Returning Home to Singapore

We spent our time in Singapore exploring every part of the city that we possibly could. We went from east to west, north to south, all over the island, which we were told is only approximately 45 kilometers by 45 kilometers in diameter. Singapore is such an amazingly progressive city. Some of the traditions and way of life are very similar to the U.S. and some are extremely different. The Singaporean people seem very proud of their country and talk of their government with admiration and respect for where it has brought their country. The biggest difference from our American freedoms and the Singaporean way of life is the housing system. In Singapore, it is extremely rare that the citizens own the land on which they live. The best scenario is one that resembles an endless lease of the land from the government but is still not true ownership. Ninety percent of the people live in government housing/apartments and term lease the land from the government. They actually own the building but have a term lease on the property. When the lease matures, the tenants must re-lease from the government or find somewhere else to live. If the latter is the case, the building is torn down and rebuilt to newer standards. At any time, if the government decides it wants a particular piece of land for new development then the current residents are asked to relocate. There is new construction everywhere in an effort to keep Singapore as progressive as possible. You are considered very fortunate if you have a home that is leased out long enough to pass from generation to generation and the value of the property is noticeably increased. It is amazing what we take for granted and I am very thankful for our freedoms. I could not imagine having to live with the insecurity of where you may be housed in the next few years.

For our three days in Singapore, we visited Sentosa Island, a virtual playground for children and adults. Of course, we ate authentic food from a local favorite, Kim's Place. Surprising, I actually enjoyed myself at this little local diner. We ate the traditional prawn noodles, shark fin soup (I definitley passed on that one though) and chili crab. I even began to make some improvements in my chop stick wielding skills. Needless to say, lunch could not have been any better until the chef proceeded to climb above the live fish tank behind our table, whack a fish over the head, remove it while still flopping in the net and five minutes later serve it on a bed of noodles, looking exactly the same, to the family on the side of us. Thank goodness we were already finished with our lunch or I might be describing a completely different experience!

We spent one whole day visiting the places of Jason's childhood. We found the two houses that he lived in as a child, went the to hospital where he was born and went to the hospital where he spent three weeks in traction at three years old with a broken femur. His poor mother! We met the most wonderful Catholic nun, named Sister Catherine, who gave us a tour of Mt. Alverna and the updated maternity ward where Jason was delivered. She was a perfect hostess, like a sweet little grandmother, and I believe she would have taken us home with her if we would have allowed her. She strolled us through that hospital like she owned the place, bringing us through the surgery center, the ER and the nursery. It was such a neat day and one that I feel very blessed to have experienced with Jason. I can finally say that I have been to Singapore and was able to see such a big part of where Jason's life began and where his family spent so many years.