Finally in Singapore!

After a long 8 hours on the plane including a one hour transit in Guangzhou, I was totally exhausted. It's my first time taking a plane and I wasn't sure what and what not to do. I was sitting by the window which offered me a fantastic view as we left Shenyang... and it was my first time seeing my homeland from such a high altitude. I immediately tried to recognize the various places and looked for my home but to no avail.

While having a window seat has its privileges, I felt totally boxed in as two other Chinese men sat next to me. They tried to make small conversation but I was just too confused, exhausted and depressed to entertain them. They were migrant workers too, back for a short break before heading back to Singapore to work. Sometime during the flight, I wanted to go to the toilet but was afraid to ask the men to excuse me as I was afraid of starting the small talk all over again. I just wanted to go to the lavatory and come back to sleep. I was dead tired.

When the plane landed in Singapore, a wave of fear suddenly spread through me and cold sweat started pouring down my forehead and neck. It's my first time in a foreign land and I'm not sure what to expect. Instinctively, I looked around for that lady in black who helped me and saw her some distance in front. As the seat belt sign went off, passengers started standing up and taking their hand luggage while I was still stuck at my window seat waiting for the two men to move. I was excited and worried that the "lady-in-black", whom I intend to follow will alight before I do... and I will lose sight of her. I squeezed my way out to the annoyance of some of the passengers. I also tried to recognize a few passengers so that I can follow them should I lose the "lady-in-black".

Finally, we got through customs and was at the luggage bay. My luggage was one of the last to come out which  made me even more nervous as I wondered what to do should I lose my luggage. As I followed some passengers out of the gate, I kept my eyes opened for the representative agent from Singapore who was suppose to pick me. I do not recognize them but was looking for a signboard... I saw none! More cold sweat! What next?

I hovered around the gate waiting to see a familiar sign, hopefully one with my name on it but there were none. I was tired, sleepy, hungry, sweaty... all rolled into one... and possibly smelly too after that long, sweaty flight. Finally I gave up and decided to take a seat near the gate. As I sat down, the first big tears began to roll down my cheeks... images of home flash through my mind... my chickens, my donkey, the beautiful sunrise and sunsets, my mother...

Singapore!

The agent called to say that everything has been settled about a week later and I have to leave the following week. These two weeks were the fastest two weeks of my life. Now I'm really unsure... unsure about leaving my parents, friends, my sister and brothers and a place I've grown to call home. Butterflies churned my little tummy and I could not eat and sleep. Anxiety got the better of me... afterall, I'd never taken a plane before. In fact, I've not even seen the airport at Shenyang.

The day finally came and I was to meet the agent at the Shenyang Airport early in the morning. My parents were as anxious as I was, and got up really early to prepare breakfast... my last for the next two years at home. I could sense the tension and anxiety as I noticed my mum's eyes were perpetually wet. My dad was particularly quiet. As we had breakfast of home made dumplings, my dad finally broke the silence with his wavering voice. He told me to take care and be particularly careful in a foreign country. My mum finally broke down and cried, even though she had supported my desire to work in Singapore. I ate barely two dumplings as my churning tummy did not seem to like any food in it.

Finally we walked together as a family outside as we had booked a local taxi to take us to the airport. My sister and brother will be coming with me and helping me with my luggage. My tummy was churning even harder. Tears filled my eyes and the first big drop fell like the rain, even though I had wanted to appear strong. I hugged my mum and my dad. My dad pressed something into my hand... some money he had saved up and told me to keep it with me just in case (I was later to find out that he had given me another 1,000RMB, his savings! What a dad!). He knew I did not have much. In fact, I was going to Singapore with barely 500RMB in my pocket.I had taken the agent's word that lodging will be provided and I will start work within a few days of arriving in Singapore. My pay will be SGD800 a month!

The one hour plus to the airport felt like an eternity as I engaged in small talk with my sister and brother to keep sad thoughts out of my mind. I loved my sister and I promised her I will look for a job for her when I am in Singapore.

