First weekend

My first weekend I was plagued a bit by jet-lag. Saturday I woke up early because I had to meet with SIRVA, the relocation company that DB sets their expats up with. It's actually pretty nice, they basically come pick you up, and then show you the basic things you will need to know in your new life that you previously took for granted. Where the supermarket is, where the drugstore is, how to take the bus and the metro and how to get the electronic card that lets you ride both etc. She also took me to the bank to get that set up which is important if you want to get paid (I do). How to get a mobile phone and SIM card. It turns out that Seven Eleven is the best place to make such a purchase, who knew! I was trying to see the best way to get a local phone here and for me the top up cards seem to be the way to go where you can just add on money. I'll skip ahead really quick since I'm on the topic of phones and describe my frustration when getting one. When I went to get a phone the guy told me I couldn't get one without an Employment Pass (EP). Since I didn't have mine yet I had to wait a few more days. When I got it, I came back to the store, proud as could be since I was finally legit. I showed the rep my card and said I'll take this phone. She looked at me and said I need your passport as well. I gritted through my teeth, "you mean the one I took out of my bag right before I came here because I finally got my EP? The passport that you need to GET an EP, so clearly if you have an EP it is a higher level of documentation?" She explained she needed the passport which meant I could have gotten the phone a week earlier...such is life. By the way on my third try I was successful in buying the cheapest phone in singapore, it's practically fisherprice, but it makes and receives phone calls so that's all I care about.

Sunday I went to the "gym" which is really just a small exercise room in the apartment building I'm in. Imagine all of those hotel gyms you've seen and you pretty much have it. To be fair, at this point I hadn't worked out in so long that I just needed something to remind my muscles that they were used for something other than carrying me back and forth between the office.

I then trekked off to the Singapore Museum which I thought was an appropriate start to living in Singapore. After all, you should probably know a thing or two about the country you will be living in. Quick history lesson. Singapore or Singapora which is the Malay pronunciation was a fishing and trading village until 1819 When the British East India Company led by Sir Stamford Ruffles established it as a major trading post, and later major military base for Britain. Interesting fact, Sir Stamford Ruffles established it as a trading post originally against the wishes of the BEIC who thought they already had enough trading posts. In fact, the BEIC charged Ruffles for the costs of establishing it as a post and he died in debt. It was his wife that rescued his name to be the founder and celebrated individual he is today (that juicy bit isn't on Wikipedia...see mom I did something cultural). Another major part of Singapore history is what Winston Churchill called "Britain's greatest defeat" during WWII when it was lost to Japan. I actually went down into the communication bunker which is located underground and the last British commanders were stationed when they decided to surrender. It was neat to look at but I think it could have been done much better. The Singapore National Museum is definitely worth your time. Unsurprisingly, they have a room dedicated to Singapore cuisine which is a centerpiece of their culture and pastime. I am still getting used to Chinese cuisine, much of it I can stomach but don't love. I much prefer the Indian, Thai, Japanese, and even Korean food that is also available. On the topic of food, much of it is fried meat and rice with very little raw vegetables that I have seen so far. I'm surprised the vast majority of the population is so thin given the diet. Maybe I haven't seen everything that is available or maybe it's the heat and they sweat it off, but I feel like I need a salad a multivitamin, and a treadmill.