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Getting Around In Singapore

Some of the adjustments we’ve made in Singapore since we’ve moved to Singapore are a product of adjusting to big city life. One of those adjustments involves getting from place to place across the island.

We don’t own, lease, or rent a vehicle in Singapore which is a big lifestyle change for us. Although we do ride in cars from time to time (mostly taxis) we’ve never driven in Singapore. There are two main reasons that we do not use a personal vehicle in Singapore. First, the cost of owning a car in Singapore is extremely expensive, particularly because Singapore heavily taxes car purchases. In fact, the cost of personal vehicles in Singapore is one of the reasons that Singapore consistently ranks at the top of cities in the world with the highest cost of living. Secondly, Singapore has an extensive, safe, clean, and efficient public transportation system. So, combined with our feet, we have many ways to get around the city without the use of our own vehicle. Generally, Singapore encourages the use of public transportation and discourages the use of personal vehicles.

Public Transportation in Singapore

The MRT (Mass Rapid Transit) is Singapore’s train or subway system. It is comprised of both above ground and underground trains. We live right next to the Lakeside MRT station on the west side of the island which is an above-ground section, and we enjoying watching the trains from our apartment. There are several different colored lines within the MRT system, and there is an on-going expansion of the system. The MRT is quite easy to navigate with easy-to-read maps and clear signage everywhere. For the most part, people using public transportation are orderly and it isn’t too crowded except maybe during peak times (though crowds have been generally reduced due to COVID-19) which also makes using public transportation easier.

At the train platform walking to a gate to wait for the train.

Singapore also has an extensive bus system comprised of both single-level and double-level buses. The kids love riding the double-decker buses, especially if we can sit at the front. It is a fun way to explore and view the city.

The kids riding at the top of a double-decker bus.

Taxis are also readily available in Singapore including traditional taxi services as well as Grab (the equivalent of Lyft or Uber).

Some Observations about Public Transportation in Singapore

Public transportation is very clean which fits right in with Singapore’s reputation as one of the cleanest cities in the world. The MRT trains are clean. The buses are clean. It is rare to see any kind of trash inside the trains or buses. You don’t have to check a seat before you sit down because the expectation is that it will be clean.

Eating and drinking (not even water!) are not allowed on public transportation or within MRT stations. This rule is strictly followed by Singapore residents and certainly helps contribute to the cleanliness of the trains and buses. People regularly carry food and drinks on public transportation that they’ve picked up from restaurants, but you’ll never see anyone consuming either (only once have I seen a group of teen boys defying the rule). One particular food item that isn’t allowed on public transportation is durian, a stinky fruit (descriptions of the smell often include things like rotting flesh and garbage) that many Singaporeans enjoy.

Riding on public transportation is generally quiet. Most of the time people are not talking much, nor are they talking on the phone. This was a little tough for our kids to get used to, but they’ve become accustomed to quiet rides on public transport. Noise on public transportation has been reduced even further since the COVID-19 outbreak because Singapore has a public campaign for “quiet rides” with a “Hush-hush Hannah” character who encourages riders to mask up and stay quiet to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Public transportation is very safe which also aligns with Singapore’s reputation as one of the safest cities in the world. There is no reason to worry about pick-pockets or really anything else for that matter. It is not uncommon to see children riding on public transportation without adults because it is safe. We’ve been told by a local that there’s a saying in Singapore “low crime doesn’t mean no crime” encouraging Singaporeans to stay alert to help keep Singapore safe.

How do we get around in Singapore?

We use a combination of the MRT, buses, and our feet to get around most of the time. Since we live right next to an MRT station (its about a five minute walk from our condo), we use the MRT as our primary mode of transportation. Trent walks back and forth to the church building from our condo (about a 10-12 minute walk for him, longer if the whole family is walking to the building).

We also use taxis (mostly Grab) from time to time, but taxis are a more expensive option. Using a taxi takes about half the amount of time of public transportation, and there are times that we need to get somewhere more quickly than we could get to the location using public transportation or we have to carry a big load that would be difficult on public transportation.

What do the kids think of public transportation?

