We are staying in Chinatown, as I think I've mentioned, and work is by the airport. It's about 55 minutes on the MRT (mass rapid transit) which is basically exactly like the skytrain. It's very well run, very cheap, and goes all over the city on about 7 different lines. I bought a pre-paid card so I just tap it at the gates upon entry to the station and again upon exit and it charges based on the distance. Teen walked me to work because I'm horrible with directions. We made it fine, the only semi-confusing part is about a 15 minute walk from our apartment to the skytrain station. It's in the middle of downtown, quite busy, and the streets aren't laid out in perfect grids like Vancouver. They wind around, and it can be difficult to find places to cross. On the way home I got completely lost. I had no map, no cell phone. It was like the olden days. I started to have a semi-panic, but then managed to find a place to get a map. With about 20 minutes of wandering around trying to find a place to cross a street, I finally got onto a road I recognized and back to Chinatown. Le sigh.
Teen and I went for dinner down the street from work, we had this yummy mutton curry with rice and... sort of vegetables. Also a cheese roti, which was delicious. One thing that's hard about Singapore is they DON'T EAT VEGETABLES. I love vegetables. I see them in the market, oh yes, but never do they make it to the plate. They give you like three tiny pieces of pickled zucchini or something. Then about 90% more carbs than you need, and the rest meat. Everything has been really tasty though. I got Teen to get some carrots and tomatoes so I'm gobbling them at home. I'm gonna try to find a more western place today, it's been a lot of Asian soups and curries so far.
Other things I've noticed:
- People DO j-walk. A lot. Probably because there is no where to cross the street!
- I saw two sets of lesbians on the train home yesterday. One looked at me and I got uncomfortable.
- It's way nicer when the clouds cover the sun.
- People are obsessed with the merlion.
I dunno.
So I'm gonna head off to work! I'll keep you guys updated on the strange land of Singapore. I miss you :(
PS - I changed the BG Ellery! I agree, it was hard to read.
How did you know they were lesbians?
ReplyDeleteAlso you should get a GPS or a phone with some kind of GPS app so you don't get lost. I worry.
The food sounds awesome despite the lack of veggies thing, the Philippines was very much like that. Lots of meat and carbs, few vegetables.
Our washer/dryer is still not fixed. We're still waiting for the magical part to come in. Your washer/dryer runs like a dream. I miss you and it feels weird doing our laundry in your apartment without you guys there :(
The lesbians were fairly obvious, and kinda flirty/cuddly on the train. The other set one was basically a dude, short hair, boy clothes, but a girl I think. Awe too bad about your washer, at least you have one to use! I really want you guys to come visit, we will be very lonely without you all year!
ReplyDeleteHey Jenn, wow this was a rad read - what a huge move for you! And you get set up with a room and everything, that is like doubly rad. I'm super interested to hear about how the production environment works there too. Oh, and what the heck - lack of veggies?? Careful you don't get digestive blockages ;-)
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