Settling in, in Selbyville

Container arrived - darn it!

On the morning of Friday, April 11, the reality of our "official" return to the US fully set in as movers unpacked more than 200 boxes of furniture and other belongings from Singapore.

We've actually been "home" for nearly a month and, while the combination of a late March snow storm and the arrival of our air shipment a few weeks back offered the first reality checks, something about Friday brought a blunt, abrupt closure to our adventure.


Both Jennifer and I secretly wished our container had fallen overboard and was somewhere at the bottom of the ocean - we have no room for more furniture and kitchenware!  But alas, a beautiful, bright orange container sat in front of our house at 9:00 AM Friday morning.  Not even a scratch on the thing, so apparently it didn't even come close to toppling overboard!

The moving crew was very friendly, very competent, and very careful not to damage anything.  Again - I would have preferred a few dropped boxes of plates and glasses!!  We don't have room for them either!

As we talked with Ed and others from the moving company, the conversations eventually led to questions like "what took you to Singapore?", and "are you happy to be back in the US?"  This second question was commonly asked by friends before we left Singapore as well as those we've seen since returning to the States.  I've always responded by saying, "we're happy about seeing family and friends, but we really weren't in any hurry to leave Singapore".  While this may sound like a completely noncommittal response, it's entirely true and accurate.

Our two years in Singapore flew by quickly, but we did miss friends and family.  It's been great to visit with so many people over the last few weeks, and we still have many more we hope to see very soon - so don't think we forgot about you!  But aside from "people" in the US, none of us really felt the need to hurry back to our lives in the US - or to hurry away from anything in Singapore.

Fully embracing our Southern Delaware Lifestyle

Sure, I'll admit that I enjoy the convenience and freedom of having our own car now that we're back in the US (and coincidentally, I LOVE my new truck), but a car was something we specifically decided to do without in Singapore.  Likewise, some things are a little easier in the US, like shopping, quick trips to the grocery store, etc. - but some are actually more difficult because of the lack of public transportation, inefficiency, and the length of time it takes to get from place to place... in comparison to Singapore, anyway.

And while we are enjoying getting settled back into life in the US, we also miss friends, neighbors, classmates, and co-workers from Singapore.  I miss taking Jessie up and down four flights of stairs for her morning walk, and listening to the crazy birds in the rain forest adjacent to our condo.  I miss the Uncles who drove the buses and taxis, always eager to share their political views or the latest Singapore gossip.  I miss the sweet old Aunties who cleaned up after everyone at the hawker centers, and all the locals and expats alike that made Singapore...Singapore.

I miss my daily commute on Singapore's amazing public transportation.  I miss the often oppressively hot and humid weather.  I miss the "greenness" of the city, the variety of plants, and the rare, but potential monkey encounter.  I miss the FOOD - God, I miss the Char Kway Teow and Satay at East Coast Food Center, Chicken Rice from the Hawker Center in Holland Village, the Roquefort Burger from the Feed Lot in Tanglin, Din Tai Fung, and many others!  How I managed to lose weight in Singapore vs. blowing up to 300 pounds is amazing.

On Friday, as we opened the 200+ boxes of furniture, clothing, kitchenware, etc. we came across the many reminders of our experience in Singapore.  Whether it be the multitude of Tiger Beer paraphernalia I've collected (all of which Jennifer hates), the elephant statues Sophia has collected from across Asia, or the "artifacts" Jennifer and I purchased in Singapore and other places we were fortunate enough to visit - the memories of our amazing experience all came back to life.

With that in mind, I put together another video that I think captures some of what we experienced over the last 12 months.  (Link to the original year 1 video is attached here)  It was truly a great experience and I hope you've enjoyed sharing it with us, and I surely expect that it will "be continued"...

Here's a quick view of our final year in Singapore... the end of what was an amazing, endless summer.  I hope you enjoy.