Days 3-6: The Week Flies By!

Today is Sunday and as I head into week 2 of my Singapore adventure, I realize that daily blogging is probably a tad unrealistic. For the last four days I've been traveling all over the city observing classes, meeting with Workforce Development Agency's General Skill Development Division (WDA-GSDD) managers, getting my employment pass and giving workshops. In addition to my daily bus rides back and forth to the Institute for Learning offices, I have taken more than 25 taxi rides. I like the blue ones the best. :-)

 This taxi time has constituted my "tour" of the sites of Singapore. Sadly, I could not take decent photos out of rolled up taxi windows (air conditioning!!) but some of the things I saw whizzing by were: The Mica building with its rainbow shutters -- I really think it should become the official site of lighthearted learning:
A hotel (The Marina Sands) with a ship ontop linking its three towers.
Frankly, the idea of this just makes me nervous and feels like a 2012 movie moment in the making. I have it on the best authority that the pool on the ship has a vanishing horizon, so you feel like you are on the edge of the building as you swim. Nice to have an excuse for not going up to the pool.

And I've also driven by the very swank estates owned by the various embassies. The Brunei embassy is right near the office. I was hoping for an invitation to a few embassy soirees, but the news of my arrival in Singapore has obviously not reached the appropriate people. I can only imagine what the air conditioning is like in those places!!

I've seen the exteriors of many lovely buildings: the Art museum, History museum, Science museum, and Parliament, so I can, in all truth, say I have seen the outside of some of the most important places in Singapore. And of course, I've also driven down Orchard Street--twice! (This is the Rodeo Drive/5th Avenue of Singapore) It's probably the most economical way to take in that street, with a taxi window and two lanes of traffic between my credit card and the stores. And on a financial note--I am continually taken aback and somewhat delighted at the tipless fare for cabs. Tipping is not the norm for many services.(Although it is often included in the meal charges.) Yesterday's lunch bill was a bit of a shock though-- after a lunch of stew and iced tea, I saw that the drink refills Joan and I had requested came to 30.00. Yeesh! Lesson learned.

We've had a few big thunderstorms--and some very lovely breezes, but mostly it's been hot, hot, hot. (Something about blogging brings out my inner Eloise). And that brings me to my tale of woe. My first workshop on Friday was in the a high tech meeting room at an agency called Caliber Links. Much to my dismay, about halfway through the workshop, said room began to get hot, hot, hot. Where was my beloved AC? How was it possible that inside this state-of-the-art center I would be sweating bullets?!! I'm sure the recording of that session will be hysterical: the viewer will see me do the best I can to "keep my cool" and then, whenever the participants are engaged in their tasks, I rush over to the observers and ask if the room is warm to them. It turns out that the building shuts off the air at 6, I mean the AIR!!! and I suspect they began shutting down at 5. Our session went until 7. All was manageable until those last 20 minutes when I literally saw people losing consciousness. Oh sure, I know what you're thinking--you put 'em to sleep, Jayme--but no, I swear, we were all dying insects in a jar and if it had gone on any longer I would have started punching holes somewhere.

I was forewarned and forearmed for yesterday's Saturday session, but was told that, despite the warm, moist air in the"state-of-the-art" room, there was nothing to be done: the AC was controlled throughout the "whole building." Interestingly, when I went into the offices of the building administrators, it was working perfectly. harrumph.  We will be doing more training at this site next Friday and Saturday, and I am going to have to figure out a solution: perhaps a bucket of ice that I can plunge into every half hour or so. I'll try to work it into the training.

Speaking of training--that vernacular is the hardest for me to manage...teachers are trainers, learners are trainees. The K-12 system here is called PET- pre-employment training. The words teachers and learners keep coming out of my mouth and I have to stuff them back in. 

Later this morning I will go out to observe another class and then this coming week I will be observing and supporting the 21 different trainers who attended the first round of workshops. Taxi time again! 

I will do my best to be a better blogger in the week ahead, but if you don't hear from me until next weekend, forgive me--I promise to be saving up stories to share.
xoxoxoxxo

Day Two: Jet Lag

Here's how it started. And it looked just that blurry.


There was a Skype call with my beloved at 6 a.m., followed by a little killing spree of these guys:

I did try to give them a fighting chance by gently gathering up as many as I could, opening up the casement window and flinging them out the window. Ants fly right?

Then there was a period of intense self-medication:

Sadly, Singapore Starbucks does not have Light Fraps, so I started my day with the equivalent of a mocha milkshake and tried to ameliorate the sugar crash with coke products and green tea.

