April Weekends

Spring has finally arrived in Kobe and with it a return to our normal routine. Despite the disaster that is still unfolding in the northern part of Japan, things here in the Kansai area feel very much as they always have. There are a few things missing in the grocery store and there are many efforts underway to raise money and supplies for the disaster victims. We also have a few new faces on Rokko Island, refugees from Tokyo and other northern cities who have been evacuated here for the short term. The earthquake last Thursday was a sharp reminder for most of us that things are not completely stable yet. There was no damage here but our building swayed and creaked enough to wake me from a deep sleep. I do feel safe here, but not as safe as I once did, even though I know this city has been meticulously rebuilt  to withstand earthquakes after the 1996 disaster. I guess it just feels more possible now. However, as my husband reminds me, even the Midwest of the U.S. is due for a major quake in the next 50 years and it isn't built for it at all! He's so good for my peace of mind! :)

Last weekend the girls helped paint decorations for the upcoming Carp festival on our island. Carp banners are painted and used to decorate the public areas on the River Mall in front of our building.

The next day, the girls and I went for a walk to admire all of the gorgeous flowers that are in bloom on the island.

Katie's crabby face is because a bug flew in her eye, not because of anything Laura did.

Siting on top of the River Mall Fountain

The dog outfits in Japan are truly amazing. These guys were pretty tame in comparison to some we've seen.

This is the dressing "room" at the local store. Its more of a dressing cubicle!

We also saw some students dressed up as characters from their favorite anime stories. It was part of an effort to raise money for those in Sendai. Unfortunately, the brochure was in Japanese, so I'm not exactly sure what they were doing but they were kind enough to pose for pictures!

The girls ended their day by going to see Disney Live with some friends from our island. They had a fabulous time!

In the theater - unfortunately the whole show was in Japanese

Laura and Katie with Michaela, Karina and Alyssa Enerson

Nathan is getting so grown up. He was much to mature to paint carp, pose with anime characters or go to Disney Live. He was also pretty busy with a school project. However, his mom did rope him into some of the activities this weekend, Unfortunately, he's pretty good at wiggling out of pictures. But I did catch him a few times.

Friday night we went to our local "pub" Macscys with our friends the Maloneys and then back to their apartment to play for a while. The next day was the Canadian Academy International Food Festival, one of our favorite events at the kids' school. The girls were in the Parade of Nations and later all three participated in a flash mob singing "John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt". Katie was even asked to help lead the song!

There were 13 different food booths with food from all over the world. My favorite was the Indian booth, my kids preferred the American! :) They also had lots of games/face painting/sports for the kids on the outdoor fields and entertainment provided by the students in the gym. We had such a great time and stayed from beginning to end.

Korean drumming group

Lining up for the parade- Nayla, Katie and Laura

Laura, Jessica and Varisha

The Japan parade contingent

Katie and her friend Sky. He spends part of every year in Australia, so despite his U.S./Japanese citizenship he was dressed as an Australian.

Face painting

Katie and Laura and their friend Eva with the CA Falcon

However, the best part of the weekend was when Matt arrived back on the Island after his business trip to the States!

Today we had an Easter Retreat for the kids in our Sunday School. The kids made hats, posters, and jelly bean crafts, listened to two stories, sang songs and had a snack. Their favorite part seemed to be the hats and snack! Laura and Katie were asked to help lead the songs. Katie has a way of charming people into giving her special treatment!

After church we went to our favorite sushi restaurant for lunch and then came back to Rokko Island to take spring portraits among the Sakura, or cherry blossoms. There is a Japanese tradition of Hanami, picnicking under the cherry blossoms. It actually gets crowded! We didn't have a traditional picnic but we did have a few dum dum suckers and some Hershey's kisses left over from Halloween. The American style Hanami!

Every year he makes this face when I try to take his portrait!

Dressed in a Japanese Yukata

Awwww

Getting her to stop posing was the hardest part of the entire process!

Grape Fanta at Marine Park

Playing at one of the parks on the greenbelt

Tunnel of cherry tree blossoms

He thought this should be his portrait. Much cooler than the Sakura blossoms!

This is starting to be her traditional climbing outfit!

Singapore - Part 2

The weather in Singapore is very hot and humid since it is close to the equator. It also rains almost every day. The first day we were there we walked down the Orchard Road upscale shopping district to have lunch at Fridays. (I know, but we really miss American chains sometimes! :) While we were eating it started pouring rain. People actually took off their shoes to wade across the street!

However, it wasn't all American chain food. My amazing friend Rohaya, who is from Singapore, gave us an incredible list of places to visit and restaurants and dishes to try. I wish we'd managed to try a few more, but we still have a great list for next time! Two of our favorites were Chicken Rice and Chili Crab. The chicken rice was a dish of incredibly yummy rice served with a side of steamed or roasted chicken.

 It was a hit with the entire family. Chili crab was an entire crab served in a huge bowl of incredible chili sauce with steamed buns called Man-Tou on the side. Matt and I both loved it but luckily the kids weren't willing to try it!

Our first day we browsed our way down Orchard Road and Laura and I got haircuts at a salon where the stylists spoke perfect English! :)

Then we spent the rest of the day in the hotel pool.

