One of my goals over the next three years of teaching and living in Singapore is to try to form connections with Singaporeans, rather than just expats. I love Americans and Europeans and Australians, but I think there's a danger abroad of initially gravitating to what's familiar and, over time, distancing oneself from the citizens of that particular place.
I'm not so naive as to think I'll become a native son in three years, but I hope to avoid the expat enclave mentality. Still, I admit it isn't easy to find ways to make new acquaintances, and my Singaporean friend, Ester, told me that Singaporeans tend to be reserved, especially with strangers.
However, sometimes, the universe has a way of helping us out. Yesterday, I set out on my usual morning walk, clad in an old pair of basketball shoes. Halfway through my route, I pass a basketball court outside a local sporting goods store. People are allowed to play for free, and on more than one occasion, I've been tempted to join in, keeping in mind that my 49-year-old ankles have been in two casts over my lifetime, and my vertical leap is well past its prime.
On this particular morning, a guy was shooting alone, so I asked to join him. The Filipino spoke little English, but the beauty of sports is that a person doesn't have to conjugate verbs to throw a ball through a hoop.
Because he was wearing a Miami Heat, Lebron James jersey, we stuck to a simple conversation about James returning to Cleveland and other basketball talk, as we enjoyed working out without the high humidity.
After about 30 minutes, I decided to quit before I pulled, strained, or broke something. Prior to my leaving, "L.A." invited me back to play any evening with his group of friends.
Will this turn into a friendship? I'm not sure, but it was nice to begin, at least, to try to form local ties, and I'm always up for a game of basketball, assuming my body will cooperate.
Later in the evening, I had an opportunity to meet more Singaporeans. As I've written before, Singapore is known for food, and one of the best places to get it is at one of the dozens of hawker centers around the country.
This time I tried the Chomp Chomp center, a destination popular with locals and tourists alike. I came to sample the barbeque stingray, a dish I'd read I must try.
The thin, white flaky fish is covered with a spicy, tomato sauce and served on a banana leaf with lime and sauteed onions on the side. It's quite tasty and quite hot. Before delving in, one of my dinner companions warned me to prepare myself for a fiery encounter, but it wasn't that bad. I'd definitely get it again.
Even though I arrived at the hawker center alone, I immediately found myself with company. That's because seating is first-come, first-served, but the vendors will always locate a spot for customers. In my case, a young couple was eating at a table adjacent to a table with two young women. The vendor just pulled up a stool and put me across the table from the man and woman.
Welcome to a hawker center. It's definitely not a place for those who insist on maintaining a lot of personal space.
The couple didn't seem to mind my presence. In fact, we discussed Singaporean and American culture, and they even offered to let me try some of their dishes. Apparently, sharing food in Singapore is quite common. After they left, the two young women asked me to slide over to their table, which is how I met Ester and Liping, two very pleasant, friendly Singaporean conversationalists.
Before the night ended, we promised to get together soon, and they invited me to one of their Chinese New Year celebrations in February. I hope it all actually comes together.
Another weekend is drawing to a close, and my third week of teaching awaits. It's been a nice couple of days experiencing a new hawker center, a new dish, and maybe establishing a new friendship or two.
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