What continues to stop me in my tracks every now and again are the "small things." As my friend Keri says, "the things that make you go, 'hmmmm...'"
Here is my current top 10 on that topic:
1) The liability laws are clearly not American. Personal responsibility prevails. If you do something stupid, you are responsible for the consequences. Every once in awhile we find ourselves in a situation where we say, "you would NEVER see this in the US."
We found ourselves saying this repeatedly at the Zoo. This zoo is absolutely amazing. There are very few fences. Monkeys have free reign. Large man-eating animals are separated by a moat...that is all. As seen here, if you choose to enter the moat (which you technically could since there are no barriers), who is going to save you?? You better have a good friend with you to throw you the orange lifesaver and to call the emergency hotline!
2) Along the same line, there are "technically" seatbelt laws...do you think these pick up trucks come equipped? These are called "lorries" and they are what transport the workers throughout the country
3) Durian. I cannot come up with words fitting enough for this, so I am going to quote from an article in "ExpatSingapore""Durian - King of Fruits
almost a cult item in SE Asia. It is a dangerous-looking creature, about the size of a football and covered with sharp strong spikes. They have in fact been used as weapons...you would not want to mistakenly bump into one.
Fortunately, you are not likely to have a durian slipped onto your chair without warning... you would have smelled it before it came within 100 meters of you, for the fragrance of the durian is its most infamous feature.
Many have tried to describe the odor - gasoline and rotting meat are repeatedly used.
It is so strong that it is illegal to transport it on the subway."
There is one store in particular that sells this and you can smell it the second you get out of your taxi...put it this way, I have been willing to try almost any food put in my path, but as for this stuff...NO WAY!
4) "Non-Western Toilets".... no need to say anymore.
5) And for when there are "western" toilets, apparently locals must be reminded to use them correctly.
6) Chinatown "pharmacy." These are just a few of the "prescriptions" you can get. We also learned a new remedy for asthma...simply ingest a newborn mouse and you will be cured! All right then!
 |
| www.CatchCheatingSpouse.sg |
 |
| Halloween in the Woodlands |
8) Halloween...I wasn't expecting much of a celebration, hence I didn't bring ANYTHING for this holiday. However, the US expat community takes it quite seriously. Just about every expat family descends upon this small community of "landed" homes (single family homes with no attached sides...very rare here) which is near the school. If the outdoor temperature didn't make you swelter, the sheer number of people bumping into one another would!
9) Parking. All parking costs money. There are 2 ways they make you pay. First is with a "NETS" card that sits in a little machine right by the steering wheel. This is a debit card that has money automatically taken out whenever you enter/exit a parking structure or when you go through a toll booth. It is actually very convenient and efficient. However, there are some older parking structures that do not have the automated system. When you come to one of these, you have to use punch-card coupons for every 30 minutes you plan on being there. They can be lined up all the way across your dashboard...10) Things, as small as letters and as big as packages, from home....nothing can make your day more than that!!! Thank you...you know who you are:)
No comments:
Post a Comment