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UN Day

With the diversity represented at the Singapore American School, it was no surprise when we learned that the Primary school was going to celebrate United Nations Day. Just in the Primary School alone - 50 different countries have children represented.

It all started off with the children getting to choose what country they wished to represent. To my delight, S chose India. The first thing they did was to create a "flag" place mat for their International Luncheon. The next part was to create a large paper doll that was dressed in some way to show what country they had chose. the also had to put together a short presentation telling why they dressed their doll in that way. S chose to dress his doll as a cricket player.



Today was the UN Day assembly which started off with a parade of flags. The 50 flags were paraded through the high school gym by various children in the Primary school. There was a short presentation about UN day, then an Indian dance group performed. The children then sang songs with their respective grades - all of a friendship theme. The children were all dressed in some sort of outfit that showcased the country they chose.
The last part was an international feast where the parents each brought in a dish from a different country. Here's the menu:


Appetizers / Salads
Japan - Sushi Rolls – Cucumber and Egg
Japan - Sushi Rolls – Fish Flakes and Tuna
India – Raita (yogurt salad)
Ireland – Irish soda bread

Main Course
Korea – Japchae (Noodles)
Korea - Vegetarian Pancakes
China - Fried Rice
Korea - Korean Beef
Mexico - Chicken Tacos
Unites States - Macaroni and Cheese
Korea – Rice cakes with BBQ sauce

Dessert
Unites States - Chocolate Chip Cookies
Philippines - Leche Flan
Mexico - Arroz con Leche
United States - Cupcakes
Indonesia – Assorted Kue-Kue


I was SO proud that my child had this chance to celebrate diversity. It was an amazing day!

Trying to Understand

We've barely been out of Houston for 3 months when "the big one" comes along. Hurricane Ike. The storm that we waited for the entire 9 years that we lived there.
I cannot seem to focus on anything except for my family and friends that are there. How did we get so lucky to get out and be spared the stress and worry of having to go through something like this?
I was cyber-chatting with a friend of mine earlier today and you could just hear the concern in her words. I wanted to virtually put my arms around her and tell her that everything will be alright.
I have been watching coverage on the local Houston networks who provide live streams. I kept seeing the pictures of what was going on - the wind, surf, and rain. I kept looking for some sort of time frame as to when the worst was going to pass through where my family and friends are. But instead, they were fielding calls from people stuck in areas that were "mandatory evacuation" areas that needed help.
One of the anchors fielded a call and called his ordeal "a true act of heroism". This man stayed back in Galveston which took a direct hit from the storm. He saw the water starting to rise in his home and broke out the bottom of his door. The water rose to his neck and he and his daughter clung house to house until 30 minutes later, they made it to shelter in the convention center.
HOW is this heroism??? When he was under a mandatory evacuation order from government officials, why did he think it was alright to risk his young daughter's life like that? To make it worse, he said he was trying to get some of his neighbors to go with them.
What would it feel like to be listening to this on the radio with no power... Not hearing when the storm was going to be closing in on your area, but stories of stupid people who paid no heed to the experts.

My heart is in Houston and my head is in prayer...

Heaven on Earth?

I have been hitting the gym pretty hard lately and my body is telling me so. So instead of trying to force in a workout, I decided a leisurely walk would do me a world of good. I had heard about a place here called the MacRitchie Reservoir. It is supposed to be a beautiful place with walking trails. So I hop in the car and go down there this morning.
I walked up the path to the trail around the reservoir and was just HIT with the beauty of the area.

In the hustle and bustle of Singapore, it was so incredibly quiet that I turned off my music just to listen to the water and the birds. All along the path there were signs that told about the plants, wildlife and reservoir itself.


I stopped at a map to check out the various trails and decided on a short 5K walk.
I ended up walking a bit further than I had hoped and got a little lost. By the time I realized I was lost, I was about 6K into a 11K trail. Most of the trail is shrouded under the trees and the terrain is very uneven. I only had my joggers on, no trail shoes, no water, no carry pack, not dressed properly.
I decided to take it easy during the remainder of the walk seeing as I was committed.

They have an observation tower that you can climb up to see the surrounding skyline.
They also have a 5K treetop walk on a suspension bridge where you can do just that - walk among the treetops. After realizing that I wasn't even 2/3rds of the way through this trail, I was starting to get tired. My knee was hurting, I was itchy from bug bites and running into spiderwebs. It was tiring trying to navigate the path. It was tiring trying to decipher which way was "out". It was tiring trying to decide if needed to pass the large monkeys that decided to block my way. By this point, I was wondering if this was a nice place after all. Any other day - I would have enjoyed it, but not being prepared was a real letdown.