Most of the time, I think the kids view public transportation as an adventure. It’s fun for them to watch for the trains and hunt for seats when the train arrives. They love (especially Troy) looking at the maps and figuring out which way we should go. They don’t mind the little inconveniences that sometimes bother me that much. They are good about carrying a bag of their things (water bottles, wipes, books, etc.) that might otherwise be kept in a car that you need to have with you. They love to bring along a book to read on long trips or even play a game some of their friends here taught them called chopsticks. They’ve learned about the responsibility of keeping up with their fare cards. Although they do miss car rides listening to Spotify, singing along, and being able to talk freely, they are flexible and don’t complain. I don’t think any of them have ever even asked for us to have a car. They seem to understand that just like many other things, this change in lifestyle is a natural part to living life in Singapore.

The older three kids playing chopsticks.

-Lisa

COVID-19 Update

Updated March 20, 2020

Even though we recently shared an update about how the COVID-19 virus has been affecting us here in Singapore in our last monthly newsletter, we thought it would be beneficial to create a proper post about the situation and continue to update it as the situation evolves.

Singapore has a rich historical and cultural connection with China. Travel between the countries is abundant due in part to this connection. As such, Singapore was one of the first countries outside of China to report cases of the COVID-19 virus.

Although many in the United States have only been recently affected by the COVID-19 virus, here in Singapore we’ve been dealing with many lifestyle changes for six weeks or so to attempt to control the spread of the virus. The country of Singapore was hit hard with the SARS outbreak in 2003 and determined to handle future outbreaks of disease better.

Singapore has some unique characteristics that vary from many places in the U.S. outside of the large cities. Singapore is an island-nation of approximately 6 million people spanning approximately 31 miles east-west and 17 miles north-south. Singapore has a population density of approximately 21,000 people per square mile (similar to New York City but much higher than, for example, the population density of Austin, TX which is approximately 3,300 people per square mile). Most people live in apartments or condos in close proximity to one another. Most people rely on public transportation (trains or buses). All of these factors make Singapore particularly vulnerable to the spread of a disease like the COVID-19 virus.

Yet, Singapore, to this point, has not seen wide community spread of the virus like many other nations. Singapore, very early on, encouraged and put into place many different types of measures to help prevent community spread of the virus. These measures include twice daily temperature check (in homes, workplaces, and schools); screening questions and records about possible symptoms, travel history, or contact with someone who had the virus; and travel restrictions. Singapore has discouraged large scale group activities (more than 50 people) and restricted group activities of larger than 250 people so many events ranging from school outings to concerts have been cancelled. Singapore also has a nation-wide alert system to help keep the country aware of the assessment of the current situation.

Annie wearing a mask after coughing during Bible Class (in February).

Travel restrictions in Singapore have tightened immensely over the past few days after a large jump in the number of imported cases. Short-term visitors (in other words, people who do not live in Singapore) traveling to Singapore from many European countries, South Korea, and the Hubei province in China are not permitted into the country at all at this time. Beginning today (Friday, March 20) anyone entering the country (who live in Singapore or are just visiting Singapore) are required to comply with a 14 day stay at home notice where they are not permitted to leave their place of residence or their hotel (not even for things like groceries – these are expected to be delivered).

Singapore has also been conducting detailed contact tracing for individuals who contract the illness. This means that they do detailed research identifying close contacts of the sick individual so that those individuals may be issued stay at home notices even if they do not feel unwell. It also helps the government identify “clusters” of the illness. Several of the clusters in Singapore have been associated with religious groups, which heightens our concern with taking extra caution within our own congregation.

Newly installed hand sanitizer stations at our condo.

Even with lots of extra hassles (such as temperature taking) everywhere we go, life in Singapore seems fairly normal right now. Although we are more alert about things like hygiene, we are able to get out and do regular, everyday things for the most part. People still go to the malls everyday (a favorite Singaporean pastime). We can still go to the movies and grocery stores. We can still go eat at our favorite restaurants. Our school are open. And, although there have been a couple of runs on groceries over the past six weeks, our grocery supplies seem stable. This is not to say that all of these things can’t change at any moment, but this is our current situation.

Our congregation, having gone through SARS, had some plans in place and has been taking many extra steps during this time. Prior to entering the church building each individual’s temperature is taken and each individual has to confirm that they are not exhibiting symptoms of the virus, have not recently travelled to any of the virus-stricken areas, and have not been around anyone with the virus. The congregation also keeps detailed attendance records for each service in the event that contact tracing needed to take place. The men who serve the Lord’s supper use hand sanitizer and gloves and individually hand out the bread with tweezers. The congregation is also employing “open-air” ventilation, not using the air conditioning but instead opening windows and using fans. We even had a nurse give a congregational demonstration about proper hand-washing technique to prevent the spread of germs. The congregation has cancelled most activities outside of worship service and Bible classes to avoid group gatherings. At this time, Singapore has not tried to limit our ability to assemble together with a restriction such as has been enacted in many places in the U.S. no group gatherings over ten people.

