Vietnam

Yes, finally we managed to get it done. To travel around South East Asia was one of the incentives to come here to Singapore in the first place and it has taken so long. Scheduling with Robert's work is not easy.

We left very early on the 19th - on Beatrice's birthday. She was very excited. On the flight I told the attendants that it was her birthday and they produced a card written on a sandwich box with greetings from the captain and crew. There was a little present of bisquits, a song and the captain mentioned it in his arrival greetings. There she sat gleaming all over her face.

Ho Chi Minh City greeted us with it's usual traffic jams and it took quite a while to get to the hotel although it was only 7 km from the airport. It is still very much a developing place, dirty and disorganized but has a fantastic feel of vibrancy all over. "The attraction" for me were the millions of rollers on the roads going in all directions at the same time so that it was actually hard to tell sometimes which side the traffic is supposed to flow. Some seemed to be on a suicide mission, crossing 6-lane streets against the flow. It was not unusual to see a family of 4 on one roller or a merchant and all his goods - like WC rolls or durians etc. We stayed at a hotel on the main street that was full of high-end designer shops and nice restaurants. However we went to look for more authentic stuff and had our lunch at a popular Pho24, which is a chain selling the famous noodle soup - a huge big bowl for 2$. Even the kids liked it.

There are lots of art galleries selling "old french masters" and the like. Strolled down to the main square where Ho Chi Minh sits with children - all very nice and clean and full of flowers there. Just next to him the famous Rex hotel, which used to be a hangout for foreign journalists during the war. We went up to the rooftop bar. There were a few older couples there, looked like old US soldiers coming back to visit. Has great views over town.

The rest of out HCMH sightseeing plans went all wrong. We went back to the hotel, so that the kids could have a little rest which they didn't. The room next door was being renovated - some walls taken down or something similar, so not very restful. Decided to go out then anyway, only to have Raoul fall asleep in the bookshop... I carried him to a restaurant a few quarters away where he continued to sleep as well as Beatrice. So the 3 remaining of us had a nice dinner but that was about it. Took a taxi back. And unlike in Singapore in Vietnam you have to discuss the price with the driver which we are not used to any more. The closest we got to nightlife was the view from the kid's rooms balcony. They were all still on rollers, even girls in pretty dresses and high heels.

Next morning we headed north to the seaside resort of Mui Ne. It is 200 km from HCMC but because of the traffic and road conditions takes over 4 hours. Was quite interesting though. The style of buildings reminded us of Korean countryside a bit. Basically everybody can build whatever they like. The first two hours the roadside was still very densely populated by bigger and smaller businesses selling anything from fruit to scrap metal. Then after a while it got a bit more rural with orchards and dragon fruit plantations etc. All the while the road was still full of rollers and bicycles. Quite a few times we saw wedding parties - just a big tent by the road with pink curtains, a big photo of the couple and loud music. 

I was very anxious if the long trip is really worth it. But when we finally arrived at the resort it was beautiful. No plywood or tin foil huts to be seen there. Everything was very nice, clean well kept, beautiful gardens, and the sea ... . Our villa was right at the beach so at high tide it was maybe 10 steps to the water. We had 2 bedrooms on two floors and a very nice big sunken bath + outdoor shower. We shared it with at least 5 geckos. They were very friendly though. The sea is open and mighty, so not really for swimming but we played with the incoming waves - not too big to jump in and out. Great for surfers! It felt very quiet, just the people from the resort on the beach, no vendors or passers-by. It was great just to listen to the waves and watch the few fishing boats. So different from Singapore. There were many very funny boats - round and flat woven from bamboo, 1.5 m diameter. On land they didn't look like something I would want to sail in on the South China sea. But there they all came every morning with their loads of fresh seafood.

Went running on the beach every day, what a bliss! But of course the buffet breakfasts and dinners have left their mark... .

Raoul was having fever on and off so we didn't want to be too active, just play and be lazy. One day we booked a jeep tour to the sand dunes. Surprisingly there are huge dunes of red sand just off Mui Ne coast although the sand on the beach is white. Once the jeep stopped a whole flock of young boys stormed at us "slide down, slide down!". They had plastic boards that could be used to slide down the dunes. We negotiated our way through them. Very business minded kids. And they spoke a far better English than most adults. Beatrice and Karl had a good time sliding down on their tummies and backs anyway. Raoul was not very keen on sand. On the way back stopped at a "fairy stream". Well, you can make a tourist attraction of everything we thought. And there as well a bunch of young tour-guides jumped on us. One stayed finally. Got to the stream and it turned out we had to walk in the water for quite a while to get to the scenic spot. But it was actually quite nice to cool the feet off a little. As we walked on for about 500 m we got to a point where the stream flew through sandy cliffs that were quite spectacular - upper part red sand, lower white. Also the guide showed us a funny little plant that closes it's leaves when you touch it.

Then we had to buy some ice-cream to get change for the guide. And headed back. But it was not a brilliant idea to try to eat melting ice-cream in an open jeep. It was all over the place. Learned something.

Somewhat unexpectedly the single largest group of tourists seemed to be Russians. There were quite many in our resort, apart from them a few Danish families who had adopted Vietnamese or maybe Cambodian babies. But the main village seemed very oriented towards the Russians, all restaurants had signs and menus in Russian, as well as travel agents etc. The Vietnamese seemed to speak some Russian because they replied when spoken to in Russian. Don't know if it is a thing of old friendship or just a fad now.

On the 24th of Dec had to get up 2.30 am to make the whole 4 hour journey back to the airport. It was not too bad though as we had a minibus so that all kids could lay down and have a sleep and we slept a bit as well. By 5 am life was already starting with roadside stalls opening up and at 6 am when the sun rises, everything was in full swing. Kids going to school, whole families on their rollers, people eating their breakfast at noodle soup stalls, traffic getting more and more dense. Just before 7 am we saw a funeral procession with buddhist monks chanting and a brass band playing a Christmas carol. As we were stuck in all these rollers I was getting very worried if we will make it to the airport in time, the last km took like 15 minutes. But we made it in time. What a contrast landing in Singapore - wide smooth highways, perfectly manicured greenery, everything so perfect. Sometimes too perfect so that it is good to get out and be reminded that there is a different world out there.

History night

After having been out for a company dinner on Friday night already I didn't really fancy going out the following night again. Also the kids were not happy about it and gave us hard time before leaving. But as it happens so often - if you don't really want to go, it turns out the best. And I definitely would have hated to have missed the party last night. It was a couple from Robert's taekwondo class who had invited all the TKD buddies around to their amazing place. The hosts were rather amazing as well - she is Chinese Singaporean and at 46 the "oldest" lady in the TKD class as she kept pointing out. He is Indian-British Singaporean and the oldest man in the class. Both black belts. They kept cracking jokes about it. Their house is like a museum - an old so called shophouse near Chinatown. The houses all look quite neat from the street but quite small, like some old terraced street in England, just more ornamental. But as you get inside it's just one wow after another. The house just keeps going on and on 6000 square feet altogether complete with two airwells and secret staircases and outdoor kitchen. Their interior was quite minimalistic but very stylish as it had been renovated keeping as many old original features as possible. Mostly inspired by japanese design with a zen garden in the former drainage area of the airwell being the centre point. They complained about the kitchen though during rainy season, because it has only 3 walls. I suggested they could have soup when it rains. Of course it is easier to keep such a zen design without kids. 

I also got a great insight into the traditional life in these houses because it turned out one of the guests grew up in a house just like that on the same road. Back then it wasn't just a place for a couple but for a business and 3 generations. Her family had been traders and the ground floor was used for business including the kitchen for feeding the employees. Also interestingly her room had been on first floor on the street side and there was a whole in the floor of her room so she could see who is at the front door. Lots of interesting stories about the role of the oldest grandchild in a traditional Hakka family. The grandparents made everyone learn Cantonese because that was the trading language even still in the 80-s. Granddad was convinced jeans would damage internal organs so she had to sneak out and change somewhere else if she wanted to wear the jeans. 

There were many very interesting people, different nationalities (incl. one Finn) as well as Singaporeans. It was really the first time that we had such a great insight there. And all the ladies look stunning in the evening (the hostess gave us a great lecture about her techniques starting with foundation up to the lighting!) Also some TKD mums who have their boys in Karl and Raoul's class, whom I didn't recognize in their night-time disguise! And the coaches, including Ms Lee whom we always only see in her TKD kit - now in a pretty dress. The owner of the school had got engaged recently in Korea so there was a lot of teasing and fun going on about and with him. All really good and funny guys. The mood got better and better as everyone had brought some typical drinks from their country and the Champagne flew.

