Mom and Dad arrived in Singapore on the 12th of November, right on time for Dad's birthday celebrations. I picked them at the airport around 5 pm. However, for the first time in Changi Airport's history, luggage took a while to show up. So, for over 15 minutes, I anxiously waited for them, right on the other side of the glass wall but without being able to hug them to death. How excited were we all???
For Dad's 56th birthday celebration, we went to Cé La Vi, the famous restaurant and bar on the top of Marina Bay Sands - Singapore's main icon. We all had a drink (yes, Mom did drink half of my margarita!), and then a really nice dinner, with the city view.
Sunday was our most touristy day. I had to wake Mom and Dad up before the breakfast at their hotel closed, after over 1h30 waiting for them at the lobby. Yup, jet lag! That day, we walked around Chinatown, visited its most beautiful buddhist temple, wandered in Financial District, had thai food at a famous food court in town, passed through the Bay, and went all the way to Arab Street. To finish the day, as if we were not tired enough, we went to the grocery store to make sure I had a house full of supplies before Mom and Dad went back to Portugal again.
On Monday morning, Mom and Dad met me on campus. I showed them around, from the cafeteria to the library, from the amphitheaters to the study-group rooms, from the INSEAD store to the gym. I started introducing them to my friends as well. To me, the most important part of the morning was the hour we spent talking about all my dilemmas about where I imagine myself working in the future. As usual, Dad gave me great professional advice, and Mom supported our conclusions. Lucky, lucky me... After a busy afternoon packed with classes, we had the Running Dinner that I mentioned in the previous post. Fun, fun, fun!
On Tuesday, Mom and Dad played some golf while I had a normal day of readings, assignments and classes. We met by the end of the day for some typical Singaporean dinner at Newton Food Center: chilly crab, black pepper crab, tiger prawns, and so on. So yummy!
On Wednesday, Mom and Dad explored Singapore Botanic Gardens (UNESCO World Heritage) in the morning, and then I met them at the City Gallery for some history of Singapore and urbanism planning. We finished the day around Orchard Road, the fanciest street in Singapore, where Mom and Dad's hotel was located. For dinner, we enjoyed an amazing thai meal, not before Mom convinced me to see a manicure (for the first time since I had arrive in Singapore). Perks of having Mom and Dad in town, I guess.
On Thursday, I turned 26, and had a great day. Lots of phone calls and sweet messages, Mom and Dad in town, and lots of presents (Mom and Dad got me so many little tops and skirts, highly needed for the Singaporean weather; Gorda got me the coolest bike so that we can do some trips by the river, back home; my Portuguese and Brazilian friends here got me a pair of new running shoes; Mom even brought some presents from my cousins and Aunty). I decided to arrange a birthday dinner in one of the coolest Mexican places in town. There were around 25 of us (the coolest INSEADers in my opinion, plus Mom and Dad), we had high tables and no one sat down. We enjoyed a few hours of margaritas, tacos, nachos, and I even got a Piñata, organized by my Portuguese friends and sponsored by Mom and Dad. The after party at Kyo was pretty fun too. Except that I could feel it the following day...!
On Friday, it was time to say goodbye. It's funny how spending time with people you love and miss makes you miss them even stronger in the short term. It took me a few days to cheer up again after Mom and Dad left. Having Mom and Dad in town was awesome, mainly for the small things. Having someone kissing me and hugging me all the time, brushing my hair before I left home, listening about everything that happened each day at school, having a honest and caring opinion about what concerned me, bringing me news from home, insisting with me so that I took the best part (or the last piece) of every meal - showing me some love.
Love you Mom and Dad, and see you soon!
❤️
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