Tuesday
The agenda is as usual, but we have our annual team Thanksgiving lunch at the house after.
Wednesday, we're headed out for a visa run. We leave the passports at the hotel desk for pickup by a visa agent. The first time we were separated from our passports was scary. Now we're used to it.
The flight's to Singapore is on time. We're on a new airline: Scoot - and it's excellent. We get into the city-state in time to catch a bus to IKEA. That may not seem like a world-class destination, but Christmas is coming and they're sure to have specials in their "As-is" section.
They do! I buy a few things but W urges restraint. "We can get it tomorrow at the other IKEA." (Yes, we plan another trip tomorrow.) I insist on getting a few light stars and a children's toy for our nursery department.
Thursday
The city is as orderly and clean as we remember. That comes as a relief after the chaos and criss-crossing traffic of Bandung. Then we hear how stressed out taxi drivers are and watch people scurry from one place to another. They're working long hours and education is so competitive that the children start and end school days with tutors and special classes. No thanks - great for a visit but it would be hard to live and work here.
My big chore is seeing the dentist. Under my sore molar, which has been nagging for a half-year, the dentist finds gum decay.
"Pull it out," he says. "The foundation of this house is rotten." But the tooth is still healthy so I ask for a second option. He charges a fortune for meds: 2 courses of penicillin "which doesn't work 90% of the time."
I can tolerate meds better than regrow a molar. I choose Option B. Why tear out a healthy tooth and get an implant, etc. if I have a 10% chance of keeping it?
We head to town after I have a wonderful bowl of Pho at a Vietnamese restaurant.
I decide to take the stairs instead of the escalator up from the MRT. That's before I look up - and see that I'm partway up 100 steps. Ugh. I have to stop on two landings to catch my breath but thanks to all the hiking, I'm at the top.
We make a final stop at a second IKEA. The As-Is is disappointing. (Reminder to self: "purchase what I need when it's 75-80% off!" How much more do I expect?)
This is one of my favorite buildings - made special by color.
They say the national bird of Singapore is the crane. Now you know why.
W takes me to a bubble tea place - real fizzy tea that he loves. "We saw bubble tea and decided to see what would happen if we put real bubbles in tea," says the owner. #dangerclosesingapore
Friday
We're at the airport early so we check out luggage (exactly at capacity) and cross the street to see Jewel, a new terminal with an enormous waterfall at its center. It's quiet this early in the morning.
We have breakfast in the lounge. Our flight is boarding as we walk up to the gate - we're on time? (2x in a row?! wow) The flight is uneventful and home is welcoming.
Saturday
While W is gone, I finish the Sunday talk - it will be short. The children's program at BIC is early since some of the families are leaving for holidays this week. They're practicing this morning - and it's fun to see them run back and forth, learning their lines.
Daniel is at work getting the silhouettes ready for the Christmas season as well.
In the afternoon, we drive through average (bad) traffic to the international school. At 5, students and young professionals start showing up. We have so much fun tonight - it's a talent show.
We're wrapping up the fall theme of "Fearfully and Wonderfully Made." We have thought about where we come from, our families of origin, how we all got to Bandung, and how God has led us to where we are today.
The talent is amazing, the participation is lively, and we have good conversations around the tables about being thankful to God and others.
The table centers get taken apart. The paper mâché figures that we made weeks ago go home with their creators.
Sunday
It's the Children's Christmas Program. The calendar says November, but our Thanksgiving dinner is past, the tree is decorated at the house, and this is the only week for the program at BIC. I'm ready!
Read more:
*My lips will shout for joy when I sing praises to you; my soul also, which you have rescued. Psalms 71:23
This is one of my favorite buildings - made special by color.
Friday
We're at the airport early so we check out luggage (exactly at capacity) and cross the street to see Jewel, a new terminal with an enormous waterfall at its center. It's quiet this early in the morning.
Saturday
While W is gone, I finish the Sunday talk - it will be short. The children's program at BIC is early since some of the families are leaving for holidays this week. They're practicing this morning - and it's fun to see them run back and forth, learning their lines.
In the afternoon, we drive through average (bad) traffic to the international school. At 5, students and young professionals start showing up. We have so much fun tonight - it's a talent show.
It's the Children's Christmas Program. The calendar says November, but our Thanksgiving dinner is past, the tree is decorated at the house, and this is the only week for the program at BIC. I'm ready!
The kids are so cute - and the message is spot on - Christmas is coming, and it's all about Jesus.
*My lips will shout for joy when I sing praises to you; my soul also, which you have rescued. Psalms 71:23
Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves. Ephesians 5:19
Moravian Prayer: Redeemer, we shout for joy and sing your praises. We make joyful noises in your name. Let our hymns, our voices, and our instruments ever glorify you! Amen.
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