And today a rainy day and tired so took the kids to see Madagascar in the movies...

Don't try building gingerbread houses in the tropics!

We have been so extremely very busy that I haven't managed to keep this blog up to date at all. So sorry!

Beatrice had her last week at school and there was a lot to do with that. Also trying to keep the boys entertained. They were not very well which didn't make it easier. On the last day at school we had a little Christmas party in class with a visiting Father Christmas again. It was funny how Raoul and Karl joined in the class at the end. I thought the school might start charging fees for that hour.

Robert had a whole Sunday off for a change and we actually managed to do some sightseeing again. At first though we tried to build our gingerbread house. It worked out really well this time, the sugar was sticky and hardened well and it looked lovely with all the sweets. Raoul of course found millions that were "broken" so he had to eat them. Then we went out for the afternoon and when we returned in the evening, the house had turned into a ruin. The humidity had made the gingerbread so soft that it could not possibly hold up the weight of a house. Well, at least we had fun building it and then even more fun eating it on the same day. 

While the house was quietly disintegrating we had been to the Labrador park, that had been on our to-do list for a while. It is a nature reserve / seaside park with old british canons and bunkers and tunnels in the rainforest that served to keep away the pirates and later the Japs. The kids quite liked the big canons on the hilltop and Raoul put his masculine side on the show reassuring us that the "war-men" will not come, "don't be afraid!" We also went into a tunnel system that had been restored a few years ago.

Afterwards went to Vivo City which is a big entertainment centre and shopping mall by the seaside, quite nice setting for the many restaurants. Wanted to try a German restaurant to get a taste of sauerkraut now at Christmas time. It was quite a strange experience - the restaurant had had very good reviews but what we tasted was not all that great. Most of all the sauerkraut was spicy as well as some other dishes. I cannot remember ever eating spicy German food. There must have been an Indonesian chef in the kitchen.

On Tuesday we met another newcomer colleague's wife with her 3-year old twin boys. Very funny how they were so different from each other just like our boys. 

Then yesterday went to see a kids play in the theatre "The Toothfairy". It was very good indeed and the children were absolutely fascinated. Especially Raoul because the main boy-character was called Raoul as well. It was a good story with lots of music, dances, visual effects. And very good point about keeping ones teeth clean! Which is especially important for Raoul.

After

Before

We had Beatrice's birthday party last Sunday - a bit early but because we wanted to do it together with two boys from her class and the school breaks up already next week (meaning many people will leave) it had to be that early. It was a very good day - at a kid's gym where they did the most fantastic games with the kids. Everything was pirate-themed, which was actually Beatrice's choice and not the boys! The games and props and music. The Philippina girl who lead the pack did really well, all 26 kids were perfectly under control and waited for their turn patiently if need be. We were quite amazed and thought this would be interesting for their teacher to see...

It was great to do it together with two other mums - didn't feel like one has to take care of everything and we actually had a chance to chat to other people and enjoy the party as well. The kids loved it so much, they didn't even want to eat the cake - just couldn't wait to get back to more games. At the end the parents were involved as well - tug rope and snowball fight. Was great fun.

The week has been busy with boys off school. On Monday we went to the Botanical gardens again and met the wife of a new colleague of Robert for a walk. We found some new spots like a cactus garden and visited the orchid garden for the first time. This was fantastic - the flowers as well as the layout of the whole garden. There was a part with fragrant orchids and the smells were unbelievable - like parfume. A small treetop trail led to the cool-house with orchids from high mountains. A great place to escape the heat for a while. We were lucky enough to have a visit there without injuries this time.

On Tuesday one of the boys friends from school came to play here with his brothers and mum. It was quite a funny sight taking 5 little blond boys to the pool. On Wednesday we met some other friends at an indoor playground. The superwisors there were kind enough and allowed us mums to go away shopping for a little while. After 3 hours the boys still didn't want to leave... .

On Thursday it was Beatrice's Christmas play at school. They had put up a massive production involving all infants children from nursery to Y2. Lots of music, songs and dances, fab costumes (I had helped to sew two angel's dresses) and stage. Really good in all. Beatrice had a few lines of her own and did very well. Raoul had taken his harmonica along and joined in the songs.

Christmas season

We had our first tropical Christmas Party last Sunday in the Botanical Gardens. What a setting! It was Beatrice's class and siblings and parents. A great morning. The weather had been really bad and rainy all week but luckily Sunday morning was nice and dry. It was a great opportunity to meet some parents whom you never see. We don't do schoolruns here, so there are not too many chances. Kids had a great runaround and playtime and parents had a chatty morning enjoying the brunch - snacks that everybody had brought including fruitcake and gingerbread men. And then Father Christmas arrived. Quite a sight in the midst of this tropical foliage. He was good fun. However Beatrice has become very suspicious about this whole thing and said afterwards that it was not Father Christmas but Rupert's dad (she was right of course). Also she recognized my wrapping paper and labels. So will have to be really careful. Raoul and Karl luckily did not believe a word of what she was telling and were absolutely convinced that it was the real Father Christmas who brought their presents.

Unfortunately Beatrice fell ill on that day and has been home since then. Coughing and temperature. Hopefully better soon. The boys get really bored when we can't do anything now that their school has finished. They went to play at a friends house one day this week and had great time but not a lot more action for them.

We had parent teacher conferences at Beatrice's school this week. I was very surprized and impressed by her work. I thought with all the assemblies and parties they won't have any time at all for real work but they have done quite a bit. And her maths has caught up so that she is in the top group.

Last night we had another "teambuilding" dinner with Robert's work. Had some great food - the best steak I have ever eaten! But the whole atmosphere was very funny. Since James has left there is a new project manager who has brought in some of his own guys. One of them is here with his wife - they are from Alabama. That means I could hardly understand what they said, and not just because of the accent... . A whole new world!

As a sad aftermath of the boys birthday I have discovered that I have at least partly caused a maid being fired. What happened was that during the week before the party I thought I had a brilliant idea to ask our Kenyan neighbour's (whose son is in Beatrice's class) maid to help us do the BBQ so that I could look after the children and entertain the parents etc. We saw her every morning while taking Beatrice to schoolbus and I had understood that she really is looking to earn some extra on her day off so she can send some money to her son. Our regular babysitter is also keen on extra work but I just wanted to spread it a little. Anyway, Sunday morning a few hours before the party she came here and told that she had asked her Mam permission just in case and she had forbidden it. She was distraught and I was in stress trying to think of someone, who could turn up in 1.5 hours time. Luckily our KOrean friends here were helpful and didn't mind their maid earning a few extra dollars on her day off. So she did it instead. However, a few days later I received a call from the Kenyans maid and it turned out she was fired in the same evening because she had agreed to do it before asking them. As an interesting twist her employers were at the party as well. So now the poor girl has to find a new employer and go another 2 months without salary as that goes for the agency fees. I feel bad about it of course and am trying to give her some babysitting work (which is ok because the kids know her and like her more than our regular babysitter). Still quite a disappointing story.
The rest of the week has been the usual busying around. Helped to sew some costumes for the Christmas play at B's school. But now with the boys at home after Thursday's last schoolday won't be able to help any more.
On Saturday we went to a book launch and changed the Taekwondo class thatswhy. It turned out to be a good thing because this was apparently the first time that the boys finished the class without fighting or arguing. That's because their schoolfriend Yeo Yoo wasn't there. I had always thought that Karl's and Yeo Yoo's quarreling was mostly Karl's initiative, but it has turned out that it really isn't and that Yeo Yoo argues with everyone else as well. His parents seem very nice and kind people but the little boy is quite a pickle.
The booklaunch was great. A mum in Beatrice's class has published her first children's books (3 of a series) - written and illustrated. Greatly inspired by Singapore as well as her kids. The books are brilliant and a good read for 3 - 7 year olds. Really. I am full of admiration and envy... But Borders on a Saturday afternoon is not a worthwhile destination. Apart from the launch party there were hundreds or thousands of kids, taking books from shelves, reading them on the floor and leaving everything there. The place must be a total mess by closing time. Quite surprized to see it actually because whenever we've been to the library everything is very quiet and orderly. How come that people behave civilized in a library and go completely mad in a shop?
On Sunday Beatrice was invited to the Korean twins 11th birthday party. That was quite different to 4-year-old's party. Only girls. And Raoul and Karl. Mostly they played in the pool. But all the eating part was very civilized. At the end everyone went up to their place to watch Highschool Musical 3 - the 17 girls and Karl. He was very pleased with himself when he came back.
On Monday the boys were off school and we had a good rainy day playday with their friend Matthew. Went to Ikea, where they had a good 1.5 hours in the playground while we shopped. Found for the first time something Made in Estonia here - Christmas napkins! Funny.
Today was parent-teacher conference at school. Nothing surprizing there - Karl arguing with Yeo Yoo a lot, Raoul trying to protect him. Raoul still being stubborn at times but much better than in the beginning. The teacher says she sometimes uses Karl to pass a message on to Raoul. I'm glad there is improvement and hope.

