Sentosa, Singapore

After teaching at Johor, we realized how close Singapore was and decided to go there before heading back to Kuala Lumpur. Syazana (Anna) is this sweet girl around our age who works at MFD-- she's our "tour guide" this month and lucky for us, she knows her way around Singapore so we had an easy time getting there.

Singapore is amazing! It really made the whole trip worthwhile-- so clean and very advanced. We took the metro around the city of Sentosa. The metro system there is pretty similar to DC's but they have one cool thing. Instead of using paper tickets, we go up to a ticket machine to press on which stop we want and a reusable card comes out (similar to a credit card) and we use it until money runs out and then we push it back into a machine and a dollar refund comes in for us!
We went to Little India to reserve a night because after Jomi's place, all we could think about was a hot shower and a soft bed. We ended up splurging for a couple rooms at Fragrance Hotel which was a really nice place (complete with a rooftop pool!) So we were able to get our luxury fix and gain energy for the rest of the week.

There are plenty of rich and well-dressed tourists at Singapore which provided for a good chance to people-watch! Speaking of money, since we came into a new country, we had to have our passports stamped and our money (RM) changed into Singapore dollars. I don't think I've had my currency changed this often in one month! Bugis street is one of the largest outdoor market there and is way crowded but beautiful just the same. We saw both the baby Merlion and the giant Merlion. At night, all the lights were on and we watched people take rides on a small ferry on the water. Everyone seemed relaxed and walked close with their loved ones. The vibe there was enough to convince me to return once again someday.

After that, we took a bite out of absolute paradise at Siloso Beach and went swimming at a quiet spot. I've been wanting to take a zipline ride for some time now and was able to do it there! It was a good way to wrap up our short two days. Right after we reached the bottom, a thunderstorm began and the zipline closed down-- lucky us ;)

Four long hours on the bus and we were back to where we started. I definitely didn't want to go back to Malaysia after seeing Singapore. We were granted a day off and given our next assignment-- two days teaching at Pesiba office (hearing parents of Deaf children program) deep in the city.

Surprisingly enough, I finished my first book of the summer (The Shack by William Paul Young) and am on my second. Reading provides a time of peace for me and this book in particular, other than its religiousness, certainly has made me think more about my future. It also feels good finishing something that was on your bookshelf for way too long.

"New world-- big horizon
Open your eyes and see its true
New world-- across the frightening
waves of blue."

-David Wilcox