September Asia Trip

I realize that it has been more than a month since we got back, but it’s taken me that long to get organized with all the pictures and my own personal thoughts and everything else that’s been going on since our return. So anyways, here goes:

Chronologically, this trip consisted of

• Our company convention in the first week [Day -1 0 1-4]
• 5 days in Singapore [Day 1 2 3 4 5]
• Another 5 days in Taipei [Day 1 2 3 4 5]

This trip started out a lot more stressful than previous family trips to Asia, for the primary reason that we were going back, our company convention in Singapore, which also happened to be on a cruise. And with Juliette starting Kindergarten at the beginning of September, we wanted to let her start with her class to help her with the transition, which meant that we were a bit squeezed for time to get to Asia a day before the convention started, so that I could take care of some last minute preparations.

Once in Singapore, I was very busy with work all through the convention, while Rebecca took care of the girls and enjoyed the cruise. In fact, when people asked me how my first cruise experience went (yes, I’ve been avoiding cruises because of my innate or inert ability to cope with motion sickness, thank God for “the patch”), I try to think back on what I actually remember from the cruise, and it was pretty much all work. So it’s probably safe to say that I have yet to go on a cruise as most people would think of going on a cruise, for the purposes and experience of relaxation and rest.

After the cruise, we stayed in Singapore, on a resort island called Sentosa, where we were able to relax and enjoy time as a family. One thing that we did that was particularly meaningful was to visit our grandfather’s former rubber plantation up in Kota Tinggi, which is just past the border into Malaysia. One of the churches that our grandfather started is now building a new sanctuary on land donated by our grandfather. It was really special to meet with the church coworkers and see this project which has continued as a ministry that our family is involved with. I pray that God gives us the wisdom to be good stewards of not just the assets and property but also the family legacy and spiritual intent that comes with it.

Our final stop was in Taipei, which was a much shorter stay than normal for us, because we had to get back so Juliette didn’t miss too much school. I worked for the first couple of days, but was still able to do some things with the family. And the last half, I spent with Rebecca and the girls enjoying the city and meeting up with friends and family. From my last Asia trip, I already started to realize that I felt the most comfortable while in Taipei, and granted it probably has to do with a much greater familiarity than other locales in the region. But I think that this time, I even started to miss Taiwan, the city, the people, the way of life (one of these days, I’m going to have to figure out where and how to go mountain biking in Taiwan!).

It’s interesting to note and telling that since Rebecca and the girls were with me on this trip, I didn’t make a single post. One primary reason is probably because I use this blog to share my thoughts and experiences and the one person who is most interested in those is Rebecca. And since she was right there with me, there was no immediacy to get my thoughts down (hehe, you thought I was going to write ‘on paper’, but that just wouldn’t make any sense, now, would it?) The second reason is because this trip was very packed with work, and then also helping out with the kids, so that there was not much time left for processing, evaluating or digesting all that was happening throughout the days.

Now aren’t you surprised that I was able to remember all of that one month after?!