After a total of about 13 K, I finally made it out of the woods and was just so happy to see that I only had a 10 minute walk to my car. At one point along the path to the car, there were some people on the side in a grassy area with about 15 elderly in wheelchairs. They were singing to them and feeding them Popsicles and smiling with them. And my immediate thought was "ME, ME, ME". I was whining because I was tired. I can't imagine how tirelessly these amazing people worked night and day to take care of these elderly patients.
My next thought was "This truly is Heaven on earth".

The Lizards...

Well - I have been trying REALLY hard to get used to the fact that we get lizards in our house. Any of the locals will tell you that it is impossible to keep them out. My maid was shocked to hear that they didn't come indoors in the States.
I actually try not to chase them down anymore, the minute I get near one, it runs for cover. The lizard is scared of me - as it should be. I still can't get used to them sneaking around the house.
Just the other morning I walked into the kitchen and turned on the light. One came shooting out from the behind the dishes that were drying next to the sink - and toppled half of them over. At 6:00 am - scared the holy ghost out of me - talk about heart-attack city. And Lord only knows where they run off to - they are probably upside down in my kitchen cabinets.
They are ugly - their skin is slightly translucent - they leave their poop all over the place. I've heard that their poop is toxic - so I really want them in my kitchen.
My maid said this morning that they were good to have in the house - they eat mosquitoes and other tiny bugs. She also said that they were "lucky".


Why couldn't it have been lady bugs...

The Tooth Fairy

S has been struggling with a very uncooperative tooth the past few weeks - he was SO excited when it finally fell out while brushing his teeth tonight. I went up to say goodnight to the boys and asked S if he had put his tooth under his pillow. Here's what took place after that:

S: (Very sadly) "V said that there is no such thing as the Tooth Fairy"
Me: "He did?"
S: "Yes, he said that you and Daddy put money and stuff under our pillows"
Me: "Well, you know what happens when you don't believe in the Tooth Fairy anymore..."
S: "No, what?"
Me: "She doesn't leave things for children who don't believe in her"

S: "OHHHHHH, Well that changes EVERYTHING!"

I think we need to have a little chat with V ;-)

The First Week of School

New country, new house, new school...

I always thought the first day of school was so bittersweet. This was especially true this year. We were thrilled when the children got into the Singapore American School. It's an amazing facility. The grades go from preschool through 12th - with 5 different campuses clustered together one one VERY large compound. The curriculum is first rate and the teachers are outstanding - from all walks of life. Each teacher gets an aide so there are 2 adults for every 22 kids.
V started on Monday and was very responsible (as usual) about setting his own alarm and getting up to get ready. He took extra time to comb his hair nicely and was ready to go. S didn't start until Wednesday, but didn't want to miss any of the action, so he got up with his brother, brushed his teeth and had breakfast with V.

It was time to go out and wait for the bus (which comes at 7:00 am). The buses are city buses and each have a "bus aunty" on them to make sure that the kids are strapped in and follow the rules.
With V out of the house - S was mighty bored by 7:30am. So until he started school - Mommy was the prime entertainment. I didn't realize what a great babysitter his big brother was! I was nice to have time alone - just the 2 of us. Vishal came home after the 2nd day of school and announced that he was going to play the violin.

When S starts a new school - it's always an adventure. With all of the health issues he faces, the schools need to set up protocols for if he ingests something that he is allergic to, etc... With most schools, I send in benadryl, nebulizer meds and an epipen. In the case of SAS, they had me come into the school to have a meeting with his teacher, his counselor and the 2 nurses on campus. They filled out a sheet complete with his picture and benadryl stapled to it. A copy of this sheet with meds (that they provide) is given to his teachers (main, art, PE, music, mandarin). A copy also goes to the lunchroom, to the bus driver and one stays in his backpack at all times.

When S started kindergarten and 1st grade, I was called by the nurse the very first day of school. He never completed a first day. Well, no surprises this year when the nurse called and said that Shyam had thrown up and I needed to come get him. It turned out he had had a headache for most of the day and never told anyone - which for him means eventually vomiting.

The rest of the week went without a hitch...

A few interesting facts:
The kids wear uniforms to school and on every third day wear their PE uniform to school.
They are learning to speak Mandarin.
The cafeteria offers 5 different choices at lunch: hot meal, Asian meal, vegetarian meal, sandwiches and a la carte options.
The kids get a snack in the morning (brought or bought)
The teacher make sure that they are getting enough to drink during the day.
You do not have to buy school supplies, they are provided (although tuition is a small fortune)

I missed them terribly this week - but have to admit, the quiet was bliss!!!