(Later, all this caffeiniation led to a couple of hours of hiccuping which I'm sure did wonders for my cred with the Singaporeans from the Workforce Development Agency. )

As I rode  (all by myself) to the IAL offices (Institute for Adult Learning, remember?) , I tried to plan my graceful exit from the bus. I had decided to bring my small wheely suitcase with shoes and a change of clothes, as I had been advised that sudden downpours can occur, and even with an umbrella, everyone gets soaked. So, desirous of being prepared for all manner of disasters (I believe in disaster--ask Emily) I packed the wheely suitcase and took it with me on the bus. This meant that I would have to stand up, holding the bright pink pole for dear life, make my way to the back door of the bus,  tap my bus card on exiting, and hoist the suitcase out without falling on my face as the bus streaked away.  I mentally rehearsed the move-multiple times--and it went off without a hitch. What I hadn't counted on were all the little steps in the middle of the sidewalks--each one it's own specially designed death trap. Exhibit A:  The oh no--where are the stairs to get down here?!! Well you can actually  see them in this photo, but from my perspective (astigmatic as it is) I couldn't and thought I was on a ledge. (And let's not even go to the place of what people may have thought of the woman taking pictures of the sidewalk..)

Exhibit A

After what turned out to be a  far less treacherous trek than I originally feared, the office building was in sight. It is at the top of the hill and it was very warm at 8:30 a.m., so I found that my newly developed menopausal ADD (look a birdie!) did wonders for the climb up...look a flower!




This was my day as seen through my jet lagged haze:

• Tried to fix names and faces in my soggy brain by doing things like-"Nice to meet you Mamie. We rhyme." Oh yeah--I'm a shoo-in for the next State department appointment.
• Went downstairs to eat lunch and tried to eat someone else's food order. I thought, a la Panda Express, that the proprietor was offering me a taste of the dish, when she was s in fact just showing me her suggestion of what I might like to eat.
• Yawned for 10 minutes
• Took taxi ride down Orchard Street (The Rodeo drive/5th Avenue of Singapore) to get to swell high-tech center where I will be giving my workshop. (YAY they're all Mac ;-)  
• Met Mamie (and Zainal and Lynn) who demo all the cool tech in the room--iPad collaboration, multiple screens, recording devices. We all make the requisite jokes about finding a camera that will make one look thinner.
• Hiccuped uncontrollably for several minutes. 
• Yawned.
• Took taxi back to office and saw a melted superman statue out the window.

 (Stolen image from http://daddy.nivlek.per.sg/2012/01/cny-singapore-art-museum.html)

• Yawned and worked. Worked and Yawned.
• Got back on bus around 6:30 and headed back to the apartment. 
• Got out and faced the SIDEWALKS of SINGAPORE again.

• Delighted in the absence of ants.
• Heated up some soup and made a grilled cheese bagel
• Went to bed by 9:30.  ahhhhhhhhh

Day 3 awaits...

Day One In Singapore!

When I arrived in Singapore at 3:30 a.m. today--it was still yesterday for all the people I love. I have to believe in time travel, because I just did it. I also believe in air conditioning. I love it. I will reduce my carbon footprint in every way I can--but please God don't take away air conditioning...As a woman of a certain age, the weather in Singapore is brutal-and the air conditioning is glorious. (I had been told that all the women wear pashminas or fleece jackets in offices in order to cope with the cold, but not I-- I just reveled in the icy air)  I tried out the MRT bus system today --air conditioned ;-)  and rode the pink and yellow 139 Singapore bus to the Institute for Adult Learning. I had a bright shiny orange name plate, an ergonomic chair and a lovely view waiting for me.

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Then on my way back to the apartment I saw an incredible temple and played tourist trying not to kill myself as I photographed it. Look carefully to see all the detail. I wish I could have figured out how to zoom in.

 

Then I came back to the tower that houses my apt.  "Intelligent City" (I kid you not)  

One thing I really enjoy is when the names of the shops are the building version of "Mr. Smith." For example, the market chain is called "Cold Storage." And that it was (yes, more air conditioning) So much here is like the US but it's little things, like all the different cartons of  eggs out in stacks on the floor--unrefrigerated.

I'm in the expat part of the city, so the prices are pretty high, but what the heck, I found turkey bacon! Jenni O'Turkey Bacon in Singapore...who knew? but then of course, there were the chicken toes. (My grandma used to love them, so I took a photo.)

After kicking off my shoes and turning down the air conditioner (do you sense a theme?) I made soup (perfect in the wintry climate of my abode) Soon after,  I had about 50 guest drop by--uninvited I might add...yes--ants! On the 13th floor, Truly, they must be determined little buggers. (literally) I called downstairs to the apt manager and they sent up someone with a huge can of spray. I sent him away with a sweet smile and clear lungs--and then keeeled them all apologizing to each as I sent him/her back onto the wheel.  They were probably hoping I would give them a ride in my combo washer/dryer...right in the kitchen! (I know, try not to be too jealous.)

And now it's 10 p.m. and I think the jet lag hammer has hit me on the head. More adventures await on the morrow--a trip to the center where we'll hold the workshops and another to a site for a class observation and the greatest adventure of all, making my Mac documents work on a PC. Oh yes, and it's Valentine's day here tomorrow. There will be chocolate...I just know it. 

xoxoxoxoxooxox from she-who-has-been-Singapore-slung