Parting Shots and Final Thoughts

I've been home for two weeks now and fully re-integrated into the life I was living before I ventured afar on what was an extraordinary journey.

My grand girls Bella and Sofie.

It almost seems like a dream I had, which is another benefit of having kept a journal, this blog, to preserve the memories. I've been trying to summarize in my mind what the best moments were and what I will miss most...beyond the obvious answer, "my grandchildren!" I captured nearly 2,000 images showing tender and funny moments with family,

A huge example of Singapore's affinity for public art. This 7 ton
painted bronze and steel floating baby by Marc Quinn is called
The Planet and is at the Gardens by the Bay.

beautiful and awe-inspiring images of nature and of mankind's creations, both small and immense. I'm using this post to include some images I haven't shown before. How lucky for me that my three month stint began and ended with relaxing beach vacation days on island resorts. First, there was Bintan Island, Indonesia, at Club Med in April;

Bintan or Maui? Could be either island paradise,
but it is the beach at Mama's Fish House, Maui.

then Hawaii's island of Maui on the way home in late June/early July. Most of my tour of duty took place in Singapore, an island, a city, and an independent nation on the tip of the Malaysian peninsula. It is possibly the most beautiful modern city I've experienced. There are many things about it that I will miss: its clean, tidy efficiency; Its well-deserved reputation for safety and civility (owing to strict public nuisance laws and strong enforcement); its mass rapid transit system, the MRT and city buses

The many colors of Little India section of Singapore.

that quickly get you to shopping centers and services in all quadrants of the island; its population of diverse ethnicities (Chinese, Indian, Malaysian, Anglo, and more) living peacefully, respectfully among one another; its beautiful cityscape of towering skyscrapers amid historic colonial gems surrounding the river and marina bay; its beautiful parks and public spaces adorned with sculpture including, of course, its signature icon, the Merlion fountain statue overlooking the bay.

This 121-foot merlion is on Sentosa Island,
Singapore's family amusement resort.

I won't miss the fierce, unrelenting sun on cloudless days and am grateful for the days of overcast or billowy clouds and the mitigating breezes. I won't miss the disorienting sight of traffic moving along on the wrong side of the road. (As I adjusted to seeing this backwards flow, I worried I would feel disoriented upon return to the States. Worry for nothing; no problem.) I missed having access, especially in the early weeks, to familiar food cooked to my specification. It got better especially in May when we had our own kitchen and could buy and fix whatever food we wanted. But I also expanded my repetoire of foods I could comfortably eat and enjoy. I took advantage of my situation and kicked my addiction to sugar, I'm happy to say, and seeing/feeling the benefits of that. I won't miss the week that Hapny, Sofie and I camped out in a single cramped hotel room at the Value Hotel the week of April 20, before the financing through Aron's company could be arranged that enabled us to move to the luxury and convenience of Orchard-Scotts

Our building/home at Orchard-Scotts.

Residences. Oh yeah, put these on the "things I will miss" list: the six-days per week cleaning service for our apartment, the Monday through Friday free breakfasts with our building neighbors and the cheerful service provided by the staff of breakfast ladies, and the wonderful, family-friendly pools we splashed around in almost daily. While I missed my own kitties at home, I looked forward to seeing on our walks to the MRT station the collection of feral cats (10 altogether) that were lovingly tended with food offerings by the cat lady I met only once.

Two of my feral cat friends.

I learned she owned a dozen or so other cats that lived with her. She was just a compassionate soul and I'm sorry I didn't get a photo of her. My favorite moments, no surprise, are many I shared with Sofie and Hapny. I'm so glad I had that much time to really know them both so well. Hapny was always so sweet and agreeable and a pleasure to be with. Sofie was charming and funny and lively and a real diva. She loved having an audience to perform the many songs she created. It will be interesting to see if Bella will choose to compete with her big sister who loves the limelight.

Standing at their bedroom window, Hapny and
Sofie help Bella soak up some rays
 of morning sunshine.

I can't wait to see them both in December for the Christmas holidays...and Aron and Hapny too, of course. The year 2010 was the last time we spent Christmas here all together. The Singapore adventure was quite an undertaking, necessitated by the circumstances of Bella's impending birth, which was not feasible where Aron and family live in Tembagapura, Papua, Indonesia. Cairns, Australia, had been their first choice for the birth, but the Australian government's requirements for Hapny's visa were impractical. Singapore was the next best option. In retrospect, I think it was good fortune that it worked out that way. It's a great place, a wonderful destination for tourists or serious shoppers. Thanks for the memories, Singapore! I hope to see you again someday! You never know!

Sweet little Bella at one month, taken since my return home.