My Transition has been Relatively Easy..

On Monday, as I was returning from my water aerobics, I ran into Emma, Isabella, and Eden.  They were just returning from the grocery store with at least 10 bags of groceries.  Bella was valiantly trying to hold the elevator door open, while her younger sister, Eden, was in the elevator in her stroller, and Emma was hurriedly schlepping bags into the elevator, before her daughter freaked out.  They had walked to the nearest store, and had taken a taxi back to the apartment complex.  There it had dropped them at the closest spot to our elevator. I remembered hearing Jason say that he didn't miss having a car in Singapore at all.  I was sure that at that moment, Emma missed having a car just a little bit.  It would have been so much easier to park the car in the parking garage, and bring the girls and the perishables up to the apartment, retrieving the other items at a more opportune time.  Of course, that's life in the U.S. or London to which I'm referring.  In Singapore, that luxury is just not worth it, with the car license fees being so high.

As I helped Emma and the girls bring in their groceries, I learned a little more about them leaving London and coming to Singapore.  I know that they rented out their house in London.  I know they sold some things that they won't need in Singapore.  Some of their furniture and art is being shipped over here.  They have some furniture that they rented from an expatriate rental place.  I don't know what their time frame was to get ready, but I hope that it was longer than the 6 weeks that I had between the decision to come to Singapore, and the departure.  I do know that Jason has been here for 3 months, and Emma and the girls have been here for 3 weeks.  That means that Emma most likely had to make most of the arrangements by herself.  Now that they're here, Emma's life revolves around her daughters' schedules, and, to a lesser degree, her husband's.  She'll try to fit trips to the store between breakfast and nap time.  She'll take the girls to the pool in the afternoon, when they can play with other children.  She'll feed the girls their dinner, and hope Jason gets home in time for some family time. They were planning to get a Helper in several days, which I hope will make Emma's life infinitely easier.  I hope it will give Emma some time to pursue her own interests.  But, I'll bet, at this point, she'd be happy with just taking one girl to the store with her!

In contrast, I did not have to sell my home in the U.S.  I have a wonderful House Sitter taking care of our house, our cars, and our mail.  She welcomed my college kids when they returned at Easter time.  And my children are all young adults, pursuing their current or future careers.  They mostly live independently from us.

In addition, my mom is taking care of our 3 dogs for us.  I am so thankful for that, as I don't think my dogs would be good apartment dogs.  Roxy, especially, would be barking at things all the time!  That doesn't even begin to take in the expense of bringing dogs over here.  The young couple from Texas, Kjersten and Jay, paid a dog relocation service to bring their dog over.  Once he arrived, he had to be in quarantine for 10 days.  Now, one of them has to take Buddy out for walks outside of the complex several times each day.  They have to make sure to "Keep dog poos off the carpet grass!"  And dogs are not allowed in the pool area, BBQ pits, gym, or clubhouse.  So, if you're socializing out on the grounds, your dog better not be with you!

For me, Rich leaves at 8:45 AM, and I have the next 11 hours to do what I please.  I could hang out by the pool, go exploring, shop, or be a slug.  I do try to have dinner ready when Rich gets home, but he's pretty easy to care for.  He doesn't complain about the food, or things that taste different.  I still remember taking my whole family to Ireland for my sister's wedding.  The complaints were endless about foods that tasted "different" - especially the catsup with more vinegar than Americans are used to tasting.

It all made me realize how lucky we are to be living here at this stage of our lives.  It also made me think of many of my friends at home who made major treks across the country with small - and not so small - children.  Their relocations may not have covered as great a distance, but I'm sure there were numerous complications in selling homes, finding schools, and moving furniture.  It made me think that if the adults decided that this move would be a worthwhile experience for their families, then the children had no choice.  Also, once the adults make that commitment, and are on board with the move, they will make the best of the situation.  It's the old adage, "It's the attitude that counts."