classy Singapore

The time has come again to travel to the great land known as Singapore. Talk about a metropolitan city. The contrast is so strong, I culture shocked after walking into the airport. Just the airport! It's clean, and there are signs that accurately point to where you need to go...

There are many things I love about Singapore, and others that I don't so much. I love that I can walk around without being stared at and at night without fear (Singapore has a super low crime rate. No worries, still being wise). I love that I can take the subway. I love that I can drink water from the tap. I love the different cultural pockets in the city - Chinatown, Little India, Arab Street. I don't love the prices. Or getting lost in a 10-story mall after going up the wrong subway exit (whoever came up with building malls on top of subway exits/entrances was both brilliant and horrible - great for advertising, awful for navigation).

Buuut the good news is I got my visa! PTL there were no problems or complications! The way the visa process works actually sounds a little... shady. I meet a guy (a visa specialist) outside a McDonalds in the morning; hand him my visa papers, passport, and some money; and return that evening to pick up my passport with a new visa inside. It's all totally legit, though, and gets the job done! It also means I have the whole day to explore. First stop: IKEA.

 

The first time I went to IKEA was during my last visa run. I was overjoyed and overwhelmed and almost hyperventilated. After 45 minutes of wandering and occasionally putting something in my shopping bag, the overwhelmed feeling won out, and I ended up leaving without buying a single thing. This time around, I prepped myself a little better and was able to actually purchase a couple of things for the house.

On my way to pick up my visa, I ran into some friends who were doing the same. Afterwards, they took me to this lovely tea place and treated me to my first macaroon. I then made my way down to Arab Street and had some incredible Moroccan food and tea.

 

And then a nice evening stroll through the city.

 

If there was life on another planet, this is how I would imagine their trees. In reality, this is part of the new Gardens by the Bay.

"The man who has G-d for his treasure has all things in one. Many ordinary treasures may be denied him, or if he is allowed to have them, the enjoyment of them will be so tempered that they will never be necessary to his happiness. Or if he must see them go, one after one, he will scarcely feel a sense of loss, for having the Source of all things he has in One all satisfaction, all pleasure, all delight." - A.W. Tozer

small town life

The past couple of days has been full of lots of new things. Sorry for the delay. New place = no internet in my room = new routine.

First: Singapore. Wow. What a city. The two days I spent there really spoiled me - clean, full of English-speakers, and Subway. Man, oh man. But that wasn't the point, of course. Which leads me to…

Second: new visa! I am allowed to stay for another 60 days! Hooray! I'll be able to extend it for a little bit longer, but I will have to go back to Singapore again for my real visa. Oh, darn. :)

Third: Btown! I'm here!! Nearly a year later, I am walking the streets and seeing the faces of the people I've been waiting to join! It is quite different than the other city in so many aspects.

- There's green! Trees everywhere, and the beach! You can smell the ocean water when going to the store… and then you turn around and see the mountains on the other side. Do I really live here?

- Btown definitely has the small-town vibe. For those back home, if I had to guess, it's about the size of Lexington with the feel of Winchester. There are two universities, but right now it's holiday for them, so it's pretty quiet.

- And consequently, since it is a small town, I don't have quite as many luxuries as I did during language school. No massive, glamorous malls (though there are two small ones); no becaks (my primary mode of transportation the past four months); no McDonalds. I think I'll adjust. :)

- Language is a little different here. They use an "o" sound a lot more in place of the "a" sound, in particular at the end of a word. It makes listening a little more difficult… Additionally, since it is a small town, people sometimes use their tribal languages, which is not the language I learned. His power works in my weakness… His power works in my weakness.

Fourth: first driving lesson. I'm really excited about it all, but there's a healthy dose of fear as well. I've (almost) mastered driving in a parking lot today, but driving on the streets is a whole other ballgame. Hopefully I'll be able to have another lesson soon.

Fifth: home stay. Right now, I am living in what they call a kos. It's a house owned by a family, and they rent out the rooms to people, in most cases, to students. Sometimes the family themselves don't actually live there, and the kos next door during language school had something like 30 guys and girls living there. This kos is different. The family does live here, so I have an ibu kos (house mother), who has been very great. Also, rather than dozens of people here, there are only three other girls. We share a bathroom and a kitchen that is truly southeast Asian. I don't have internet right now, so I'll have to be a lot more intentional with my time on it (definitely not a bad thing). I promise there will be pictures after I've settled in more.

At first, I was a bit overwhelmed by it all. But my heart is learning to rejoice in it all - even the lack of everything I once knew to be a bathroom and a kitchen. I've been able to start relationships with my kos mates and met the students at the English club today for the first time.

He is so faithful. He doesn't abandon his children. Paul says he learned the secret to doing all things - hunger, sickness, the good and the bad - "I can do all things through him who strengthens me." In every circumstance, we can press on because he is our strength. He doesn't just leave us to fend for ourselves; rather, he fights our battles for us. He is clearing the obstacles and making straight our paths. All we have to do is be obedient and look to him.

Sorry for the book. I promise I'll upload photos soon. Those are more fun. :) 

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the L0rd your G0d is with you wherever you go." Josh 1:9

VISA!

Great news! Got my visa in today!! Now I'm all set, at least for the next two months. Thank you for all the pr-ers and encouragement!

And more great news - I get to see my family tomorrow! My mom, brother, and grandparents are coming in for the service on Wednesday, and then I'll be headed home for probably around three weeks. Now that we have our visas in, we're working on getting flights booked. This is for real! I'm really about to head to the other side of the world!

Who knew visas could be so stressful?

M (my language school partner) and I mailed in our passports and applications for a two-month visa a couple of weeks ago and are still waiting to get them back. Our travel agency has to wait until we have visas in hand before they can book our tickets, and time is getting closer and closer, and so we're starting to get more and more anxious. Please be lifting that up.

Alsooo N emailed me and said he's still negotiating with a university about my long-term visa and requested that we be lifting that up as well. "We'll get you in one way or the other. No worries." Alright.

On a cool note, I found out this week from our big boss that B-town had some really exciting things happen, like starting their first gathering in January! What awesome news!

We've got a week and half left here, which seems absolutely crazy! It's definitely been a very helpful and, honestly, refining time. Thank you all so, so much for your support!