Singapore are definitely not CA beaches but they are still fun. This beach has miles and miles of bike trails all along it that you can run, bike, rollerblade, etc. on. You can see all the ships out in the sea, waiting to come into port.

You'll have to stay tuned and keep checking back to see pictures as we visit and experience all Singapore has to offer.

The Diversity

I think this is one of my absolute favorite things about Singapore. It's such a melting pot of cultures, religions, and people from all over the world.

Singapore has China Town, Little India and Arab Street - and that's only a small representation of the people/cultures that are here. I love this picture from China Town because you can see the architecture is very Colonial British (which is very common on the island since it was once a British Colony) but it has all the Chinese lanterns and decor. That is such a representation of Singapore - a mix of cultures.
The island is dotted with Buddhist Temples, Hindu Temples, Mosques and Cathedrals (and a red brick Mormon church). The whole island (including the kids school) celebrates holidays from all these different religions. I love learning about all these traditions, cultures, and religions. I love meeting and getting to know people from all over the world. The other day I went to a birthday party with Breann and met a lady (her friends mom) who was a secretary to Prince Charles in England. It was so fun to talk to her about that experience. I also received a calling to work in the Primary Presidency and the President is from the Netherlands and the other counselor is from Australia. I love getting to know all these great women from around the world.

And of course trying all the different foods (sometimes a bit scary - but fun).

Hopefully this gives you a little glimpse into our life and adventures here in Singapore. Luckily we love alot more than we are having to get used to. We love experiencing this all together as a family and look forward to traveling to other countries around us together. We also love our ward - so many great people. It's such a blessing to have the church - a rock where ever you go.

Hopefully this will entice visitors!