Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Orientation day 1

Today we met Lena at 10am for the first day of orientation. In case you wonder what this is about, it's not sightseeing. It's about showing us the city, the different neighborhoods, the shops, the schools, etc. anything one may need to know to help deciding/confirming that one can live happy in Singapore.
Thus we received several practical guides to help us navigate in our first days/weeks in Singapore. We visited supermarkets, local markets, metro station, food courts, pharmacy, butchers, parks, etc. Objective was for us to assess what is available and the price range.

What I learnt today, randomly:
- Everything is imported in Singapore therefore potentially expensive.
- Chocolate: clearly something to bring in my suitcase. So far I didn't find any Cote d'Or :(
- Nutella is expensive (count 5 Euros for the big jar) i.e. I'll have to eat less of it which cannot hurt ensuring I still fit in my wedding dress come December.
- Forget about wine, it's hugely expensive (cheapest is around 25SGD, and there is not upper limit)
- Weather is nice and warm. Even if cloudy it's still warm and pleasant. I love the feeling of heat wrapping me.
- Entering a building means getting a temperature chock. It's freezing cold for a few seconds. Apparently it takes up to one year to get used to it.
- Fruits and vegetables are at comparable prices with Europe, just not always the same: more papayas, pineapples, etc.
- The MRT stations (subway) in residential areas are quite far away from the condos. Let's see tomorrow whether we can find something nice (and meeting our 3000 criteria) within walking distance of the MRT. We haven't tried the bus yet, but for sure something to explore as we won't have a car.
- Singapore is very green. Singapore is a big city but with so many green areas everywhere, it doesn't feel like a urban jungle.
- Paul (bakery) is present in Singapore with bread and pastries just like in France. Expensive as usual but surprisingly not so expensive compare to the Swiss or German bakeries. I know where to go in case of craving for a pain au chocolat (only 2.2SGD = 1.4 Euros).
- There is at least one Chinese restaurant that serves beans like at South Beauty (sorry, Joy, but no South Beauty in Singapore. Will do my best to find some equivalent).
- I love starting my day with a swim and finishing it with a massage. While getting a massage every day might be expensive, swimming every morning is realistic as most condos have swimming pools.

Let's see what day 2 of orientation will bring.

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