The Tantrums, The Holy Grail, The Houses

Ay yi yi. What a day! I'm worn out. Absolutely, totally and completely exhausted.

Hudson must be, too. Poor tyke had his worst day on the planet yet, I'm certain of it. He cried in the taxi before we even got to school yelling, "That way! That way!" and pointing in the opposite direction of the school. When I picked him up at 11:45 (15 minutes later than usual, by design), we went to the mall across the street from his school to ride those stupid little rides that cost a quarter when I was little. Now, they're $2 a pop!

When it was time to go pick up Maisie, I had to rip him away from the rides and he started crying - wailing really. He wailed leaving the mall, crossing the street, going up the stairs, waiting for Maisie, back down the stairs, all the way home in the taxi and for 15 minutes more at home. All told? 45 minutes! He fell asleep with his lunch in his hand on the floor!

After he woke up, he went swimming, padding around the pool with his safety belt. Again, he melted down leaving the pool (so did Maisie!). Once he recovers, he's again the most joyful child on the planet, but dear God... when he is sad, he is really sad!

Rumor has it that he likes school - once he gets in the door. His teachers are kind enough to call me about a half hour after I drop him off to reassure me things are going well. Later, they send photos as back up to prove he's happy!

Funny, I expected Maisie to have a hard time. Instead, she seems to be adjusting really well with no real issues. 

 

That's good news because I also went to see the Singapore American School today, The Holy Grail for us. Why? Because it is the one school in town that is world class, yet also has the right services for her. SAS is an American-based school. If you have an American passport, you are moved to the top of the wait list. The student body is from 54 countries, but 70% American. I actually kind of wish it was more mixed. I mean, if you're going to live here, meet folks from other places, right?

The school is in the Woodlands, the northernmost neighborhood of Singapore. Lots of expats live there, but it's too far out for me - a full 30 minutes from the city. I hear it's a bad idea to live there when you first get here because the wives get depressed so isolated from town. 

The 16-year-old campus is fairly large. I didn't get a tour of the whole place, just the Early Childhood Center. It was nice - really nice! Moreso, I liked what I saw the teachers teaching. The kids were having fun, but learning a lot it seemed. To me, fun is the key to learning.

I really debated about whether or not to mention Maisie's sensory issues as I'd heard I shouldn't if I wanted to get her into the school. In the end, I decided honesty is the best policy. I met with the senior admissions guy and he was GREAT! The thing is, they only have so much room for kids who need services and if the kid has severe disabilities, they simply can't handle it. So in truth, if a child gets in under false pretenses and they realize there are issues, they might kick them out of school. Imagine how hard that is on the kid! The nice thing is the conversation we had is between us and is not a part of the admission process - or so he says. He explained that the other schools hire outside therapists to come in and work with the students. SAS has it's own staff of speech therapists and psychologists, but not OTs - what Maisie needs most.

He gave me all sorts of advice about the waiting game with both Maisie's needs as well as when it's most likely for a spot to open. If we apply for January, then she'd have two chances to get in by next year - January and August. If we wait to apply for August, then her evaluations would probably be better and she won't show to need as much therapy. It's a Catch-22. There is a MASSIVE fee to apply and be on the wait list - a non-refundable fee whether she's ever accepted or not - even if she's deemed not eligible for admission! Again, it's the same old racket. This school is incredibly expensive, too. 50% more than SAIS. We can buy a small house for what tuition costs. Sigh.

Then there's the bus thing. True, the busses come to your door and pick up each kid individually. What that really means, however, is that the kids are on the bus for 45 minutes or more. Some kids get picked up at 6:45! If Maisie gets out of bed before 7, she's a disaster and her sensory issues are at their worst. There is simply no way she can get on a bus that early. Period. This is true for all the international schools. The only way to really combat that is to be on an express bus which is available at VERY few complexes. Even then, I think she'd have to be on the bus at 7:30. The other thing to do is drive, but we can't afford a car here. 

I found myself sick to my stomach hating Singapore all over again.

This afternoon, I spent the afternoon with Wendy, my realtor. This time, she took me to three, very different houses - two in Bukit Timah, the last in Holland Village.

The first house was a traditional Chinese house with very little updating. It was 5000 square feet with four massive bedrooms. One bathroom had canary yellow Formica counters! The spaces were huge, but this house isn't for me. I like old houses - when I can update them! Plus, the location was kind of hard to reach. 

The second house was an amazingly modern home - all glass and sleek, well-designed spaces. This 4 bedroom, 5000 square foot house also had a nice little yard and koi pond that opened into the living area. The storage was really well done and there was even a massive "extra" room on the top floor with a big rooftop deck. I loved it! However, it's not all that close to anything. There'd be room for a playroom on the first room and a family/guest room, too. And as new as it is, the laundry is still outside. That always cracks me up!

As an aside: next door, a Chinese family was setting up for a first birthday party complete with a special canopy and generator being delivered. This is the same kind of set up for a Chinese funeral. Incredible!

The last house was also pretty neat. The woman living there is from Louisiana. It was very similarly decorated to the house where I stayed in Baton Rouge when I covered Katrina - all marble and fancy bathrooms. The main living area was quiet grande with an ultra high, medallioned ceiling. The kitchen was fine. On the second floor was an office sitting area and two bedrooms each with en suite bathrooms. The third floor had a junior master with a bathroom as well as the master with a walk-in-closet, makeup area and huge bathroom. The basement was the key. It was massive with a wet bar and lots of storage! So in this house we'd have a playroom, office and guest room. It's very close to the MRT and a big park - but not so close to anything else like town or a grocery store. A taxi to town would only be 15 minutes or so and the same would be true of a trip to SAS.

I'm not sure. I love the space that a house gives us, but we can live in a far nicer house in the US for less rent. While a part of me yearns for that space, I think I'm leaning towards living in a condo as the condos are more centrally located, more well-appointed and more social. Plus, it's a unique experience to live in a condo. I hear if we stay a long time, we'll be more likely to move out to "the burbs" and get a house - kind of like NYC. It's nice to know there are some great houses out there if that's our path. 

I'm looking forward to a calm night! Cheryl is cooking Mee Siam, a Malaysian dish. Yea!