Life In Singapore

Lau Pa Sat 'Old Market' in he Singapore CBD

Hello!

Yes I am alive, and yes I am still out there somewhere.

John is living and working in Singapore at the moment, he is neither particularly lost nor travelling at the moment, although he still feels like he is. The weird thing is (apart from the awkward use of third person perspective) I had always dreamily considered going into some kind of classroom again after travelling for a while, of course in a not even-slightly-planned planned way, such is my style. Firstly to extend my time overseas and to fulfill the urge to stay somewhere different and interesting for longer than the usual few days that are the backpackers lot in life: Apart from the farms in New Zealand, my record in a particular location had been two weeks, three days. Secondly to refill my bank account after 18 months of travelling with no income.

Hard evidence that I've had this episode subconsciously in my mind the whole time was discovered when was updating my CV  before applying for work, opening it to find the phrase; 'I would like to work somewhere hot and sticky.' as a place-filler. In fact, I've been not-so-much-looking-but-actually-looking for places to slow down for a while. I've discovered many wonderful places along the way, too many to choose from in fact. I suppose I've been looking for a reason to slow down rather than a place as I'd like to live everywhere.

When I met Wendy in the kitchen of a hostel at Franz Josef, I could never have imagined that our chance meeting would eventually result in me working in hot and sticky Singapore, mostly because I was well into my 5th glass of wine at the time and trying desperately to finish Shantaram. Also I thought she was Japanese. In any case, our life's path unfolds before us mysteriously and I have been here working as the 'foreign talent' in an English language enrichment centre for a little over a year.

At times, keeping a straight face is essential. 

My job is in no way the teaching that I know and (not love) left behind. instead I teach primary age children English, not as an additional language as such but in after school/weekend enrichment classes. My bread and butter work is teaching 4 year-olds to read. Most know the basics of the language well enough, but use the local 'Singlish' dialect and a lot of the work in later years is working to teach the vagaries of English grammar to children who are expected to pass an 11 plus style exam at the end of primary, a test that requires the children to speak and write in correct British English, whatever that is.

The class sizes are tiny compared to what I was used to at Fairfield, the children are tiny but  then again, so are the rooms making the maximum size of nine students feel like the room is 'full'.

The preparation and marking can all be taken care of in the normal working day due to the small class sizes. It's all a bit of a cruise really. Sometimes it all gets a bit repetitive and I feel as if I'm being paid for my time rather than my 'talents'. However, my contract is fixed at two years and I remind myself that this isn't forever and to have fun and take each day as it comes. 

I am quite busy with day to day things here. However, I have begun to write a series of pieces on life in Singapore. They started off as one piece as I have written for other countries along the way, the problem is I live here with my eyes open and have gone way beyond just scratching the surface, the content has since expanded and now I'm looking at a series of 4 or 5 blog entries that I will publish in the coming months.

So keep a look out.

the only people for me

...the only people for me are the average ones, the boring ones who get by, sometimes talking about something vaguely important, often not, not really needing to be saved from anything in particular, desirous of a rich tea and a digestive at the same time, the ones that yawn and can't help saying a commonplace thing because they are human, and be, be, be, like the plants and trees of a forest; growing slowly individually and collectively insignificant yet magnificent and you see the the whole existence for what it really is in itself and everybody sighs; "Ahh".

Cape Byron

Indira Nagar Procrasination

Time with my own kind
now alone, world's frightening.
Where is my courage?

I've made the choice to travel solo, and for the most part it's been easier than I expected. I notice the effects most when I meet fellow travelers along the way, suddenly there are people to talk to in our shared mother tongue, about our shared cultural baggage, observations and ideas to bounce back and forth, small talk, security in purpose.

Then we must all go it alone again, journeys seem daunting, looks from strangers seem to contain more menace, streets lead to nowhere I know, I must stop, take a breath and swallow hard. Remind my heart that it is fearless.

Generalisms

Things Greeks like

1. Cafés

2. Hanging out in cafés

3. Beards on men

4. Taking their time, especially in cafés

4. Talking (maybe in a café, usually anywhere)

5. Families

6. Black jogging bottoms

7. Sitting, maybe in a café, maybe in front of the sea for five hours, especially if combined with twirling some beads

8. Receipts

9. Buses

10. Owning a Café, or maybe a taverna

11. Animal tramps

12. A good old protest


Things Greeks dislike

1. Edible oranges growing outside orchards

2. Cheap beer

3. Having to hurry

4. Taxes

5. Politicians

6. The ECB when combined with 4 and 5

7. Winter

8. Timers on water heaters

9. Missing a nap

10. Smoking bans

11. Turkish special forces, disguised as sea sponges, laying silently just off shore, ready to swim ashore when the nation is unawares and steal some goats. Hence all the military bases.

12. Damian Rice

"There is a crisis here"

1.32pm Thursday afternoon leisure
the bars have been full for hours
smoking, chatting, drinking beer and coffee
spending the money
that was
never
yours.

I sit here too, rainy Thursday
watching, wet, wondering
what you're all doing for this economy.
The next bail out
that will
never
come.