Happy Deepavali

My third day in Singapore, Christian and I took a trip over to Little India to explore and visit what was rumored to be the biggest one-stop shop ever. Mustafa didn't disappoint. Four expansive floors filled with everything from household appliances, team jerseys, luggage, sunglasses, food stuffs, and three aisles of deodorant. They're open 24 hours a day and employ over 1200 staff to keep it running. I expected to round a corner and find an aisle full of live goats or perhaps a post office. I thought a trip to Costco on a Saturday morning required special breathing techniques to navigate, but this was just crazy. The over-the-topness almost scared the sense right out of me and I attempted to buy a pair of bright green crocs. Don't judge - the floor of our condo is cold, hard marble and my poor dogs ache.

In the end, we bought a package of sponges, some outlet converters, a box of sandwich baggies, and a mop that I think was made for hobbits as it's about 2 feet long and makes sweeping for this 5 foot 10 girl a real hunched pleasure. Aside from learning that Little India's megalo-mart can be thrown over on the "done and never needs to be done again" list, we did make it out of there with the knowledge that the Indian community was preparing for Deepavali (or Diwali). Celebrated in the Hindu community, Deepavali is known as the "festival of lights" and from what I understand, it's a pretty major celebration. One important and admirable practice that Hindus follow during the festival is to light oil lamps in their homes on Deepavali morning. By lighting the lamps, Hindus are thanking the gods for the happiness, knowledge, peace and wealth that they have received. See how much I'm learning?

As luck would have it, a co-worker friend of Christian's invited us over to his home (which happens to be in our building) to help he and his wife kick-off what was to be a whole weekend of festivities for them, their family, and friends. It was also going to be our first dinner out with people who weren't each other. I love spending time with Christian but needless to say, I was pretty psyched to have this to look forward to.

Shankar and Raka had also invited two other couples from the building. Andrew and Steph, a couple from Australia who are expecting their first baby next Spring, and Christie and Simon. Christie just moved here from oddly, San Francisco, and her boyfriend Simon is British. Shankar and Raka were amazing hosts. Their home is just like ours, only with real extravagances like actual furniture and real live serving dishes and floor pillows. Their home is gorgeous and filled with all sorts of antique delights from their travels across India, China, and the rest of Asia. If we were impressed by their pad, it only deepened when they began serving us food. Delicious homemade Indian food - little fried balls of minced meat (pork? chicken?), braised lamb, fresh naan, curried potatoes, and the best yogurt sauce ever. Add to that wine glasses that never seemed to stay empty, good conversation among a group of strangers who seemed that night to have known each other for years, and a warm, cozy setting and Christian and I not only experienced our very first Deepavali, but a night out with folks who I can only imagine we'll be seeing a lot of.

One of my biggest fears coming here was whether or not we'd be able to make friends. With our um, quirky, sense of humor and the fact that we've managed to never really need to make "new" friends, I was a bit worried it would be hard for us to get out and meet like-minded people. We have between us such a fantastic troupe of besties who we've been lucky enough to know for most our lives. We've never really had to try and meet new people. But all those fears diminished that evening - the eve of Deepavali. In one evening, four couples, all from very different parts of the world, shared delicious food, some great laughs, and a warm home. I think I can speak for all of us when I say we left feeling very grateful and happy for the "wealth" that was shared with us. Happy Deepavali everyone!

Arrival

After months of preparation and packing, piles of paperwork whose teetering heights rivaled the highest peeks of Kilimanjaro, a wretched handing over of our beloved dog-baby to menacing strangers at a cargo station at SFO, and bidding farewell to the people I love most in the world; I arrived. Stepping out of the airport after twenty hours of air travel, I was a little loopy and more than a lot sweaty but I gathered my overstuffed luggage and teetered out to find Christian.

I'd imagined the reunion so many times over the last month and it was every bit as as sweet as I'd hoped. I spotted him immediately (after all, we are in Asia). Giddy like school children, we zigzagged our way through the airport grounds to check on Phoebe's arrival. Holy bureaucracy! After jumping through several hoops, we arrived at the quarantine center and immediately spotted her crate. She saw me first, but the mere sound of Christian's voice sent her into the most adorably sweet fit. The meeting was bittersweet because she still has ten days of lonely quarantine to go but we left relieved that she had made it safe and the worst part was behind us. Just a few more days, little girl!

Our new digs are modern, spacious and roomy (plenty of space for visitors!) with a large deck off the living room that faces the wraparound pool. Every window in the joint has a view of the Singapore skyline. It feels particularly grand at night when we're serenaded by the piano playing at the hotel across the way. The complex is large, clean and well-kept (and yes, it's totally safe, mom). The best part is we live within walking distance of an area called Robertson Quay. It's a little community alongside a river that is overflowing with shops and restaurants for every taste and desire. My welcome dinner was a selection of cheeses and antipasti and a bottle of wine at a wine bar. I guess old habits die hard.

We're allowed to visit Phoebe from 4-6pm every day. The facility is wonderfully clean and spacious. Each dog has their own air conditioned room and when their owners get there they can be let outside to play and stretch. All the people there are friendly and they all seem eager to get to know us and Phoebe. Who can blame them? She IS pretty adorable. I think she's going to be just fine and that is just the biggest relief.

Putting their propensity towards order and cleanliness aside (which is an automatic win in my book), Singaporean people are also courteous, friendly, and welcoming. While looking a little lost in the street while we tried to figure out the MRT (subway system), a man stopped what he was doing and asked if we needed help. Taxi drivers are not only patient while we try to pronounce where it is we need to be shuttled, but they're happy to share with us a bit of Singapore history and seem genuinely interested in what brought us here, where we're from, and how we like their city so far. It's impossible to be skeptical of their generosity and kindness, even for surly old me.

My first days in Southeast Asia have been full and exciting. Being away from Christian for a whole month not only taught me that I could fix our perpetually broken dishwasher myself but most importantly, that his mere presence no matter where we are in the world plays a huge role in my happiness. It's more than terrific to be back alongside my partner-in-crime. I've never been so sure that we made the right move. Now if I can only figure out how to work this oven...

For more pictures of our first week together in Singapore, go here.