Celebrations

It feels as if the celebrations season has started and it will take us right up to the end of the year. A bit early to my taste but thats how it goes. A boy in Beatrice's class had managed to convince his mom into holding a spontaneous Halloween party, so that filled our Thursday afternoon. Kids dressed up and especially the boys in their sceletton and Darf Wader outfits gave the people we passed by the pool and the taxi driver a good laugh. They live in a big house right around the corner from us. Both mom and dad work and travel a lot and the poor little boy has the huge house to himself for most of the time. We carved loads of pumpkins, kids played in the pool and by the sound of it took the house apart. But nothing got broken and everybody had a good time as usual with spontaneous arrangements I guess. That was it for Halloween. We didn't do trick or treat this year, because here we would have to buzz at the intercom in order to get to other people's floors, so that would kind of take the surprize out.
On Friday Beatrice had her Deepavali assembly at school. That was very pretty - all kids wearing beautiful Indian outfits, especially the girls. They did some good dancing to Bollywood hits and that spiced it up nicely.
From there we headed for the boys school the celebrate their birthday with a cake (that didn't raise unfortunately) and goodie bags for the classmates. That was very sweet. Also good to see the teachers. They think both boys are making good progress.
On Saturday we were invited to another birthday party in a condo next to ours. That was for two brothers who turned 4 and 6 and are an interesting mix of a Swedish mother and Indian father but born and raised in the US and Sing. That was absolutely crazy - over 50 kids and their parents. My kids still had a good time. A warm-up for the boys party on Sunday.
Well Sunday was nothing like that. We had BBQ and played some games and the kids played in the pool. Just a few boys from school and some kids from the condo. I had planned to play more organized sporty games but it prooved quite tricky to gather everybody in one spot and the 4-year olds are still not very easy to organize. (For their school sports day they had obviously practiced.) Hopefully everyone still had a good time. The house is full of transformers, power rangers, spidermen etc. Boys stuffed their schoolbags to brim this morning and Karl even tryed to take an extra plastic bag. Raoul got an advanced piece of Megablocks from Mia and Alex that meant Robert spent about 5 hours building this command station. He enjoyed it. I am still trying to work out these transformers. Don't really know how to do it next time. The boys like a big party but that creates too many presents. (And now Beatrice will have a party with the whole class.) They will not agree to the idea of donating at least some of the gifts. Will have to think about it.
Today there was an ad in the newspaper that puzzles me seriously. It covers the whole page and is basically a warning from the Department of Appropriate Behaviour not to watch a cable TV channel during their free preview this week because the programmes are not morally acceptable. If it was in any other country I would regard this as an ad by the cable operator to make people curious. But being Singapore it might well be for real. Also considering that Singapore was in the 144th place on the recent list of press freedom. (Whereas Estonia shared the 4th place.) I have become more and more amazed about this citystate. The argument that economic well-being brings about democracy and freedom simply doesn't work here. They all go around with their designer handbags but that's all that worries them - nice condo, big car, designer clothes, making sure the kids achieve beyond average. That there is no real political opposition because they get locked up or fined millions if they dare to speak publicly, doesn't bother many. A gathering of more than 5 people is illegal. When US invaded Iraq, there were 3 people protesting here. Now there is a speakers corner but you still need prior approval to use it. People are well behaved as long as the good behaviour is stated in laws - like you don't spit on the floor because it is forbidden by law. But you don't help a mother carrying a pram up the stairs because there is no legal obligation to do so. Etc.
Hopefully I will not be kicked out of the country for writing that. It is still a good place to stay with young kids as they can play outside and make friends in a really safe environment. Just a bit soul-less as an Australian friend put it.

Sports and arts and more

This has been a long and busy weekend. On Saturday Raoul and Karl had a sports day at school. They got their special T-shirts earlier in the week and have been inseparable from these most of the time. I didn't let Karl wear it for the night in case he has an accident but by most mornings he had managed to put it on anyway. So the excitement was big.

On the day everything was very organized as we have gotten used to in Maris Stella. The sisters' prayers had been answered and the weather was perfect - no rain and not too much sunshine. The kids marched onto the field in neat rows class by class, sang the national anthem, hoisted the flags and sat down under the shelter, still in neat rows. Each class was divided into two teams that competed against eachother in different kinds of games and races. It was quite funny at times. Karl and Raoul were on different teams and Raoul's yellow team won. They seemed to enjoy it a lot. After the kid's competitions it was the parents turn. That was very funny. Lots of people volunteered, not me. Both boys were very happy with their medals, Karl didn't mind the silver at all.

From school we went straight to Taekwondo, the boys still tireless as ever.

Beatrice was happy to disappear from all the excitement for her piano lesson and enjoyed it again.

Then in the evening we had tickets for a concert - Sarah Chang with the Los Angeles Symphony Orchestra playing Sibelius' violin concert, conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen (a Finn who has been working with the LA orchestra for a long time). We enjoyed it a lot, especially as they played some extra pieces of Sibelius. The violin concert was brilliant, her technique incredible. In the second part they played La Mer of Debussy and Ravel's Bolero. So quite an interesting mix. The funniest thing was though, that my parents had been to the same concert in August in a small town in northeastern Estonia (Johvi). So that was an interesting connection and a reminder of a small world.

Sunday was the eve of Deepavali. With the large Indian community here it is a big celebration in Singapore. We had to go to Little India to get a dress for Beatrice's assembly coming up this week. So ended up soaking in all this special atmosphere. The roads were so blocked already in the afternoon that we decided to make our way to the big shopping centre through the back streets. Even these were more and more packed with men hanging around. I thought first why are there only men and wondered if the wives are at home cooking or something until I realised that yes they are probably at home cooking, only their homes are a few miles away - in India. There are thousands of workers here from India and that's where they hang out when they are off. We got to the Moustafa centre finally. It is being praised in tourist guides as the place for good bargains but I don't really think that is true. Many things I saw would cost just the same here in Holland Village - the main expat shopping area. It was just unimaginably busy and full of people and stuff. I don't want to think what happens if there is the fire. Like where we finally found Beatrice's Punjabi suit there were rails and rails full, no order of sizes, 30 hangers on a rail for 10. So if you took a piece off you didn't really know where or how to put it back. And then after this fight ended up paying something like 50 SGD (20 GBP) for a beaded polyester set. But there we go. Meanwhile the boys were not sitting still either - they had managed to find some fabulous indian police uniforms, of course in polyester. Karl had even managed to get it on. So after we had found their clothes and shoes under the piles of dresses, we had to buy these as well.

By the time we got out from the shop traffic had literally come to standstill and all the streets were full of these workers relaxing and having fun with their friends. Many street cafes had TV screens out and showed the latest Bollywood blockbusters. It was a strange atmosphere, maybe one of anticipation, but not really festive. Just all these men everywhere talking and chatting creating quite a strong background noise, insence burning, smells from restaurants and bins etc. Nothing like the rest of Singapore. Robert said, it's almost like India, only there the rubbish would be not in bins but on the street. Probably you would have a few cows and monkeys wondering around as well.

We found a nice restaurant in the midst of that, with seating on cushions on the floor, very clean and neat and clutterfree. Very pleasant service and tasty food. And then another one of those Singaporean encounters that just keep happening - just a few steps after we had left the restaurant we bumped into Beatrice's classmate James, his siblings, mum and grandparents who came out from a restaurant just next door. So got a good recommendation from them for the next time as they have been going to this place for 20 years. We bought some sweets there and enjoyed these later at home.

Monday was public holiday here but Robert had to work anyway. He hasn't had a day off since over 3 weeks now. So we had a good playday with the kid's at Mia's place. Together with the Korean kids again. Their place has a kids lounge - a bit like a soft play area, but very nice so they all enjoyed a game of hide and seek in the "jungle", a swim, lunch, more play. I had another Korean reminder lesson. And also we found out that the Korean boy Yeo Yoo in the boys class and Taekwondo school in the neighbour of one of the Korean ladies and his family had been to her house the night before. So now I will just stop wondering if this happens again.

In every port city of the world ...

