Shopping is Singapore's favourite national passtime. In a country where the weather doesn't change from hot and humid all year round the seasons are marked by the changing decorations in shopping centres. Last week they took down the christmas trees and replaced them with spring trees in the shopping centre I work in.
This weekend we celebrate Chinese New Year. This is the really big celebration here, much bigger than Christmas. Everywhere there are red dragons and red lanterns. Dragons because are about to move into the year of the dragon. Red is supposed to scare away evil spirits.
The big celebration will be on the eve, this Sunday night. People visit their relatives and children are presented with red packets filled with even amounts of money. You have to be careful to get the sums right. I think 4 means death so clearly a no go. Even numbers are usually good. 8 is particularly auspicious.
We wondered if we should give out red packets. I checked with colleagues at work who told me categorically no. Older, married people give envelopes to younger people. The initial idea is that the younger people have travelled to visit their older relatives and this reimburses them for their travel costs. However I've been told that the children I teach will come back to class next week and tell me how much they have received and that these sums can be anything up to $S1000, about £500 GBP.
I have also been warned that everything will be shut and am planning on stocking up with food in advance. Shopping for food I often end up going to three or four different places. For meat and basic vegetables I go to the wet market. I am, almost without exception, the only westerner there.
The wet market sells meat, fish, fruit, vegetables, spices and coffee at different stalls all under a huge roof, though not enclosed with walls. There's usually a food court next door. They're called 'wet' because the floors are washed down with water to get rid of the blood.
I realised quite how far I had left vegetrianism behind me when buying lamb (sorry, sheep) there one day the man at the stall hacked off the bone and a small part of it flew up and landed in my hair. I didn't flinch.
There is an amazing atmosphere at the wet markets. Colourful, vibrant and bustling. I enjoy shopping there for the atmosphere and find people very friendly to me and curious about me. 'Where are you from?' they ask. 'What are you doing here?' and if I chat for long enough 'Why you no married?' (a question I get asked again and again. That and 'How many children have you got?') The wet markets shut down by 10am or 11.30, so you have to get up earlyish on your day off if you want to shop there. Or be an expat wife.
Then for dry goods I go to one of the government supermarkets 'Fair Price' which has a lot but not everything.
If I want to get fancy western items like rocket, lamb chops, tampons (yes it's true), feta cheese, salami, greek yoghurt or homous I would have to go into town and go to an expensive western supermarket: Marketplace, Cold Storage or Jasons.
These were taken quite late in the day, say 11am because I am slow moving in the mornings and it takes me a long time to get going. You don't get a true impression of how bustling and busy it can be.
It was my birthday and I held myself a french/moustache themed birthday party which went well. A decent amount of people who I genuinely liked turned up. It starts to feel as though I really have a life here.
This weekend we celebrate Chinese New Year. This is the really big celebration here, much bigger than Christmas. Everywhere there are red dragons and red lanterns. Dragons because are about to move into the year of the dragon. Red is supposed to scare away evil spirits.
The big celebration will be on the eve, this Sunday night. People visit their relatives and children are presented with red packets filled with even amounts of money. You have to be careful to get the sums right. I think 4 means death so clearly a no go. Even numbers are usually good. 8 is particularly auspicious.
We wondered if we should give out red packets. I checked with colleagues at work who told me categorically no. Older, married people give envelopes to younger people. The initial idea is that the younger people have travelled to visit their older relatives and this reimburses them for their travel costs. However I've been told that the children I teach will come back to class next week and tell me how much they have received and that these sums can be anything up to $S1000, about £500 GBP.
I have also been warned that everything will be shut and am planning on stocking up with food in advance. Shopping for food I often end up going to three or four different places. For meat and basic vegetables I go to the wet market. I am, almost without exception, the only westerner there.
The wet market sells meat, fish, fruit, vegetables, spices and coffee at different stalls all under a huge roof, though not enclosed with walls. There's usually a food court next door. They're called 'wet' because the floors are washed down with water to get rid of the blood.
I realised quite how far I had left vegetrianism behind me when buying lamb (sorry, sheep) there one day the man at the stall hacked off the bone and a small part of it flew up and landed in my hair. I didn't flinch.
There is an amazing atmosphere at the wet markets. Colourful, vibrant and bustling. I enjoy shopping there for the atmosphere and find people very friendly to me and curious about me. 'Where are you from?' they ask. 'What are you doing here?' and if I chat for long enough 'Why you no married?' (a question I get asked again and again. That and 'How many children have you got?') The wet markets shut down by 10am or 11.30, so you have to get up earlyish on your day off if you want to shop there. Or be an expat wife.
Then for dry goods I go to one of the government supermarkets 'Fair Price' which has a lot but not everything.
If I want to get fancy western items like rocket, lamb chops, tampons (yes it's true), feta cheese, salami, greek yoghurt or homous I would have to go into town and go to an expensive western supermarket: Marketplace, Cold Storage or Jasons.
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