I just looked at my blog this morning and I cannot believe May is nearly over and I haven't written an update. My last post was about our last school holidays and here we are 3 weeks from the next one. I've always heard that time moves faster the older you are, I guess I'm really feeling that now.
We've been busy this term with the normal life part of our Singapore life. We've been doing homework and attending birthday parties. We've been spending time with friends and trying to get out as a family too.
Lily and Madeline are in the Junior Orchestra at school. They performed a song called "A Little Peace Song" for ANZAC Day. I enjoyed the ceremony and watching them perform.
For Star Wars Day (4th of May "May The Fourth Be With You!") we all dressed up and headed into town to the Singapore Philatelic Museum. They had a Star Wars Day event and collection on display. We even rode the MRT (subway) to get there in our full costumes. All of us enjoyed it!
There's a little story about different cultures that I want to remember, so I'm going to write it here...
In March, we spent a day at the water park. I was there with the kids and in full swimming attire. At one point, I was with Wyatt at a splash/slide area that we call the Pirate Ship, but that's not what it is actually called. Wyatt loves to play here because he can ride the slides on his own. It's a play space for smaller children (but not babies). I was sitting in the shade on a curb that surrounds the water, wearing my sunglasses and watching the kids play. Near me, a dad was playing with his two small boys. The smaller one was maybe 2 years old. The mom was standing near the stroller on the edge of the pool. She was wearing a full black burqa with only a slit for her eyes. The boys and the dad were wearing what I would consider very normal swimming attire. The small boy kept coming over to me. He was curious and playful and was splashing me. I laughed with him and splashed him too. Then he got closer to me and removed my sun glasses. I of course put them back on and he removed them again. Then his dad called him away and I didn't interact with him again.
This small interaction was interesting to me. I think it's interesting when interactions with different cultures change the way that you feel or think about yourself or your own culture. When I saw the mom dressed as she was I thought and felt several things. I thought it must be hot and uncomfortable to be under all of that fabric in the Singapore heat and humidity. I felt naked, even though some might consider my swimmers quite conservative. I thought it was fairly open minded of this family to bring their children to a water park. They must have expected to see people in bathing suits there. I was intrigued with the small boy wanted to see my eyes. Here I was, practically naked by his family's standards but with my eyes covered. There his mom was, totally covered but with her eyes exposed. I don't have any big conclusions. I just often find myself thinking about this.
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