Christmas in Asia

Tony and I spent Christmas in Bangkok with his parents. Like Singapore, holiday decorations are spread throughout the city - Christmas trees, lights, greenery, Santas, reindeer, and more. And everywhere we went in the days leading up to Christmas in Singapore and on Christmas Eve and Christmas in Bangkok, we were wished, "Merry Christmas!" It's interesting to me that here - where Christians are a small minority of the population - people so easily wish one another a "Merry Christmas," while in the (perhaps) overly politically correct U.S., I'm used to being wished "Happy Holidays" most everywhere I'd go.

One aspect of life in Singapore that I'm appreciating is its multiculturalism. Among the 11 official public holidays in Singapore are national/government holidays as well as holidays from the Chinese, Christian, Hindu, and Muslim calendars. This pluralism can encourage learning and appreciation of the diverse cultures and religions here. In reality there are racial and cultural tensions in Singapore as there are most anywhere. Yet among people I've met there seems to be basic cultural "literacy" about the major groups in Singapore, their practices, and appropriate/respectful behavior. I'm learning... slowly but surely... and look forward to the lessons and experiences that await me in 2009.

Getting Back to the Blog - An Update

Well, my blogging took a long hiatus for no apparent reason. Lots of transition and a bit of culture shock, I suppose. I'm going to try to get back on track as there's lots to share of our life here! I can hardly believe we've been here 3 1/2 months already. We're pretty settled into our apartment and Tony has already completed his first major project with Accenture - which meant 8 work weeks in Jakarta! I'm so glad to have him home in Singapore again, and we're glad that his next project will be in Singapore.

We took advantage of the break between projects last weekend and for a mini-vacation to Phuket, Thailand. We found a lovely quiet spot on the northwest part of the island where I saw the Indian Ocean for the first time. We also took a boat tour of Phang Nga Bay which is one of those beautiful corners of the earth I've seen in movies and on travel shows and was amazed to see in person. Phuket was beautiful - and pretty quiet (as the Bangkok airport closures have unfortunately scared off lots of tourists).


Above: One of the limestone islands in Phang Nga Bay near Phuket, Thailand. My pictures really don't do justice to the beauty of this place. Below: Tony in our boat with a view of one of caves and its stalactites and stalagmites.


We also stopped on one of the islands where you can hike around for a closer view of Ko Tapu (more commonly known as "James Bond Island" after being featured in The Man and the Golden Gun). Below: Trekker Tony checking out Ko Tapu.