... there is an Estonian. Singapore has many big ports and that means there are more of us here than we thought. Yesterday we finally found 4 - dad is working as operations manager for a restaurant business, mum stays at home with two kids - girl 10, boy 6. We had a nice afternoon at their place and the kids bonded fairly quickly and learned some Estonian games that I have forgotten all about. They know a few more Estonians, so there might be enough for the choir and folkdance group ,-) and christmas party etc. Well, luckily I felt we had enough to talk about and enough common interests in order for it not to be a get-together just because of being fellow Estonians. They also live fairly close and two other Estonian girls live just round the corner from us.
Beatrice had a week off and we tryed to keep ourselves entertained. Went to Mia's on Tuesday, she had invited some Korean kids from Alex'es class with their mums so I had an opportunity to brush up my Korean as some of them don't speak much English. Funnily quite a lot of the vocabularly is still somewhere in the far corners of the brain and it actually comes out again when needed.
On Wednesday Beatrice had a playday at her new friend James'es house. They are a big family with 4 children but all of them extremely nice. And lucky Beatrice - they live next door to her "old" good friend Nikky, so she could pop round there as well afterwards.
On Thursday we went to the Science centre - Beatrice's favourite attraction here - together with her big Korean friends, the twins. Had a great day and discovered some new areas in the centre including an eco-garden with a tree-house.
Beatrice's highlight of the week was probably her first piano lesson on Saturday. She had been quite hesitant for a while but was completely extatic afterwards and wanted to go back the same night. The teacher is here on the condo and seems really sweet. So of course we went out and bought a keyboard on Sunday as our piano is sadly and lonely in storage in Estonia.
Oh, and yes, she passed the Taekwondo test - so now white belt with yellow tips.

Identity crises solved

Beatrice's school celebrated the long anticipated United Nations Day on Friday and that helped to solve our identity crises! It is a big annual event with parade, countries displays and concert. 44 different nationalities at school this term! Beatrice was wearing her Estonian national costume for the parade as she bravely marched in front of hundreds of people carrying the sign "Estonia" and the blue-black-white. All alone! (There were a few other countries with only a single representative.) She did very well and we cheered our hearts out. I had taken the boys from school for that day and colour-coded them in the national colours as well. The full-length pleated wool skirt is wonderful in the Estonian winter but really not the most suitable clothing in Singapore's +35 C. So she did a great job. I had chosen "Jaa vabaks Eesti meri" for the parade music and they read out what I had written about Estonia and the Laulupidu.

Then we moved to our little table. I was not going to do a stall at first but after a while patriotism won over shyness so I decided to make one anyway, even though on my own. We shared a classroom with Austria, Spain, Holland and Switzerland. Some countries had very large groups - the English of course, followed by the Koreans and Japanese. They had a classroom for themselves and had put on massive displays and offered whole buffet lunches. (I had just baked a rye bread and Beatrice made a "kirju koer".) But we generated good interest and had great fun. All kids at school had a special passport for the day and got it stamped at every countrie's stand, so Raoul and Karl got themselves their first little proper job as immigration officers. When they had time off from pinching Toblerone pieces from the Swiss stall, of course. We were a bit unlucky though - I had asked the Estonian tourism office to send me some booklets and give-aways and after more than 2 weeks in mail the parcel arrived on Saturday! One day late. At least it is here for next year.

We were very lucky to have done this stall as we found some Estonian-speakers in school! There are 2 more girls (and their mom), who speak fluent Estonian. It turns out they are Italians but have lived in Estonia since 1994, meaning the girls were actually born there. Their mom is working here in Singapore now. They even live nearby. We were all completely enthusiastic about this coincidence. And they would not have found us if I hadn't made the stall.

On Saturday Beatrice had her first Taekwondo grading test for the "Yellow tip". It was very busy but I think she did very well. Had to show the first white belt pattern, a few kicks and break a wooden board. We'll know the results by the end of the week.

Robert's job is really busy now with the rig in dock, so he had to go to work on Sunday as well. I took the kids to the zoo and luckily he could join us there. We went to see the elephant show. Felt really lucky as the first row was completely free. However as the show started we realized why - we were welcomed with a proper elephant shower. Not a few drops. Soaking! The show was amazing though - lots of humour and great stunts. The boys had seen it with their school so they were looking forward to see the elephant throw off the keeper's hat. Then after lunch there was a new show that we watched - The rainforest fights back. That was very nice with small animals, monkeys climbing above our heads, tribal fighters and drummers ets. The story about the rainforest's fight against the loggers actually seemed to have arrived at destination - Karl kept asking for the whole afternoon why the tribesmen threw the bad guy in the water. There is always something new to see and to discover at the zoo. We were lucky to have a really close look at the big orangutan Charlie this time. Or maybe he had a good look at us.

Identity crises

Yes we did something cultural last week. Took the kids to the art museum where they had arranged a few workshops. Mia and Alex came along as well. We sent the kids for a "rainbow" painting workshop - unfortunately it was such a wet affair that all their artwork nearly disintegrated. Just managed to save some of Beatrice's pictures. The kids were keen on a music workshop but the organization for that one didn't quite work out.
On Thursday Beatrice had a new friend over here for a playdate after school - a very sweet Australian boy James, who likes to play with girls. When he was picked up his mum said she had asked James where Beatrice is from and it turned out Beatrice had told James she was from Korea! His mum was surprized to discover that Beatrice didn't look very Korean at all. But that's what you would call identity crises. I guess we have to try to find out where she is really from.
On Sunday we took Beatrice along to see Mamma Mia in the cinema (it seems all films get here much later than Europe). She loves Abba and deserved a treat after working hard on her sums. We enjoyed it a lot. Will have to make it up for the boys one day.
Today we had a class coffee morning in the British Club. The first time I had been there and I had predicted it right - yes there are flowery carpets all over the place! Was nice though as many mums turned up and it is quite a colourful international bunch. I had to take the boys along as it was early before their school time. They munched away on the croissants and had a little play in the playroom. Then off to school.

A more quiet week

Robert jokes that I always plan our weekend outings in order to have something interesting to write about here! Well I have failed miserably last weekend. We didn't go anywhere spectacular, just had a quiet weekend with some friends over here for a BBQ on Sunday. (It was for lunch, so the whole day went with the preparations and recovery ... if you start drinking wine at 1 pm ...). It was a good afternoon though with very interesting people.
Otherwise I have been busy with schoolwork. On Friday Beatrice's class had an assembly about poems which was quite impressive. They had all written poems and most were very good at performing them. We had practiced a lot in the garden here so that Beatrice had to speak up in order for me to hear from far away. That payed off as she was given extra lines to say the thank yous and goodbyes on behalf of the class at the end because she spoke loud and clear. Very proud.
Apart from that we have been doing lots of maths with her. I have already written to some of you that she told she is struggling with maths at school and then we discovered that she really has made a few steps back and struggles with quite simple sums. She hadn't been using the number square correctly and because that is so mechanical her ability to do sums in her head has deteriorated as well. So we do maths every day even though they don't get any homework. I am cross that the teacher hasn't picked it up with all the fees we pay for the school! But feel a bit torn as well to be honest. Here everybody is so focused and so many kids get extra tuiton, go to Kumon for maths and tuition in Mandarin and English, and 5 sports and music lessons every week. At the same time just read they are discussing banning all homework for primary schools in the UK. So what is the right way here?
Tomorrow is Hari Raya - public holiday - so we hope to do something cultural with the kids as Robert is working.

Night Safari

Last Saturday we visited another "must-do" Singaporean attraction - the night safari. I thought it is just the zoo at night but in fact it is a separate site for nocturnal animals specifically and really quite a fascinating experience. It starts at 7 pm, when it gets dark and is really on the late side for our bedtime routines but just this once ... . All kids had a power-nap in taxi on the way there, so we were well prepared for a late night. We had dinner there first while watching some buffaloes with enormous antlers. Then watched a show of night animals - wolves, cervals, otters, some smaller animals whose names I have forgotten. We did get a good view as we sat in the front row. (And just to give you another example of Singapore being a village - a boy from Beatrice's class sat a few meters away.) In the middle of the show the presenters started to look frantically for an escaped animal. They found a 3 meter boa underneath a bench in the midst of the public. Luckily not ours. Boys were keen to go on stage and touch it but this time they called a grownup male who was honoured with the snake being wrapped around his body. That would have crushed the boys.
Then we boarded the bus/tram for a ride through the areas where most animals are free roaming. That was very interesting indeed. Saw lots of goats, deer, flamingoes, some rhinoes, foxes, tapirs, hippoes, elephants, even lions and a tiger. We got off at the other end to go for a walk on our own. The kids were very excited to run around in the dark. Got very close to some bats, saw funny porcupines and majestic leopards. After the tram-ride back that was all we managed at one go. The rest will have to wait until next time. Saturday night is maybe not the best time to visit - quite busy with busloads of tourists. So might try a weeknight during school hols.