The next day we took a double decker bus tour bus and explored the city. The kids had never been on a double decker bus and the breeze made the hot sticky weather bearable. On our way back to the hotel we got caught in a massive downpour and arrived back at our hotel looking like drowned rats.

Matt had to work the next day, so the kids and I went to the Singapore Zoo. Billed as the world's best rainforest zoo, it really was special. The habitats for the animals were very cool and it offered so many chances to interact and get up close with the animals. It really was something different than we'd ever seen before.

Based on a recommendation from our friends the Enersons, we decided to have breakfast with the orangutans. The food was so so but the orangutans were amazing!

The kids fed the elephants bananas.

 
Then they fed the giraffes. Apparently the girls looked tasty, because they both got licked by giraffe tongues.

This emu also tried to take a bite out of Katie!

My favorite animals were the chimpanzees.

The kids got to take part in an animal show. They even got a stuffed animal and Frisbee for participating!

Their absolute favorite part of the zoo was the splash park. We spent at least 3 hours here! We also saw  our friends the Barlows from Rokko Island!

Luckily the day was overcast and the Singapore schools had just started back after their spring break, so the zoo was very empty and not as hot as usual. That night we headed to a residential area for dinner to get a feel for what it would like to be a "local" expat family. Our conclusion: it would be very nice!

The next day we went to Universal Studios. It was sprinkling lightly, and most rides only had a 5 minute wait. The best part was that everything was in English, so we could understand it all!

The girls with the pharoh

The Ancient Egypt section was very cool!

The girls with Space Aliens

Madagascar show

That night we tried a fish spa. Our fish spa had three sizes of fish. None of us were brave enough to try the big ones! It was a very weird sensation, like prickly bubbles on your feet.

My feet did end up very soft, but I'm not sure I'll ever do it again. However, it will definitely be something the whole family will remember!

The following day, Matt was off and we headed to Sentosa Island. This is a small island off the coast of Singapore that has been turned into a resort area. The day was very hot and sunny! First we went to see the Merlion, the symbol of Singapore. The original one is located on the downtown bay but it has been converted enclosed and made into a decoration for a very expensive hotel room for the next few months! The Merlion on Sentosa was very cool though.

Drenched in sweat after visiting the Merlion, we decided to head to the beach. Matt and I were a little worried about the water quality, since frieghters filled the water right outside the bay. However, it wasn't bad. The beach was gorgeous and so was the island scenery. Unfortunately, despite the sun block, swim shirts, and a limited time on the beach we all got a bit fried.

Our final day we decided to spend relaxing at our shaded hotel pool. It was a perfect ending to a very busy week. For dinner we headed to the East Coast Beach area for dinner. It was beautiful and our chili crab was very tasty!

Singapore was one of my very favorite vacations so far and I would absolutely love to go back again. It is a vibrant, gorgeous, wealthy city, giddy on its own prosperity. It was so much fun and so easy to navigate. Despite the fact that I really enjoy Japan, I am a bit jealous of all the expats who are in Singapore instead. Of course, the fact that we stayed at the St. Regis Hotel didn't hurt anything. It was definitely one of the fanciest hotels I've ever seen!

Breakfast please!

I could get used to this!

Restaurant ceiling

Spring Break in Singapore- Part 1

Background - Singapore Flyer (ferris wheel, Museum of Science/Art (broken egg shape) and the  Marine Bay Sands Hotel (three towers with boat shape on top)

Over spring break the kids and I joined Matt on his business trip to Singapore. Matt's been there several times but I hadn't and it was on my wish list of places to go. I'm so glad we did! Singapore is beautiful and we had a wonderful time.

Singapore is a city/state at the bottom tip of Malaysia. It is an island, separated from mainland Malaysia by the Straits of Johor. Singapore became a British colony in the early 1800's. It was occupied by the Japanese during WWII and eventually became an independent country in 1965. Today it is one of the biggest port cities in the world and a melting pot of races, cultures and nationalities. There are 4 official languages but the dominant one is English.

Downtown skyline

The legal system follows English common law for the most part but  is considered pretty severe by the rest of the world. There are mandatory death sentences for first degree murder, drug trafficking and firearm offences. Rioting, drug use and vandalism are punishable by caning and there are stiff fines for things such as littering and spitting in public. However, the end result is a city that is clean, safe, gorgeous and very wealthy! It had the fastest growing economy in the world in 2010 and it shows.

Old Courthouse in front with new courthouse behind (building with flying saucer shape on top)

The city is located in a jungle setting and the greenery and flowers wind through all of its streets and neighborhoods. However, it is very well tended and maintained. It is one of the most multicultural cities I've ever seen. For the first time since we moved to Asia, we didn't stand out at all! The majority of the residents are of Chinese, Malaysian, or Indonesian decent but there is a huge population of foreigners from North America, Europe, South America and the Middle East.

Orchard Road - upscale shopping street lined with malls and restaurants

It is very much a big modern city with tall skyscrapers and futuristic buildings. It also honors its past with bustling Chinatowns, India Village and an Arabic section. The British influence is also very clear.

Mosque

Street mural

Little India

Chinese Buddhist temple

Hindu temple

Singapore landmark - Raffles Hotel