September 21, 2008. I landed on Changi Airport and finally reached foreign soil. Singapore, so-called "The Little Red Dot" was finally in view.
One of the first things I did was look for the hostel where I was booked to stay. The first night I stayed in a hostel, and my brother-in-law accompanied me.
That same day we went to Lucky Plaza and I needed to get some supplies: a SingTel SIM card and a travel adaptor for electrical outlets. Buying a SingTel SIM, they had a promo where you get to spin the wheel for a chance to win free tickets to the F1 Race, worth 900 SGDs. I won.
The next day I moved to another house. Kuya Manny and Ate Arlene were kind enough to accommodate me. I was a stranger, and they took me in. The house was in Bukit Panjang where I stayed longer than I expected -- more than a month. I settled well with the 4 dudes, their sons, and they were a wonderful Christian family.
The first week I had a job interview with a representative of Xpand SG, my first. I found out that IT hiring was not that much during this season due to the economic crisis in Singapore.
I spent the weekend watching the F1 Race, the first night race ever in world history. It was something I didn't want to miss and besides, the tickets were free.
Looking for work and going to two more interviews, I got a job offer. But the company that gave the offer later changed their mind about hiring me.
Adjusting to the life in Singapore is not that hard. The transportation is very efficient, there is low crime, and everything is so systematic and organized. I had to get used to the "Land of the Left" where everyone drives on the left-side of the road.
I attended Calvary Chapel of Singapore and Pastor John Tan was kind enough to make me feel welcome. I was able to connect to the young people especially, and it was a good experience to be exposed to Christians in another culture. Only this time I was the foreigner.
The food is also great, and they have all sorts of Western as well as Asian food. I especially like the chicken rice and crispy chicken noodles. I wasn't able to try their mutton, the bulalo that's made from sheep. They also call their carinderias "Hawker's Centers".
October 24, 2008. I flew back to Manila. As I'm writing this, I'm already back in the Philippines. I'm staying in our nation's capital for a few weeks before I go back to Iloilo City. At the moment I'm setting aside Singapore. It has been a journey and a learning experience. And as the Calvary Chapel distinctive goes, a venture in faith can also mean a step back when things don't work out.
To all I left behind in Iloilo, see you soon. =)
P.S. I didn't take too many pictures since my camera broke the night before my flight to Singapore.
