Waiting in Singapore…
“Everything you can imagine is real.” - Pablo Picasso
What can I say? After my last few months of travel, Singapore was a breath of fresh air. As much as I have loved these past months, walking into Singapore reminded me of home and caused an immediate spring in my step. It’s a modern and beautiful city. The architecture is imaginative, beautiful, and unique. The whole city lights up at night. There are stunning gardens, and every neighborhood has a unique style. I’ve spoken to many people who think of Singapore as a bit like Disney World, maybe a little too styled, too fake. I understand that feeling. It’s the only place on my travels where I saw no homelessness or begging. It’s a nice idea, but it makes you wonder how that is achieved.
But on the surface, Singapore is amazing! I’ve never seen such a clean city. The floors in the subways are shining and spotless. The population is a true melting pot, which felt more like the US than most places I’ve been lately,
I went to Singapore to meet up with my friend, Ninnu. Ninnu and I met on the Camino trail and have kept up since then. She was working at the Women’s Floorball World Championships in Singapore and knew I was in Southeast Asia, so she invited me to the games. I have to admit, I’d never heard of Floorball, but I was happy to watch and learn. The US had a team, too, so it was fun to cheer for those women and hear the national anthem. The US ambassador was there, and the hype was big around their game, even if only a handful of Americans were there to cheer them on. It speaks to the American role in the world that the other countries and ambassadors were so excited that the US ambassador had come to watch. All eyes were on him, and my Finnish friends didn’t understand how I could be so calm about it. I tried to explain that I have no idea who the ambassador to Singapore is and will most likely not remember his name in a few weeks…it’s true, I can’t remember, but he’s from California and was appointed by Biden - that’s all the info that remains in my brain. He was friendly.
The US is a good enough Floorball team to be one of the teams at the World Championships, but they were not all that competitive. I was a guest of the Finnish team, and they made it to the Championship game, losing a heartbreaker to Sweden. Sweden has dominated for years, and Finland was the better team for two of the three periods, but they came out in the first period tight and nervous, gave up too many goals at the start, and could never close the gap completely. Maybe next time!
I enjoyed Singapore; indeed, there were many fun things to do and see there. When it was time to go, though, I was ready. It was the perfect place to rest after Cambodia and to be distracted from my excitement of seeing my daughter and her friend Mary in Vietnam. The Vietnam trip with Jamie and Mary has motivated me to keep traveling these last few months. I bounced through the airports from Singapore and Vietnam. People kept talking to me and commenting on my smile. Yes, I was beyond happy to head to Vietnam and see those girls. I couldn’t conceal my excitement even from strangers!