Our condo in Bedok

We have been here for a week now and it still feels like a vacation. That probably won't change because we haven't furnished the apartment and we won't be living here for long enough. However, it feels like home because Alex and Jakob are here.

Yesterday I finally found Christmas decorations. It's not that easy here. While the streets in the city center are decorated with the brightest and most colorful lights (this year Christmas is themed 'Disney'), the selection of decorations for private households is rather limited. It took some time and visits to several stores until I found what I was looking for. The idea of Christmas decorations by Singaporeans is also slightly different from the taste of 'German' decorations. But I found some nice things and now the Christmas season can begin for us too. I will show some pictures later.

But first, here are some pictures of our condo in Bedok (a very nice neighborhood, about 20-30 minutes to the city center by MRT). We live on the 15th (highest) floor of our tower and have a wonderful view of the Bedok Reservoir. We share several small swimming pools with children's pool, whirlpools, three saunas, a gym, barbecue pavilions, and a minimarket with the others living here on the premises. However, you hardly see people and therefore usually have these communal areas to yourself because everyone works long hours in Singapore. Additionally, there is a huge green rooftop terrace with whirlpool loungers or simple double and single loungers as well as chairs for relaxation.

We have also explored the surroundings. Unfortunately, Jakob is sick, so our radius of going out is currently rather small. But within a 10-minute walk, we have a small center with a supermarket, hawker center, small shops, nail salon, fish pedicure, massage, etc. There are also 4 or 5 brand new playgrounds, each of which is equipped with outdoor exercise equipment for adults, a canoe station, and a climbing park. Among all the high-rise buildings, you can always find small green oases, and overall it is very green everywhere. And clean. Singapore is definitely the cleanest city I have ever seen. Throwing away trash is punishable here and it is being taken seriously. Every day you see people trimming hedges and cutting lawn edges. Leaves are swept away, trash cans are emptied. And everyone somehow engages in sports here. You see many older people jogging together. Everyone is super friendly. Elevators and doors are held open, no one rushes into the train. Everything is very orderly here and everyone seems to take care of their fellow human beings. But I may write more about that later.