Class Time!!!

Afzal in Mrs Smith's class, getting a bagful of goodies on the last day of orientation. This orientation includes a visit to the cafeteria where the children were taught where and how to collect their utensils, tray and food. An exciting new experience for my kindie kid!

Me and my new school...Westlawn Elementary School

Time for class...

School is in!

The grass is greener where the heart is...

Living in a foreign land can be both exciting and nerving. When I was young and single, I told myself that I will definitely migrate elsewhere. The grass is always greener on the other side, isn't it? There's wide open spaces, beautiful mountains and fresh air elsewhere compared to overcrowded, hot and humid Singapore. And then, I thought, if I'll ever find a mate, I'll follow him wherever he goes. Then I married my husband Tahir, a true blue Singaporean, and the farthest he'll probably settle down is Johor. Johor is great for makan and cheap bargains due to the exchange rate but definitely not a dream home. Then one day in 2001, we went for a holiday in Melbourne and to visit my sister who has made Melbourne home with her Nepalese husband. Surprisingly, Tahir fell in love with Melbourne. He felt that it would be a good place to raise Afzal and it would be less of a bottleneck as compared to Singapore. Somehow I was not as thrilled as before. I guess it does not matter where I am as long as my family is with me. I have also grown to groom my mind to fit the Singapore way of life. If I were to bring up Afzal in Singapore, I am ready to embrace the educationally-obsessed-lifestyle of Singapore. What took a rethink was my career. I was working long hours, working my butt off and winning awards. I sacrifice my precious time especially with Afzal to put great performance at work but what do I get in return. The returns was not worth the sacrifices and the fact that Afzal is bonding more with his dad. I would rather earn less or nothing than to work so hard and earn peanuts. I quit my 10-year so-called glamorous job, finished off my masters in early childhood education and went into research for a tiny bit before we move here to Alabama, following wherever my husband goes. And now, equipped with a masters in early childhood education, I am a full-time homemaker, bursting with energy and ideas to educate or even homeschool Afzal here in Alabama... but that is another story altogether.

We evacuated from Mobile and headed to Huntsville, another not-so-happening place except for the US Space and Rocket Centre. That was fun and an eye-opening experience for us. This pic was taken on our way to Boaz, a small sleepy town near Huntsville where we thought we could find some factory bargains. However, Foley was a much better factory outlet than Boaz. In Foley, I got US100 over worth of Osh Kosh B Gosh for less than US50. Calvin Klein jeans were going for US50 for 2 pairs. Levis is a steal.

Kid on the Moon!

Afzal calling Earth!!!

Finally I'm connected ....

Just got my brand new Dell laptop yesterday....hurray!!!! It's been a month and four days since Afzal and me landed on Alabama soil, specifically Mobile... a very unhappening place. Now, I'm at a hotel's bed in Huntsville, 8 hours drive north of Mobile... because we had to evacuate!!! There was a state of emergency in Mobile and Baldwin County because of Hurricane Dennis. Hurricane Dennis is hitting Mobile on Sunday evening and it is a category 4 hurricane, much worst that last year's pretty menacing Hurricane Ivan (category 3). It is an adventure in itself having the highway jammed up with everyone moving up north. As for us, it is a forced all paid vacation by hubby's company. If it is not raining and storming here, we hope to catch some sightseeing. Love to all in Singapore! Moooahhh!

10.46 pm Fri 8 July Alabama time
11.46 am Sat 9 July Singapore time