More celebrations followed over the weekend. On Saturday the boys' school had a fundraising party celebrating the Chinese harvest festival with performances, dinner and lantern parade. The school had set up a huge event and the kids really enjoyed being there and playing with their friends in a different situation. Even teachers took part in the entertainment - line dance, which is very popular here and a more disco type number, where our class teachers joined in. For dinnertickets there was a lucky draw and Karl won a seafood restaurant voucher. (After my recent win at the shipyard event we really have to keep up with that!) When it got darker the paper lanterns were lit and it was really pretty. Of course the kids were running around with their lanterns and Raoul managed to cause a fire. Big panic. But he was wise enough to let go of the lantern. At the end we all marched with the lanterns around the school and along Holland Road, but all photos are still in Robert's phone...

Then on Sunday Robert got his birthday present that he didn't guess until the taxi turned into the Changi sailing club. So we managed to keep the secret and it was a perfect surprize.

The boat we had hired was a 37 footer, so not too big and quite old as well but it was just right for us. Beatrice was a bit careful at first and said she is scared of big waves but after a little while felt really at ease. We went out westwards on the north coast of Singapore but couldn't sail the first leg - no wind. This part of the trip was the least spectacular anyway - lots of industries on the Malaysian side. But that was the only way to get somewhere for lunch. After lunch (chinese seafood) we headed back towards east and sailed along the north coast of Pulau Ubin venturing into Malaysian waters quite a lot as the strip between the two is quite narrow. Thatswhy the north coast of Pulau Ubin is also fenced in - to keep the Malays from swimming over. That was very quiet and nice, just mangroves and small villages on the Malaysian side with simple houses on tilts. Beatrice thought these were "olden-times houses". Even though the wind wasn't strong the boat tilted of course and funnily Raoul who is always the bravest on rollercoasters and scary rides was so afraid that the boat would tip over that he sat on my lap and eventually fell asleep while the others played pirates and climbed around on the boat. We sailed all the way to Pulau Tekong and to a quiet bay there where the brave ones had a swim (that didn't include me). Raoul wanted to go at first but when it turned out that we were not going on shore he didn't. Karl and Beatrice were jumping from the boat and enjoyed it a lot.

On the way back it started to drizzle with rain. Raoul was getting a bit braver by now. He sat inside most time and sang. Just climbed up occasionally. We sailed just under the landing path of the airport so there were quite a lot of planes going over and they caused small whirlwinds on the water.

Our skipper was an interesting guy - British, has been in Singapore nearly 30 years, used to teach philosophy at the university here but now writes on a book during the week. We had very interesting discussions about press freedom and Asian mentalities. Really insightful. They have just jailed a blogger here for insulting a judge so don't really know what do I dare to write here. I'll have to think about it and get back.

Birthdays

On Friday Robert took me out for a surprize birthday dinner (a few days ahead) to the probably highest restaurant I have been to - the Equinox on the 70th floor of Swisshotel. The weather was good so the views from up there were quite amazing with the whole town lit up underneath. The food was lovely too as we tried many different things from the degustation menu. A bit funny how the called one course "scallops ..." whereas it was actually just one scallop on the plate! But I guess it would have sounded a bit odd on the menu. As we were almost finished, just enjoying our desserts, we got funny company. A gentleman was led to a table next to us - the one we had actually hoped to get right at the window. He was probably in his 40-s, wearing an old dirty T-shirt, similar jeans and carring a few shopping bags. After checking the table and the view from every angle he found it acceptable. Then his girlfriend arrived in similar attire. She immediately asked the waiter to bring her very quickly a very cold coke. (He had one too.) We could not avoid hearing them speak Spanish but couldn't of course establish where they were actually from. Definitely not locals though as this just is not the dresscode here at all. And after that meeting can't really blame the Chinese for calling us all "smelly bignoses". Well our friends moved on to the menu. He had a longish discussion with the waiter to establish what a bouillabaise was and then decided to have a go but without the fish (and make sure it's hot!) Then he went on to choose his main course. He asked to have the seabass but just grilled no sauce and with rice. The lady of the house had a discussion if the salad is big or small. And so it went on and on and the poor waiter kept running to the kitchen to make sure the wishes can be granted. I'm sure he got hard time from the chef as well who was probably insulted that someone didn't even want to try his exquisite creations. The couple clearly was not in the right place, something starting with Mc would have been more appropriate. But I guess the Singaporeans take the dresscode literally so that somebody in clean even longish shorts can't get in but as long as the trousers are long it doesn't matter if smelly, dirty etc. It was really like a clichee from a movie, except in a film they would probably have been americans (sorry). A similar real life situation that I remember was in Austria with russians with the difference that they were welldressed. We left hastily as it was getting too embarrasing and unpleasant. I had to grin at the whole situation, except maybe when looking at the bill. You don't really want such company with these prices.

All kids are back to school now and life here is very much back to normal. We have made some new friends and explored more of Singapore.

When we first came back we noticed a new African family here on the condo. Then a week later when Beatrice started school the boy was on her bus and when she came back it turned out he is actually in her class. So that was a big cheer. Nelson comes from Kenya and they have a slightly different family arrangement - mom works and dad stays at home (with the maid). It is nice for the kids to have somebody with a similar after school schedule. Most local kids have all sorts of enrichment classes and tuitions going on all week and can get out to the pool on the weekend if lucky (and the only for a swimming lesson). Maybe we take a too relaxed approach and are not pushy enough but thats how it is. Tryed to get Beatrice to take swimming lessons one Sunday morning but unfortunately she didn't like it. She is a very good self tought swimmer and would benefit from lessons immensely but I guess she was put off when the two girls in the class swam a lot quicker. Only they were 9 and had had lessons for over 3 years. Still cannot convince her to try again.
Also another new family here that we have befriended with a funny "this small world" twist - they are chinese US citizens, husband works for ABS, which is the US competitor of LR, and they lived in Pusan Korea before coming here. Just on the day when I started talkin to Ailing, Robert had had a meeting in the ABS office! So Singapore really is a small village of 4 mio people.

We have done a bit of exploring as well. Went up the highest mountain of Singapore a few weeks ago - whole 176 meters above sea level! But it is still quite a nice place to go - nature reserve with old rainforest, quite a lot of wildlife, especially monkeys, and good walks up and down the hill. Then last Sunday tryed another nature reserve and walked by the MacRitchie reservoir, where some of our drinking water comes from. There is a boardwalk along the shore that is very nice. We met some monkeys again and one of them tryed to take Raouls hat and Karls water bottle. The boys fought back successfully. Then a little later I noticed a lizard in the bushes. This was a truly massive monitor lizard, probably nearly 2 m from top to tail and wide and fat in the body. We climbed through the bushes and had a good look. He didn't let himself to be disturbed and showed off his long tongue. Unfortunately we only had the phone camera with us and I haven't learned how to download photos from there. The way back was not a boardwalk but a very muddy path. Strangely the boys kept complaining and winging about it - especially Raoul who used to enjoy wading through all the deepest puddles in the New Forest and fill his wellies with water and mud to the top. There is also a treetop walk in this reserve, so we'll try that next time.
One Sunday we did a tour in Chinatown again and had a funny experience. Robert has been going to a foot reflexology place there and right next to it is one of the many fish-spas around, that are quite popular now. So while he had his feet massaged we went to feed the fish. The first sensation is absolutely crazy. As a new foot comes into the pool all the fish storm it and it is so unbelievably tickly to have them around your feet in their hundreds. I just couldn't stop giggling. But once you get used to it it is quite pleasant. This spa had two tanks - one with small fish where we started off and then the "piranha" tank. I didn't think I'd dare the last one, but actually after a little encouragement it was very good. Also there is a small extra tank higher up for the hands. So that was a good start for the kids. Beatrice was very brave very quickly and enjoyed it so much that she kept talking about the "next time". Karl got in eventually and liked it, Raoul took the longest. He was just trying to catch the fish and finally put his feet in when our 30 min was nearly over. I asked the staff and actually the fish do get other food, so they just nibble on peoples feet for fun. And the "big" fish are only the size of average anjovies.
We were hoping to see a big lantern and dragon parade in Chinatown that evening but the wait was too long for the kis so we missed that. Automn is a very colourful time here not in terms of nature but of all kinds of different traditional festivals - the chinese harvest festival, Hari Raya, Deepavali. All more or less at the same time. There is going to be a big harvest lantern party at the boys school tomorrow, so looking forward to that.
Oh, and we had an evening at the shipyard that they arranged a few weeks ago for clients with food and entertainment. Was quite funny with a lot of beer-drinking competitions (England won) and that kind of things, not exactly a diplomatic reception. But there was a lucky draw and probably for the first time I actually won something - a silver pendant with necklace! So here you go.

