Home Sweet Home

In honor of Independence Day, I have been thinking about home and all the things I miss about the USA.  Here is my top ten list*#^.

       *Items on this list and their respective numbers are subject to change on a moment's notice.
      #Due to pregnancy hormones and the closeness of lunch, this list might have a disproportionally high number of food-related items.
       ^I accept gifts in the form of items on (or off for that matter) this list which can be sent directly to me at my current abode.

10. Chewing Gum.  This void is getting easier for me since the habit of constantly chewing gum has subsided some and also since generous guests, family, and friends keep my stocks replenished (If you were wondering, I like Trident Peppermint best).  Even if gum weren't banned in Singapore, I'm not sure how much I would buy it since the heat and humidity cause the gum to turn into a soggy mess in your purse, which subsequently attracts ants.  And ants in your purse is just annoying.  

  

9. Bagels and Cream Cheese.  Singapore has lots of western restaurants that will satiate a home-sick palate, but I have yet to find a good bagel shop. You know, one that offers 12 flavors of bagels and 15 flavors of cream cheese.  I miss the morning bagels and coffee and bagel sandwhiches at lunch.  The bagel I miss most: the fall-time pumpkin bagel.  Yum! 

8. Target.  Yep, I mean Target like the superstore, because it is a SUPER store. When you need 10 somethings all unrelated, you go to Target.  You find all 10 items (plus 5 more you didn't even know you needed), and your bank account isn't ravished.  We just don't have that equivalent here in Singapore.  We were home for 3 weeks in September and I am sure that I made at least 4 trips to Target, with an accumulation of over 8 hours and $500 spent.

7. Cereal.  My sister, who lives in Japan, swears we have an amazing selection in Singapore but I disagree.  Mostly because I am unable to buy my favorite cereal in the world: Raisin Nut Bran.  I have seen it before and I proudly guiltily admit to buying up the entire stock (which consisted of 4 boxes and cost me S$44/US$30.  Also, don't tell my husband how much I spent on cereal).  I also cannot find other cereals that I like such as Grape Nuts and the feel-good box of Golden Grams.

6. Mountains.  While Singapore certainly has its own interesting ecology, it is lacking in mountains.  I am a western girl at heart and my soul craves the openness and cragginess of the larger Rocky area.  Singapore's highest point found at Bukit Timah measures in at a measly 166 m or 550 ft. I'm not even sure that would be a ring on most elevation maps.   

5. Open Spaces.  This is part of the reason I miss #8 and #6. Singapore is an island about the size of the DC metro area.  Even if I were to have a car, which I don't and which is an item that probably should be on this list, you could only drive something like 20 miles before reaching a boarder crossing, necessitating a passport, immigration forms, and most likely a long 'queue' (or line, as we like to say in America).  When I get back to the USA, I want to drive from NYC to LA without my passport just to do it.  Also, besides the land space, I miss personal space.  On this island, there are 4 million people.  Who step on your toes and bump into your shoulders without saying sorry. I actually found a brief moment of inner peace at the Target in Twin Falls on a Weds morning because there were only ~10 other people in the ENTIRE store with us, 3 of which were family members of mine.   

4. Affordable rent.  OK, I'm sure some of you Americans can raise good arguements about the affordability of your rent, but *Trust me on this one*.  Singapore's rent is EX-PEN-SIVE.  Like Manhattan prices only out in the suburbs and not a very nice apartment.  Singapore also rates on the top ten most expensive cities in the world.  It depends on whose list you look at, but I've seen it as high as number 3.     

3.  Diet Soda.  I would just like to point out that Coke Light is not Diet Coke, no matter what they tell you.  They taste totally different.  Besides, I've always preferred Diet Pepsi to Diet Coke.  Unless an ice-cold Diet Dr. Pepper is avaliable, yes please!  And don't even get me started on those caffeine-low days where you would kill for a Diet Mountain Dew.  

2. Americans.  Let me be clear that we love all of our non-American friends we have met in Singapore and elsewhere.  But we miss people who talk about football, quarterbacks, and touchdowns in the same sentence without referring to it as American Football.  Who grew up watching Saved by the Bell, Goonies, and Baywatch, and will catch your references to it. Who talk/shout about politics, who complain about their own government (we find plenty who will complain about OUR government), and who understand that red and blue states are not just colors on a map but political and philosophical descriptors. Who know the difference between Idaho and Iowa.... (Well, maybe that last one is a poor example since I know a lot of Americans who can't do this.  But you get the idea).

 

1. Family and Friends.  Truly, this is the thing I miss most about the USA.  I tell my husband often that if Singapore were located where Hawaii was, I would be happy to settle down here and stay forever.  Alas, Singapore is a 24+ hour flight away from the USA.  Have you ever done a 24-hour flight?  OK, how about with a 1-year old?  How about with 2 toddlers?  You get the picture.  We can only put ourselves through that torture every 2 years, which just isn't enough for me.  Also, I am a 14 hr time difference from my parents.  This means that there is approximately 3 hours in an entire week that we are all awake and not working.  So if you haven't heard from us much since we left for Singapore, please know that we DO in fact love and miss you.  

Thanks to the American Association of Singapore, the US Embassy and the US Navy, one thing I do not have to miss while in Singapore is a decent 4th of July party, replete with hamburgers, music, and fireworks.  My husband said he even teared up a little at the national anthem (which is why he knows he has been away from home too long). Here's wishing you a very happy and American 4th of July! 

4th of July Party, Singapore, 2011