The last couple of days in our apartment went well. I have moved in and out of apartments a lot in my life but never had to go by such strict guidelines. Here in the US when I would move out of an apartment all I had to do was move my stuff out and clean the apartment top to bottom.
In Singapore we had to go by what the contract said. We had to get our air conditioning units cleaned one last time, get the curtains dry cleaned and hire a cleaning person to clean out the apartment. We checked our contract and it did not state that we had to get the curtains dry cleaned. This seemed to be a hot button issue. It is expected that you get this done, even if the contract does not say it. I have always gone by what the contract says so we didn't do it and thankfully it wasn't a huge issue to deal with.
After our international movers came to take our things Dustin and I got to cleaning. I will tell you, it's a lot easier to clean an apartment when it's completely empty. Having all that furniture there was kind of a pain but we did it. We cleaned that apartment to the highest standards. After cleaning up and packing our things we headed to the Marina Bay Sands Hotel. This was where we stayed for our last night in Singapore.
I have been up to the observation deck and seen the mall attached to it and I will tell you it's an amazing building. Dustin and I actually watched the show "Build it Bigger" on the Marina Bay Sands and really did learn a lot about the building. (I suggest you watch it, it's on you tube in six mini episodes). We checked in and went to our room. We were on the 15th floor and were able to have a great view of the bay and the city. Once we unloaded we decided to go to the famous pool. This pool is only for guests and the only way you can see the pool if you're not a hotel guest is to go to the club at the top that is called Ku De Ta (Could have spelled that wrong). Because you can't see it from the observation deck side, Dustin and I have only just seen pictures online.
Once we got up there I was blown away at the view. The pool was an infinity edge pool to a view of the city and the bay. It was beautiful. We walked around and noticed that the pool has loungers in the pool and they have an area of the pool that is for adults only. Dustin and I didn't think they would enforce it but I till you what they did. The lifeguards were on top of their game! We got some drinks and went in the pool and got some beautiful pictures.
After that we went back to the room where we got something to eat and just enjoyed the room. Dustin had to work the next day and I had to go back to our apartment to do last minute sweeping/dusting and turn over the apartment.
The next day I went to the apartment and was amazed at how much dust was in there. Dustin and I must have swept that place ten times before I came back and same goes with dusting. I cleaned and then turned over the apartment. We were lucky that we didn't run into any problems and it looked like we were going to get our deposit back in full. (this is also something that expats deal with, most don't get their deposit back)
I went back to the hotel and was planning on meeting up with my friend Lucy to hang by the pool. There were some issues because her friends Holly and Dave had just gotten back into the country but we worked it out and we all sat by the pool and had a great time. It was the perfect way to end our year in Singapore, We missed Dustin but at least he was able to get to see the pool the night before.
When it was time for them to go I got really sad. I hadn't said goodbye to Lucy because I knew I was going to see her the day I left for home. I was so sad and got choked up but held strong. I went back into the room and took a shower, packed and got things ready so when Dustin got back from work we could go to the airport.
We took a free shuttle to the airport, got our things checked in and went to the lounge. It didn't seem like we were leaving for good. I felt like we were going to be back in the country really soon. Our flight didn't leave until 11:55pm and when we got on the plane I was tired. I know Dustin was because he had been feeling like he was going to get a cold. He went to sleep and I was up, I was a big ball of nerves and excitement.
Our flight from Singapore to Germany was 12 hours and I probably only slept four. Once we landed we had to get off the plane, go though security and get back on the same plane (don't know why we just had to) Because the security line was so long, once we got to our gate we only had to wait five minutes after we got picked for a random security check. Once back on the plane I tried to sleep but it didn't come easily. There were a lot of men on the plane and one had bad gas and a lot of them were snoring. I had to get ear plugs and hope for the best. I slept for about three hours on that trip because when we were over Iceland we hit really bad turbulence. It wasn't for 5 minutes either, it was for 45 minutes. The plane shook and dropped and I really thought I was going to throw up. I hate turbulence anyways so this was just giving me a lot of anxiety. Dustin was sleeping because he had taken cold medication.
Once we got past that I was fine but was unable to sleep very well. Once we landed at JFK in NYC I was ready to be home already. We got though customs and then had to go to a different terminal and recheck our bags because Singapore Airlines didn't put us through all the way to DC. I wouldn't complain about it much but honestly it was a joke because of how much luggage we had. Once we were though security again we went to our gate. We waited there what seemed like forever! I was just ready to be home. It was the longest trip yet and I was exhausted.
Once on the plane, Dustin slept and of course I did not. From take off to landing it was only a 45 minute trip. We got our bags and into a cab to go to Dustin's work. We went there because our friend/roommate Joe was picking us up and we didn't want him to run into traffic considering it was rush hour. I will tell you what, Cabs are expensive here! I have been spoiled living in Singapore.
Once we got to Dustin's office I was relived. We were almost home. We talked with some friends and then went home. Once home our neighbors came over to give us a warm welcome before we went inside. After that we rushed in to say hi to Bandit. He was so happy to see us, his tail (nubben) was going so fast and he was sniffing and just all around happy to see us.
After we got our stuff in the house we had some beers and hung out. We had pizza for dinner and actually stayed up till about 1am. I was amazed how late we stayed up but it was such a fun time with neighbors and friends.
I still don't feel at home yet because there is still lots of unpacking and of course I have to get a job. I am sure I will feel at home once I get back to work.
I am so thankful that we took the opportunity to relocate and live in Singapore for a year. I definitely know that it has changed me. I look at things differently and appreciate a lot more than I have ever before. I am so glad Dustin and I decided to take the jump. We made so many friends and had so many adventures. Thank you all for welcoming us into your hearts. We love you all and miss you TONS. We can't wait to see you all whenever we do meet up again (because we will, no matter where in the world!). Xo
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