In Memoriam

In addition to the sad news about my aunt's death our dog Pantu was killed last Friday. Here is a picture of him from last summer. He was technically my parents neighbor's dog but since years he used to live at my parents place whenever they were there. This year he had moved in officially so that he didn't go "home" at all any more and my mum started to buy proper dog food for him. Pantu has been such a fun companion. He used to run with me but this summer started cheating and did only part of the track returning home halfway through which made the kids draw the conclusion that Pantu won. He was getting quite old and ill, so just couldn't do it any more. He was always keen to go on car trips and occasionally he would lay down to block the entrance. He could make himself so heavy that we couldn't lift him and he only moved when the boot was opened and he could get in. He has been so gentle and patient with the children ever since they were little and pulled his tail and put their fingers in his eyes. He seemed to understand very clearly what we were talking about and sometimes we were wondering if he will start speaking any moment. When we left this summer I thought we will probably not see him again as he had been quite ill. Now on Friday he was run over by the neighbor's car as he probably didn't hear it coming and the neighbor couldn't stop in time. His injuries were so bad that the owner shot him. So that's the sad end of Pantu and Koovalja will never be quite the same.

Kolin blogi

Motlesin, et asja lihtsustamiseks kolin eestikeelse blogi edaspidi uuele aadressile http://www.marissingapuris.blogspot.com

Nii et nyydsest alates eesti keeles seal!

Back again

We are very much back in Singapore again and back in the usual routine. Have been exploring some more and doing things but right now I don't quite feel like writing about it. My aunt died on Tuesday and all lighthearted chat seems too trivial at the moment. Will try to be back here soon. So please stay with me!

Tagasi

Oleme nyyd taiesti tagasi Singapuris, jalle oma igapaevases rutiinis ja uusi seiklusi otsimas. Peale Hiiumaa vaikust tundub elu siin valjakannatamatult larmakas. Eriti kuna meie ligidal lammutatakse yhte suurt maja, et teha ruumi ikka uutele kondomiiniumidele. Lammutamine kaib korrushaaval suurte koppadega kella 8st 7ni 6 paeva nadalas, nii et aknaid ei saa lahti hoida. Teeks ometi yhe suure pauguga!

Ja muidugi igatsen ikka jooksusid Koovalja poldude ja Kopu metsade ja mere vahel. Jooksulint on ikka tapvalt igav ja mu vana sober madu ei ole ka ennast enam naidanud.

Poisid laksid kohe paev parast saabumist kooli. Esimesel nadalal oli kyll vaga hea, et nende kool on parast lounat, sest naljalt enne 10 hommikul yles ei saanud ja joudsime just just bussi peale. Nyyd on neil juba jalle koolivaheaeg. Beatrice hakkas eelmisel nadalal ja on oma rytmis hasti sees. Talle oli tore yllatus, et yks uus laps klassis elab meie majas - Nelson Keeniast. Nyyd lepivad iga kord bussis ujumise ja mangimise asjas kokku.

Ilmad on olnud yllatavalt kylmad ja vihmased. No muidugi mitte Eesti temperatuurid, ikka miinimum 25 kraadi ja rohkem, aga nyyd ei ole igatahes juba yle nadala aja kodus konditsioneeri kasutanud. Voi voibolla oleme lihtsalt juba ara harjunud.

Eelmine pyhapaev jatkasime oma uurimisretki ka jalle. Vallutasime Singapuri korgeima maetipu - 176 m! Aga lastele oli see piisav valjakutse. Bukit Timah on looduskaitse alas ja yks vaheseid vanu vihmametsi, mis siin alles on. Koloniaalaegade alguses olid seal isegi tiigrid, aga viimane notiti maha eelmise sajandi alguses. Nyyd on ainult ahvid, kes on uudishimulikud ja moned teised vaiksemad loomad, kes ennast meiesuguste eest targasti peidavad. Ahvid on vaga toredad, aga midagi soodavad ei soovitata kaasa votta, muidu on nad kohe karjaga kallal.

Yleeile kaisime Hiinalinnas plaaniga vaadata ohtul laternate ja draakonitega paraadi sygisfestivali avamise puhul. Olime oma ajastusega aga rappa lainud ja paraad ei alanud ega alanud, nii et lapsed olid lopuks liiga vasinud ja pidime koju soitma. Enne seda aga tegime midagi vaga toredat - kaisime lopuks nn kala-spas. Robertil on seal yks spetsiaalkoht, kus ta kaib vahest jala refleksoloogias ja selle korval on yks kala-spa. Meie laksime lastega siis niikauaks sinna. See on nagu yks suur akvaarium, kus on vaiksed kalakesed sees ja inimesed istuvad sinna jalgupidi sisse. Selles kohas oli veel korgemal eraldi vannike ka katele. Esimene tunne oli kyll jube - kalad tunnevad kui "varske" jalg tuleb ja on koik mitmesajakesi selle kallal. Noudis parajat eneseyletust ausalt oeldes ja nii hirmsasti ajas naerma. Natukese aja parast harjub ara ja siis on vaga monus. Beatrice oli siis ka ysna julge ja tuli sisse ja varsti Karl ka, Raoul katsus neid kyll katega, aga jalgu sisse panna ei tahtnud, alles viimased paar minutit. Ja siis saime muidugi julgemaks ja laksime ka suurte kalade juurde - nii umbes kilu suurused. Siis juba oli tunda, kuidas varvaste vahelt naksivad. Hasti monus oli lopuks, puhastasid meie jalad vanast nahast ja sodist. Kysisin, kas nad midagi muud ka syya saavad ja pidid saama kyll. Beatrice oli suures vaimustuses ja raakis juba jargmisest korrast.

Sunset as seen from my parents garden

The rest of it

Kalana

Ristna Surf Paradise

Grandma left on Sunday and as my parents took her to the airport we had the house to ourselves. Took immediate advantage of that and arranged our own local festival. Well to be quite honest we had already planned it beforehand - so Kairit, Peep and Johannes came round with some instruments and an amp in the boot and the jam could start. After a while Jaanus rolled a big empty barrel to the scene and showed superb skills as a drummer. We had a great time and decided to make it public next year inviting the Rolling Stones and alike, ideally lasting for a week. We'll see what my parents think of it.

Then on Monday for the last leg of the holiday - to Hiiumaa. As usual it took us the whole day to get there as I needed to see a dentist in Tallinn and Robert had some errands. Luckily the kids could play with Beatrice's friend Leena during that time. We hadn't known about the massive roadworks and got on the ferry just in time, like a minute before it was due to leave.

For those of you who don't know it already - in my view Kalana on the Kopu peninsula in the very west of Hiiumaa is the most beautiful spot on Earth. It is still so quiet that the sea can talk to you if you have time to listen. Also the weather there seems to be better than in the rest of Estonia. We had a beautiful first day and were able to swim in the sea again. There was nobody apart from us on the beach as usual. A total luxury compared to anything here in or near Singapore. We just had a few relaxing days on the beaches, walking in the forest, picking blueberries. It is so nice because there are quite different beaches - quiet and sandy on the north coast, more windy on the south where we stay and fabulous surfing waves on the western tip. And the light soft pine forests are the best. (Now back on the treadmill I long for the runs by the sea and on the soft forest ground.)

Couldn't quite escape the world out there though as there is a TV now in Luguse and had to watch a bit of the Olympics and Georgia of course. Very very worring.

Had some good games of hide-and-seek with the kids (Raoul is very good but Karl cannot stay quiet when hiding and then goes on to betraying all the others). A novelty also for us - the travelling supermarket that comes twice a week with basics like icecream etc. That is a good opportunity to meet the other people from the village. Beatrice was keen to join Robert's aunt in a stone-painting session. (But we nearly lost her work at the airport because it turnes out you cannot have stones in handluggage. Luckily my parents were still there and we could deposit the stones with them.)

On Friday on the way back to my parents place the kids and Robert had a swim in lake Viitna that is on the way. I was a chicken yet again. Much preferred the sauna when we got back.

And that was it. Back to Singapore via Amsterdam.

