A big move!

Some time back, I wrote about my landlord being sent back home. A friend of his was helping him to collect rent but recently the owner of the place decided to take it back. It means that all the tenants, or rather sub-tenants, had to move out almost immediately.

My friend whom I wrote about when she first came to Singapore called me to tell me the news and I decided to pop by last Saturday to take a look and visit them for one last time. Somehow, I still have some attachment to the place as I had stayed there for more than a year in total and made many friends. I arrived right in the middle of the big move and what a mess it was.

I really felt sorry for some of the sub-tenants as they had barely stayed there a  few months. Even my friend only started staying there in April, so that's like just six months. They told me how difficult it was to find a place to stay with such a short notice and I can fully understand their difficulty. I had difficulty finding a room for me and my sister and it took me almost 2 months, just to find something we like and can afford. And to think that these sub-tenants were given barely two weeks to move out. Scary to even think of it.

It turned out, some of them had to bunk in with friends temporary. Most of us migrant don't drive (how can we afford to?), so moving was really difficult. Fortunately for most of us, we do not have a lot of belongings to take with us. Most of us come to Singapore with one small suitcase and over time, we may have bought a few things here and there, but nevertheless, most have less than 2 suitcases... usually a big one and a smaller one. It's the little things that cannot fit into the suitcase that pose a problems eg the table fan, computers etc...

While I sympathize with my ex-room mates, I felt really grateful that I moved out earlier and need not participate in this mad rush. I wish I could offer some of these migrant workers temporary shelter but I am sure my landlord will not welcome this. A reader some time back had commented that he felt what my ex-landlord was doing was illegal and advised me to move out. I am glad I did  but I also understand that many of us have not many choices. I am lucky to have my sister with me so that we can share a room. I prefer to share a room with someone I know well, rather than just any other migrant worker from China... but still, some of us have limited choices, especially when we come alone, like I did initially!