Who Need the IMF? We Need the IMC!

The day started with a trip to the IMC--the International Medical Clinic--which just happened to be 4 blocks from our apartment. Before our trip I bought HTH International Health Insurance. It's a comprehensive travel gap health insurance which lasts for the duration of our trip. It's an added cost to a trip, but always well worth it. It allows 1 Million per insured person in medical expenses, and they will MediVac you out of a country (meaning fly you out of the country and back to the US) if you become seriously ill. And, God forbid, should you die while out of the country, they'll fly your remains back to the US. Anyway, I did LOTS of research on the best travel health insurance and this company rocks. So, I went on their website, logged in, and got access to a list of doctors, by city, and by speciality. Found a family practice clinic specializing in travel health and kids, so we made an appointment. Actually, they had a cancellation at 10:45, that's how we got in today. I really liked that they had American doctors and Asian doctors who trained in the US. So we get to the IMC, fill out paperwork, and then Dr. Mike sees Declan and Dashel. He seems to think Declan has a virus, which is what the doctor in Dubai told me I had, but he too is thinking we need antibiotics for the rest of the trip for both boys, just in case. He was a really nice doctor who moved here a year ago with his wife, who was transfered with Cargill to Singapore. What was amazing about the whole practice is that it seemed like a medical practice in the US. EVERYONE who worked there was from an America. I had to keep reminding myself I was in Singapore and not Houston, or somewhere like it. And it was a HUGE practice, with 10 doctors. Really cool, actually. We asked them to keep the boys paperwork on file so we could use them again in the future, should we come back to Singapore, which we may do if Dave decides to expand Global Gold into Asia.

So they wrote us the prescriptions, and we headed out to get Declan's suit fitted to him. Yes, we thought it was high time for Declan to have his first suit. Dave was 3 when he had his first one, so we got one and a button down shirt for Declan with room for it to be let out as he grows. There are lots of tailors in Asia, and Singapore is no exception. Not quite as cheap as Hong Kong or Vietnam for tailor costs, but they do a great job here. We decided that we are going to try and get more button down shirts made for Declan in India. It's like $10 a shirt, and as long as we have a shirt to show them, they can copy it. He looked so great in them. Like a little Dave. Of course, he cried the whole time he was being fitted because he didn't feel good and was hungry. We just had to get the fitting in so the final suit could get to us by tomorrow.

Afterwards, we headed to the Maxwell Road Food Center again for some great Hawker food. We are definately creatures of habit, we McAlvanys. When we like something we'll go back again and again. When in LA, Don always goes to The Crab Cooker in Newport Beach, and we always hit the Sushi Den when we are in Denver. Anyway, had another great meal at Tian Tian, then headed home.

When we got back Don and Molly packed up to head out to Bali tonight. They thought they'd go early to Bali to get some one on one time with Scott and Jenni before we arrive. But on their way out I rode with them to one of the ever present malls to take a picture of a dress that Don and Molly liked, but was $600 dollars. So Don thought they could take a picture of it, and have it made in India for about $10-12 US dollars, fabric and all. Then I headed out for some mommy “therapy”—actually, just some alone time shopping. It was better than therapy, really. Meandering through a store and just trying on whatever floated my fancy. It was really fun. I didn’t have to know what I wanted—because of screaming kids or a time crunch. I just got to walk around a store and be a girl. Really fun. I tried on things I wouldn’t normally take the time to try on—just for kicks. I came back to the apartment refreshed and ready to take on being mommy again.

I am struck with what a retail economy Singapore has. It seems to be a place people from all over the Asian world come to shop. But I wonder if a place like this will be hard hit in tough economic times. Our new friend, Brandon, told us he thinks the consumer side of their economy is only about 30% or so, but I don’t know it seems more important around here to consume. Asians—from the places David or I’ve visited in Asia—seem to be very status, success and label conscious. Americans are too, but not to the extent that Asians are. Their whole society prizes success above everything else. It trickles down into all aspects of life. Plastic surgery is big here, too. Lots of it. Everywhere I turn there are adds for it. And it’s really funny to see the importance of status and success in the business world. When a Singaporian gives you their business card, they present it to you with both hands, the card facing you, towards your face—like they are presenting a very important artifact to you. And one of the guys Dave was meeting for business had shown Dave his current business card, and his older business card (from a previous job), and Dave took both of them, not thinking anything of it. Well, the man called Brandon that day begging him to go and pick up the older business card from Dave. I guess because that wasn’t his current job he didn’t want Dave to have a card which was not current, or something like that. It was just funny how he begged Brandon to come and get it from Dave. Cultural differences—always funny and interesting to gather as we travel the world.

Well, back to the day….where was I at…oh, yes, so I had told Dave I would meet him at the Shangri La Hotel (2 blks from our apt) at 6PM, but something told me to try and head back early and help him get the kids ready before heading to the Shangri La for dinner. But when I had gotten to the apt. at 5:50, no one was home, so I headed back towards the Shangri La, only to find Dave and the boys happily enjoying drinks in the lounge. I told Dave I had to admit I was a little hesitant to believe he could get both kids up from their naps, dressed and out the door to the hotel by 6. I was pleasantly surprised. So we enjoyed an even better Singapore Sling, then headed on to the best Chinese food I’ ve ever had in the coolest and most hip looking Chinese restaurant I’ve ever been to. We did the usual juggling of kids back and forth, in the midst of a 5 course dinner. Always fun. And once they both fell asleep—the baby in my arms and Declan in the chair—we had a “romantic” dinner for two (okay, 4) and enjoyed the silence around us. You take it when you can get it, right?