Swans in Toolse

We spent a day in Tallinn with both grandmas - went out for a nice lunch, then off to Kadriorg where we split into 2 groups. Mana took the kids to the new playpark and the rest of us did a tour in the Art Museum. We had been there last year with the children and thatswhy there were still so many surprizes - all the pictures that we had missed while chasing after the monsters. So definitely much more worthwhile this time! Afterwords had a little stroll around the old town which in the summertime is not really a very genuine place. Just masses of tourists and businesses catering to them. Selling thick woolen jumpers (for the very cautious ones even when it is + 25 outside) and the "traditional" estonian amber (that actually comes from Lithuantia as there is no amber in Estonia whatsoever). Can't even think of sitting down for a drink when the prices are double of just a few hundred meters outside. Also too many attractions or should I say distractions for the boys. So I had to listen to different requests the whole time a la "I want to go on the bicycle" "I want to go on the train". So glad to get out. But I shouldn't write all this since I want to see you coming over there! Well it is still a gem, just not very hidden anymore.

On Saturday we were thinking of going to another music festival - this time in Kasmu on the north coast not far from my parents place. Kasmu is a very nice village and it was very tempting but then the weather didn't look too promising and the thought of possibly spending the day under umbrellas at an openair concert didn't seem too attractive. So we took a drive around instead and discovered and old castle in Toolse complete with a pirate ship. Just outside on the sea there were at least a hundred swans that made for fabulous sights especially when the sky turned dark before the rain. Then we had a fantastic lunch in one of the oldest country pubs, another go at the mushrooms and finished the day with a good proper sauna at home. (Still the best spa that I know.)

giant mushroom

Estonia Part 2

Robert managed to get 2 weeks off work so he joined us for the second half of the holiday. His mum also arrived 1 day later with rainstorms from Sweden. That's when the summer seemed to have ended - it was cold and poured down with non stop rain. Luckily in Rakvere like in every proper Estonian town these days they have opened a new water-centre and spa. We had already been there with the kids once before and now had a good option to spend an otherwise miserable day. Heli was reluctant at first and planned to sit and do her crosswords but luckily I managed to persuade her to bring the bathers anyway and of course she joined in when she saw it. The building has a nice nordic design and good layout. All the different pools are quite close to each other and the scale is not so huge that you would constantly loose some of the children. There is something for everyone - splash for babies, bubbles for grandmas, ocean waves for the adventureous and the big black tube for the fearless. Raoul had tryed to persuade me to go in it already the first time but I was too scared. So this time he went with Robert but he had overestimated his braveness and came out quite scared.
There is a huge sauna complex with something like 10 different kinds of saunas and we tryed them all. So all the kids are sauna experts now. (Funnily now after we came back they discovered the steam sauna here on the condo for the first time and insist on going in there. I have resisted so far.)
And of course there is a pirat themed cafe at the exit and of course you cannot miss it with 3 aspiring pirates after a 3-hour swim.
Later on the weather turned a little better so we had a tour of the area the next day - manor houses, old fishing village etc. The absolute highlight was our incredible mushroom-picking. We just stopped in the middle of a forest that to me looked like a place where there could be mushrooms and a few meters from the road stumbled over loads and loads. I don't know what they are called in English (pilvikud in Estonian), but they are edible and tasty. I have never seen so huge ones of that type that are so fresh and uneaten by worms. It took us maybe 15 minutes to fill a big basket and more. The mushrooms with fresh potatoes fed 10 of us and another 2 portions were left over. We had a repeat of that a few days later. All kids were so excited and became really skilled in finding them as well. At dinner time Raoul had finished his plate and asked for more "can I have some more of that fish please". Well - main thing is it tasted good.
There were also masses of wild blueberries but we were so occupied with the mushrooms that we didn't even start to pick those. Just enough so that everyone had a nice blue tongue.

Sorry sorry sorry!!!

As was to be expected our 4 weeks in exotic Estonia were non-bloggerfriendly so there is a big gap to fill. Hopefully you all haven't given up checking in!
As I flew alone with the children the trip was quite interesting. Probably the hardest part being the wait in Amsterdam. We had something like 6 hours between the flights and it was no fun after a 12.5 hour flight from Singapore in economy class. Surprisingly for such a big airport Schippol has very limited facilities to entertain travelling kids. The playroom is boring and shabby and nobody wants to spend more than 15 min in there, so that left us with 5 h 45 min to go. Well, eventually we got there.

Estonia greeted us with lovely cool weather - such a bliss after these hot months in Singapore. After a few days the summer arrived though and we went to the beach. The sea was too cold for me but the children were in the water in no time inspite of their colds. Anyway, I did underestimate the sun and didn't use enough sunblocker so I got a sunburn. Dad couldn't stop teasing me about it - a person comes from the tropics pale as a swan and burns herself here in the north!
It took us a while getting over jetlag, especially Raoul had a hard time and was up 4.30 every morning for the first week. The Estonian TV apparently caters for jetlagged children as their kids program runs from 6 to 8 am. So that came in handy and I could go running before the farmers started racing up and down the dusty country lanes with their tractors. By the end of week 2 everybody had adjusted to the local time so well that they missed the kids program every morning.
I think the children enjoyed their time in Estonia a lot and proved their genetic identity very well. They spent a lot of time "helping" Jaanus to build his exciting new house that I can't even start to describe. Will have to wait for a photo! I hope he still has all his tools. Also Raoul enjoyed driving grandpa's old car that he called very cleverly "vana-aeglane auto" - combining two words - oldtimer and slow! Beatrice showed her best side doing all the family's share of work so I could just relax while she was helping Mana to pick tomatoes, cucumbers, potatoes etc or helping Manass carry logs. Raoul also had a daily routine of getting the newspaper from the mailbox up the road that he transported in Beatrice's old doll pram. He even tryed cutting the hay. So clearly Raoul showed big potential for taking over the farm one day. Karl loves the animals and spent lots of time with the neighbor's old dog Pantu who has moved to my parent's place permanently now. He is so old and smelly that nobody apart from the children even wants to stroke him anymore so I guess he enjoyed the attention and the occasional feast of a saucage. Sophie the cat is shy and avoided us for the first few days. Boys play is still too wild for her. However one morning Raoul walked in with one of her trophys - a halfeaten dead mouse in his hand declaring that he found a bird.
All the kids started to enjoy the sauna and sat nicely on the lower bench. Another important event was burning hay at Kart's summerhouse. It was quite magical - the dry hay went up in sparks like a volcano with the sun setting in the background. All by themselves the kids learned to build nests in hay. That for me was such an enlightening moment. Building nests of freshly dryed hay should be a "must-do" activity of everyone's childhood. And I don't know if there is another place apart from Estonia where my children could do that.
Beatrice and I got to enjoy the proper Estonian summer of music festivals as well. On Margit's initiative we went to Viljandi folk for one day and that turned out to be such a hit. It has been running for many years now but I have never made my way there assuming that the crowd would be very alternative and not my cup of tea. Either my assumption was wrong or it has changed but it was very nice and normal. Just lots of kind and beautiful people enjoying interesting and good music. The choice of concerts was too big so we trusted Peep (my cousin's husband and Karl's godfather) the musician. He chose very well. So we heard a trio from Russia who played interesting music from all over the world giving it a russian touch with balalaika etc. And the of course Vagilased - an estonian band who gives old traditional tunes and songs a modern rocky twist. They seem to be especially popular with the Viljandi folk crowds so there was a lot of dancing and singing along. Inbetween the concerts some of us had a swim in the lake. So it was really a nice day just hanging around there. And of course always a good place to find some long lost friends with their new offspring.
We were quite lucky with timing this year as many friends and relatives happened to be there as well. Robert's younger sister Aime and partner Johannes were touring Estonia and camped at our place for a night. (Successfully ignoring the wake-up committee with drums etc at 8 am.) We went to the Rocca al Mare open air museum with Kristel and her kids and had a good runaround and tested all the huge swings there. Also managed to see Mart, Nele and Joel off to Berlin. And of course I managed to see at least some of my dear old friends. If sadly by far not all.
There is plenty more to write, so I'll catch up soon.

Karvased ja sulelised

Tegime pyhapaeval ara veel yhe kohustusliku Singapuri valjasoidu - Jurongi Linnuparki, mis on nagu loomaaed aga ainult lindudele. Kannatab taielikult vordluse loomaaiaga valja. Vaga ilus dzhungli moodi haljastus, kynkaid ja vett ja suuri puid ja vaikseid lilli - koike mis vaja yhesonaga. Tegime alustuseks vaikese soidu "panoraili'ga" - rong, mis soidab korgel ja sellelt saab hea ylevaate, mida ja keda lahemalt vaadata. Hasti tore raakivate lindude kogu on seal, aga me ei osanud nendega vist oieti raakida, igatahes onnestus ainult Robertil ja Beatrice'il yhelt linnult mingi jutt valja meelitada ja see oli ka kasside keeles. Paris palju linde oli sellistes suurtes lindlates, kuhu kylastajad said sisse minna. Yks Uus-Guinea tuvi oli vaga julge ja huvitus tosiselt minu varvastest, mida ta ilmselt mingiteks soodavateks marjadeks pidas ja hoolega nokkima hakkas.

