The first two weeks

We have now officially been living in Singapore for exactly two weeks. Wow.

I cannot believe the strange things that time has been doing to my perception of it, during those 14 days. In the beginning, the days and nights were both long. I couldn’t sleep well and struggled with jet-lag and generally feeling a little bit overwhelmed by it all. I remember lying in bed at 5am, thinking ‘I really must sleep’! The first week was also lovely as we had plenty to do, and I had Will to myself all day, every day. It all felt a lot like a holiday – despite looking at apartments, and opening a bank account for Will. We had a great trip at the weekend on the Singapore Flyer and visiting the Orchard Show and Gardens by the Bay (I will blog about those this week, I promise!). It was all exciting and new, and I think I walked around in a bit of a daze. Nothing really felt real at all.

The second week has been tougher for a number of reasons. I think it started to sink in for me that this is my life now – Singapore is my home, not London. I found that pretty tough and missed family and friends a lot. I found the time difference difficult as well, because every morning Will would get up and go into the office (he started last week) leaving me in the apartment on my own. All I wanted to do was pick up the phone and talk to one of my friends, or my Mum, but the time difference meant it was always about 2am so, much as they love me, I don’t think they’d have been all that happy!

But whilst it was a tough week in some respects, it was also a great week. I found my independence by doing lots of little errands, like going to post my first Singapore letter! I also took a trip down to the Furniture Mall  and picked out our bed from a lovely Kiwi lady, who’d we’d met back in September. I am so excited about this bed – words cannot describe! We’ve also ordered some sofas from Ikea, and our air freight has arrived (not all our stuff but a few little things, including kitchen stuff) which is all being delivered on Tuesday.

We also confirmed everything to do with our flat – including parting with a painful amount of money on the deposit – and we get the keys tomorrow! I can’t wait to move in and start making it feel like our home. The serviced apartment is fine, but it’s not homely and it’s not ours. The flat is in the Novena area, right by the MRT, and we’ll be on the 31st floor, with great views over the nature reserve. On a clear day you can see all the way to Johor Bahru in Malaysia! I can’t wait to be able to cook in a proper kitchen, and have people over in the evenings. I think once we are in, it will make everything feel so much more normal.

I also found some fantastic people through the blogging community – Leone has been an absolute gem, putting me in touch with people via Facebook. I also met up with fellow expat bloggers Laura and Bec, and had a fantastic afternoons eating lunch and then hiding from the rain first in Singapura Plaza and then in Mustafas (oh, yes I have been to the famous institution). We’ve even managed to persuade Bec to join us on Twitter – hooray! We’ve also been out with a few contacts that people at home have put us in touch with. It’s been great meeting everyone and starting to make some friends.

I also got my first iPhone (courtesy of the lovely Will … as I’m not working everything is in his name!). I am very excited about it! Its been great actually, as its let me stay in touch with everyone via Facebook and Twitter, as well as being able to pick up my emails on the move. It also has maps on it, which is a complete godsend for my exploring. Before, any trip outside on my own involved a massive paper map, with pen circles on it. The map is looking a bit sorry for itself, and has started to get holes in it, from where I’ve folded it over and over on itself!

I have decided that the best way to sum up the  past two weeks, is with the letter ‘F’  – fear, flats, furniture, friends, fun! It’s been hard but wonderful all at the same time. I am now looking forward the next two weeks, and the next two, and the next two….!