It was a tough one, to leave "home", Muskoka, and Toronto, and head to Singapore, where my husband is, and "my duty calls". HA.
It is tough, though, to leave all that makes me happy, my kids, my family, my friends, Southwinds, and head to Singapore, which is beautiful, Tim is here, and I made a commitment for two years, dammit, to live here. (1 1/2 left, but who's counting!)
My flights were good, if 20 hours in the air and 26 hours door to door can be good. I got on. That is the good. Flight AC 001 (!) to Narita, a 777, I had a window seat and an empty seat beside me. What a difference that makes. Shoulder room, head falling over drooling room, room for carryon under seat beside, not up above, so much more accessible. One of the flight attendants was from my flight to TO end of July and she sent me back a big "business class " pillow, what a difference, and a red wine and almonds. Very sweet. I didn't even touch the wine, though. I really follow the rules. No alcohol (me!) lots of water, up every two hours, I take "no jet lag " pills every 2 hours. It seems to work. I still feel like a dog's breakfast when I get here, and hard to imagine I could feel worse, but positive thinking and I think it all works. Only a 3 hour layover in Narita, and a row of seats to myself to Singapore. My bags had been checked through YES!, a BIG help, so it was a smooth as could be.
(You leave TO at 2:00 p.m. Wednesday, are in the air for 13 hours, sunlight the whole way, and arrive in Tokyo in sunlight at 3 p.m. But it is Thursday! All day in the 2:00 sun, and a day passes! Is this called chasing the sun? Then you get on the Sg flight at 5:00 p.m. and get in to Singapore at midnight Thursday. Your body is still back at noon Thursday! A killer. How do those pilots do it?)
Changi Airport is terrific. No line-ups. Because I have my dependant's pass, so resident of Singapore, I have no immigration, no forms to fill out. I go through a gate where they scan my passport. Then the gate opens and I wait in a stall. I press my right thumb on a window, and the sign says "Welcome Callahan Jane" and the gate opens. Very slick. Baggage is fast, taxi no line ups, and home in the apartment within 45 minutes of landing! Impressed upon arrival at midnight at the temperature 80'. and at how clean the highway is, in to town. And the bougainvillaea in full bloom. They do do things well.
It was so sweet to arrive home to emails from friends here. My Chinese doctor Albert! A young Bangladesh woman I have befriended, Farzana. Laurie, who is transferred back to Calgary in a few weeks. Norm came up to welcome me back. It was very touching to be noticed that I was away, and welcomed back.
Activities start up now. I am off this morning to a FOM lecture at the Asian Civilization Museum. I don't know what it is on, but do know it will be about something about which I know nothing, so it is a safe bet.
Then to a nursery to see if I can do some damage control on plants that have suffered while I was away. I really think they have been overwatered.
It is good to be back in our little IKEA apartment, to our self-centred simple life. We are heading away to Cebu, Philippines, this weekend for four days. It helps with the missing Muskoka! It is a beach holiday.
Off to get learned.
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