Eriti suures "aviary"s on suurim kunstlik kosk - 30 meetrit ja kogu ala nagu yks korralik vihmamets. Ise me ei nainud seal nii palju erinevaid liike alguses, sest koik olid kuidagi puudes peidus aga sattusime sootmise ajaks ja siis ilmus ikka igasuguseid tegelasi lagedale, yks kirjum kui teine. Soogiks olid ussid, tougud ja tirtsud ja onu andis lahkelt pealtvaatajatele topsikuid soogiga, mida korgel hoides linnud lausa kae peale lendasid. Nokkisid nii, et touke lendas ymberringi. Koik lapsed sattusid suurde hasarti ja korjasid lopuks mahakukkunud usse topsidesse tagasi. Raoul oli isegi nii julge, et vottus yhe tirtsu, aga viskas selle maha, sest see "hammustas" teda.

Vaatasime veel roovlindude showd, kus kotkad ja kullid lihatykke ohust pyydsid ja pealtvaatajate peadest nii ligidalt yle lendasid, et vois tunda tiibade puudutust. Vaga muljetavaldav.

Olime seal kogu pika paeva ja lopetuseks veel manguplatsil. Olen juba harjunud, et sellistes kohtades on harilikult ka veemanguplats, nii et ujumisriided olid kaasas ja Beatrice ja Karl said ennast maha jahutada. Raoul on viimasel ajal otsustanud, et ta ei taha enam ujuda, nii et ka seal mitte.

Hasti palju venelasti oli kylastajate seas, kuulsin siis tapselt ara, kus on koige paremad ja odavamad kaamerad myya jne.

This has been another busy week. The boys were off school Monday and Tuesday. (The school takes apparently every chance!) Monday was "youth day" and Tuesday parent-teacher conferences. We went to the Science Centre on Monday with Mia and Alex and had a great day. Discovered a lot that we hadn't seen last time, also took swimming stuff so the kids could play in the water playground which is really great.
Tuesday's meeting was a surprize as I had expected to hear a lot of terrible things about Raoul. Instead the teacher said since the start of this term the boys have swapped their roles with Raoul being good, sitting and listening quietly and Karl disrupting the classes and playing rough. The report referred to last term though and in there Karl is doing very well. Raoul has been not happy to go to school and almost every day I have to lift him into the bus with lots of resistance. At school however he seems to be happy. So I have no clue what is going on.
Yesterday we had a girls day out with Beatrice and went to the Asian Civilizations Museum, just the two of us. Very nice and quiet. The collection there is really impressive, also a lot of interactive and hands-on things to do for the kids. There is a special exhibition from Vietnam and we did a quiz with Beatrice being very good at finding the objects we had to look for. Afterwards we walked over to the Merlion on the riverside to have a close look. We had only seen it from the tourboat before.

Kylaelu

Viimased paar paeva on hakanud tunduma, et see siin on vaike kylake. Eile ei olnud poistel kooli vaid opetajate kohtumised vanematega ja seetottu laksime enne meie aega Go Go bambinisse, mis on kooli ligidal. Pealegi ei olnud Beatrice seal kainud ja talle ikka veel meeldivad vaga sellised ronimispaigad. Vaevalt olime sisse saanud, kui nagime poiste klassivenda Matthew'd - see sama, kes kaib ka nende taekwondo koolis. Ei tea kyll, kuidas see nii juhtub, et meie teed pidevalt niimoodi ristuvad. Igatahes oli koigil muidugi eriti tore, kui said juba "vanade" sopradega koos mangida. Matthew ema on Malaisia hiinlanna, isa austraallane. Ema kaest kuulsin ka, et taekwondos on veel yks poiss nende klassist. Poisid olid juba enne oelnud, et "see poiss on meie koolis", aga mina ei olnud teda seal nainud ja arvasin, et ajavad kindlasti midagi segi, sest asiaadid on ju meie jaoks ikka ysna sarnased. Tuleb valja, et poistel oli siiski oigus - tegu on lihtsalt ysna uue poisiga, keda ma ei olnudki nainud koolis. Kusjuures eelmine kord taekwondos raakisin ta isaga - molemad vanemad korealased! Aga muidugi ei tulnud koolidest juttu ja nii jaigi see selgitamata. Nyyd sai lahenduse veel yks mysteerium - nimelt oli Karl eelmine nadal mingi pahandusega hakkama saanud koolis ja pidi istuma "pahanduse toolil". Raoul seletas mulle, et ta oli teinud midagi jo-jo'ga. Ma veel imestasin, et mis saab jo-joga teha, mis on nii suur pahandus. Nyyd selgus, et selle uue korea poisi nimi ongi jo-jo (ei tea tapselt kuidas nad seda ladina tahtedega kirjutavad, aga nii igatahes koik haaldavad). Nii et Karl oli nahtavasti Jo-Jo'le haiget teinud. Nyyd on igatahes neli poissi yhest klassist sattunud yksteisest soltumata samasse taeokwondo-kooli. Ja seda Singapuri miljonite elanike ja tuhandete voimaluste hulgast.
Koolis ootas veel yks yllatus - arvasin, et kuulen palju Raouli pahandustest aga selgub, et kuigi ta ei taha kuidagi kooli minna, on ta seal roomus ja tubli. Opetaja sonul on poisid peale vaheaega justkui rollid vahetanud - Raoul istub ja kuulab ilusti, samal ajal kui Karl on nyyd see, kes ringi ronib, ennast ja teisi segab ja tyli kisub (rough play). Ma loodan, et ta toesti ei ole neid parast vaheaega segi ajanud.
Parast kaisime poes ja seal kadus Karl ara ja jarsku helistas Beatrice'i klassi Hannah ema, et leidis Karli. Nemad olid ka juhtumisi samas poes. Vaike kylake.

BBQ

Finally we got our act together and used the BBQ pit outside our living room window. We had invited Beatrice's friend's family over as well as Mia and hers. They are all more experienced barbequers than we are so that way we were on the safe side. Had some lovely fish and beef and it was great fun with all the kids in and out of the pool and having fun on the playground while we could enjoy the meal and a few bottles of wine. Very tired today.

Beatrice's weeks

A lady having a rest at the dragon boat race

Now Beatrice has finished school and we have some time for the two of us trying to catch up on things that she has missed. We went to the library on Monday and it was a very different experience compared to the visits with the boys. Yesterday I took her to the Mozart exhibition that we had seen with the boys. Mia and Alex came along and we had a great time. It was so much more appropriate for their age and they could enjoy a lot more of the activities - like trying to write with a feather - and learn something actually. Then we had lunch - Beatrice her traditional chicken-rice - and a coffee and we got back running from the bus stop just in time to meet the boys school bus as it arrived at the gates. That was a tight timing.

Beatrice had her 1st Taekwondo lesson yesterday at last. She was not keen to go as she had to go by herself. It was only because I promised her a big golden star that I got her on this bus. However it was a whole different girl who returned with a wide and proud smile. She had made friends with the other kids and earned her first yellow strip on the belt. And I must say the star chart has worked wonders with her - doing a lot of things without a moan and always looking for ways to help at home in order to earn some more happy faces. For the boys the effect is limited. Karl is keen to get some happy faces and does his chores when we stand in front of it and count in the evening but Raoul couldn't care less.

Also the boys had their second TKD lesson on Saturday and seemed to enjoy it. However Raoul was being his good old self and gave the instructor a hard time. Although it was more in a joking mood so there is hope.

On Sunday we went to see the dragon boat race which is a big yearly event with many countries and many many local teams participating. Lots of expat teams as well. It was quite good fun to watch it with the drums banging and pretty boats with dragon's head and tail. We are too few to set up an "Estonian dragons" team though. Afterwards we went to the East Coast Park that we hadn't seen yet. It covers the whole eastern coast of the island and is nice for bicycling. There were people swimming as well. But looking at all the thousands of ships anchoring right outside, I don't really know if I want to swim there. People go there even camping for weekends. Also there is one quite funny attraction - waterskiing on a lagoon while strapped to lines that hang in the air and pull the skiers around and around. They use something that looks more like a snowboard with boots and everything. There were some young kids going around and the more skilled ones used the little "mountains" built in the water to demonstrate jumps and turns. I have never seen anything like that.