Screening before entering the church building.

Four Seas has also been taking extra measures with the COVID-19 virus situation. The students’ temperatures are taken and logged twice daily. The students are not allowed to use any public transportation except to attend worship services. Additional cleaning is also taking place in the dorms and school facilities.

Thank you for your continued prayers, and we continue to pray for you and the situation worldwide.

The Start of Each Day at Four Seas

Each morning the Four Seas school day begins with a chapel session in which the students and on-site faculty engage in a time of devotion to God. These chapel sessions not only allow the students and faculty an opportunity to begin their day with a focus on God, but also allow the male students to practice in various leadership roles including song leading, leading public prayer, Scripture reading, preparing and giving a chapel lesson, and making announcements. Some chapel lessons are given by faculty, some are given by alumni, and others are given by the male students. When the male students present the lesson they are critiqued by a faculty member to help them build on their lesson preparation and presentation skills.

The chapel sessions on Mondays and Fridays are special sessions known as “Singspiration.” These “Singspiration” sessions do not include a chapel lesson; instead, extra emphasis is placed on singing and song leading. Most of the male students have an opportunity to lead a song on these days.

Although we’ve recently had to miss a few weeks due to some illness at the school, our family has been blessed to be able to regularly attend the Friday chapel “Singspiration” sessions. We enjoy the opportunity to join in fellowship with the students during the time of praise to God. Most Fridays our boys, Troy, age 9, and Luke, age 6, also have the opportunity to lead a song during this session. We are incredibly thankful for that our family can support the school during these chapel sessions and that the students and faculty can likewise support our boys as we encourage them in future leadership within the church. Some of the boys favorite songs to lead include “This World is Not My Home,” “Seek Ye First,” “There’s a Great Day Coming,” and “Give Me the Bible.” Here’s a couple of clips of the boys each starting a song.

-Lisa

Luke leading a song.

Troy leading a song.

Charting a Child’s Course

Kids are wonderfully resilient; they are ever-adapting, learning, and mastering (in a child-like way) their environment. Lisa and I have often praised our children for their adjustment over the last year. A little over 12 months ago we made the decision to move to Singapore and begin working with the Four Seas Bible College. That decision changed and will change our kids’ lives for the foreseeable future. But, the truth is, any decision we made and every (big) decision we make affects our kids in this way. Going affects them. Staying affects them. Changing schools or careers or even changing from mornings to nightshifts can affect them.

Walking to the church building from our apartment.
New friends.
New friends.

Riding the bus.
Drinking from a fresh coconut.
Riding the MRT.

New friends.
New friends.
New friends.

Granted, our changes lately have been huge for us and the children. They have been with us through driving all over Texas, visiting congregations, saying goodbye to friends and family, seriously downsizing our stuff (including their toys!), trying new foods, and adjusting to life where we rely on our feet or public transportation to get around. They make friends easily, love to play with anyone who will let them join, love to visit to anyone who will listen, and generally love life.

Ella eating duck rice.
Troy eating wonton noodles.
Luke eating duck rice.

Practicing Chinese.
Creative toothbrush holders.
Tents from Ikea boxes
Camping out on mattresses until the beds could be put together.

Making friends with students in chapel.
Making friends at the hawker centre.

Through it all, the four of them, Ella, Troy, Luke, and Annie have been resilient, gracious, patient, forgiving, and adaptable beyond their years. Lisa and I are proud of them and the joy, example, insight, fun, and love they bring to our family.

-Trent

Finding Phones in Familiar Places

One of the most interesting things about traveling and now living outside the U.S. is how each country and culture go about cell phone usage. A few weeks ago was a big week for us, a week that the locals here in Singapore were patiently waiting for, when we finally returned our borrow phone and got our very own Singapore phones and numbers.

