19,066 miles in 10 days - Couldn't Be Happier!

This post is a bit out of date - since Jennifer has already begun sharing tales of our adventure here together in Singapore - but I felt it was about time I starting writing after a three week hiatus.......

Jennifer has shared the latest news on zoo visits, the family's travels about town, etc. - so I thought I'd share my perspective on my 19,000 mile roundtrip journey to the US, and the return here to Singapore.

Thinking back to the days before I left Singapore in late April, I was.....well, let's face it..... I was in Manila, wearing a Hard Rock Cafe t-shirt, enjoying margaritas and posing for pictures with a Mocha Girl......  No, seriously, I was more then ready to get back "home" to see family, friends, and start the adventure in Singapore together, as a family.

The last few days of April actually flew by.  I fully expected to be counting down every minute to board the plane, but the truth is that work, preparing things at the condo, and packing really made the time go by quickly.  The flight itself, likewise seemed to go by pretty quickly.  I had wisely rationed movie viewing so I had several options for the flight.  Fight Club, Chronicle, and Hot Fuzz ate up a whopping 6 of the 22 hours on board the plane.  A couple glasses of red wine and an Advil PM took care of the rest .....I think I've finally got this long-haul thing figured out!

Landing at JFK was dreadful. As much as I wanted to be "home", that airport might as well be in a third world country and I was quickly reminded of the lackadaisical, rude, 'don't bother me' attitude of the American service industry. Perhaps that will become a charming reminder of "home" after 2-3 years abroad, but on April 26, after 24 hours of travel, trying to shake off my Advil PM, it was far from cute.  The drive from JFK to Greenville, DE didn't help a lot either, but needless to say, my attitude changed drastically when Jennifer helped me surprise the kids and I walked into the apartment unexpected.

It will make me cry if I talk about that much - so let's move on.  Though I was extremely tired, the next several days, seeing so many of you (friends and family) was great.  I was very grateful that family members - both Jennifer's and mine - were able to get together.  Ironically, we'll all probably communicate more often via Skype being on opposite sides of the planet then we did when we were only a town away.  I also enjoyed shooting a round of 79 at Kennett Country Club (granted - I scored a birdie 2 on a temporary par 3, where the tee box was under repair on a par four).  Call it an 81, I was still very happy with my round of golf.

It was also a little odd driving up Garden Drive to visit the Patterson and Prestianne families - and just looking, not driving, down the driveway at 721.  Jennifer and I were, however, welcomed by the new owners to see all the renovations they've done at our old home.  Hardwood floors upstairs and down, new flooring in the basement, and modern, "New Yorkish" furniture sure made it look different then when I last saw it.  All the same, it was kind of nice to say one last "goodbye" to a home that gave us so many good memories. 

View from Rusty Rudder

We did sneak in a couple days at the beach, and lucked out with good weather for bike rides, miniature golf, Fisher's popcorn, a few hours on the beach, crabbing (caught 3 babies), lunch at the Lobster Shanty, and a drink on the deck at the Rusty Rudder......in other words, we did just about everything we wanted to do before we left what is now our "permanent residence" in Fenwick Island, DE.

So now, we're "home" in Singapore.  Two months ago, I found myself constantly referring to Pennsylvania and Delaware as "home" - often with work colleagues giving me confused glances.  I've slowly become used to referring to both as "back in the US" - and referring to Singapore as "home" - especially now with Jennifer and the kids along with me.  Our furniture is due for delivery in less than 24 hours....which is about half as long as I expect it will take the delivery crew to haul everything up the to the third floor to our place in the 150 degree, 100% humidity. 

True to our normal way of making decisions, the new curtains and blinds were installed on Friday and the painter is coming on Wednesday to paint every inch of the condo.   By next Friday, I'm sure it will truly feel like home here at 8A Taman Nakhoda ...... just in time for me to board a flight to Mumbai!