It’s hard to believe I’ve been here for five months and even harder to believe I’m about to leave on Friday. Thankfully, there’s lots to do so I don’t have much time to mull over it all. On the one hand I’ve missed Panda for nearly 150 days and I can’t wait to see him, touch him again. It’s been too long of pretending I could touch him and feel him hug me through the webcam. On the other hand, the people here are amazing and have taken great care of me. Plus, I’m just getting around to exploring Singapore! It’s a pity it’s ending already, but I can’t help but look forward to who and what I have waiting for me back home.
As I’m down to my last three full days, I’m trying to squeeze everything in – a trip to Sentosa and a visit to the Flyer, one final event for C&S, and a last day in the office ending with a discussion with Starfish and a little dinner party. I probably won’t get more than a nap Thursday night as I finish up packing and nervously await my early departure time. I’ve still got to find time to go to the Night Safari (probably Wednesday after the event), since the rain today deterred me from going. I was absolutely exhausted and zonked out on the bus ride home anyway, so it’s better I didn’t go. Then there’s my final foot and back massage that I need to use up from my membership card. Maybe I’ll squeeze that in before the Night Safari.
Most importantly, I’ve got to tie up loose ends and say bye to the parents who have generously taken me in these past few months. I don’t really have time to take them out to dinner to show my appreciation, but what can I do? I hope I get inspired when I’m out tomorrow. I was pleased with the little gifts that I found for the people from the office – cuff links for Zen, Mizu, and Typea, and compact mirrors for Marylin and Starfish (plus a Love Spell spray for her, which is like a classic VS scent for the lady who loves that brand), who all have played a huge part in supporting me here. For the others who have been there for me and made the atmosphere enjoyable, I had adorable little elephant keychains. I had a lot of fun choosing the gifts, even if I was dead tired and my back was dying when I came across these treasures.
Each one has its significance to me (and may not be the most practical, but I was going for more meaningful…): for Zen, a pair of silver dragons because that just seems fitting for an influential man; for Mizu, a pair of gold electric guitars because he truly is a rock star (in so many ways); for Typea, a pair of blue and sea green golf clubs in their bags (or whatever it’s called) for his enjoyment of the game and the lifestyle it represents; for Marylin, a pink cover with a pretty peacock for her growing involvement in the beauty industry; and for Starfish, a cool blue cover with an elegant flower for her cool head and classiness as well as the spray I mentioned above because she loves VS. As for the elephants, I figured that Mac would want the purple one (actually why I bought that particular pack, though I liked it because I like purple too) and Lorry would appreciate the green one (a bit of an inside joke on that one, for all his Greenness). Skim was the only wild card, who could go for the pretty light blue one or the more royal blue one, or maybe even the bright white one.
Now I’m hoping I’ll just as much meaning in some items that I can present to Typea and Marylin’s parents prior to my departure. Both sets of parents were very generous in taking me in and really made it possible for me to stay here; I certainly couldn’t have afforded an apartment! Other than that and the final activities I will be participating in, I just need to pack and make sure that I don’t go over my weight limit. The moment I find I’m under, I’m going out to buy Mamee to stuff the rest of my bags with. I love those snacks and as of yet I have not found them in the states. And with that, I’ll be gone before I know it. Gosh, it’s creeping up already.
Though I’ve been getting little tastes of Singaporean culture throughout my time here and occasionally something will remind me of China, it wasn’t until last night that I truly felt a strong cultural impression in everything around me. We had gone to East Coast Park, where there’s an outdoor cafeteria of sorts with stall upon stall of laksa, satay, dong dongs (I can’t remember what they were called), stingray, and who knows what else. I felt at once lost and amazed among all the dishes I’d never seen and had hardly heard of before. Paths cut through the park to allow bike riders, rollerbladers, and other such athletic activities to ensue. A little stage consisting of a piece of carpeting and a half watermelon backdrop provided the scene for an acrobatics show. On one side, we could look out across a small patch of trees to the ocean beyond, which was filled with ships.
