Made in Singapore

Singapore imports almost everything--food, workers, sand, and even water.  You name it, they probably import it.  Every once in a while they have a brilliant export.

 This little Singaporean-born expat is Singapore's finest export to date!

Vesak Day

There are so many things I will miss about Singapore.  One of them is seeing Buddhist monks clad in their orange robes all around town.  I see them on the street, at stores, on the train, and even at the zoo occasionally.  I'm pretty sure I won't be running into any in Provo.

Last Tuesday was Vesak Day.  The day is celebrated by Buddhists with great ceremonial ritual and commemorates the birth and enlightenment of Buddha and his entry into Nirvana.  Though this is my 3rd  Vesak day in Singapore, it was my first time attending any festivities.  Thank you Chelsea for having me over for dinner and taking me to it!!  

There was a great kids corner with games, which earned you tickets to buy prizes.

The tent was up for several days and all the rituals could be done/seen each day.  The actual day itself begins with the Buddha mantra chanting.  My brochure said that listening to the chanting is comparable to listening to discourses by Lord Buddha.  The chanting bestows blessings and protection.  It is a truly  a wonderful sound and so peaceful.  I've really enjoyed the several times I've been able to hear the chanting.  

Bathing Buddha commemorates the birth of Prince Siddhatta.

Lotus grows in the muddy darkness at the bottom of a pond, towards the warmth and light of the sun.  Hence, the lotus flower is offered to represent where devotees should turn--towards light and truth. 

The devoted Buddhist apply gold leaf to preserve the precious Buddha statues and to extend the lifespan of Buddhism.

The celebration concludes with a candlelight procession through the streets.

The Ten Parami Wishing Wells.  Making resolutions is to accomplish the Resolve Parami.  "Be diligent in meditation, truthful in speech, the strength of our resolution will increase."  I love that!

Since we are on the topic of Buddha.  Remember Samara's baby Buddha friends?

Lizzie wasn't too keen about her new playmates.  This is  how I feel at the moment too!  I'm thrilled for the future but so sad to leave Singapore.  And I hate packing.  And Ben's been gone all week in Ireland.  To end on a positive note,  I've sold a lot of our furniture.  And then I cry over selling cheap Ikea coffee tables.  

On the Move

 These little piggies are on the move.  

Lizzie could not be happier or more proud of her new abilities.  But can you guess what her favorite destination is?

C'est Moi!  She's been so determined to move independently only find her way back to my arms.  I feel like a million bucks whenever she crawls over to me and pulls herself to stand, wanting to be held.  It's so fun to see her sweet little personality develop.

I started this post earlier this week but blogger has been down for a couple of days so I wasn't able to post it.  Then today Ben got a job offer from BYU.  The universe was trying to tell us something.  

Ben accepted a position as a professor in the Physiology and Developmental Biology Department.  We are thrilled and grateful.   

We have a month to pack up and get to the states for my sister-in-law's wedding.  It's going to be hectic trying to fit 1,000 sq feet into suitcases and a few bins that we'll ship.  We have loved our time in Singapore and will be forever grateful for the adventures and lessons we've learned.  It will be very hard to say good-bye.  But we are thrilled to move on to the next step in life.  Anyone whose been (or been married to) a doctoral or med student knows what a long (but good) road it is.  We are looking forward to our new adventures and being near our families again.  I know we will dearly miss SE Asia.  It's an amazing part of the world and we feel so lucky to have been able to explore so much of it.  But it's time to get serious about retirement so we can make our way back to Thailand! We'll probably have to change the blog name soon to "Awaiting Tropical Adventures."

Happy Mothering Day