We got to the airport on time but the agent was late. But he finally arrived without so much as an apology as we had waited almost half an hour... not a long time but considering that my flight was coming up, half an hour felt like ages. My agent brought us to the check-in counter.

Finally the moment came to leave my sister and brother behind. I had to board. This was when I could not take and it virtually broke down and cried. I'd never left home for more than 2 weeks even when working in Shenyang and now I'm going to be away for 2 years. The thought just overwhelmed me. For the first time in my life, I saw tears in my brother's adult eyes as well!

Finally my agent ushered me into the boarding gate and I was all alone. I was lost and all alone. I was scared. I asked around and met a girl who was taking the same plane so kept close to her. Thinking back, while she had been helpful, she must have thought I was quite annoying... keeping close to her, when I don't even know her. Once when she got up to go to the toilet, I just went with her... hmmm!

My home in China!

Ever wondered what a typical Chinese Migrant life is like in China? Most of us from the country side still farm crops as a main occupation. My parents are both farmers and we live on a piece of land where we built our home. Our homes are not modern in any way. It's made mostly of concrete and has basic amenities by most country's standards. Some areas, such as the toilets are still made from bricks. Here is a picture of the toilets. No modern flushing system for sure.... but it serves its intended purpose well enough.

We don't have hot water or tap water and we have to get our water by manually pumping them from the ground. Ha, you may think this is ancient but recently, I was back home and it is exactly the same as when I left. While China has progressed by leaps and bounds, this is only in the city. The country side is much the same. Can you imagine being without hot water in the winter... and I can assure  you that winter is very, very cold here in Benxi.

We do have a pump system run by a generator but this is only used when we need lots of water in a hurry such as when we need ground water for irrigation. Otherwise, for most day-to-day use, we have to resort to pumping manually.

Is the water clean enough for drinking? For us, yes... but I guess that's because we've been acclimatized to bacteria present in the ground water. We boil the water before drinking them of course and they do taste different from the clean tap water in many developed countries. In fact, they have a rather unpleasant smell sometimes.

Well, I will tell you more about home every now and then... but you can see, we're used to hard work and life can be tough at times.

Finally... my passport... Singapore I'm coming!

The first thing I did after getting the necessary documents from the Agent was to go apply for my passport. It's the only document standing between me and Singapore... in fact, with it, I could go anywhere I want. Wow! Not that I have the money to do it, but the thought that I can, just because I have this little book, amazes me!

About 2 weeks after my application, I received a letter to say that my passport is ready and I can go ahead to collect it. I had to take a 2 hour bus to collect but then, I don't even care. Now I just want my passport! My ticket to freedom! The 2 hour bus journey to Shenyang felt like 2 days... the more excited I got, the slower time seemed to pass. Well, there isn't much I could do other than sleep the 2 hours to Shenyang. I closed my eyes, but my mind wasn't ready to settle down. Every "gear" in my body was running full speed... sleeping was just not possible. I decided to look out the window to enjoy the scenery as the green of the countryside slowly turned to a more grayish concrete jungle as we approached Shenyang.

It took me a while to be in the queue to get my passport but it was worth it. Once I got it, I kept flipping the pages, expecting to see lots of important notes and documents but all I see were empty pages. The only page that makes me sure I got the correct document was the one with my picture on it.

I rushed home to show off my new passport. Unsure as I am, I was still happy that I now have the document necessary to take me to almost any country I want (I did not realize back then that I needed a visa for most countries).

I called the agent to tell him that I got my passport and he then told me to be ready to leave in about 2 weeks once he gets the air tickets and other travel documents settled.

The next day, I went out an bought a nice looking pink trolley case... at a reasonable 100RMB. This is going to be my travel companion. I started writing down a list of items I have to pack. The agent gave me one as well but I was quite sure mine will be more complete. Medicine, shoes, clothes, make-up....

Singapore, here I come!