Playdate in Little India

The throng of little girls going down the street with their henna tattoos and fancy beaded sari-like garb certainly was a sight to behold. There were three girls present from Anna's class (one of them is Amelie in pink above--Anna's closest friend here in Singapore) and another family that joined with 3 children. From what I know of the families' nationalities, we were representing Japan, US, UK, Lebanon and France. Thank goodness they don't pick on us for being American! BTW, I think I receive the most USA-bashing from fellow Americans. Too bad we all can't all put it into perspective...

Deepavali

Went to Little India for their New Year celebration. Above we are standing in front of a statue of Ganesh and afterwards went for curry & tandoori lunch where they serve you on banana leaves! Look closely--those aren't green place mats, they're our plates. Even though they gave us forks, Anna was in heaven since she was allowed to forgo that requirement. I think the girls must have been Indian in a previous lifetime--they are both left handed but were eating with their right hands! (note; it's taboo to eat w your left hand in India since that's the hand used in place of toilet paper)

Scaling the Fridge for 'Spoiled Spoils'

Yes. I think Anna and Sophia will pass rock climbing class. We haven't yet moved the pumpkin-shaped trick-or-treat bags since there is really no place in our house that the girls cannot access!

Anna's first horse-back riding lesson!

Anna's first lesson was actually a combination of two lessons from siblings who normally hold back2backs. They were in Hong Kong for the weekend and we had the good fortune of being invited to take their place. Her pony, Caspar, is one of the oldest ponies in Singapore at 30yrs!

Halloween. Singapore style!

So here are some photos from the parties the girls had at school. That night we went to 'Woodlands' to Trick-or-Treat which is where many American families live since it's near the Singapore American School. We chose to attend the school, but avoid this particular 'suburbia' and stay central. What a CRAZY street party. At one point I asked, "What kind of message we were sending our kids?" as we rushed them from house to to house, with conveyor belt predictability, on the 'best' block to collect as much candy as possible within 45 minutes so we could hop back on the bus and get back for another Halloween party... Thankfully they both had naps that afternoon, but it was a perfect symbol of the well known 'consumerism' that plagues us. I mean, really. Were we actually going to let the girls eat EVERY piece they collected? No way! Maybe next year we'll go back to good ole New York Halloween, 'Roeloffs style', and have a party with a few friends, some spooky colored play dough and scary pencil erasers. Either way, at least we have experienced the Ultimate in Trick-or-treating as our spoils spoil on the top of the refrigerator. =) Oh, and by the way... I forgot to mention we were only there for the beginnging of the street party that ensues as after sunset. Closed streets, Open containers. Hmm. Not very 'Singapore'!