Lisa and I both got our first cell phones the Saturday before we started our freshman year of college in San Angelo. We both got AT&T because they had coverage between San Angelo and Breckenridge (expect for around Bronte). This was in a time when bag phones were going out, but cell phones were for calls only. Some of you remember. So, with nearly two decades of experience, we have a pretty good idea of how cell phones, plans, payment, apps, etc, all work in the U.S. It is standard with carrier plans that you have unlimited free calls, texts, and a limited amount of data. You use this phone as is for everything. Even if you travel outside the U.S., you can usually make provisions through your carrier to just use that phone overseas.

But, when you travel outside the U.S., things are quite different. In Jamaica many locals have multiple cell phones for different carriers or advantages (like international calling). Or, some who do not have multiple cell phones have have multiple chips (SIM cards) to do the same thing. You can find SIM cards nearly everywhere in Jamaica, and you can top up anytime and (nearly) anywhere. There is no carrier loyalty, and only very few, if any contracts. In South America, we were loaned one phone and purchased a cheap, temporary phone for using while there. In order for those phones to be activated, all you needed was a SIM card from the local tienda. In these places calls and texts can be expensive but data can be had for very cheap. It may be easier to use Facebook than to send text message direct.

Singapore seems to be a mix between the two with SIM cards and unlocked phones (yes, even iPhones are unlocked!) everywhere but also with carriers who offer plans, packages, deals, discounts, and two-year contracts. We are still learning about these details and could not speak with any authority on the ins and outs of cell phones here. Thankfully, we have been assisted by many local brethren who gave us knowledge, insight, suggestions, and even a sim card with unlimited data for a year!

Here are some observations about cell phones in Singapore:

Data is cheaper than calls and texts.
Wifi is nearly everywhere. Free Wifi.
You must have WhatsApp. Just like traveling in Cambodia or Paraguay or Jamaica or Mexico, What’sApp is the go-to for messaging. Don’t text me. WhatsApp me. Don’t just call me; use WhatsApp to call me.
WhatsApp groups are vital to civic, academic, social, and church communication.
Amazon is not the go to shopping app (Lazada is).

________

With all of these interesting things that we are learning about international cell phone usage, things about plans and packages and contracts that would make the most caffeinated reader doze, there is something else that I have observed here in Singapore:

Singaporeans are glued to their phones. On the street, in the MRT (train system), in shops, in the hawker centers, and everywhere in between. Sound familiar to those who live in the US?

Ella and Troy riding the MRT (train system in Singapore).

Most places I have traveled outside the U.S. like in the Caribbean, South America, and Asia still have millennials glued to their cell phones. Interestingly, millennials are those who were born in the 1980s or early 1990s. Though labeled much broader, millennials are really those older college students and young professionals who are beginning to raise their families. It is these young professionals who I will regularly see on the MRT here in Singapore engaging in FPSs, FarmVille (or something that looks like it), Clash of the somethings, and much much more – engrossed in a virtual reality after 8 or 10 or 12 hours at work.

Millennials aren’t the only ones glued to their cell phones all over the world. Older generations also have taken to the convenience and crutch of this technology. Facebook is the place for parents and grandparents. Solitaire is a great timekiller that can be played right there on that fancy cordless pocket phone.

Younger people, those often mistakenly called millennial may be the worst of all. While they can function crossing the street while texting better than our grandmothers, they often live their lives on their phones. Their relationships are primarily through electronic communication. They have identity in the games they play. They can even struggle to get through a worship service/family meal/normal conversation without engaging their screen.

This is the “cell phone culture” that we now live in, universally. Most of us see the constant screen time as a change in the way things used to be done. Much of this “cell phone culture” is lamented. Did you know that since “cell phone culture” is experienced universally, it also seems that it is lamented universally? Distracted walkers everywhere are texting, scrolling, and gaming. Commuters everywhere are engrossed in their screen as two hundred people fill their train cars. Children are “plugged-in” to whatever is on the S10 or i11 or A50 or A3 or 2i or V2.2 (made that one up). Asia, South America, the Caribbean, big cities in the US, college campuses, are all very similar in many ways. Even the Russians don’t want their citizens to text and drive.

The more things change, the more they screen the same.

This blog post is not a lament. It is not a proposed resolution. Rather, this post is an observation that, in a world is separated by time zones, geographical distance, culture, history, language, and more, we are all so very similar. Technology, though different countries and cultures may use it differently, is one of those things that seems to be going in the same direction no mater where on this earth you are.

If you only have our U.S. cell phone numbers, you will still be able to contact us on those (call or text) for the foreseeable future. Just please remember the time zone difference.

-Trent